Devotions - Prayer
What is God’s greatest plan for your life? To make you into a holy vessel brimming with truth, humility and [Agape] Love.
*”He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Micah 6:8
*Gifts to Give God: 1). Walk upright 2). Be caring 3). Love 4). Walk in forgiveness 5). Walk in humility
We Have Victory in JESUS!
” But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” 1John 4:4
Whatever you’re facing in life, or whatever is coming in your future, God has already given you the faith for it. It may not look like it, and you may not feel like you have what it takes to overcome, but faith in God isn’t based on our circumstances or how we feel.
The enemy would like for you to believe that you don’t have a chance in life, that you’re too weak, too poor, too whatever. BUT God has a different view of you. God sees you through the eyes of LOVE.
**God sees not what you can be, but what He has invested in you, not what you or others may see.
Seeing yourself the way God sees you leads to a life of overwhelming victory.
**But it takes faith. You can’t just hear that God loves you and sees you as His child, you have to Believe it.
** It takes faith to move forward and overcome the challenges of life. And faith does you no good if you don’t know how to release it. You have to release your faith in order for it to work.
We release faith through our Words, Actions and, of course, through Prayer. It’s up to us to act.
The apostle Paul was one of the most mature Christians who ever lived, yet he wasn’t ashamed of his human frailties. He knew God loved him no matter what, and He understood that confessing his weakness was essential to walking in God’s Strength.
** “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses…for when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10
Remember: The enemy lies to us to make problems Appear Bigger than the solutions we carry!
**2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
Our death to sin and resurrection to life with Christ, is already a reality in our spirits but will only become a physical reality when we KNOW and Believe it.
(See Ephesians 2:1-10)
In the same way that Jesus died unto sin once, and death no longer has dominion over Him, the person who recognizes their death with Christ unto sin, will not allow sin to rule over him anymore.
** Christian’s who are struggling with sin have not fully recognized that they are dead unto sin.
***Hebrews 10:16 “This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” 17 Then he says,
“I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.” 18 And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.
*As christians we are suppose to walk in the fruit of the spirit at all times
” But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…” Galatians 5:22,23
* Be a hearer and a doers of God’s word.
Your present vision will be established as you embrace the challenges of this season. The Lord’s people will not perish for a lack of vision in this season. Rejoice and be glad for the time of the victory and the Day of the Lord’ power is at hand.
Luke 10:19 “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
The devil knows that if he can get us to think about something, we are only a step away from actually doing it. He knows that our minds are “command central.” It is here that we reason. It is here that we remember. It is here that we dream.
Our minds are the hard drive, the place where everything originates.
***Satan knows that it is only a short step from a thought to an act.
Eph. 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
We need to understand that the devil works with two very close allies: the world and the flesh.
*“The world” is the world system that is hostile toward God. It is living for personal gratification, OUR own will above all else.
*Then there is the flesh. When the Bible speaks of the flesh, it speaks more of the depraved, fallen human nature in which we are gratifying sensual appetites.
**Galatians 5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
*A stronghold is an area where we are held in bondage, any part of our lives where satan has imprisoned us.
* As long as we believe things that are not true, we will remain imprisoned by those strongholds.
*The Word of God(ALL TRUTH) is the weapon that sets us free from the strongholds.
The enemy will try anything to separate us from God and keep us from fulfilling our destiny in Him. That is why we need to put our spiritual armor on every day.(See Ephesians 6). We need to be in His word and spend quiet time listening to His voice.
AGAIN: We need to be in His word and spend quiet time listening to His voice as the Holy Spirit inspired Word speaks to us.
* We have to be humble and open to correction.
**Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Colossians 2:13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
God, I. Know and Believe that You love me and that You have given me the power to overcome. As Your child, I will act on the faith You have given me every day, trusting in You and overcoming any obstacle that comes my way. Thank You Jesus for your Love, defeating Sin at the Cross- enableing us to Know and Believe that in You- JESUS
We fight FROM VICTORY- not FOR Victory! In Jesus Name Amen!
We love others by being real and genuine with them. If we are being transparent with God (on the inside), He will enable us to be real and genuine with others (on the outside).
