Category: II Corinthians

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Angie’s List

This morning I would like to tell you about a lady named Angie.

She had a wonderful smile and a heart for God. She would get up each day and ask, “Lord, what do you want me to do today and whose life do you want me to touch?”

Then she’d get her husband off to work, her kids out the door to school and she would go about her day listening to the Lord and being obedient to what she felt he was leading her to do.

“When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, 36 and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me.”

37 Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, “When did we give you something to eat or drink? 38 When did we welcome you as a stranger or give you clothes to wear 39 or visit you while you were sick or in jail?”

40 The king will answer, “Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.” Matthew 25:35-40 CEV

I remember one story in particular that she told me. She had gone to run an errand and on her way home she “just felt” like she needed to turn down a particular street, so she did. Down that street a ways  she felt she should stop, so she did. As she looked at all the houses that were on both sides of the street one of the houses drew her attention. She walked up to the front door, knocked and told the young mother who answered that she was there to help. And she did.

She helped with dishes, cleaning and told the young mother before she left that the Lord had brought her there because He loved her and wanted her to know she wasn’t alone.

Now that’s following the Lord’s leading and meeting the needs of others.

I must say that I have never been that “led”. Maybe I don’t listen as well but I have been able to help pay for someone’s groceries and taken a neighbor cinnamon rolls just after they found out a relative died. I have held a crying woman in my arms and prayed for her in the pharmacy.

I’m not bragging on Angie and I’m certainly not bragging on myself but what I am saying is there are times that God is giving us opportunity to follow His lead and reach out to help.

“ God can bless you with everything you need, and you will always have more than enough to do all kinds of good things for others. ” II Corinthians 9:8 CEV

Don’t think that “I can’t do something like that because I don’t have what it takes”. God is always faithful to supply what we need for every situation – the right words, the right talents, the right love.

God has used others to help when I was in need. Some of that help was financial, some was bags full of groceries. Others helped with the laundry and house cleaning, some provided meals. And still others provided a shoulder to lean  on and a prayer for comfort and direction. Each and everyone was used by the Lord to meet a need. I am so grateful.

Let these words burn into our hearts, Lord. “Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.”

 

 

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Fully Persuaded

I’ve always been an optimist. Never really seen things 1/2 empty but have looked at the best in people and the situations that I find myself in.

I believe that God the Father and Jesus are the ultimate optimists! They see everyone through eyes of love; always thinking the best, always willing to forgive, always going the extra mile.

When we accept the sacrifice that Christ made as payment for our sins, they see us as new creatures in Christ – we are forgiven, sins blotted out and created in their image.

We are going to look at a few verses today and see the fullness that God has blessed us with. Relationship with God is not something that leaves us half empty.

“Be sure you are not led away by the teaching of those who have nothing worth saying and only plan to deceive you. That teaching is not from Christ. It is only human tradition and comes from the powers that influence this world. 9 I say this because all of God lives in Christ fully, even in his life on earth. 10 And because you belong to Christ you are complete, having everything you need. Christ is ruler over every other power and authority.” Colossians 2:8-10 ERV

Paul, who traveled the world telling people about Christ, had the same message everywhere he went. Without Christ we will never be good enough to win God’s favor. But when we accept that Christ became our substitute sacrifice, dying for our sins to restore us to relationship with the Father, we are made new. We have open access to the Father.

“Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. 18 God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.

19 What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace. 20 We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God.” II Corinthians 5:17-20 CEV

Did you notice these words in the verses above; all, complete, everything, fully, and new? God doesn’t help us with part of our new life and leave us to flounder and do the best we can. No, it’s by His wonderful, loving-kindness (grace) that we are saved. We can’t do it on our own.

“I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. 9 You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about. 10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-10 ERV

The Apostle Paul spent a lot of his time praying for the Christians in the different areas that he went to. Those prayers were recorded in the Bible so that we can also pray them and profit from them.

“I want you to know that I am trying very hard to help you. And I am trying to help those in Laodicea and others who have never seen me. 2 I want them to be strengthened and joined together with love and to have the full confidence that comes from understanding. I want them to know completely the secret truth that God has made known. That truth is Christ himself. 3 In him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are kept safe.” Colossians 2:1-3 ERV

There are those words again – full, completely, all, confidence. I hope you are being as encouraged as I am in reading that God has provided for us, through Christ, all that we need.

