You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘Christianity’ tag.
So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
Satan is real. Satan is powerful. He’s a deceptive, conniving, cunning, evil person intent on instilling fear and destruction in our lives. His main goal in life is to rob us of the spiritual blessings God has for us. He wants to rob our peace. He wants us to question God’s love and forgiveness. He wants to spread worry and fear. He’s also a big bully and he knows it. He knows that with Jesus in your life you are empowered with the very Spirit of the loving, most high God. He’s no match for the power within you.
There are plenty of stories out there of little kids who are finally tired of being bullied. They stand up to the bully and he runs away because deep inside he’s really a coward. That’s Satan. Stand up to him. Respect his power but release the power of God’s Spirit and watch him run. We are more than conquers through Jesus Christ our Lord. Remember who has your back!
No one goes into battle half dressed. No one enters a game without the proper apparel. Champions know their enemy. Champions have a game plan, a strategy that will assure them victory. Champions never play to their opponent’s level. They know their weapons and limitations. Everyday we face a formidable enemy in our minds, our workplace, and in our circles of influence. Our enemy is deceitful. Our enemy is ruthless. Our enemy is cunning. He’ll do whatever he can to destroy our faith in God and ourselves. But, and this is the game changer, greater is he that is within you than he that is in the world. Arm yourself with the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s promises. You’ve got this! Not because of your power or expertise but because of the battle armor you’ve been given. Go forth and conquer!
Taking delight in there Lord is easy when the bills are paid, the kids are stellar, you love your job and your weight is right on with the insurance charts. Taking delight in the Lord is easy when the doctors report is good and the bank calls asking to borrow some of your money because they are a little short this month. But for the rest of us, it’s hard to take delight when life is hard. In those times we need to hold tight to the promises and not reality from our perspective. Most of the time we struggle to take delight in the Lord because we rely more on our heart than on the promises of God We trust ourselves more than we trust him. Don’t follow your heart! The Bible tells us that over and over again. It can’t be trusted. The heart is in tune with the enemy and focuses on disappointment and fear. The heart focusing on God’s promises reminds us of the hope we have in him even when the world seems dark around us.
President John F Kennedy is credited with saying “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. In essence he borrowed heavily from a principle taken from the Holy Bible. The apostle Paul has that same principle in mind when writing to the church located in Corinth. That principle can be stated in many ways but in its simplest terms, what we get out of something is directly proportionate to what we put into it. When we stop contributing to the emotional and physical needs of personal relationships, we stop feeling fulfilled by them; when we stop putting forth our best effort at the workplace, our jobs become mundane and redundant; when we develop a consumer mentality in our churches, we “no longer feel fed/get anything out of it.” It carries over in our spiritual lives as well. When we fail to plant the seeds of prayer, scripture and corporate fellowship, we stop growing spiritually. Then we wither under the weeds of this worlds concerns and wonder where God is. A neglected field offers no crops regardless of the weather. We can’t expect God to provide fruit when we haven’t cultivated the seed. Here’s the good news. He doesn’t expect perfection, he only seeks progress. Step out. Step up. Watch him work!