* “…in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you.”
2 Corinthians 1:12
Freedom and Boundaries
“Now the serpent was craftier than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?'” – Genesis 3:1.
God is big on giving man freedom and boundaries:
*Freedom to manage what He has entrusted to us.
*Boundaries to protect us from evil.
***The boundaries in the Garden of Eden were not set for the purpose of limiting Adam.
** Man got into trouble when he questioned those boundaries.
God had provided everything he would need for life. He also entrusted man with responsibility to manage and work the Garden. God gave him freedom in that responsibility. God knows we were made to express ourselves creatively through our work.
Each of us must have freedom and boundaries in our life.
When ever you are hired for a job, you must have the freedom to make certain decisions. You must have the authority to manage things within your area of expertise. You must also have limits within your area of responsibility. Life is the SAME in-Marriage, Kids, Family, Friends.
**You need to know where those limits are and stay within them. Both freedom and boundaries are always under the umbrella of God’s authority.
Jesus understood these boundaries. When He was tempted for 40 days by the devil after being baptized, He was challenged by satan to go outside His freedom and boundaries. (See Matthew 4:1-11.) Satan said that He had the power to turn a stone into bread. Jesus was hungry and easily could have justified using His power to feed Himself. However, Jesus understood He could do nothing outside the boundaries of God’s will for His life.
It was God’s will for Jesus to be tempted and to withstand the temptation. God was showing His Son that “man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Mt. 4:4b).
You and I are tempted every day to go beyond our God-ordained boundaries. *Whether it is solving financial problems that have arisen through debt, making wrong decisions due to pressure, or manipulating someone in order to achieve our ends, it all represents rebellion toward God.
**Ask God to show you His freedom and boundaries for your life.
***These are meant to enhance your life, not hinder it!!!
* We are who we are– through the thoughts we have.
* Take your thoughts captive – know your Bible.
** Thoughts » habits » circumstance**
* When was the last time you thought about what your thinking about?
* Peace comes by fixing our thoughts
1) You can change your thoughts.
2) Fix your thoughts on what is true, pure and noble.
3) Think about things that are worthy of praise.
* Don’t doubt your purpose here and now!
* Choose a few promises and speak them over your life for 2012.
* God doesn’t do it for us, we have to use our faith and take Action.
* Think big, dream big for 2012
* Bring your thoughts under the obedience of God.
You Are so so Worthy. You are God’s Masterpiece. Let go and let God. Let God have the strongholds that are holding you back from being ALL that God has intended.
*A stronghold is an area where we are held in bondage, any part of our lives where satan has imprisoned us.
* As long as we believe things that are not true, we will remain imprisoned by those strongholds.
*The Word of God is the weapon that sets us free from the strongholds.
***Effective Weapons: preaching, teaching, books, tapes, seminars, small Bible study groups, private studies, prayer, and praise.
***Praise helps us keep our mind on God, His power, and the good things that are happening in our lives.
***Prayer reflects a Relationship with God and shows that we depend on Him.
*Jesus promised to always be with us (Matthew 28:20). We can win with our weapons because they are spiritual weapons.
Examples of strongholds are “God doesn’t love me”, “His promises don’t apply to me”, “He could never forgive me for what I did”, “I don’t have to change because God made me that way”, “I don’t have to forgive because what that person did to me was unforgivable”, “God doesn’t work that way anymore”, “I’m un-worthy”, I’m the black Sheep of the family”, and “I can’t share the gospel because…” To mention a few.
The enemy will try anything to separate us from God and keep us from fulfilling our destiny in Him. That is why we need to put our spiritual armor on every day. *We need to be in His word and spend quiet time listening to His voice. Set up Boundries in your life that allows you the TIME to spend with Jesus-LISTENING
AGAIN: We need to be in His word and spend quiet time listening to His voice.
* We have to be humble and open to correction.
When our strongholds are broken down, we can glorify God more freely and openly. We are set FREE!
