No Weapon

Did you realize that righteousness deletes oppression? The prophet Isaiah declares the Scripture, "In righteousness you will be established; you will be FAR from oppression; for you will not fear: and from terror; for it will not come near you." Many today suffer from oppression and it is only a device of the enemy to keep you downtrodden and your spirit hanging low. 

You have an adversary that desires to keep you in a state of mind that is controlled by the old sin nature and frustrated in fear and worry. I encourage you to stay constant in the Word and let the righteousness of God pick you up.

This oppression sets in when we forget that God is in control of our circumstances, not us. We cannot possibly control our life.  We would like to change our situations and manipulate the behavior of others to our benefit.  But it does not work like that. Often, our situation is just too big for us to handle or resolve alone. We do not have the answers. But no problem is too big or too difficult for God. He is Sovereign and Almighty.  And He desires that you and I allow Him to be in charge of our circumstances.

The prophet continues in Isaiah 54, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper..." God has "got your back!" (past tense - it's a done deal). We only need to learn to trust Him and ask Him daily to help us to overcome oppression and live in constant victory both in mind and spirit. So start now and fill up on the Word which possesses the life to change your world.

Fear Not

Fear is a terrible thing and can work against the state of your mind. It can cause you to be indecisive and procrastinate important decisions. Fear will rob you of peace and cause you to be negative, complacent, and discontent. Fear will create a lack of trust in the very people in your world who are the most trustworthy of all.

Your adversary will use fear against you to prevent you from moving forward and accepting risks.  When God gives you opportunities and roadways of blessing, your adversary will speak lies to you and attempt to thwart God's plan by stirring doubt. Then that doubt will make you afraid to move forward.  Do not listen to the whispers of the enemy of your soul.

God has spoken a promise over you in Isaiah 41:10, "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."  Stand on the promises of God and have no fear. God upholds you and orders your steps.

Best Friends

I love to sit for a moment on our deck in the morning with something warm to drink and just breathe fresh air. The birds are singing and the breeze is sweet blowing across your face. And there is nothing quite like a morning that begins with hot tea or a fresh cup of coffee and a conversation with God. He desires to be your best friend.

Although Scripture does not actually speak about starting your day by drinking something warm, the Word has a lot of wisdom to impart concerning our conversations with God.  The most important factor of all is that we definitely make time in the busyness of our day to have a conversation with God. Whether you drink a glass of water or a cup of hot tea, that is not what's truly important. Slow down and talk with God.

God genuinely desires that we sit down and talk with Him. He also yearns to know the petitions of our heart.  1 John 5:14-15 declares, "And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us: And if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him."

Talk to God and share your heart. Listen for God to speak back to you and be still and quiet. He is your dearest friend and understands every passion, pain and care of your heart.  He loves you unconditionally and desires to give you His best gifts. Confide in Him. Trust Him. And allow God to lift your heavy burdens and be your best friend.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, make your requests known unto God.  And the peace of God that passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7) God can give you complete peace in every situation. He sends the calm and gives peace for every storm.

Anxiety

Often, we worry about things in which we have no control. We ask ourselves, How will this situation turn out? Will God come through for me?  And sometimes we develop anxiety waiting for God to answer.  Anxiety and doubt are really a form of fear.  And our enemy loves it when we doubt God and fear what will happen.  He uses it as a tool to keep us cowered down and suppressed from fulfilling God's plan for our lives.

When we live with fear and anxiety we cannot actually enjoy our life to its fullest. Our mind wanders with worry and we cannot walk in the peace of God.  In Psalm 34:4 we are given a promise that we must stand on.  "I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears."

Do not allow your enemy to prevent you from moving forward by causing you anxiety and fear. Lean on the Lord and place your trust in His promises. "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus."

Stay in the Word and let the Word transform and renew your worried mind. Build your trust in the Lord by abiding in the Word. Then, you will be reminded daily that whatever you ask of God, He is already at work to perform.

Your Emotions

We are emotional beings. However, we should not allow negative and destructive feelings to rule our lives. We must walk in the Spirit and let the Word be our guide. We can take authority over our emotions and negative feelings and submit them to God.  This allows us to choose to stand on the Word of God and His promises. Life is full of hazards and roadblocks, but God provides protection and faithfulness.

Psalm 102:28 declares the Word of the Lord, "The children of Your servants shall dwell safely and continue, and their descendants shall be established before you." This is a promise that should give us security and peace. But for many, our emotions are too fully connected to our happenings. If the happenings of our circumstances are negative and frustrating, then our emotions go up and down accordingly.  However, we must strive to be stable and steadfast. And we must learn to trust in God at all times - good and bad and not be moved by our circumstances.

Life's happenings come and go in an ebb and flow. Do not be tossed to and fro in the winds of life. Be rooted in your faith in God, so He is free to work all things to our good.

