Weapon of War

Your enemy is driven back by the Word of God spoken from your mouth. This is your weapon- a powerful, two edged sword able to pierce dividing asunder of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Speak God's Word and hide it in your heart daily. It will serve to combat the enemy.

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 declares, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled."

The Word will drive back the sinful nature. The Word will purify your thoughts and keep your actions holy. The Word is your greatest weapon against the enemy. So drive back your enemy with the Word of God read and spoken daily over your life!

Sovereign

Sometimes we think of God on our level when He is far above our ways. Scripture in 2 Samuel 7:28 declares, "O Sovereign LORD, you are God. Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant." Face it: you can count on God with certainty. He does not waiver or lie, but He performs the good things promised in His Word. He is Sovereign, One who has supreme and permanent knowledge, and authority over your life.

Whatever you will face this week, know that God is in control. Place your life in His Hand with a prayer of commitment and ask God to help you with your decisions, attitudes, responses and relationships. Ask Him to guard your heart and the words of your mouth.  Ask Him to help you to bear the fruit of the Spirit, so that others might see a reflection of Christ in you. Ask Him for direction and wisdom to assist you in pursuing the road to your destiny. Ask for His blessing on those around you and to enrich your relationships with substance.

Then, trust Him for answers and ask Him to open doorways for your future. Have faith and believe in Him for the impossible. Pray daily for the miraculous and trust that God will show you mighty things. Then, wait and watch for God to answer incredibly.  When He does, praise Him and give Him glory.  God is Sovereign and He will prove Himself faithful over and over again.

Overwhelmed

Most of our lives are extremely busy, but let me tell you about the best time of the day. Getting up an hour early to have uninterupted time with God will become the best time of the day for you. When others are catching up on their sleep before a demanding day, you have an opportunity to spend quality time with the only One able to fix some things in your life. This time with God will create a dependance on your relationship with Him, instead of your independence apart from Him. 

You may say I cannot get up an hour early! Start somewhere. Get up 15 minutes early. Give God 7.5 minutes of prayer and 7.5 minutes of reading His Word. You will see it make a definite difference in your day.

We do not have to pray only in the morning, but it sure makes the day go better. "In the morning, O'Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning, O'Lord, I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." (Psalm 5:3) 

Revitalize yourself with an early morning time with God. If you wait until evening, your life just may get too busy and push God out of your day. So plan it, look forward to it and cultivate a heart that is passionate to talk to God and hear Him talk to you. I do not know what I'd do without God. He is my dearest friend, the only One who completely understands and gives perfect advice. Adjust your schedule.  Plan your meeting with God, don't put it off. I guarantee it will become the best time of the day.

Lonely

Loneliness is real and many people face it every day.  Sometimes, you can be surrounded by a large crowd of people but be extremely lonely.  You can have a schedule packed full to the brim with kids to feed and shuffle to numerous school activities, talking with neighbors and teachers and friends, stay on your cell phone with a line of people everywhere you go, chattering, but deep inside be incredibly lonely.

Psalm 25:16-18 declares,
"Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.  The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses.  Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins."

We all face times of distress and deep loneliness.  Surrounded by a crowd of people, we must look to the Lord to conquer loneliness and bring us out of our distress.  Our enemy works against our mind.  The adversary desires that we walk in oppression and dwell on our failures.  But God is our answer to every dilemma.  He is our Rock of Defense in every situation of life.  Cry out to Him and He will "turn to you." 

Get out of your comfort zone and busy yourself doing a good work. Volunteer at your church or local library, school or hospital.  There is always a place to find fulfillment in putting your time to good use in helping others.  And God will take that loneliness and fill your life with wonderful people.

The Potters Hand

"Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message." So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him." Jeremiah 18:1-4

Pottery makers place pliable clay on a turning wheel and shape it into a beautiful vessel.  However, if the clay becomes too hardened, it fails to shape into the vessel the Potter intends. When we do not remain the right consistency, we make it difficult for God to shape our lives.

When we are broken or hardened, He places us back on the wheel. And He forms us again into a useful vessel of honor.  Isaiah 64:8  "But now, O Lord, You are our Father,  We are the clay, and You our potter;  And all of us are the work of Your hand." (Isaiah 64:8)

When we surrender fully and completely and are willing to deny ourselves, we allow God to conform us into the image of His Son. When our heart and will changes - God becomes first and we experience real surrender to the will of the Potter. 

God is then able to shape us into a holy vessel when we abandon our will and allow Him to place us on the Potter’s wheel to accomplish His will for us.

New

I believe we have stepped into a realm of the Spirit of God and He desires to do a new thing within us.  He gives us clear instruction in His Word.

 

Isaiah 43:18-19 shouts, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?  I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” 

 

I have learned that sometimes God desires to do a new thing within us, but our eyes are blinded and we just do not see it.  If you have ever walked a great distance in a dry, hot climate like a desert, you tend to get parched and thirsty. Your clothes get sticky and sweaty and you tire easily from the heat. Your eyes get dry and even cloudy from the dust and you fail to see clearly. When you are in a desert, the idea of a river is refreshing. God promises to send us the refreshing of His Spirit and make a way in our wilderness. 

