Devotions - Prayer
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A stronghold is a fortress of thoughts that controls and influences our attitudes.
Some of the things God brings up from our hidden chambers have been lifelong strongholds of the enemy. They may appear as “giants” when we seek to break free of them, but God is already the Victor! You will see His salvation if you faint not.
“But Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.'” Exodus 14:13
Remember:*EACH person is given something to do that SHOWS who God is! This gifting God has given each one of us is an OUTLET for the OVERFLOW of GOD’S LOVE in our lives for others.
Coming Out of the Stronghold
“Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah“… – 1 Samuel 22:5
David and his fighting men had been hiding in the cave of Adullam. He was fleeing Saul. Many of life’s down-and-out had come and joined David’s army.
David was content to stay in the stronghold of safety.
Then, God’s prophet came to David and told him that he must leave the stronghold and go into the land of Judah.
When life beats down on us and we get to the place where we want to hide in a cave, God often places people around us who prod us into moving in the right direction.
God does not want us to remain in the place of discouragement. He wants us to move into the land of “praise.” Judah means “praise.”
Our attitude must move from discouragement to praise.
*It is when we move past discouragement to praise that we begin living above our problems.
The way is open for you to come boldly before the Lord’s throne of grace.
Do not be afraid or hesitate. Come and let Him speak to your heart, for you need wisdom and direction for the days ahead.
Listen for the Lord’s still small voice, and you will hear. “I will guide your steps, and lead you to victory.”
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
God help me to put my trust in You today. To trust in my relationship with You and my knowledge of Your love, justice and righteousness. Amen
Read More1 John 2:2 And he(Jesus) is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our’s only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
*Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
*Jesus Christ, is our advocate who pleads our case before God when we sin. He is the ONLY atonement that satisfies God. So NO WORKS OF THE FLESH can atone for our sins.
What Does “Propitiation” Mean? Propitiation is a big word that means satisfaction.
Because God is a holy God, His anger and justice burns against sin. And He has sworn that sin will be punished.
There must be a satisfactory payment for sin.
*But God said, “If I punish man for his sin, man will die and go to hell.
*On the other hand, if I don’t punish man for his sin, My justice will never be satisfied.”
The solution?
*God said that He would become our substitute.
*He would take the sin of mankind upon Himself in agony and blood—a righteous judgment and substitute for sin.
His wrath burned out on the cross when His only Son died as man’s propitiation for sin. And this is love.
1 John 4:10 This is what love is: it is not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven.
Rejoice and be glad for the Lord has wonderful plans for you fulfilling His eternal purpose through you!
Isaiah 43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Dear Jesus, I will never know what you suffered and felt, and for that I am grateful. My heart hurts when I do try to wrap my brain around what was truly done to you. Yet, I know that the pain was temporary, as massive as it was. And I love you SO much for taking the pain of my sins so that I can have the promise of eternal life. I ask that you walk with me through this life, helping me to avoid sin. Sin leads to damnation, and the pain you suffered was the pain of our collective damnation! If I think that my sins would lead to my eternal suffering, I know that I never want myself or my loved ones to face that forever. I want to live with you forever! Amen.
John 17:3 And eternal life means to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, whom you sent.
* Eternal life requires entering into a personal relationship with God in Jesus Christ. When we admit our sin and turn away from it, Christ’s love lives in us by the Holy Spirit.
The Word of God stands by itself!
Jesus chose to lay down His Life so God’s Love could be poured forth from Him to us.
* “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His Life for the sheep…No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative.”. John 10:11, 18
We all long to hear……”Well done good and faithful servant!”
Deuteronomy 4:2 clearly states “2 Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you.”
*Our God is so perfect, that nothing needs to be added or subtracted from what HE decrees!
We go astray, when we as humans try to add or subtract! What God says is absolute!
*Obedience isn’t a setup to put you in chains, it’s a channel that leads to God’s freedom! It’s the key that opens the door to the Promise, to God’s best for you!
