Man's influence can be such a stronghold. But thank God that...
"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
strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that
exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into
captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." 2 Corinthians
10:3-5
DRIVE THEM OUT!
In Numbers 33:51-55 the children of Israel were told that once they
passed over Jordan into the Land of Canaan, they were to drive out all
the inhabitants. And if they didn't, those which they allowed to remain
would be "pricks in their eyes" and "thorns in their sides" and would
vex (afflict, bind, distress) them. Sounds pretty painful, doesn't it?
There before them was Jericho, a fortified walled city, shut up tight.
But God told them the city was theirs and for them to go and possess it!
Most of us may have finally "crossed over" but now we must face the
"giants". Here we stand now before "our jericho" and we find "enemies"
that are still living in our "land". We have simply learned to live with
certain characteristics, or situations because we've never found a way
to permanently drive them out of our lives. But just like God did for
the Israelites, He will give us the strategy needed to tear down the
walls (strongholds, habits, fleshly desires, wrong influences) that
shouldn't be there. He will reveal them to us.
In 2 Corinthians
10:4,5 we read that our weapons of our warfare are not carnal but MIGHTY
THROUGH GOD to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down
imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ.
The Bible says we are dead to sin
(strongholds, habits, fleshly desires, wrong influences) and if these
continue to remain after God has revealed them to us, it is not because
we do not have the power to be free of them. We have the power to be rid
of them!! The problem is, we have allowed them to remain in our life.
We have chosen not to use "the weapons that are mighty through God to
the pulling down of strongholds." Those not driven out, hinder us from
fully possessing and enjoying abundant life. Ask God to reveal your
strongholds, and wrong influences, and He will give you the strategy to separate yourself from them, tear down the stronghold, escape them and be free from them forever.
He desires that you be free, because He loves you!
What Do You Tell Yourself Every Morning As You Start Your Day?
Moses would say, "LORD go with us or before us, Abraham would say, "The LORD will provide."
Jacob would say, "I won't let go of YOU unless YOU bless me." Joshua would say, "As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Samuel would say, "Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening." Nehemiah would say, "The joy of the LORD is my strength." David would say, "The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want." and
"This is the day that the LORD has made and I will rejoice and be glad
in it." Solomon would say, "Trust in the LORD, oh my soul, and lean not on
your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall
direct your path." Isaiah would say, "Arise and shine for my GLORY has come." and "No weapon formed against me shall prosper." Jeremiah would say, "The LORD has plans to prosper me and not to harm or fail me." Jabez would say, "Oh, that YOU may bless me and enlarge my territory." Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would say, "We will not bow down to any image but will serve the LORD." Ezekiel would say, "Any dry bones in my life, Live again." Peter would say, "I will cast my cares upon the LORD for He cares." Paul would say, "The LORD will supply all my needs and I can do all things through Christ."
"But the God of all grace, who hath called us into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you".
After Your Season Of Suffering, God In All His Grace.......
1. He Will Restore You
-- He will bring you back to His perfect and original design for you
2. He Will Make You Strong
-- He will give you strength to overcome your problems
3. He Will Make You a Firm
-- He will make you stable, and make sure you won't fall from any obstacles
4. He Will Make You Steadfast
-- He will make you immovable, no matter what the devil does in your life
Stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. Exodus 14 :13
Many are standing between the long gap of Promise and Fulfillment. You heard the Lord
firmly declare new destinies over your life. Much like Isaiah, you
enthusiastically declared "Here am I, send me." However, a daunting
shift has occurred. Alignments are not happening quickly and
discouragement is knocking at your door. Hold on. Hold on to the promise
and stand in the deliverance He is getting ready to unleash.
Today, I'm reminded of the story of Moses parting the Red Sea. God
shared with Moses' his destiny and showed him the picture of freedom for
the Israelites. The exodus wasn't instant. In fact, the plagues painted
a picture of long torment and suffering for many. When Pharaoh finally
released His People to go, God sent them "the long way." Short paths
seem logical but are often dangerous. After these people quickly packed
bags and toted kids down a long road, Pharaoh gathered a massive army to
ensure their return to bondage. With intimidation at every turn, they
cried out to God in desperate fear. God simply reminded them of the
spoken Promise only He could fulfill. Not one ounce of glory for man was
possible. His story would brim over with miracles to directly point to
the hand of God.
A moment of crisis crescendos. God's people
appeared cornered. An insurmountable body of water blocked the path
while a mighty army stormed behind. Pharaoh was determined to bring them
back to captivity. They had nowhere to go. God reminded Moses of his
authority by instructing him to stretch out his hand and part the Red
Sea. The impossible became possible in an instant.
