Be Strong And Of Good Courage.

Be Strong And Of Good Courage.

HEROES WANTED

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes before you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

The world has never been more advanced technologically, yet we have never been in worse condition spiritually and morally. It can be frightening when you think of what kind of world we are going to face and what kind of world our children and grand children will grow up in. We need courage to live in these days as followers of Jesus Christ. Yet courage seems to be something that is in short supply today. Sometimes we forget what real heroism and real courage really are. We wonder where all the heroes are now.

Any true follower of Jesus Christ who stands up for what he or she believes is a true hero. It takes courage to be a follower of Jesus, to live an uncompromised life, to do the right thing, and to proclaim the gospel.

It takes courage for a young Christian to resist peer pressure and remain sexually pure until marriage and then be faithful in their marriage. It takes courage for a family to stay together and resist the temptation to cave in at the first sight of a problem or a challenge to the vows they have made to one another. It takes courage today to be honest and not cheat. It takes courage to follow Jesus. It takes a real man and a real woman to take a stand for Jesus.

Do you have the strength and courage to live for Jesus? Are you someone who fears nothing but sin, and desires nothing but God? Be strong and courageous because you are not alone, God is with you.

Prayer: Pray and receive the courage and honesty to change every bad habit and wisdom to avoid wasteful living.

Scriptural Reading: Deuteronomy 31:1-8

1 Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel.

2 And he said to them: “I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross over this Jordan.’

3 The Lord your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as the Lord has said.

4 And the Lord will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites and their land, when He destroyed them.

5 The Lord will give them over to you, that you may do to them according to every commandment which I have commanded you.

6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

7 Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel,”Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.

8 And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

NKJV…

Be Strong And Of Good Courage.

Know Your Rights

Know Your Rights

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. Romans 6:6

Many of our defeats on the spiritual battlefield lie largely in our ignorance of the facts. In Jesus Christ we have the power to free ourselves from sin’s control and to live a new life. But many Christians don’t know they have this power or are ignorant of how to appropriate the power. They think it is impossible to live a sin-free life. They have become comfortable living under Satan’s control. They need to know that God through Christ has set them free from the dominion of Satan.

We cannot overcome sin by saying, “no, no, no.” God’s method for overcoming sin is to “know, know, know.” We can say “no” to sin, but if we don’t have the strength to do the will of God, we will always bow to sin’s dictates. We need to know what God has done for us in Christ, His incomparable power that is at work in us, and how to appropriate all these divine resources to live victorious lives.

Often we are defeated in our day-to-day work as Christians because we don’t understand what God has done for us. It is like fighting a battle without ammunition, when all the time, we had more than we could utilize in a thousand battles.

We cannot overcome sin’s power by our mere strength or willpower. Christianity is not trying to humanly live a divine life; it is divinely living a human life. It is God’s power in us and Christ through us, fulfilling what He has called us to do. It is not imitation but impartation. It is appropriating the divine provision that God has made for our victory.

Prayer: Take authority over the sinful cravings of the flesh and ask for wisdom to always subject your flesh to the works of righteousness.

Scriptural Reading: Romans 6:1-14

1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?

2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,

6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.

8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.

10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to…

Know Your Rights

You Can Not Fail

You Can Not Fail

YOU CAN’T FAIL

Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.” Acts 10:34

God is no respecter of persons. He will come through on your behalf no matter who you are, your race or nationality. When you know who you are in Christ Jesus, then there is no one who can stop you from succeeding in life. Putting your trust and faith in God will always cause you to rise above the circumstances of life and be on top.

God will deliver you like the three Hebrew boys in Daniel chapter three. The word ‘deliver’ in this context means to leave free.

In Daniel chapter three we see three Hebrew boys by the name of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They had become high government officials – Jews in Babylon. Hence, they were the wrong people, the wrong race even in the wrong country. But that doesn’t matter to God, it didn’t matter to them and it shouldn’t matter to you either when men try to keep you down.

You can still be on top, because nobody can keep you down when you trust God. God didn’t create you to fail. He created you to win. Because your faith is in Him, no one can bring you down. All you need is faith in God, because you and God are a majority.

Those who are opposed to righteousness always have a scheme. But the Lord will bring all their schemes to nothing. Because you are a child of God, and you have put your trust in Him, He will surely bring you to your high places. You will succeed and become prosperous in Jesus’ name!

Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit for confidence and boldness to dream big and achieve extraordinary things to His glory.

Scriptural Reading: Acts 10:34-43

34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said:”In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.

35 But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

36 The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ — He is Lord of all —

37 that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:

38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

39 And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. 40 Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly,

41 not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.

42 And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.

43 To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”

NKJV

You Can Not Fail

Delight In The WORD Of The LORD

Delight In The WORD Of The LORD

WORD ADDICT

But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. Psalm 1:2

I want you to begin to develop an addiction today–an addiction to the Word of God. That may sound odd to you, especially if you don’t have much of an interest in the Word right now. But, believe me, it’s possible. I’ve done it myself and I’ve seen others do it, time and again.

All you have to do is make a decision to give yourself to it. To focus your time and attention on it. The more you give yourself to it, the more your desire for it will grow. Eventually, it will consume your thinking.

Surprised? You shouldn’t be. That happens with anything you totally give yourself to. It happens, for example, with people who give themselves to pornography. As they focus their attention on it, the spirit behind it moves in on their consciousness and eventually draws them from mental activity into physical activity. Finally, they come to a place where they can’t be satisfied. They can’t get enough.