Revelation 22:18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.
*We need to speak when the Bible speaks, and be silent when the Bible is silent.
The commandments of God and the traditions of men are not the same thing and must always be clearly distinguished.
Any attempt to place them on the same level will always result in making the Word of God of none effect.
God’s Word is true (Rom. 3:3-4) and will not return to Him void (Isa. 55:11).
The Word will not profit anyone who doesn’t believe it, but God’s Word itself doesn’t lose any power.
1 Corinthians 4:6 ….”Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.
*Many times our pride wants to take us beyond what a person wrote or said. We think, “Well this is what they really meant when they said this.” And that thought never passed their minds. Don’t worry about what other people think of you. Only worry about what God thinks of you.
Lord, as I draw closer to you, draw closer to me so that as I grow I will become more and more like you and less and less like me. I love you, Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read MoreThe Cross has been forgotten in many Christian homes and churches, simply because we have chosen to place our human happiness above God’s Will.
“For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”. 1 Corinthians 1:18
Take Up His Cross Daily
Can you recall Jesus’ radical philosophy: “Be a servant, give to others”?
The basis of that statement is tucked away in Luke 9:23.
Following Christ is a costly, unselfish decision. He says: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”
When you look closely at Jesus’ statement, a couple of things seem important.
*First, those who desire to follow Him closely must come to terms with self-denial.
*And second, this decision to give ourselves to others (taking up our cross) has to be a daily matter.
Some questions we must ask and answer ourselves are:
*Am I serious about being a follower of Jesus Christ?
*Do I think of others to such an extent that self-denial is becoming the rule rather than the exception in my life?
*Is my walk with Him a daily thing?
*A thorough self-examination is one of the requisites for following closely. Paul tells us to abound in generosity, be givers, be people who excel in unselfishness. That’s costly stuff, terribly expensive. Can we pay the price?
2 Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
When I believe the Good News of the cross the power of God becomes a reality in my life.
Lord I thank you for your indwelling presence in my life made possible by the work of Christ on the cross. Amen
Read MoreLet us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord. Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven and say, ‘We have sinned and rebelled’”Lamentations 3:40-42a.
The path to a fresh start and a clear conscience begins with repentance. First, review every area of your life, and then repent of every sin.
What does it mean to repent? It means three things:
- First, you take responsibility for your sin.
- Second, you turn away from those things.
- And third, you turn toward God and his grace.
Repentance does not mean rationalizing your sin. You don’t say, “It was no big deal.” It was a big deal, or you wouldn’t have remembered it. You don’t say, “It happened so long ago” or “It was just a stage I went through” or “Everybody does it.” It doesn’t matter! You cannot rationalize sin, minimize it, excuse it, or blame others. That is not true repentance.
Pay attention to this: The greatest holdup to the healing of your hang-up is you.
You’re not waiting on God; you’re not waiting on anybody else. God wants to heal the hang-up in your life, but the greatest holdup to your hang-up is you.
The Bible says in 1 John 1:8, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us”(NIV).
Would you like to get rid of the self-defeating habits in your life?
- You will stop defeating yourself when you stop deceiving yourself.
- It all starts with gut-level honesty and recognizing that something is wrong, no matter how much you want to rationalize it and excuse it.
- You need to admit it, confess it, and get it out of your life.
E’s of Decision Making”…Glorifying God in the Gray Areas…(got this from a Bible Study friend, not sure of author)
Edification…Will this activity produce a spiritual benefit?
Enslavement…Will this activity lead to spiritual bondage?
Exposure…Will this activity expose my mind or body to defilement?
Esteem…Will this benefit others, or cause them to stumble?
Evangelism…Will this activity further the cause of the Gospel?
Ethics…Will this activity violate my conscious?
Exaltation…Will this activity bring glory to God?
Armed with these basic principles every believer can navigate the gray areas with integrity. Amen
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Psalm 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.
Does God hear the prayers of sinners? Yes and no.