God speaks, Moses responds - such a simple formula.
Though the road has been long and hard, keep your eyes on the Promise
He gave you. The appearance of "no way out" paves the way for your
miraculous "parting of the Red Sea." Deliverance is on its way and He
wants all the glory.
The Message From God's Word THE COST OF FOLLOWING JESUS
by Tommy Tejcka
Luke 9:57-62 - Jesus had encounters with three of his disciples
and challenges them.
1. DISCIPLE OF COMFORT Vs. 57-58 - And as they were going
along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever
You go.” And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes, and the
birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay
His head”
--- He Is Willing To Follow Him Anywhere (but only if it suits
him) --- Jesus states that He doesn't even have a place to lay his
head.
--- So are you willing to follow Him even when it may not be
comfortable for you?
2. DISCIPLE OF CONVENIENCE Vs. 59-60 - “And He said to
another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Permit me first to go and
bury my father.” But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury
their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the
kingdom of God””
--- He Is Willing To Follow At His Convenience. (gives Him the
leftovers) --- Jesus states that to let the dead bury the dead
(let the spiritual dead do for themselves) and for him to go Preach
the Kingdom of God. We need to reach the lost instead of bury the
dead. We need to do what Jesus tells us when He asks us to Follow
Him.
3. DISCIPLE OF CHOICES Vs. 61-62 - “And another also said, “I
will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those
at home.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand
to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God””
--- He Will Follow Him, But... (Keeps his options open) ---
This man allowed other things to distract him, and Jesus knew that if
he turned back now, he wouldn't return to follow Him.
Many of us, after making the decision to follow Jesus, have
probably said the very same thing, to be willing to follow Jesus
wherever He went. But did we really realize the cost of following Him
and doing His will? It takes dedication and sacrifice to follow
Jesus.
Isaiah 6:8 “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom
shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send
me.
We all have a calling to Follow Jesus. What are we willing to give
up to Follow Him? What things might be keeping you from fully
following Him? We must not let comforts, convenience or our choices
distract us from our devotion to Jesus.
<<< I talked with Tommy after service and asked him what
he finds the hardest thing to give up or sacrifice to fully follow
Jesus. He replied that the hardest thing to give up was himself.
Isn't this so true? If we have fully given ourselves over to the call
to follow Jesus, then we would not worry about leaving our place of
comfort. We wouldn't just follow Him when it's convenient for
ourselves and it would be easy for us to obey Him and make the right
choices in life. Choose today to stay focused and committed to
following Jesus, no matter the cost. >>>
Matthew 28:18-20 "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:Teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I
am with you always, even unto the end of the world."
We are all called to minister. But do we? It's not just the Pastor that
is to do so. He instructs us so we can also minister to others as he
does. We are to minister not only in the Church but outside of the
Church doors.
2 Corinthians 2:14-14; 3:1-6 tells us that God enables us to be ministers of the new covenant and what qualifies us:
1. HIS PURPOSE. God triumphs over us to use us to tell others about Him, spreading the Gospel like a sweet Perfume.
2. HIS PRESENCE. We have the fragrance of Christ within us.
3. HIS POWER. He sends only men of integrity, speaking with God's power with His eye on us.
4. HIS TRUTH. Our life is an epistle written in our hearts read by men.
5. HIS SPIRIT. God enables us to be ministers of the new covenant not by the letter but by His Spirit that gives life.
I remember when God spoke to me through Habakkuk 2:1-3 and told me to Watch, Write and Wait.
Habakkuk 2:1-3
"I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will WATCH to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. And the Lord answered me, and said, WRITE the Vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the Vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, WAIT for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry".
WATCH
Stand at your watch, set yourself on the tower and give both ears and all your heart to understand what God would have you to know and to learn what He would teach you. We must always be attentive to His Word (Proverbs 4) Watch to see what God will say to you. First SEE the vision and hear what God has said unto you.
This is merely a withdrawal of the whole soul from the earthly, and fixing it upon the heavenly. (Colossians 3:2) Setting your affection on things above.
WRITE
Write the Vision (make it known) upon tablets (the table of your/their heart) He who writes, addresses a larger audience than the man who merely uses his tongue. It is a happy thing when the tongue is aided by the pen of a ready writer. Put up a Vision Board.
Maybe the Vision is given to you for someone else, Write it on the tables of man's heart. Say things that will strike and stick and give permanent impressions on their heart. Make it plain. Don't drudge up all the difficulties of the Word, raising a cloud of dust. Make it practical that he may run that reads it- a message that concerns him personally and will strike a desire in him to run to Christ. THEN....