Embracing Hope

God's plan is daily unfolding in each of our lives. We serve a good, good Father and He has a good plan for you. It really doesn't matter what may be transpiring in your life right now, you must trust that God has everything in control. Every situation we face works to develop, change and shape our character and build our faith. Each experience God pushes us to be confident in hope and place our trust in Him. You must remind yourself in the hard times that God only has His very best planned for you.

Sometimes, you may be at a place that you feel you've been asking God God to move in your behalf. Maybe you've been waiting for His promises and you have grown weary in the waiting. Romans 12:12 declares, "Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying." I encourage you today to hang on to hope that God will move in your circumstances, in your family, in your finances. 

God knows where you are. He understands your feelings and your frustrations.  We must stand in confident hope as we continue to lay our burdens at the feet of Christ. He is the answer and we can trust Him. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28.

Positive Believer

I want to be a positive believer. You ask: it this really 'a thing'? Yes it is. It is very serious that many believers today that attend churches across the continents are living negative minded. However, I must point out that positive minds produce positive lives. Negative minds on the other hand, produce negative lives. 

There was a Roman solider in the New Testament whose servant was very sick. This soldier asked Jesus to heal him. It was very common for individuals to ask Jesus to pray for the sick and bring healing.  However, in this instance the Roman soldier confirmed his strong belief in Jesus that if He would just speak the word, his servant would be healed. In Matthew 8:8, the Word confirms what the soldier said, "The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed."

Jesus marveled at the soldier's faith and sent out His word to heal the servant. The soldier’s positive mindset coupled with his faith—brought positive results. He expected healing, and anticipated Jesus would do what He said. And that’s exactly what happened. 

Too often, believers cry out to Jesus to heal us, to change our circumstances, and deliver us from chaos, but we don’t fully expect the good things to happen. Instead we fail to trust and believe and we allow our minds to focus on the negative aspects. Did you know that doubt and unbelief war against our minds and steal our faith? We must not allow our minds to turn negative.

God’s Word is positive and uplifting. It is my responsibility to become the kind of believer who honors God with positive thoughts, a heart of faith and puts 'life' into daily action.

What Do You See

The Bible is clear that whatever our senses experience will affect our whole body and spirit. So what we experience with our senses actually affect our spirituality, our relation to God. What we see, read, and listen to can either negatively or positively affect how spiritual we are.

Knowing that light and darkness have no common denominator, no reason to share experiences, Matthew 6:22-24 teaches, "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore, the light that is in you is in darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

Many today try to serve God and still walk in darkness. God said these two have no fellowship with each other, it cannot be done. You have to make a decision to follow hard after God and be careful what your senses see, hear, and experience. Because the "lamp of the body is the eye", therefore what you see lights your path, and leads you in that path. If you choose to look at perversion in movies and internet entertainment then that is what will drive you and the path will not lead to God. If you choose to soak up music that is not uplifting to God, then your spirit will be driven by the world's view. If you read books and magazines that are not godly then those values will push you to darkness, not light.

We must beware and heed the warning of Scripture that says we choose the path we take by what we decide to "see". We direct our own lives, with our choices. Joshua declared, "Choose you this day who you will serve."

Born in Calling

Do you realize there is a calling on your life?  You have purpose. Often God calls out to us to walk in His ways. He desires to lead us and direct our choices.

God has actually birthed "calling" within us, yet sometimes we run the other direction. We flee the scene. We panic and chase other avenues of satisfaction and desire in our lives. Yet, God still calls. His calling is never-ending and sure.

Ephesians 1:18-19, "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints". God desires that we know how to walk before him in strength and confidence. His desire for you is that you would understand your rich inheritance in the Kingdom and the importance of your calling here on earth.

God's primary call to you is simply to follow Him and be faithful. As we walk after the heart of God and pursue God in obedience and maturity, he then fulfills his calling on our lives. He imparts His power to accomplish the calling placed within us before we were born.

It is imperative that we ponder that we are chosen and called of God to maintain a personal relationship with Him and practice faithfulness. As we grow closer to God, we hear His voice with clarity.

Your Protector

Do you realize that our Sovereign Lord watches over us at all times? He protects, guards and keeps us in every hour.  Often, when we are need we fail to place our trust in Him.  There are words to an old chorus that flow through my mind when I read Psalm 121:  "I will lift my eyes up to the hills where my help comes from, Maker of heaven and earth." 

Often, we rely on our own strength and capabilities, when we need to look to the mountains and realize that God is our help. We have become so independent and self driven that we sometimes forget to lean on God for He is our strength.  We walk empowered, yet fail to remember our empowerment comes from the Maker of heaven and earth.

If we can learn to depend on God again, we would conquer every foe that comes against us. Sometimes, we falter and fail.  But God promises in Psalm 121: 3-4, "He will not allow your foot to slip, your Protector will not slumber.  Indeed, the Protector does not slumber or sleep."

Start today and lean on God for clear answers to the troubling circumstances of your life. Speak to Him in a quiet place and share your intimate heart with Him. Then, let Him have control and lead you to a brighter tomorrow.  God is always watching over you and will not allow your foot to slip.