- Yes, our merciful God always loves us and works with us, and Jesus Christ even died for us “while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8).
- We were all sinners (Romans 3:23), so if God did not hear our cries for forgiveness, there would be no human He would hear.
- After sinning, David prayed, “Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities” (Psalm 51:9). God heard that prayer.
But without repentance, as Isaiah wrote, “Your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2).
Psalm 66:18 talks about sin “cherished” in the heart. “If I have known it was there and encouraged it,” then God wouldn’t listen (Adam Clarke’s Commentary on Psalm 66:18).
To be assured God will hear and answer us, we must repent and work to root sin out of our heart with God’s help.
Thank you Jesus for the Cross which gave us all Victory if we choose to walk with you. Amen
Read More“Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes” (Ephesians 4:23 ).
Change requires new thinking. In order to change, we must learn the truth and start making good choices, but we also must change the way we think.
The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel determines the way you act.
If you want to change the way you act, you start by changing the way you think. In addition, if you want to change the way you feel, you must start with the way you think.
For instance, you can say, “I need to love my husband more,” but that isn’t going to work. You can’t fight your way into a feeling. You must change the way you think about your husband, about your kids, about your wife. That will change the way you feel, which will then change the way you act. The Bible says, “Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes” (Ephesians 4:23).
The battle for sin, the battle to deal with those defects in your life that you don’t like, starts in your mind. If you want to change anything in your behavior or anything in your emotions, you start with your thoughts and your attitude.
The renewal of your mind is related to the word “repentance.” I know repentance is a dirty word for a lot of people. They think it means something bad, something they don’t really want to do, something painful. They think of a guy standing on a street corner with a sign that says, “Repent! The world’s about to end!”
Repentance is about more than changing your behavior. It is about changing your mind and learning to think differently. “Repent” simply means to make a mental U-turn.
- You turn from guilt to forgiveness.
- You turn from frustration to freedom, from darkness to light, from hatred and bitterness to love.
You may also need to change the way you think about God. He’s not mad at you; he’s mad about you! You’re deeply flawed, but you’re deeply loved.
Start with your mind, and change the way you think about your relationships, the economy, the world, and your past, present, and future.
Changing the way you think will then affect your emotions and your behavior.
Read Romans 12:1-3. Amen
Read MoreMark 4:7 7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain.
18 The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, 19 but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.
Don’t allow the things of the world to steal the Word of God from You. There is so much that surrounds us it is so easy to fall into wanting and desiring the things of this world—-everyone wants a nice home, nice cars, nice clothes, everyone wants more money so that they can get more and more and more and more, (again I tell you, there is nothing wrong with wanting to have nice things, it’s when we allow the desire to have these things to take precedence over God the Father is when it becomes wrong).
When these things are allowed to become more important than seeking the Father then we have made them to become idols in our lives.
*It’s not just the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches that choke the word of God out of us: it is the lust of other things as well.
Because of the finished work on the cross, we have Jesus within us—which we need to keep the word from being choked.
When our prayer goes unanswered, or we get the answer we do not want we like little children throw temper tantrums and say “God does not answer my prayers” or “God does not care”.
Do not allow the things of this world to steal the treasure that God has given to you.
Ephesians 4:31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.
32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
***Do not believe the lies the enemy whispers do not allow him to choke the Word from you.
*Pray asking the Lord every day to cleanse us of ALL unrighteousness, to wash in His blood, ask Him to keep our mind right and help us to resist the devil. Amen
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Galatians 3:5 Does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you because you do what the Law requires or because you hear the gospel and believe it?
“Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit'” (Matt 1:19-21).
The Cost of Miracles
There is often a cost associated with a miracle.
*Mary carried a miracle in her belly.
*No other woman in history had the distinction of birthing the Son of God.
*It was a one-time event in history.
*However, for 30 years she was viewed as a woman who was often judged, shamed by public opinion, rejected by her own, and thought to be an adulteress by her townspeople.
