The Key to Uprooting the Devil’s Plan

 The Key to Uprooting the Devil’s Plan

Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. 1 Peter 5:9(NLT)

If you want the great and mighty things God has for you, then you must get to the root of your negative mindsets and deal with them. Because until the roots are removed, they’ll continue to produce one bad fruit after another.

Too often we spend our lives dealing with the bad fruit of our behavior, but we never dig deep enough to get to the root of the problem. Digging deep to take care of the bad root is painful, but it’s the only lasting way to take care of the problem. We can either suffer positively, doing what’s right, or we can go with the devil’s plan. His goal is to keep you stuck in your old habits forever.

Peter tells us to be well-balanced and temperate, withstanding the devil at his onset (see 1 Peter 5:8-9). You must decide if you want the pain that will take you into a new realm of glory or to keep your same old pain and try to hide it while it’s rotting inside you.

Withstand the devil today and follow the Holy Spirit to the plan God has for you.

Prayer Starter: God, I need Your help to withstand the devil’s plan. I know digging out bad roots is painful, but if it brings me closer to Your plan for me, I want to do it. Strengthen me as I resist the devil and submit myself to follow You.

WALKING IN THE WILL OF GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY APRIL 09, 2024.

SUBJECT: WALKING IN THE WILL OF GOD!

Memory verse: "Not with eyeservice as men pleasers, but as bondservant of Christ, doing the will of God.” (Ephesians 6 vs 6.)

READ: Ephesians 5 vs 15 - 18:

5:15: See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,

5:16: redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

5:17: Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

5:18: And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.

INTIMATION:

God’s Will is expressed in His Word (His laws, and His ways). Walking in the will of God is being obedient to His Word, and strictly doing them. God has a specific plans for our individual lives, predetermined before the foundation of the earth, and His greatest desire is that we operate in them daily. 

How do we walk in the will of God? The foremost thing to do is to ensure that your will agrees with God's. How? By spending time in His presence and by reading and meditating on His Word. The Scripture says, “Can two work together, unless they are agreed? (Amos 3 vs 3.) Agreement with God is in obeying His Word, and when you are in agreement with God, He can also reveal things to you through your spirit. It is important to listen to what God’s Word says, but it’s much more important to obey and do what it says. 

Your obedience to Him, is a demonstration of your willingness to fulfill His plan for your life. He promises that if you will hear Him and obey His commandments, His blessings will overtake you (Deuteronomy 28 vs 2). We are to walk circumspectly, or "cautiously, carefully, and prudently." In other words, we should be cautious of the things we do and the choices we make, and ensure we comprehend the will of God for us. And the only way to do that is by developing a relationship with the Lord—working together with Him. The cautious and careful followership with the Lord guarantees our enjoying the blessings of God and avoid the pitfalls that come from disobedience. 

Ask yourself this question: "Am I in God's Will right now?" Judge yourself. Are you following the leading of your self-will, or God's Will? God has a plan for you; however, if you begin to make excuses and fail to do your part, you will miss out on the blessings He longs to give you. However, you cannot do this without the help of our Helper—the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and knows the things of God. He helps us work in consonance with the things that God has willed for us.

Now don't think that life will become a bed of roses once you begin walking in God's Will. There will be a few thorns here and there. You may think, "Will this really work?" or say "Things were easier before."  That may be true. But the benefits of being in His perfect Will far outweigh any rewards you've ever received by doing things your way or any other way than His. No matter what happens, don't give in. Just stay focused.

In order to walk in the Will of God, it's very Important to renew your mind. The best way to do this is by spending time in God's Word. The Scripture in Romans 12 vs 2 says, "And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, Will of God." The more time you spend in His presence, the more He will reveal things to you through the Holy Spirit, and the better you will recognize His voice. 