“You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made YOU alive with Christ, for he forgave ALL our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
(Colossians 2:13-15)
We need to be honest with each other in sharing our shortcomings as well as our victories. When we are real and transparent with others, we give them the freedom to “remove their masks” in our presence and for us To Heal!
“It is better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.” Proverbs 16:19
Do you have a proper understanding of who you are? Do you understand that it is God who has given you the ability to work and achieve? He is the source of ALL good things. Ask God today if your life models this belief.
The Lord has never had anyone who was qualified working for Him. It’s by God’s grace that He uses any of us.
**Anyone who claims to be used of God because of his great holiness is either deceived or a deceiver.
*** It’s our faith in the grace of God that allows His Love to flow through us.
Be free of all bondage and keep your heart pure before the Lord. Then, you will be able to discern spiritually. However, anything that creates darkness in your soul will cause you to dump down in the flesh and will cloud your spiritual perceptions. Be on guard, for this is a time when seductions to choose flesh over Spirit are rampant. Obtain and maintain purity.
**Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Let’s Bring Back Jesus this Christmas!!
“A Vision without Action is only a Delusion”. Moving Forward!
Most people have forgotten what the meaning of Christmas really is. It’s a time to celebrate something very important— the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ— that’s right the “Star” of the show!!! Not santa claus, shopping, material gifts,Parties without Jesus etc.
*If we ALL make room for Jesus this Season with family and friends— who knows what could come from our circumstances!
*We all sin, Christians and non-Christians, but what we do after sinning is what matters.
Psalms 51: 7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
* No matter who you are, God can use you.
* No matter what problems you face, God is with you.
*No matter what He promises, God can do.
An Angel spoke to Mary in Luke 1:37 “For nothing is impossible with God.” And Mary’s response: ” “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”
Lord, I pray today you renew my heart so that I can live in your perfect will and take Time each day to Listen to You. I want a clean heart, free of doubt. Help me to bring Jesus Back to the CENTER of Christmas and every day of my life. *Help me to trust You and put Your Boundries up in All roles of my Life.
I know The key to that is to spend time feeding my hunger…by getting full on Your Perfect Word…Knowing that Your promises are not made by man. In Your time Lord, Your Promises will manifest and come to fruition. Help me Meditate on Your Word daily…all through my day…in my thoughts and my actions… My faith and dependency upon the Lord relies on the intimate time that I share with You Lord. In these times, I must converse…I must talk AND listen! I must hear AND follow…
Thank you for this day to have the opportunity to Glorify You Jesus! Amen
Continue to walk in the “Light” reflecting Jesus and His Agape Love in all you say and do.
* “…for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness…But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love…”
1 Thessalonians 5:5-8
Sometimes the enemy whispers, “You don’t really love yourself, and that’s why you can’t love others”. This way of thinking only reinforces our root problem of self-centeredness, and Satan rejoices.
** “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh…”
Romans 13:14
Jesus was speaking to a crowd of just ordinary folks. Yet Christ said to them, “You are the light of the world.” And today, you are the light of the world. That’s how God intends to get his work done on earth today: through you!
It’s not just pastors and missionaries who are the light; it’s everybody who loves the Lord.
You see, the world doesn’t understand. The world looks at Christians and thinks, “They don’t count.” God takes an ordinary person and uses them to share His message to people who needed Him.
When we share our faith, we spread His light.
Jesus describes what we are in this passage – the light of the world, not the light of the church.
That means we have to get beyond the church walls and take the light out to where it is dark.
We must not only be “hearers” of God’s Word, but “doers” also. When God brings someone to mind, be sure to follow through with whatever He tells you to do for that person.
“Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead…”James 2:17
You were saved to shine!
* Don’t hide your testimony or be ashamed to take your Bible to work, lunch or even Church.
*Don’t be afraid to pray over your lunch.
* Let others know that you love the Lord Jesus.
Jesus also talked of the strength of collective light. Each house in a city with its lights on cast a glow across the sky.
As Christians come together, there is a glow for the Lord that we cannot create individually. We shine brightest when we shine “together”. UNITY
How can we shine for God?
Jesus says that we are to let our lights shine before men in such a way that they will see our good works and glorify God. That’s how we do it. We live for God.