“And we have a great priest who rules the house of God. 22 Sprinkled with the blood of Christ, our hearts have been made free from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. So come near to God with a sincere heart, full of confidence because of our faith in Christ. 23 We must hold on to the hope we have, never hesitating to tell people about it. We can trust God to do what he promised.” Hebrews 10:21-23

We CAN trust God to do what He’s promised he would. He’s never lied and He never will.

I know this is a simplistic illustration but how many of us have  helped our children or grandchildren learn to ride a bike? They were wobbly, uncertain, they don’t want us to let go. So we ran beside the bike, all the time telling them “you can do it, you’ve got this”. We were instilling confidence.

God, our Father, does the same. He repeats these precepts time and again, building our confidence. He has given us everything we need to live this life in victory. He sees us as He saw Christ, complete in Him.

Fully persuaded, full of confidence, full of faith, full of hope – letting God live fully in us!

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Shouts of Triumph

This morning I feel like shouting! Really shouting.

“Clap your hands, all you people. Shout to God with a loud, joyful song. 2 We must fear the Lord, the Most High. He is the great king of the whole earth.” Psalm 47:1-2 GW

You know the kind of shouting I’m talking about. It could more appropriately be called cheering. That makes it clearer right?

That cheering, roar-of-the-crowd, winning touch down, home run kind of shouting! The “victory is mine” kind of shouting. The walk around Jericho, let the walls fall down kind of shouting.

“So then the priests blew the trumpets. When the people heard the trumpets, they began shouting. The walls fell down, and the people ran up into the city. So the Israelites defeated that city.” Joshua 6:20 ERV

Today is our day of victory! Maybe you feel you have been in a battle for a very long time. Almost ready to give up – feeling winded, knees wobbly, biceps quivering and shoulders drooping. Don’t quit now – it’s time to shout!

“I celebrate and shout because of my Lord God. His saving power and justice are the very clothes I wear. They are more beautiful
than the jewelry worn by a bride or a groom. 11 The Lord will bring about justice and praise in every nation on earth, like flowers blooming in a garden.” Isaiah 61:10-11 CEV

Not only do we have reason to shout but heaven is shouting too. The Bible tells us there is great rejoicing in heaven when we come to the Father and receive His love and forgiveness. He marks the day we find life in Him.  He circles it on the calendar. The angels in heaven sing and heaven’s “social media” come alive with the announcement of our birth.

“Suppose a woman has ten coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house, and look for the coin carefully until she finds it? 9 When she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Let’s celebrate! I’ve found the coin that I lost.’ 10 So I can guarantee that God’s angels are happy about one person who turns to God and changes the way he thinks and acts.” Luke 15:8-10 GW

And oh how the Father rejoices when we come to Him! It’s party time!!

Yes, it truly is time to shout!

God has made us His own. He has given us new life, new hope and a joy that is almost unimaginable.

“You have now become a new person and are always learning more about Christ. You are being made more like Christ. He is the One Who made you... Christ is everything. He is in all of us.

12 God has chosen you. You are holy and loved by Him. Because of this, your new life should be full of loving-pity. You should be kind to others and have no pride. Be gentle and be willing to wait for others.” Colossians 3:10-12 NLV

More like Christ. Each day the Holy Spirit is working in us to make us more like Christ. Christ lived a life of victory; He had challenges, attacks and all out persecution but He knew victory was His because the Father had promised that He would triumph.

“I am grateful that God always makes it possible for Christ to lead us to victory. God also helps us spread the knowledge about Christ everywhere, and this knowledge is like the smell of perfume.” II Corinthians 2:14 CEV

Join me please. Let’s start this day with a shout! Let the voice of triumph be heard!!

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Welcome to the Winners Circle

This is one of my favorite subject’s to teaching on. Winning!

That’s right. God made us to be winners. We are created in His image and there is no better example of living in victory than Him.

“Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death? 36 It is exactly as the Scriptures say,

“For you we face death  all day long. We are like sheep on their way to be butchered.”

37 In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. 38 I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, 39 and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!” Romans 8:35-39 ERV

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself what it means to have “won more than a victory” or as the King James version of the Bible says, more than conquerors? I have and the answer is thrilling.

I asked the Lord to show me a few examples of people who were more than conquerors in the Bible. So let me share them with you, in no particular order.

King Jehoshaphat led his people into battle, singing and God miraculously ambushed his enemy. The battle was won without firing an arrow.

“Early the next morning, Jehoshaphat’s army went out into the desert of Tekoa. As they marched out, Jehoshaphat stood there saying, “Listen to me, men of Judah and Jerusalem. Have faith in the Lord your God, and you will stand strong! Have faith in his prophets, and you will succeed!”