Also be in constant communication with God in prayer. In your communion, take God’s Word back to Him—use God's Word in your prayers (First John 5 vs 14 - 15), and expect Him to respond. Prayer is a two way communication, therefore, it’s very important to listen and hear from God; You talk and He talks. So often, God is ready to reveal answers to us right away. But as soon as we're finished talking, we whisk off to carry out our plans. Then we wonder, "Is He really listening?" The better question is, "Are we listening?" He may not speak to you audibly; He can speak to you in your inner man, or through His Word.

If you already know God's Will for your life and are walking in it, praise God! If you know His Will and are not actively working toward fulfilling your calling, I encourage you to begin. And finally, if you don't know God's Will for your life, ask, and you shall receive, so that your joy may be full (John 16 vs 24). Ask in prayer, in study of the Word, and in meditation in the Word.

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is to do Your Will. Endue me with the spirit of complete obedience to You, that I may walk in Your Will all the days of my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

As You Have Believed

 As You Have Believed

Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour. Matthew 8:13(NLT)

Many years ago I was extremely negative because of the devastating abuse that had taken place in my past. The result was that I expected people to hurt me, and they did. I expected people to be dishonest, and they were. I was afraid to believe that anything good might happen.

I thought I was protecting myself from being hurt by not expecting anything good to happen. But when I really began to study the Word and trust God to restore me, I began to realize that all of my negativism had to go.

In Matthew 8:13, Jesus says that it will be done for us as we have believed. I believed everything was negative, so naturally many negative things happened to me. I decided I wanted positive things to happen to me, so I started believing positive things, and over time, received positive results!

Are you constantly experiencing negative things and wondering why? It could be time for you to start believing different things. Start trusting God and believing for the best. Then watch as He works things out for you according to your faith.

Prayer Starter: Holy Spirit, I want to get rid of all negativism and start believing for better things. Help me to stir up my faith, believing that You can do great things in my life.

A LOVELESS LIFE IS WORTHLESS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY APRIL 08, 2024.

SUBJECT: A LOVELESS LIFE IS WORTHLESS! 

Memory verse: "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing." (First Corinthians 13 vs 3.)

READ: First Corinthians 13 vs 1 - 8:

13:1: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

13:2: And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

13:3: And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

13:4: Love suffers long and is kin; love does not envy, love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

13:5: does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;

13:6: does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

13:7: bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

13:8: Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

INTIMATION:

Life without love is worthless, purposeless, and godless. We are often preoccupied with our own self, and act as if relationships are something to be squeezed into our schedule. We think always that we are doing others favor by loving them. But that is wrong, instead we are doing ourselves the favor of walking in the command of God to fulfill His law. 

We talk about finding time for our children or making out time for people in our lives. That gives the impression that relationships are just part of our lives along with many other tasks. But God says relationships are what life is all about. Four of the Ten Commandments deal with our relationship to God while the other six deal with our relationships with people. But all ten are about relationships! 

We might say it is in Old Testament laws, but Jesus summarized what matters most to God in two statements: love God and love people: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22 vs 37 - 40.) Therefore, the Ten Commandments are summarized in these two by Christ.

Jesus says that if we truly love God and our neighbor, we will naturally keep all the “Ten Commandments.” The best tact to deal with this is rather than worrying about all we should not do, we should concentrate on all we can do to show love for God and others. After learning to love God, learning to love others is the second purpose of your life. Consequently, relationship, not achievements or the acquisition of things, is what matters most in life. 

Now you know this, why will you allow relationships to get the short end of the stick? When our schedules become overloaded, and overcrowded, we start skimming relationally, cutting back on giving the time, energy, and attention that loving relationships require. What is most important to God is displaced by what's urgent to you. 

Busyness is the greatest enemy to relationships. We become preoccupied with making a living, doing our work, paying bills, and accomplishing goals as if these tasks are the points of life. They are not. The point of life is learning to love God and people. Life minus love equals zero.

Our society confuses Love and lust. Unlike lust, God’s kind of love is directed outward toward others, not inward toward ourselves. It is utterly unselfish. This kind of love goes against our natural inclinations. It is impossible to have this love unless God helps us set aside our own natural desires so that we can love and not expect anything in return. 