Can you imagine how dark it is going to be ten years from now, should the Lord
abandoned us? Romans 1: 24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie.
Romans 1:18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who Suppress the Truth by their wickedness. 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.
Romans 12:16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes.
Yet, I ask you: As you see the darkness deepening on all sides, do you believe
it will exceed the light of the gospel? Are you afraid the darkness is going to
squash it, snuff it out?
No—never! God’s people must never be intimidated by the darkness and fury
of the enemy. The Bible says Jesus is going to rise and shine in the darkness
no matter how dark the world becomes! “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined” (Isaiah 9:2).
We live in a time of widespread death and darkness. But God says that in such
times He will shine His light the brightest: “I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them” (Isaiah 42:16).
*If you let Him, God will guide you step-by-step on a path that He custom-designed for you.
****The Lord alone is the Light for our path, the sight for our blinded eyes, and the pathway to purpose and peace for our lives.
No darkness will ever stop God’s light! So get your eyes off the darkness,
off the sin, off the fury of violent people, and believe the Lord for the
bursting forth of His shining light!
“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.(1John 1:5-7).
We cannot walk daily in victory if we do not get the Word in us daily. We won’t know how to respond when there is an attack against us.
Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. We are MORE than conquerors through Jesus.
Jesus has already overcome.
“More than conquerors” means having “Decisive Victory”.
To those of you who have fought the good fight, I tell you honestly that you have punched through hindrances and dispelled the darkness so that you are able to see with more clarity and walk in more freedom.
The battle has been fierce and your adversary has been tough, but you have risen up in faith, stayed the course, and overcome. “Rejoice in victory”, says the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
* Only through the faith of God do we truly live.
* To put all my faith in God and to let him work in my life.
John 16: 33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
God, I am amazed at how much my life has changed by just putting all my faith in you. You have worked in my life and I see that. Thank you Jesus for all you have done. Lord Continue to brighten the lights of all us believers so others will come to You “THE ONLY TRUE LIGHT” for Your Glory and our joy! Amen
Read Romans 1:16-32 and see what happens if we surppress the TRUTH!
Temptation Our Own Evil Desire!
Paul’s identity was not based upon himself, but upon the person of Jesus Christ. Each and every day we must remind ourselves: It’s not I…BUT Christ.
** “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Philippians 3:20
God created and designed us with a desire and the ability to desire but when the enemy tainted it, the original design that God created to glorify Him became our own stumbling block to growth! The Bible says:
“But every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire (lust,passions).”. (James 1:14).
God is not tempting us but it is ourselves that tempts ourselves, we draw ourselves away from God’s purpose and will because of our own perverted desires.
Yes the enemy can lure us BUT we will not be enticed if we don’t allow him to entice us.
For because He Himself [in His humanity] has suffered in being tempted (tested and tried), He is able [immediately] to run to the cry of (assist, relieve) those who are being tempted and tested and tried [and who therefore are being exposed to suffering]. (Hebrews 2:18 )
Jesus Himself was tempted in EVERY WAY— because He was full of the Spirit, Jesus didn’t succumb to His carnal desires! Let’s be like Him, always full of the Holy Spirit having divine empowerment from God to withstand temptation!
*Matthew 26:41 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”
*We may be able to understand entering into temptation as succumbing to its power. BUT We don’t fall until we give in to it.
People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction (1 Timothy 6:9).
Paul is telling us how, in every age, this subtle peril lays hold of our hearts. *First it comes in the form of simple temptation.
* Open a magazine, and there is a picture of a gorgeous automobile. It makes you drool to look at it.
That is temptation, and that is what we are up against. It creates in us a hunger to have what others have.
It is amazing how easily we can convince ourselves that we, like everybody else, have a right to things.
*But that is not the worst. There is another stage. Paul says that those who want to be rich “fall into a… trap.” Notice where the emphasis is: It is on the Desire to be rich.
It is the love of money, not money, that is the root of all evil.
We hear all the time that money is the root of all evil, but it is not.
* Money is a very necessary commodity in life; it is impossible to get along without using money in one form or another.