That same principle works on the positive side when you begin to give yourself to God’s Word. You can give yourself to it to the point where it totally consumes your mental and physical life. The more of it you get, the more you want. The Spirit behind the Word, the Holy Spirit, will draw you and lead you closer to Jesus than you ever imagined possible.

I’ve never yet met anybody walking in faith and power who at sometime hadn’t developed that kind of addiction by giving themselves totally to the Word for an extended time. I don’t mean just a few minutes here and there either. I’m talking about some serious time.

So determine to do that. Determine to become a “Word addict.” Once you do, you’ll never be willing to live without it again.

Prayer: Ask the Lord for a fresh appetite for His Word.

Scripture Reading: Psalm 1:1-6

1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.

3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

4 The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,

Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

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Delight In The WORD Of The LORD

The Weapons Of Our Warfare

The Weapons Of Our Warfare

THE SPIRITUAL WAR

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. 2 Corinthians 10:4

Every one Christian is in the middle of a raging spiritual war. We as believers must recognize that our enemy is very real, but through Christ, we have the power to fight effectively.

Scripture reveals that Satan and a whole empire of evil spirits oppose God and His Kingdom. However, the enemies are fallen angels who have already been defeated on our behalf by the Lord. While it is important not to underestimate their capabilites, we mustn’t be deceived into thinking their power is greater than it is. They are simply no match for God. When Jesus rebuked demonic forces who tormented people, they were forced to obey. And after He had triumphed over them through His resurrection, the Lord Jesus gave us authority over these spirits. 1 John 4:4 says that, through the Holy Spirit we have already overcome the enemy because “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”

However, if we fail to take up our position of power in Christ, we will feel overwhelmed and defeated. Though Satan cannot touch our souls, his plan is to make us ineffective in our spiritual battle with him. One of his most common weapons is guilt. He knows that when our conscience condemns us, we lose confidence with God and therefore are unable to exercise our spiritual authority over his kingdom. That is the reason why he never ceases to tempt us to sin. And when we give in to temptation, he comes to say to us, “You have sinned against God. You are a weak and unworthy sinner who will never really be able serve God. Are you really sure you are saved?” If we believe such accusations, we run the risk of doubting our true identity in Christ, and, as a result, become prey for his demonic host.

Prayer: By the power of the Holy Spirit boldly declare your authority and victory over the forces of darkness.

Scriptural Reading: 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.

4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

NKJV

The Weapons Of Our Warfare

Unshakable Faith In God

Unshakable Faith In God

UNSHAKEABLE FAITH

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. James 1:2

God is in control of all circumstances that surround the believer. The devil can do nothing in the life of the believer without the express permission of God. But why would God give that permission? Because Satan’s attacks will show what you are made of.

A faith that cannot be shaken is a faith that has been shaken. And if your faith is real, it will even endure through the worst of circumstances, because character is not made in crisis; it is revealed. For example, when tragedy struck Job, we find him worshiping God, but we find his wife saying, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die”. Trials, temptations, and crises separate the wheat from the chaff, the true from the false, and the real from the unreal.

Trials help us grow spiritually and make us stronger in our faith. James reminds us, “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (James 1:3-4).

Trials take our faith from the realm of theory to reality, and suffering brings glory to God. Anyone can be happy when the sky is blue and the sun is shining. But when a storm is hitting, it is a different matter. Satan claimed that Job only worshiped God because God was blessing him. But Job proved that he really did love God, because he worshipped Him before, during, and after his crisis.

God allowed the trial in Job’s life to strengthen his faith and to prove Satan wrong—and Job passed the test with flying colors. What a rebuke to the enemy and what a powerful example for us today.

Prayer: Pray for inner strength to turn every trial you face into stepping stone to your breakthrough.

Scriptural Reading: James 1:1-8

1 James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad:

Greetings.

Profiting from Trials

2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,

3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

NKJV

Unshakable Faith In God

God"s Blessings

God’s Blessings

GOD’S BLESSINGS

And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes. Malachi 3:11

The devourer needs to be defined. The Hebrew word akal (aw-kal) means, “to eat, consume or burn up.” It was used by Bible writers to define the actions of drought, famine, war, pestilence, and plague. To “rebuke the devourer” is to check, curb, and deter anything that consumes time, energy, or cash flow.

In this verse the Lord promises to put a stop-gap on that which consumes our time. How many times have you started out a day with a plan for getting things done, only to look back at the end of the day and realize that your time had gotten away from you? The Lord has promised to rebuke the devourer of time.

The same promise applies to energy. During the average eight-hour workday, we expect to achieve a stated number of goals, to complete so many assigned tasks, to produce a certain predetermined amount of output for our efforts. It is always disconcerting to look back at the end of the day and compare how much we intended to get done with how little we actually accomplished. The Lord has promised to rebuke the devourer of energy.

This promise also applies to money. You buy tires, and they wear out too soon. You buy shoes, and they do not last. You buy groceries, and run out before the week is over. You spend money, yet have nothing to show for it. God has promised to rebuke the devourer of finances.

With God’s blessings, you and I can get sixty minutes of time out of every hour, eight hours of productivity out of each working day, and a hundred pesewa of value out of every cedi spent. What a blessing!

Prayer: Ask the Lord to rebuke the devourer of your resources and release His blessing of multiplication on all your work.

Scriptural Reading: Malachi 3:8-12

8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.

9. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation.

10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.

11 “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the Lord of hosts;

12 “And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,” Says the Lord of hosts.

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God"s Blessings