God is love, and a source of our love. He loved us enough to sacrifice His Son for us. Jesus is our example of what it means to love; everything He did in life and death was supremely loving. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to love; He lives in our heart and make us more and more like Christ. God’s Love always involve a choice and an action, and our love should be like that.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are love, and I know You. My utmost heart desire is to live a life hinged on Your greatest commandments - to love You and others. Endue me with the spirit of love, that I may be worthy to be called Your Son, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

GET RID OF YOUR WORRY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY APRIL 07, 2024.

SUBJECT: GET RID OF YOUR WORRY! 

Memory verse: "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink: nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6 vs 25.)

READ: Matthew 6 vs 25 - 30:

6:25: Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink: nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

6:26: Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into bans; yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

6:27: Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

6:28: So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin;

6:29: and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

6:30: Now if God so cloths the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

INTIMATION:

Worry is having faith in fear; it is the high interest we pay on tomorrow's troubles. Most of the problems we worry about never happen. Most of them today, in future when you look back, will seem trivial, petty, and inappropriate to consume you and your precious time. The Lord says that there is no gain in worrying. Worry enables fear to take hold of our minds in such a way that hope can find no home. Get your eyes off the problem, and fix it on God.

Worry is one of the very destructive emotions. It reveals lack of faith that God loves us and is in control. We should not worry; instead, we should trust God, giving ourselves to Him for His use and safekeeping. When you dwell on your problems, you will become anxious and angry. But if you concentrate on God and His goodness, you will find peace. Worry cannot inhabit in the secret places of the Most High. It cannot breathe in the atmosphere made vital by prayer and knowledge of the Word of God. Worry dies when we ascend to the Lord through prayer, offer praise in His holy name, and have faith in Him and His Word.

When a problem presents itself, the worst thing you can do is worry about it. Worry robs the mind of its creative powers to analyze the problem. Jesus, knowing the ill effects of worry, tells us, "do not worry" He tells us not to worry about those needs that God promises to supply. Worry may (1) damage your health, (2) disrupt your productivity, (3) negatively affect the way you treat others, and (4) reduce your ability to trust God.

If your life's course is being tormented by worry, climb.....climb.....climb into the atmosphere of faith. Climb until you sense the presence of the living God! Climb until you feel His peace that suppresses all understanding and His joy that is unspeakable and full of glory. Climb until you feel His love and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that worry cannot live in the atmosphere of faith. You will then conquer the problem and enter the promised land of God's favor and abundance!

When faced with a problem, don't deny that it exists. Acknowledge it, but don't embrace it, for it doesn't belong in your life. Have your genuine concern for the problem and move into action. Obtain all the facts surrounding your difficult circumstances. Next analyze the facts; go through your spiritual checklist to make sure you meet God's conditions for your provision. Pray for wisdom and discernment. 

Worry is pointless because it can't fill any of our needs: it is foolish because the Creator of the universe and Owner of all things loves us and knows what we need. He promises to meet all our real needs, but not necessarily all our desires. Worriers, by contrast, are consumed by fear and find it difficult to trust God. Never allow your worries affect your relationship with God. It is unhealthy, and destructive!

The Scripture gives us seven reasons not to worry:-

1. The same God who created life in you can be trusted with details of your life.

2. Worrying about the future hampers your efforts for today.

3. Worrying is more harmful than helpful.

4. God does not ignore those who depend on Him.

5. Worrying shows a lack of faith in, and understanding of God.

6. Worrying keeps us from real challenges God wants us to pursue.

7. Living one day at a time keeps us from being consumed with worry.

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to get rid of worry, knowing that You have given me the right to become Your son, and promised to take care of me, in any circumstances I found myself, and You that promised is faithful and will do it, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Live at Peace with Everyone

 

Live at Peace with Everyone

Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Romans 12:18(NLT)

An important lesson I’ve learned is to “bend so I will not break.” The Bible says to “readily adjust yourself to [people, things]. And, if possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:16, 18 AMP).

