"No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their vindication is from Me," declares the Lord. Isaiah 54:17 NASB
I was reminded this week that the enemy has plenty of weapons. Just when you think things are going well, he pulls out a rocket launcher against you. Well, God never said that the weapons wouldn't exist. He said they wouldn't prosper. I believe that the closer we get to where God wants us to be, Satan becomes more urgent in his attacks.
The enemy wants us to give up before the promises of God are manifested in our lives. We cannot give in, and we cannot lose our faith in God's divine plan. We must continue to trust that God is in control, no matter the obstacle opposing us. The pressure is what creates the pearl from the sand and the diamond from the lump of coal. The pressure is what releases God's oil of annointing on our lives.
Know that whatever demons you are battling today will NOT win. We are assured in Psalm 37 that the wicked only appear to win briefly. The righteous will always prevail by the power of God. You will make it through this storm, and the weapons formed against you will fail, but you have to persevere. You have to trust God; you have to submit to His will. Let Him take you through the valley of the shadow of death to strengthen you. There are skills that you will learn from this valley that will assist you on the next mountain top. Learn from this experience, and encourage someone else with the lessons you learn. Trust that your time in the valley isn't in vain. God is with you, and He is a shelter for you from the enemy. Trust God.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Victory in the Resurrection
"I don't know why Jesus loved me. I don't know why He cared. I don't know why He sacrificed His life; oh, but I'm glad, so glad He did." - Andrae Crouch
Jesus is amazing. We don't have words enough to describe how amazing He really is. He gave up His throne to walk this earth for our benefit. We did not even understand how badly we needed a savior, but He did it anyway. He knew He would be persecuted, rejected, ignored, alienated, and ridiculed. He still chose to become the ultimate sacrifice. He knew He would have to shed His blood for the remission of our sins, although He was and is sinless!
He understood how dire our situation was, and that we could not reconcile ourselves to God the father. Jesus Christ knew that we would never be able to keep the law. He knew everything about us, and still He loved us enough to die. As we approach Resurrection Sunday, let us not take for granted the greatest sacrifice ever made. We tend to tell and re-tell the story without really pondering what it meant for Jesus to fulfill the prophecy of the Messiah.
Take some time today to earnestly consider the sacrifice that Jesus made for you. He died so that I/you can live eternally. Not only that, but He rose from the dead as He said that He would. Jesus Christ defeated death, hell, and the grave on that Easter Sunday morning. Victory is in His resurrection. You are an overcomer because of His resurrection. You can conquer any obstacle you face today through faith in Jesus Christ, and His ability to make you victorious!
Jesus is amazing. We don't have words enough to describe how amazing He really is. He gave up His throne to walk this earth for our benefit. We did not even understand how badly we needed a savior, but He did it anyway. He knew He would be persecuted, rejected, ignored, alienated, and ridiculed. He still chose to become the ultimate sacrifice. He knew He would have to shed His blood for the remission of our sins, although He was and is sinless!
He understood how dire our situation was, and that we could not reconcile ourselves to God the father. Jesus Christ knew that we would never be able to keep the law. He knew everything about us, and still He loved us enough to die. As we approach Resurrection Sunday, let us not take for granted the greatest sacrifice ever made. We tend to tell and re-tell the story without really pondering what it meant for Jesus to fulfill the prophecy of the Messiah.
Take some time today to earnestly consider the sacrifice that Jesus made for you. He died so that I/you can live eternally. Not only that, but He rose from the dead as He said that He would. Jesus Christ defeated death, hell, and the grave on that Easter Sunday morning. Victory is in His resurrection. You are an overcomer because of His resurrection. You can conquer any obstacle you face today through faith in Jesus Christ, and His ability to make you victorious!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Do You Need a Reason?
"He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit," Titus 3:5 NASB
No matter how good we think we are, or how much we've improved in our lives, we must remember that our so-called righteousness is nothing but filthy rags before God. We can do all the good deeds we can think of and still not be worthy of salvation. We can never earn God's grace, mercy, or favor. These things He gives to us because of who He is.
When we recognize God's character in our everyday lives, we can almost understand how worthless we really are on our own. The God of the universe, who placed every star in the sky and knows each of them by name, is actually mindful of me. The only wise God our savior, who touches the hills and they smoke, calls me friend. There is no good thing in my flesh, yet this same God chooses to offer me protection, grace, and mercy every day! I will never be worthy, but I can come boldly before His throne through the blood of His son, Jesus Christ.
God allowed His only son to become the ultimate sacrifice for ME, to redeem me back to Himself, to reconcile my relationship with Him. I owe Him my life! Although I can't work for my salvation, I can work BECAUSE of my salvation. I just have to maintain the proper perspective. God's mercy found me, and I will spend the rest of my life praising Him for reaching me. I was sinking to rise no more, but His love lifted me. God is far too big to be concerned with me, or so I thought. God is God, and our finite minds cannot comprehend His infinite wisdom. He deserves our worship and our praise! Let's make it a sweet sound to His ear.