Here in this passage God says He is doing a new thing. And He wants you and I to see it and perceive it. He tells us that when we go through a dry place like a spiritual desert that He will make a way in our wilderness and place rivers in our desert.  And He will provide a way even when we may think there is no way. He desperately wants you to be a part of the new thing He is doing in the Church. Listen for His Spirit, Feel it, Believe it, Hear it, See it. For behold, He is doing a new thing.

Beacons

We should hold tightly the principles of God's Word and strive to live a life pleasing to God, walking in lovingkindness toward others and shining brightly as beacons in a dark world.  Psalm 97 declares the righteousness of God. Verse 2 resounds, "Righteousness and judgement are the foundation of His Throne." One of the compound Hebrew names for Jesus is Jehovah-Tskidkenu, meaning He is our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6).

If I examine my life, my righteousness is as filthy rags, but God has declared that we are the "righteousness of God in Him."  Scripture in 2 Timothy 2:22 teaches us to pursue righteousness above all things. And the writer of Proverbs speaks wisdom clearly into our lives with His teaching, "Righteousness exalts a nation." (Proverbs 14:34)

Living a righteous life does not come naturally for us.  Mankind is carnal and selfish in his natural ways, but the spiritual man must press hard after the righteousness of God.  I have no righteousness of my own, but simply because of the righteousness of God and what Christ did on the cross of Calvary, God promises to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  

That means when we fall short or fail, God gives us another chance to accept His righteousness. Once we accept that righteousness, our lives should shine as beacons to the lost world around us.

Heaven

Did you realize that you can change your life one day at a time?  This is true. If you do not like your attitude or your habits - work to change them. If you do not like your neighbors and your family - pray for them.  And if you  are tired of your present situation, surrender it totally unto the Lordship of Jesus Christ in sincere prayer and repentance.

One day we will either face heaven or hell. We must make every effort to walk in our faith in Christ.  It is a decision; A choice to follow.  Christ has already paid the price for our sins.

When we think of heaven, I do not believe we can truly fathom the wonder of what God has in store. Scripture even confirms this thought in 2 Corinthians 2:9,  "Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love Him.”

First of all, the City of Heaven will be full of grand splendor; more than we could ever imagine - with streets made of purest gold and a crystal clear river.  A city surrounded by extreme gates of pearl with walls of gorgeous jasper stone. It will be unlike anything we have ever seen in this life before.  It will be a place of worship where the Glory of the Lord radiates and Jesus is the Light of the City.  We will be surrounded by innumerable angels singing and honoring God with resounding voices.

Heaven keeps record of our smallest acts of kindness and love toward others while we are here on earth. "If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward." Matthew 10:42

Eternal rewards await us for showing compassion on the needy (Luke 14:13-14) treating our enemies with kindness (Luke 6:35) and giving of our monetary resources to the Lord in tithes and offerings (Malachi 3:10).  Heaven will be a rich reward for the righteous.

Courage

We need to remember that God is not the author of fear! 2 Timothy 1:7 recounts, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline”. As believers, we can totally trust in God and ask Him to remove all signs of fear and doubt. There are things in life that will be beyond our control. There are happenings that we cannot change that we must face. But God can give us courage to face the most difficult circumstances.

Walk in the love of God and develop; mature in your relation to Him. God is love and "everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God for God is love." God's love is a perfect love. And 1 John 4:18 proclaims this promise, the Bible teaches, "Perfect love drives out all fear."

We can face adversity with courage, as we walk in the love of God. He equips us to face our circumstances with boldness as we trust in Him.

Not Moving

Face it, we like to stay put. We enjoy the security of being in a comfortable and familiar place. We like the safety of knowing where we live and belong. We like stable jobs, and cars we know will start in the morning. When we get comfortable, we kinda like to stay right there with the warm sun shining on our faces. However, God may be calling you to "Get up and GO!"  He may be speaking to you about stepping out of your comfort zone to serve Him in some capacity. In Isaiah 6:8 the prophet heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me."

The question is, If God asks you, Are you willing to go? God has an eternal plan for you just as He did with men and women of old like Noah, Moses, Jonah, Esther and even Jesus. These individuals were not just a small part of God's plan, but THEY...WERE...HIS...PLAN.  And had they not have been willing to get up and move from a comfortable place, had they not have cooperated with what God wanted them to do, history would have changed forever. Everything would have been different.

Seek God today to clarify His Plan specifically for you. Humbly show Him that you have a willing heart to go where ever He calls you to go, to serve how He wants you to serve, where ever He wants you to serve. Just like with the great leaders in Scripture: YOU are His plan. He has plans for you.  His plan is to prosper you, but He also desires to use you to impact the lives of others. Pursue His heart and fulfill your purpose.