21 Jehoshaphat encouraged the men and gave them instructions. Then he had the Temple singers stand up in their special clothes to praise the Lord. They marched in front of the army and sang,

“Give thanks to the Lord!
    His faithful love will last forever.”

22 As they began to sing and to praise God, the Lord set an ambush for the army from Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come to attack Judah. The enemy was defeated!”  II Chronicles 20:20-22 ERV

Then there were the 4 lepers who won a great victory against the Aramean king.

“There were four men sick with leprosy near the city gate. They said to each other, “Why are we sitting here waiting to die? 4 There is no food in Samaria. If we go into the city, we will die there. If we stay here, we will also die. So let’s go to the Aramean camp. If they let us live, we will live. If they kill us, we will just die.”

5 So that evening the four lepers went to the Aramean camp. When they came to the edge of the camp, no one was there! 6 The Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a large army. So the soldiers said to each other, “The king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians to come against us.”

7 The Arameans ran away early that evening. They left everything behind. They left their tents, horses, and donkeys and ran for their lives.” II Kings 7:3-7 ERV

We’ve already talked about Daniel who was victorious in the lions den and the three Jewish men who walked around in the fiery furnace.

Being more than a conqueror is like being an heir to a fortune you didn’t work to build.

“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” Romans 8:16-17 NIV

The Apostle Paul learned how to be victorious. He is the one who said we are more than conquerors. When he faced hardship, he recognized that he was unable to secure the victory on his own and he said this:

“He answered me, “I am all you need. I give you My loving-favor. My power works best in weak people.” I am happy to be weak and have troubles so I can have Christ’s power in me. 10 I receive joy when I am weak. I receive joy when people talk against me and make it hard for me and try to hurt me and make trouble for me. I receive joy when all these things come to me because of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” II Corinthians 12:9-10 NLV

Jesus won the victory for us. He defeated death, the greatest enemy, when He rose from the grave. He defeated Satan and his powers of darkness.

“O death, where is your victory?  Where is your power to hurt?”  56 Death’s power to hurt is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But we thank God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, stand strong. Don’t let anything change you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord. You know that your work in the Lord is never wasted.” I Corinthians 15:55-58 ERV

Our victory doesn’t come from our great abilities, power or intelligence. We are winning because of the inheritance we have in Christ.

“ But thanks be to God, who always leads us in victory through Christ. God uses us to spread his knowledge everywhere like a sweet-smelling perfume.” II Corinthians 2:14 ERV

Welcome to the Winners Circle!

 

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Promises Kept

Our life in Christ is a life of promise and blessing! The first promise we receive is forgiveness of sin and a new life in Him. That is when eternal life begins.

“After Jesus had finished speaking to his disciples, he looked up toward heaven and prayed:    Father, the time has come for you to bring glory to your Son, in order that he may bring glory to you. 2 And you gave him power over all people, so that he would give eternal life to everyone you give him. 3 Eternal life is to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, the one you sent. ” John 17:1-3 CEV

Eternal life is knowing (having a personal relationship with) God the Father and Jesus His Son. Eternal life begins now, not when we die.

The Apostle Peter wanted to make sure we knew how to live this life eternal so he gave us this instruction:

“From Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ. To everyone who shares with us in the privilege of believing that our God and Savior Jesus Christ will do what is just and fair.
2 I pray that God will be kind to you and will let you live in perfect peace! May you keep learning more and more about God and our Lord Jesus. 3 We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God’s own power, when we learned that he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness.

4 God made great and marvelous promises, so that his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.   5 Do your best to improve your faith. You can do this by adding goodness, understanding, 6 self-control, patience, devotion to God, 7 concern for others, and love. 8 If you keep growing in this way, it will show that what you know about our Lord Jesus Christ has made your lives useful and meaningful.” II Peter 1:1-8 CEV

God the Father has given us marvelous, great and precious promises so that we can live a life that pleases Him and reflects His glory here on earth. Can you imagine the joy that the Father gets when His kids take Him at His word?

Can’t you just see Him at the Saturday football game or the rodeo or the school play? He’s nudging the angels next to Him and saying, “Ya, that’s my kid! I taught Him everything he knows about life and godliness. I gave him my promises, I gave him my word. He’s a chip off the old block.”

Why is it so hard for us to imagine God the Father having a conversation like that?

Yes, He IS Almighty God but He is also Abba Father and nothing gives Him more pleasure than to see His kids imitating Him.