No matter how good we think we are, or how much we've improved in our lives, we must remember that our so-called righteousness is nothing but filthy rags before God. We can do all the good deeds we can think of and still not be worthy of salvation. We can never earn God's grace, mercy, or favor. These things He gives to us because of who He is.
When we recognize God's character in our everyday lives, we can almost understand how worthless we really are on our own. The God of the universe, who placed every star in the sky and knows each of them by name, is actually mindful of me. The only wise God our savior, who touches the hills and they smoke, calls me friend. There is no good thing in my flesh, yet this same God chooses to offer me protection, grace, and mercy every day! I will never be worthy, but I can come boldly before His throne through the blood of His son, Jesus Christ.
God allowed His only son to become the ultimate sacrifice for ME, to redeem me back to Himself, to reconcile my relationship with Him. I owe Him my life! Although I can't work for my salvation, I can work BECAUSE of my salvation. I just have to maintain the proper perspective. God's mercy found me, and I will spend the rest of my life praising Him for reaching me. I was sinking to rise no more, but His love lifted me. God is far too big to be concerned with me, or so I thought. God is God, and our finite minds cannot comprehend His infinite wisdom. He deserves our worship and our praise! Let's make it a sweet sound to His ear.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Blueprint to Life
"Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding." Proverbs 9:6 KJV
There must come a time in the life of every Christian when we put away foolish things. Growth and maturity are signs that the Holy Spirit is indeed living inside of us. Just as one's physical body undergoes puberty to develop, so must the spiritual body undergo its own changes. Our relationship with God through Christ Jesus should develop into a deeper, more profound, more pronounced kinship as we grow in the way of understanding.
Maybe people couldn't tell if you were Christian five years ago, but do they still wonder today? If your actions, speech, and attitude still betray your faith, perhaps you should spend more time in prayer and Bible study. It is utter foolishness to pretend to be a follower of Christ. Pretenders don't have all the benefits: perfect peace, unspeakable joy, etc. Pretenders don't understand the power they could have over their flesh through the Holy Spirit. Pretenders have no authority over the enemy, and are therefore defeated.
Let the foolishness go! Live abundantly! Listen to what God's Word is saying to you. This particular plan is simple enough. Grow up in Christ, and see how much better life can be. Jesus came so that we can live, and that's just what I'm going to do: live! What say you?
There must come a time in the life of every Christian when we put away foolish things. Growth and maturity are signs that the Holy Spirit is indeed living inside of us. Just as one's physical body undergoes puberty to develop, so must the spiritual body undergo its own changes. Our relationship with God through Christ Jesus should develop into a deeper, more profound, more pronounced kinship as we grow in the way of understanding.
Maybe people couldn't tell if you were Christian five years ago, but do they still wonder today? If your actions, speech, and attitude still betray your faith, perhaps you should spend more time in prayer and Bible study. It is utter foolishness to pretend to be a follower of Christ. Pretenders don't have all the benefits: perfect peace, unspeakable joy, etc. Pretenders don't understand the power they could have over their flesh through the Holy Spirit. Pretenders have no authority over the enemy, and are therefore defeated.
Let the foolishness go! Live abundantly! Listen to what God's Word is saying to you. This particular plan is simple enough. Grow up in Christ, and see how much better life can be. Jesus came so that we can live, and that's just what I'm going to do: live! What say you?
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Keep It; God Doesn't Want It
"Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living." Amos 5:24 (NLT)
In the 5th chapter of Amos, God is letting Israel know how displeased He was with their "show". Like us at times, Israel claimed to be God's people, but they weren't living accordingly. God let them know, as He is letting us know, that He doesn't need our programs and services. He has no use for our insincere sacrifices; we can keep them.
Why waste our time going through the motions or following meaningless traditions? God desires and requires holy and righteous living above anything else we can offer Him. We must offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to Him. Once we do that, we will be able to live as He requires through the blood of Jesus Christ and indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
God doesn't need us, we need Him. It's time we started acting like it. Coming before God any kind of way and offering to Him lip service without heart is unacceptable. He rejects that; He doesn't want it. He desires to be worshiped in spirit and in truth. That means no pretense, no cover-ups, no fairy tales. We need to repent often (daily), and live according to His Word. We can't claim to be God's children and live in such a way that discredits our claim. God is holy, and we must be holy to worship Him.
In the 5th chapter of Amos, God is letting Israel know how displeased He was with their "show". Like us at times, Israel claimed to be God's people, but they weren't living accordingly. God let them know, as He is letting us know, that He doesn't need our programs and services. He has no use for our insincere sacrifices; we can keep them.