I can only imagine her cries at night, “You are God, you can help them understand I am not an immoral person.
*I am doing the will of God!
*Why must I be shamed and judged the same as a prostitute!”
God’s silence must have been difficult. She would not be accurately viewed for years to come.
*In many ways, she was called to the same path as Jesus was.
*Jesus was rejected by His own people too.
Her finance Joseph was going to break off the engagement when he discovered she was pregnant.
*Had he not had a visitation from an angel, he too would have rejected her. *However, he married her and also carried the stigma associated with a pregnancy that most assumed was immoral.
Sometimes we are called to experience rejection for the Son of God living in us.
When we carry the cross of Christ, the world and even our families sometimes look at us as though we have a few marbles out of place.
Jesus said that He did not come to bring peace. Even our families would judge us and think wrongly of us.
Yes, a miracle often has a cost. But that miracle is the seed for something imperishable.
**It is the seed of eternity in our hearts.
2 Timothy 1:9 (Jesus) has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
Thank you for calling us Jesus. May we always be obedient to Your voice as You lead us through this life here on earth. Help us to keep an Eternal Perspective on all we do and say. Amen
Read MoreGod is our friend, and He always will tell us the truth. Not only that, but He wants to reveal His secrets to us.
In Psalms 25:14 we read, “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him. . . .” God wants to speak to us.
In fact, Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).
Here Jesus compares us to sheep is not a compliment, by the way. Sheep are among the dumbest of all creatures.
Most animals, in many cases, will survive if released into the wild. They will learn to fend for themselves and make it. But a sheep released into the wild cannot survive.
- Sheep have no survival skills whatsoever.
- They are totally dependent upon the shepherd – just like we are.
- The sheep come to know that when the shepherd speaks they should follow because his plan for them is better than their plan for themselves.
It may be that one of the reasons we don’t know the will of God in certain areas is because we have not applied what is clearly the will of God for all areas.
Obedience to revealed truth guarantees guidance in matters unrevealed.
Establish yourself in strong faith by believing in Jesus and believing that He will reward those who seek Him.
Every difficult situation that you encounter has the potential to strengthen your faith and provide a firm foundation for victory.
Know that the Lord is with you to give you wisdom and bring you through. Only believe!
When you walk in the Lord’s My ways, you will set an example that others can follow if they want to live in peace and blessing. Those that live and walk in the Spirit are able to access everything that is available to them through faith. It is worth it to make the changes necessary to live in righteousness and always do good.
Psalms 37:3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Amen
See Colossians 2:2-3 for what is the mystery of God.
Read MoreGod Has A Greater Plan for Me—Since this is true — since nothing happens outside God’s will and plan(Read Ecclesiastes 7:14) — then my daily challenges are under his sovereign control, too.
*God knows about my tantrums, Sickness, and the everyday-stress of getting through each day.
*He is not surprised—All the events of our lives that feel out of our control are actually in God’s control.
Lamentations 3:37–38 says, “Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?”
*God is in control of every circumstance and every event of our lives, and he uses them, often in some mysterious way, to change us more into the likeness of Christ.
When my days are long and everything seems to go wrong, I know it has all happened for a reason. (Romans 8:28–29).
This is what God is about. He is not in the business of making my life comfortable and free of any stress. He has something greater planned for me: my holiness.
In the midst of the chaos, I see Jesus and how much I need the gospel each and every moment.
The God of grace who saved me from sin is the God of grace who will help me have patience.
Every challenging situation becomes an opportunity for me to trust him — to obey, to learn, to grow, to rely more on his grace.
So when the air condition breaks and I get a flat tire, instead of despair there is hope. Life doesn’t feel out of control if we know “Who is in control”.
We can trust and rest in God’s sovereignty, knowing that he is using our every stress for our transformation and his glory.
“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13b-1
Lord, help me Focus on encouraging love in one another, not pointing out their faults. Let love cover my mistakes because Jesus forgives all mistakes and sins– that is why Jesus died for us. Thank You Jesus! Amen
Read MorePsalms 40:1 I waited patiently for the Lord’s help; then he listened to me and heard my cry.