That’s what Jesus did.

“This made them even more determined to kill him. They thought it was bad enough that he was breaking the law about the Sabbath day. And now he was saying that God is his Father, making himself equal with God!

19 But Jesus answered, “I assure you that the Son can do nothing alone. He does only what he sees his Father doing. The Son does the same things that the Father does. 20 The Father loves the Son and shows him everything he does. This man was healed. But the Father will show the Son greater things than this to do. Then you will all be amazed.” John 5:18-20 ERV

The Jews knew Jesus was saying that God was His Father and so He, Jesus, was the perfect representation of the Father on earth. This angered them greatly, it still does. When we talk about our Heavenly Father and His amazing love, grace, mercy and peace and that He has given us His authority to be ambassadors on earth, it will anger the religious people of our day –

“Who do you think you are?”

It’s time we let the world see that true believers aren’t preaching messages to condemn but to restore. God’s amazing love draws sinners to repentance. Jesus made no apology for identifying sin in a person’s life but His message was one of hope, one of freedom, one of new life!

I am an ambassador for Christ – old things have passed away, all things have become new and I have been given the message of reconciliation to let the world know that God isn’t mad at them. He has made a way, through Jesus Christ, for all to be accepted and made right (righteous) with Him! 

“God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.

19 What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace. 20 We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God. 21 Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner, so that Christ could make us acceptable to God.” II Corinthians 5:18-21 CEV

There is not one promise that God has made that He has failed to keep! He committed Himself to us through His word so that He could show the world His great love!

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Everything

There are some absolutes in the Word of God that aren’t preceded by “the” but instead they use the phrase “in everything” or “always”.


“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” I Thessalonians 5:18

Notice the verse doesn’t say “for everything” give thanks but “In everything” give thanks. It is always God’s will that we give thanks because there is power in praise and thanksgiving to God.

I know you’ve all heard it before but giving thanks in a bad situation is focusing on God’s deliverance and not on the circumstances.
Tell your problem how big your God is instead of telling God how big your problem is. There are no big problems to God, He can handle them all.

Daniel gave thanks in the lions den and then he laid down and went to sleep.  He was thankful that he was worthy of being persecuted for his stand for God.

Paul and Silas gave thanks by singing at midnight after they had been beaten and thrown in the prison. They praised God for who He is and that they had the privilege to proclaim the gospel.  Paul wrote these words.

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Philippians 4:6  KJV

This is the way that verse reads in another translation.

“Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have.” Philippians 4:6 ERV

To be careful means to be “full of care” or worry. Worry brings anxiety.  Jesus told the disciples that the “cares of this world” would choke out the Word of God that has been planted in their hearts.

Today I encourage you to apply an “in everything” attitude to your life. Thankful for the good, the blessings that the Lord gives and thankful that He has made you victorious over the evil.

“ We thank God for the power Christ has given us. He leads us and makes us win in everything. He speaks through us wherever we go. The Good News is like a sweet smell to those who hear it.” II Corinthians 2:14 NLV

ALWAYS BE THANKFUL! 

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Life is a Camping Trip

When our kids were younger we did quite a bit of camping. It was relaxing, fun and inexpensive. We weren’t one of those families that pulled in to the campground in our RV but instead we tent camped.

It was a nice tent and as comfortable as a tent could be but still it was a tent.

I had my camping boxes that went on every trip. Each box had all the necessities prepacked. The only thing we really needed to think about was filling the ice chest with the refrigerated food and drinks. We could be ready to go in less than an hour’s time.

We had some fun times; oh, we had the soggy ones too. First time out in the new tent we had forgotten to seal the seams so we got also as much rain in the tent as out. Then there were adventures of wild animals, canoe trips, floating the river and the one time we brought everything but the tent. I know…but it happened.

And no matter how much fun we had and how beautiful the camp site it was always nice to come home. A comfortable bed, dry clothes, and a warm shower. Awwww.

In my reading today the Apostle Paul is talking about tent camping.

“We know that our body—the tent we live in here on earth—will be destroyed. But when that happens, God will have a home for us to live in. It will not be the kind of home people build here. It will be a home in heaven that will continue forever. 2 But now we are tired of this body. We want God to give us our heavenly home. 3 It will clothe us and we will not be naked. 4 While we live in this tent, we have burdens and so we complain. I don’t mean that we want to remove this tent, but we want to be clothed with our heavenly home. Then this body that dies will be covered with life. 5 This is what God himself made us for. And he has given us the Spirit as the first payment to guarantee the life to come.