It is “the love of money” that the Scripture is talking about, the desire to have more and more of it, the craving for riches, the constant planning of how to get another buck.
You say, “What is a young man with a family supposed to do? Isn’t he supposed to try to provide for them?” Yes, he is, but what is his objective? Is it to earn money, OR is it to be a good, faithful worker, using his gifts and abilities to the Fullest Degree for the Glory of God in the scene in which he is placed?
That is something the world never thinks about.
Paul says that when you fall into temptation and give way to this lust for more things, you create a trap for yourself.
*** By that, he means that your possessions will soon begin to possess you. Everyone who has had any success in obtaining some of the things they desire soon discovers this, because their possessions demand that they take care of them.
Possessions also change your relationship with others. You discover that people are treating you differently because you have something that is a symbol of prestige or status.
People no longer treat you for WHO you are; they are treating you for WHAT you have, so you become suspicious of your friends and your friendships.
All these complications occur when the love of money starts to possess you. That is the trap involved.
God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.(James 1:12-15).
What the Lord has started in you, He will also continue and complete. That is not to say that your success will be automatic; we have to cooperate with what God is wanting to do in our lives. Our faithfulness may always be suspect, but God’s faithfulness is never in question. It is always God’s will to continue and complete the good work He began in us.
In your most recent personal course of corrections– refuse to give into temptation or get discouraged when you don’t see immediate answers or solutions. You are on the right track, when you are Trusting Jesus and following His Leading. Just keep moving forward with patience and obeying the Lord’s voice and His leading. You will see that “Divine Purpose” is being accomplished. You are God’s Masterpiece!!!
*Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
1 Corinthians 10:13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
Rise up in faith to know that no weapon formed against you will prosper. It doesn’t matter what the enemy brings against you, YOU belong to the Lord. You will have to take a stand and resist his maneuvers, but the Lord has already given you the power to defeat him soundly. Refuse to allow his tactics to overwhelm you or bring discouragement. It is the Lord’s will that you obtain and maintain the victory. Read 1John 4:4 We fight From Victory-not For Victory.
**Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD.
Look forward, finally, and hope for the coming of the Lord. Your best things are yet to come. The second coming of Christ will soon be here. The time of temptation will soon be past and gone. The judgment and reward of the saints shall soon make amends for everything. REST in the HOPE of that day. Work, watch, and look forward–one thing, at any rate, that day will make abundantly clear. It will show that there was never an hour in our lives in which we had our hearts too thoroughly focused on Christ.
*How do you avoid temptation – “pray”
The Lord’s Prayer says:
*And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one. (Matthew 6:13)
*Prayer reflects the condition of the heart. Prayer is a reflection of the intimate relationship between Father and His children. When we hold the WORD of our Father in our hearts we do not have to speak for Him to hear us.
*Make your temptations a constant focus of prayer.
Thank You, Lord, for the practicality of these words. May they help me correct my viewpoints and resist the badgering, bloated misconceptions of the world around me. Thank you for coming to me and helping me not to fall into temptation. You know my weaknesses and I will come to you for your strength to get through the time of trial. Please remind me to continually pray all day so I will walk in the Spirit and listen to You. I love you with an everlasting heart. Amen.
*Galatians 5:16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. *Revelation 3:10 “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world.
*Hebrews 5: 7 While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. 8 Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.
15) For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16) Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
This scripture reminds us how great our Lord is. That as the Son of God he lived a perfect life and died for our sins. What a great God we have. Now when we pray we should first and foremost bring Glory to God our Father. We should then pray for others. THANK YOU JESUS-WE ARE SO honored to have a high priest that has been through ALL the temptations that we have to face!
Read MoreRemember: The enemy lies to us to make problems Appear Bigger than the solutions we carry!
**2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
When it comes to the Christian life, we will either gain or lose ground. We will either win or lose.
** But we have to be involved in the spiritual battle.
The Christian life is not a playground, but a battleground!!!
It is up to us to fight the good fight of faith. So we need to suit up and learn the principles from God’s Word that teach us how to be more than conquerors in Jesus Christ.