2 He pulled me out of a dangerous pit, out of the deadly quicksand. He set me safely on a rock and made me secure.
We all have pits we fall into—that’s just life—but God’s Word shows us that as Christians we are to face our pits through eyes of faith.
Maybe you are stuck in a pit right now.
*It could be a difficult relationship, a financial hole, an illness—something you’ve been caught in for a while—and you wonder if you’ll ever be able to climb out.
*Your situation may look fatal & terminal but God’s saying you won’t die; you’ll live to declare the goodness of the Lord.
James 1:2 My friends, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, 3 for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure.
One type of pit is the kind we create for ourselves.
*We may fall back into an old sin habit or unhealthy life pattern that keeps us going in circles.
*We find ourselves drifting, wandering, moving farther away from the abundant life God has provided.
*But it does not matter what kind of pit we are in. Our merciful Lord makes a way for us out of every one of them.
Psalms 34:19 Good people suffer many troubles, but the Lord saves them from them all;
“Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?” (Matthew 12:11).
Jesus says, “It doesn’t matter if you created your pit. Even the law won’t stop Me from coming to lift you out of it.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come.
Today, make the decision to shake off any negative, self-defeating mindsets.
*Choose to cooperate with God.
*Trust that He is preparing you for promotion.
*As you keep an attitude of faith, expectancy and thanks giving, He will lift you up out of the pit and set you on the solid path of victory He has in store for you!
Thank You Lord, for using every situation in my life for my good. I bless You today no matter what is going on around me, knowing that You have a good plan for me in Jesus’ name. Amen.
” We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.” (Ro. 8:28)
Read MoreEXPERIENCE VICTORY THIS DAY!
Faith and Blessing go hand in hand, partnering in God’s plan for you.
*Faith always leads and blessing always follows.
We must be willing to obey God’s Will and do exactly what He asks us to do, no matter what we think or how we feel.
“Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” Luke 5:5
The Lord is telling us that we cannot experience victory unless we go out further than we have never gone before.
*If we continually stay at the shallow side, we will continue to experience mediocrity, which is not God’s will for us.
We must take the first step and continue to walk on water, during this walking we will experience adversity and trials of many kinds, but we still must push until we reach our deep, where we will receive the Lord’s blessing.
*Have you ever felt tempted to look at your accomplishments with pride as if you were the reason for your success?
*Have you ever thought your prosperity was due to your ingenuity?
*Has your material success been a testimony to others that God is the ruler of all aspects of your life, even the material side?
Joseph’s greatest test was not his temptation to be bitter against his brothers.
*It wasn’t the sexual temptation that came inside Potiphar’s house.
*It wasn’t even the discouragement of years of imprisonment for being wrongfully accused.
**It was the temptation of prosperity and ownership. Once he was elevated, he was given choices that he never had before. It was totally up to him as to which choice he would make.
Stewardship reveals what we believe about God and ourselves.
Not every man can carry a full cup. Sudden elevation frequently leads to pride and a fall.
Keep pressing even though your efforts are met with opposition. The end result will be worth all of your energy to break through. Refuse to get discouraged or decide to just give up. The Lord is with you to bring you through to victory. Be strong and courageous.
Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
Heavenly Father teach me that I must go out into the deep with you, where I will experience you than like never before. .Amen
Christianity is not a religion it’s a relationship with Christ.
John 17:3 And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.
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We must realize that the battleground for this invisible war that we’re in is actually between our ears – in our minds.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12)
This is why God wants us to be prepared for the spiritual attacks that come our way.
He wants to equip and prepare us in the strength of his power to stand against the enemy’s schemes and defeat him in the specific battles in our life.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. (Eph 6:14-15)
Notice that to protect ourselves from the evil:
We must do something. We must take action and stand. We’re commanded to consciously and vigorously make a decisive act to stand our ground firmly against the enemy’s assaults.