Why waste our time going through the motions or following meaningless traditions? God desires and requires holy and righteous living above anything else we can offer Him. We must offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to Him. Once we do that, we will be able to live as He requires through the blood of Jesus Christ and indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
God doesn't need us, we need Him. It's time we started acting like it. Coming before God any kind of way and offering to Him lip service without heart is unacceptable. He rejects that; He doesn't want it. He desires to be worshiped in spirit and in truth. That means no pretense, no cover-ups, no fairy tales. We need to repent often (daily), and live according to His Word. We can't claim to be God's children and live in such a way that discredits our claim. God is holy, and we must be holy to worship Him.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Do What's Right Even in Adversity
"Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." Psalm 37:5 (KJV)
There is always a tendency to want to get even with someone who has wronged us, or delight in some evil person's demise. The 37th Psalm let's us know what will happen to wicked people, but it isn't our place to try and make it happen. God is the only just judge in these matters. We have to do what we know is right, no matter what people are trying to do to us.
We have to trust in God, and know that He is working it out for us. Everyone doesn't want you to succeed, especially if they can't take credit for it. God is using your haters to strengthen you. He wants to make it perfectly clear that He's the one who brought you out (brought it to pass). When we see our enemies being justly handled, it isn't right to mock them. It's nothing but the grace of God keeping you from your rightful punishment.
Pray for those who persecute you, whether they do it in the open or behind your back. Turn them over to God. Read the entire 37th Psalm, and give God the glory for your deliverance from evildoers. Jesus prayed for the people who crucified Him (and those who are still crucifying Him). We must pray for our enemies, and have compassion for them. We have to love them because that's what is right. Doing what's right according to the Word of God is what invokes the promises and blessings of God.
There is always a tendency to want to get even with someone who has wronged us, or delight in some evil person's demise. The 37th Psalm let's us know what will happen to wicked people, but it isn't our place to try and make it happen. God is the only just judge in these matters. We have to do what we know is right, no matter what people are trying to do to us.
We have to trust in God, and know that He is working it out for us. Everyone doesn't want you to succeed, especially if they can't take credit for it. God is using your haters to strengthen you. He wants to make it perfectly clear that He's the one who brought you out (brought it to pass). When we see our enemies being justly handled, it isn't right to mock them. It's nothing but the grace of God keeping you from your rightful punishment.
Pray for those who persecute you, whether they do it in the open or behind your back. Turn them over to God. Read the entire 37th Psalm, and give God the glory for your deliverance from evildoers. Jesus prayed for the people who crucified Him (and those who are still crucifying Him). We must pray for our enemies, and have compassion for them. We have to love them because that's what is right. Doing what's right according to the Word of God is what invokes the promises and blessings of God.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Speak the Word
"You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you;
And light will shine on your ways." Job 22:28 (NASB)
God's Word has power! We need to speak God's Word over our lives, and allow God to breathe life into our dead situations. If Job could decree a thing and have it established, why couldn't we? If we surrender our will over to God's perfect will, then we will have what we decree because it will be in line with His Word.
We are leaving blessings sitting on the shelf because we won't exercise the power God has given us through His Word. Open up your mouth and declare the promises of God over your life, over your children, over your finances, over your job, over your marriage, over everything! Stop allowing the enemy to tell you what you cannot do or cannot have. You have power over the devil through Jesus Christ, and it's high time you used it.
Turn that frustration into praise. God, I thank you for your refining fire! God, I praise you for purifying me through the trials and the tests. I speak life over this thing, and I decree that what I do for Christ will last! I won't tuck my tail between my legs, take my toys, and go home. After I've done all to stand, I am going to continue to stand in faith. For I know that you, O Lord, will sustain me and hide me in times of trouble. I decree success in Jesus' name for God's glory! I declare victory in every area of my life, according to God's Word!
And light will shine on your ways." Job 22:28 (NASB)
God's Word has power! We need to speak God's Word over our lives, and allow God to breathe life into our dead situations. If Job could decree a thing and have it established, why couldn't we? If we surrender our will over to God's perfect will, then we will have what we decree because it will be in line with His Word.
We are leaving blessings sitting on the shelf because we won't exercise the power God has given us through His Word. Open up your mouth and declare the promises of God over your life, over your children, over your finances, over your job, over your marriage, over everything! Stop allowing the enemy to tell you what you cannot do or cannot have. You have power over the devil through Jesus Christ, and it's high time you used it.
Turn that frustration into praise. God, I thank you for your refining fire! God, I praise you for purifying me through the trials and the tests. I speak life over this thing, and I decree that what I do for Christ will last! I won't tuck my tail between my legs, take my toys, and go home. After I've done all to stand, I am going to continue to stand in faith. For I know that you, O Lord, will sustain me and hide me in times of trouble. I decree success in Jesus' name for God's glory! I declare victory in every area of my life, according to God's Word!
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