**1 Timothy 6: 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
First, we need to put on the full armor of God as we engage in the spiritual battle. Ephesians 6:11 tells us, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”.
The phrase “put on” carries the idea of doing something once and for all. It speaks of permanence.
The full armor of God is not something we put on and then take off again. We are to keep it on all the time.
Second, we need to be aware of the fact that Satan is NOT the equal of God. The devil would like us to think that whatever God can do, he can do, as though they were two sides of the same force.
1John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
*To have Jesus in you. In your heart. Then you have it all!!!!
Although Satan is a powerful spirit being, he is far from God’s equal. You see, God is omnipotent. God is omniscient. God is omnipresent. God can do anything that He wants to do, anywhere and anytime.
Satan is NONE of those things. He has limitations as to what he can do.
Third, we need to realize that the devil will primarily attack us in the realm of the imagination. The apostle Paul mentioned this in 2 Corinthians 11:3: “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ”.
The devil knows that if he can get us to think about something, we are only a step away from actually doing it. He knows that our minds are “command central.” It is here that we reason. It is here that we remember. It is here that we dream.
Our minds are the hard drive, the place where everything originates. Satan knows that it is only a short step from a thought to an act.
Eph. 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Last, we need to understand that the devil works with two very close allies: the world and the flesh.
*“The world” is the world system that is hostile toward God. It is living for personal gratification, our own will above all else.
*Then there is the flesh. When the Bible speaks of the flesh, it speaks more of the depraved, fallen human nature in which we are gratifying sensual appetites.
**Galatians 5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
***Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
“All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of all respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered”. (1 Timothy 6:1).
*The Bible never looks at people as being worthless. The Bible’s view is that humans are God’s creation made in God’s image, and, though they have fallen, they are not worthless.
*Satan thinks people are worthless; he regards them with scorn and despising. *Christians are to treat each other and all other people as “worthy of full respect”, so that the name of God will not be defamed.
We love others by being real and genuine with them. If we are being transparent with God (on the inside), He will enable us to be real and genuine with others (on the outside).
* “…in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you.”
2 Corinthians 1:12
Beloved, rise up in faith to know that no weapon formed against you will prosper. It doesn’t matter what the enemy brings against you, you belong to Jesus. You will have to take a stand and resist his maneuvers, but the Lord has already given you the power to defeat him soundly. Refuse to allow his tactics to overwhelm you or bring discouragement. It is the Lord’s will that you obtain and maintain the victory, which is “IN CHRIST”.
**Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD.
One of the main weapons the Apostle Paul speaks of IS the Gospel, which is the Sword of the Spirit, (the Word of God). It’s the Word backed by God’s Spirit that can pull down and crush the strongholds of Satan.
*2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
**Every Christian is at war. There is a perpetual struggle against Satan and his kingdom from which there are no “leaves” or “discharges.” Our enemy goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8).
*You cannot walk daily in victory if you do not get the Word in you daily. You won’t know how to respond when there is an attack against you.
* Does your belief come from the scripture or man?
If you don’t know scripture to back up what you believe you could be wrong because the enemy is deceiving us!
*Those of us who are under the blood of Jesus who know who we are in Christ and what His blood has done for us–need not give into the devil–we tell the devil to flee. Those who resist the devil will see him flee. (Jas. 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.).
The only ones whom he devours are those who don’t actively fight against him.
*” He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed”. (1 Peter 2:24).
Thank You, Lord, that You have placed me where I am for a purpose. Help me to treat those around me as “worthy of all respect”. Give me wisdom and guidence to Know that we fight From Your Victory at the Cross-NOT for Victory. GOD: I ask that I continue to grow in Your Word, Your Honor, and Your Truth. For I now truly know that greater is HE that is in me. Thank You for taking me from glory to glory to glory, higher than I ever imagine. through Your grace and mercy I can DO ALL THINGS THROUGH JESUS Christ. Purify my heart Lord. Create in my a clean heart. Forgive me of my self focused ways and give me a passion for your will. I give up to your Word. I give in to your voice. May I stand. May a little bit of me die to you today, and a little bit more live for you. Amen.
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