This means becoming aware of the devil’s schemes and putting on the full armor of God.
The armor of God is a metaphor to help us understand the general thinking of how we’re to prepare ourselves for spiritual battle. READ EPHESIANS 6 FOR TOTAL ARMOR. BELOW IS 2 OF 6 PIECES OF ARMOR.
First, we need to put on the belt of truth.
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4)
In response, our strategy is to protect our minds from Satan’s lies by knowing and believing what God’s word says is true of us: We’re accepted and deeply loved, bought with a price, part of God’s family, and sealed with the Spirit.
Putting on the belt of truth also means we’re honest with ourselves and with God. We’re open to correction when the Spirit of God speaks to us. We don’t hide or shift blame. We own our stuff.
Second, we need to put on the breastplate of righteousness.
Satan’s second tactic is condemnation. This is not the kind of condemnation we feel when we knowingly do something wrong and feel guilty. This is the kind of guilt that shames.
Satan condemns us by saying things like, “You’re a terrible person!” “God will never use you!” “If anyone knew what you did and found out who you really are!” “You call yourself a Christian!”
By putting on the breastplate of righteousness we can protect our heart against the enemy’s condemnation. What does this look like? It’s the practical application of God’s truth for our lives.
We’re already righteous before God because of Christ. But we need to apply this truth by living it out. This means living uprightly in our lifestyle and character.
When we’re living outside of God’s will, we open ourselves up to demonic attack.
So if God shows us a specific area of our lives that we need to get right, then we need to do what He says.
Jesus thank you for the cross that we Have Victory. Thank You for your Word that we can be ready to stand firm against the attacks of the evil one. Thank you-Thank you-AMEN
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Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Ps 30:5).
When a measured assault enters our life we often respond in two different ways. The pain caused by the assault drives us to a place of either:
• Embracing the pain or
• We embrace anything that will make us feel better.
That becomes the entry door to a false lover.
All of us are trapped by addiction to a desire for something less than God.
For many women, that something less is relational control. “I will not be hurt again and I will not let people I love be hurt. I’ll see to it that what I fear never happens again.” They therefore live in terror of vulnerably presenting themselves to anyone and instead become determined managers of people. Their true femininity remains safely tucked away behind the walls of relational control.
More common in men is an addiction to non-relational control. “I will experience deep and consuming satisfaction without ever having to relate meaningfully with anyone.” They keep things shallow and safe with family and friends and feel driven to experience a joy they never feel, a joy that only deep relating can provide. Their commitment is twofold: to never risk revealing inadequacy by drawing close to people and, without breaking that commitment, to feel powerful and alive. Power in business and illicit sex are favorite strategies for reaching that goal.
Many times we seek to deal with our pain through various forms of addictions designed to resolve the inner pain we feel.
All addictions represent a counterfeit desire for genuine love and intimacy.
We conclude these lesser desires are legitimate needs instead of band-aids of our fleshly soul.
These addiction lovers become isolation chambers created for ourselves designed to mask our pain.
Every human being has a desire to be loved and needed. When we do not feel loved and needed because of some event in our lives we seek to reconcile this emotional pain.
So, if you are fighting any kind of addiction–over control of people, sex, drugs, alcohol, workaholism, shopping, overeating–you are seeking to fill a void only God can fill.
Pain has a useful purpose in our lives. Facing it, rather than medicating it, allows us to move to a place of discovering a capacity for a different kind of joy. That is the purpose of pain.
We must let inner pain do its work by experiencing it fully. It feels like a contradiction to actually embrace the pain, but it is the only remedy for moving past it so it can yield its purpose in our lives.
Otherwise we will remain unaware of our deeper desire for God and be driven toward a false lover.
Read Isaiah 53:4-6 Lord, Thank you for the pain and suffering You went through which resulted in forgiveness made available to all people. Lord thank you for my past pain which helped me to bring me back into Your fold. Amen
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