6 So we always have confidence. We know that while we live in this body, we are away from the Lord. 7 We live by what we believe will happen, not by what we can see. 8 So I say that we have confidence. And we really want to be away from this body and be at home with the Lord. 9 Our only goal is to always please the Lord, whether we are living here in this body or there with him.”
II Corinthians 5:1-9 ERV

Life on this earth is like camping in a tent. It’s an adventure but not as comfortable as Home. Going home is something to look forward too with great anticipation!

But while we’re in the tent we need to enjoy our surroundings.

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Confidence

There are some things we know we are really good at while others present more of a challenge.

That feeling is called self-confidence. It can be defined as a feeling of self-assurance arising from one’s own abilities or qualities. Being sure of our talents and abilities is essential in our careers and daily life.

The Lord wants us to have confidence without being arrogant or self-prompting. He wants us to have our confidence is Him and HIs word. Our total dependence in Him keeps us from carrying the burden of winning approval and acceptance.

Since we have been talking about absolutes I wanted to share this verse with you. It gives us insight in knowing God’s will and provides us with “the’ confidence.

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” I John 5:14-15

Knowing God’s will and praying or asking according to that will is a sure fire way to get our prayers answered with a yes every time. So what is God’s will and how can we know that we are asking according to it?

“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:7

Jesus put it this way to his disciples, if you abide or live in my word, then you can ask what you will and it will be done. We can conclude that God’s word is His will.

Some of us have written our last will and testament. In it we convey our final thoughts and desires and it is must be followed precisely by the executor.  It’s the same for God. He has listed His will in His testaments.

When we pray what we see in God’s word and are living by the instructions in the Word, we can have “the confidence” that God will answer in a positive way.

No more wishy-washy wondering of “you just never know what God is going to do”. Yes, we do! He’s going to keep his word.  He sent Jesus to tell the world what He was going to do and He’s not keeping secrets from us today – all we have to do is open the Book and we can find His will written in His word.

“ Jesus says yes to all of God’s many promises. It is through Jesus that we say, “Let it be so,” when we give thanks to God.” II Corinthians 1:20 NLV

If God made a promise, He will keep it. He can’t lie.

Sometimes we don’t see the answer immediately and we begin to doubt that we’re “good” enough to get an answer from God. God’s never given us anything based on our own merit so we mustn’t fall into that trap.

If that were the case none of us would get born again because we certainly weren’t deserving of that. That kind of thinking comes from a sense of self-confidence or a lack of it. The confidence that we need comes from trust in God’s abilities not our own.

When we’re waiting to see God’s word come to pass and our prayers to be answered we need to follow the instruction of these verses:

“Do not throw away your trust (confidence), for your reward will be great. 36 You must be willing to wait without giving up. After you have done what God wants you to do, God will give you what He promised you. ” Hebrews 10:35-36 NLV

Let “THE CONFIDENCE” in God’s word rule!

 

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Time to Suit Up

I don’t think I have done a teaching on the blog on the armor God provides for us. This morning, I want to remind us of how well protected we are!

In Ephesians 6, Paul tells us to put on the full armor of God. It’s important that we aren’t going out to battle in our own strength but that we stay in our place, “in Christ”, to stand against the enemy. Jesus completely defeated Satan and his demons with His death and resurrection. We are here as His ambassadors, the occupational forces, so to speak.

A man I know, as an 18 year old, was part of the occupational forces in Germany after WWII. Although young and inexperienced, with no power of his own, when dressed in the US Army uniform, he represented the USA and all that stood behind it. In that uniform, he commanded respect because of who he represented.

The same holds true with us – as Christians, we are to be Christ’s representatives and we have all the power of His resurrection and of our Father God backing us  while on this earth. We aren’t just saved and stuck – we are world overcomers in this life.

“We show our love for God by obeying his commandments, and they are not hard to follow. 4 Every child of God can defeat the world, and our faith is what gives us this victory. 5 No one can defeat the world without having faith in Jesus as the Son of God.” I John 5:3-5

So now let’s look at the armor that we’ve been given for this occupation.