Before I made the Word of God a priority in my life and decided to live an obedient life, I had to have my own way. I wasn’t adaptable. I wanted everyone else to adapt to me. Of course, that resulted in more strife and stress.

I’ve now learned to bend. It’s not always easy on the flesh to give in and do things differently than I had planned, but it’s easier than being upset and miserable.

If you want to have peace in your relationships, you will need to be willing to be flexible. Pushing for your own way all the time will only hurt and offend those around you. But when you take to heart Paul’s encouragement to ‘live at peace with everyone,’ the Holy Spirit will fill your relationships with His joy and peace.

Prayer Starter: Holy Spirit, help me to bend so that I will not break. I want Your peace in my relationships, so I choose to be flexible today.

THE PATH TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY APRIL 06, 2024.

SUBJECT: THE PATH TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH!

Memory verse: "But by the grace of God I am what I am. And His grace toward me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” (First Corinthians 15 vs 10.)

READ: Philippians 2 vs 12 - 13; Hebrews 13 vs 20 - 21:

Philippians 2:12: Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

2:13: For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

Hebrews 13:20: Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 

13:21: make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever, Amen. 

INTIMATION:

Spiritual growth is a collaborative effort between you and the Holy Spirit. God's Spirit works with us, not just in us. The spiritual growth path is made up of two parts: the "work out" part and the "work in." The "work out" is your responsibility, and the "work in" is God's role. In one of the passages we read today, the Scripture says, “For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2 vs 13.) 

This verse written to believers is not about how to be saved, but how to grow. It does not say "work for" your salvation, because you can't add anything to what Jesus already did. It says “work out” your own salvation. The salvation has already been delivered to you through Christ’s substitutionary work on the cross. The “work out” is like thinking of exercising your body; you exercise your body to develop it, and not to get a body. 

It's the same with the farmers who work the land, they work not to get land, but to develop what they already have. God has given you a new life; now you are responsible to develop it "with fear and trembling." That means to take your spiritual growth seriously! When people are casual about their spiritual growth, it shows they don't understand the eternal implications. "Work out your own salvation" in the light of being careful to obey Christ wholeheartedly. We must be careful about what we believe and how we live, especially when we are on our own. We must focus our attention and devotion more on Christ so that we won't be sidetracked. 

God works in us as we have responded to His work for us. He worked for us through the cross. Our sense of gratitude to the work of God in reference to our salvation, therefore, should move us into action. In this way God is living in us (Galatians 2 vs 20; First Timothy 4 vs 15). When we are motivated into action by the redemptive work of God, then we work according to the purposes of God (Second Corinthians 3 vs 5). And when we work according to the purposes of God, it is God who works in us. Christians do not work in order to be saved. They work out their salvation because they are saved.

The calling of the apostle Paul into apostleship illustrates the work of God through His grace. The apostle Paul did not earn his call into apostleship. He was not a self-proclaimed apostle. In fact, his persecution of the church placed him as far away from God as one could possibly be. However, God knew that Paul was a sincere and honest personality, and thus, He provided for him the opportunity to respond to the miraculous appearance of Jesus. Apostle Paul could claim no meritorious accomplishments for either his calling or his salvation. All was by the grace of God. 

All that God did toward the apostle Paul by His grace was not a wasted effort. It was not useless because Paul responded with thanksgiving (Second Corinthians 4 vs 15). When God’s grace was extended toward him, he worked more abundantly than when he lived under a legal system of religiosity. Paul really worked out his own salvation with fear and trembling, and labored more than all other apostles. He knew he could do all that because of God’s grace with him. When one is motivated by grace, he or she cannot do enough in thanksgiving for his or her salvation.

Prayer: Abba Father, I will forever remain grateful for Your gift of salvation, and Your subsequent work in me both to will and to do for Your good pleasure. I commit myself entirely to Your care and leading, and Your empowerment to live in accordance with Your precepts, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!