“To end my letter I tell you, be strong in the Lord and in his great power. 11 Wear the full armor of God. Wear God’s armor so that you can fight against the devil’s clever tricks. 12 Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places. 13 That is why you need to get God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil, you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing.
14 So stand strong with the belt of truth tied around your waist, and on your chest wear the protection of right living. 15 On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong. 16 And also use the shield of faith with which you can stop all the burning arrows that come from the Evil One. 17 Accept God’s salvation as your helmet. And take the sword of the Spirit—that sword is the teaching of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times. Pray with all kinds of prayers, and ask for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready. Never give up. Always pray for all of God’s people.” Ephesians 6:10-18

Our strength comes from being in the Lord. We are to wear His armor and stand. And when it gets tough we keep STANDING! Our strength to stand comes from the word of God. Here’s a break down of the armor:

Belt of Truth: Jesus said to the Father. “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. John 17:17

Breastplate of Righteousness: Our righteousness comes through Christ. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the of God in him.” II Corinthians 5:17

Shoes of the Gospel of Peace: The Gospel is the word of God and when we let it enter our lives, it brings peace. “But the word of the Lord endures for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” I Peter 1:25

Shield of Faith: We can’t have faith without the Word. “ So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17

Helmet of Salvation: Salvation comes through the Word. “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,” Ephesians 1:13

Sword of the Spirit: It is the word of God. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

Prayer: Prayer is effective when we pray God’s word or His will over a situation. “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. 14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” I John 5:13-15

So you see, if we don’t know God’s word we are really trying to stand on our own and not in His power, because all the armor has the Word of God as its foundational element. The Word is the “metal” that the armor is forged from.

When we are wearing the armor of God, we will be able to stand forever because Jesus said, “heaven and earth will pass away but my word will never pass away”.

Now, go out and occupy! Take your stand.

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A Glorious Change

This weekend marks the 4th anniversary of being in our Arizona home!

Didn’t look like much did it? But we had a vision of what we wanted it to become.

Last night Dave and I sat out on the patio and talked about the first days we were here. The sweat, the paint, the cleaning, the patience, the money – all that went in to making it the house, no, the home it has become.

Such a transformation! An amazing change!

So this morning I took inventory, personal inventory. How have I changed in the last four years? This assessment has nothing to do with my external appearance; not weight or hair color. I looked at my life to see what changes are there and how I’ve grown in my walk with the Lord.

“…That is why we never give up. Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new every day. 17 We have small troubles for a while now, but these troubles are helping us gain an eternal glory. That eternal glory is much greater than our troubles.” II Corinthians 4:16-17 CEV

There have certainly been challenges in the last four years but there has also been a greater dependence upon the Lord and a calm assurance in trusting Him in every situation.  It’s good to evaluate where I’ve been and where I’m heading. I don’t want to become a stagnant Christian. I want to continue to grow in my relationship with the Lord.

“You accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, so continue to live following him. 7 You must depend on Christ only, drawing life and strength from him. Just as you were taught the truth, continue to grow stronger in your understanding of it. And never stop giving thanks to God.” Colossians 2:6-7 ERV

When I look around our home I see so many changes and evidence of life. We have plants everywhere when once there were only a few cacti and a couple of mesquite trees. Things thrive here.

So have we!

“We praise you, Lord God! You treat us with kindness day after day,
  and you rescue us. 20 You always protect us and save us from death.” Psalm 68:19-20 

I go in to each day looking for God’s hand of love and protection. I am not disappointed. It’s amazing what you see when you are looking for it.  Oral Roberts used to say “Something good is going to happen to you this day.”  He was criticized for that because people thought he was just teaching a “feel good” gospel. I truly believe that God has something wonderful planned for each day of my life but I have to be willing to let Him take control and lead me to the place that He has designed.

I started to say, I’m not special or unique to the Lord, but I am. Each one of us are! God has a specific plan of good for each of us. He doesn’t place favorites and He certainly isn’t prejudice. He loves each and everyone of us the same.

That’s why I share this blog each morning. I want to remind everyone who reads it that God is our loving, compassion, kind, wise, giving heavenly Father. I want people everywhere to KNOW, not just think or guess, that maybe, possibly, perhaps God loves them. No, I want all to have the calm assurance that God does love me, no matter what!

“So, brothers and sisters, be careful that none of you has the evil thoughts that cause so much doubt that you stop following the living God. 13 But encourage each other every day, while you still have something called “today.” Help each other so that none of you will be fooled by sin and become too hard to change. 14 We have the honor of sharing in all that Christ has if we continue until the end to have the sure faith we had in the beginning. ” Hebrews 3:12-13 ERV

Take inventory today. See what God has done in the past and don’t become discouraged in the day to day transformation. Encourage others around you.

God is making a Glorious Change in each one of us!

 

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