WAIT
Every promise of God's Word has its own appointed time of fulfillment. The tarrying of the truth becomes a testing of the people. We must run with a vision. Be FULLY PERSUADED as Abraham was. (Romans 4:20-22)
There will be many obstacles that we may stumble upon that will try to destroy that image of hope. Without hope, there is nothing for faith to give substance to. We must allow hope to be painted on the canvas of our hearts, for without a vision people perish. If the vision dies, the dream dies. If you stop seeing it, it's not going to happen! Being fully persuaded is the only way it will get you over those obstacles when they come.
What has GOD spoken to YOU?
A friend of mine (thanks Roberta) gave me the idea of making a Vision Board. Place Scripture and Photos upon a board of the visions, dreams and desires that God has spoken to you, and hang it up to where you can see it everyday. When we begin speaking our dreams and envisioning them everyday, the vision enters our heart, becomes real and it makes it much easier to become fully persuaded and to tarry for it, until it's appointed time.
DON'T GIVE UP! KEEP BELIEVING! Revisit those dreams and visions that God has given and spoken into your life. WATCH - Always be attentive to His Voice, and WRITE that vision - keep the dream alive by allowing God to plant it within your heart through His Spirit and Word and WAIT with an expectancy for it's appointed time to be fulfilled!
When God gives a Vision, He makes Provision. So Believe God for the Provision of the Vision!
God's Prescription for "heaviness".
Praise opens up the gate to God’s power. We find this principle in
Isaiah 61, a passage of scripture that gives us an amazing prophetic
glimpse into the scope of Jesus’ power and ministry.
The third verse in particular gives us insight into the power of praise. It says the promised Messiah will be sent
“... to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for
ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit
of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the
planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”
Notice that
Jesus gives us “the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” The
spirit of heaviness is common in our culture. The enemy is pushing
people down and trying to keep them down; in other words, he is
de-pressing them. Do you know the primary way he does this?
Through words.
God has given us Isaiah 61:3 as the prescription for that condition!
Speaking God’s Word and singing His praises invite His presence. And the
enemy can’t stay in the presence of God.
King David desired to honor God and express his love. He was filled with excitement as he prepared to bring the Ark of God to it's new home. It was the symbol of God's presence and power. King David desired to re-establish its place of importance in the hearts of the people of Israel and make it the center of worship in Jerusalem.
With great excitement and anticipation, the Ark of God was paraded on a new cart with a great gathering of musicians playing music of praise unto God. This was a wonderful event, a time of worship and a great expectation for God's blessings upon the nation of Israel. But then, something happened that brought the celebration to an end.
While moving the Ark of God, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out and laid hold of the Ark to prevent it from falling, an act of irreverence that cost him his life. Uzzah loved God yet, not knowing His requirements in the law of handling the ark, he sinned.
Such disappointment fell on King David. His plans for the joyous return of the ark had been spoiled. The jubilant celebration turned into a disaster. It was then that King David separated himself from the Ark, for fear of it no longer bringing blessings, thinking perhaps God's presence had left the ark. The ark was moved to the home of Obed-Edom.
After three months, King David saw that God blessed the home of Obed-Edom. It was then that David saw that God's presence still remained in the ark. He realized that the fault of Uzzah's death was his own for transporting the ark carelessly. If the nation of Israel wanted God's blessings, they would need to respond in obedience to God's Word. God will not bless disobedience to His Word.
David wasted no time in making preparations to move the ark. This time it would be moved the way God instructed in His Word. This time, David sacrificed an ox and fat lamb every six paces. Wow! What a grand parade! King David's disappointment was quickly changed into dance. He and the nation expressed their worship to the great God who loved and cared for them. David danced before the Lord with all his might, only girded with a linen ephod.
David's wife, Michal, who watched from the window, did not share in his feelings of rejoicing. Instead of having a heart that experienced God's grace, mercy and peace, she had a heart of bitterness, despising it all. She could not share David's joyful worship of God. She thought it only to be foolish and expressed her thoughts to David. She could not believe his behavior which was not a King's behavior. But David's reply to her was that he did it before the Lord and that he was willing to look foolish in the eyes of some in order to worship God fully and honestly, who had chosen him and appointed him as ruler over the people. His wife, Michal was barren unto the day of her death.
We all have experienced disappointments in life and if we are really honest, we have felt disappointed in God, because of things not going the way that we thought they should have gone. But we must trust God and realize that He sees the whole picture of a situation and has a purpose for all things. It is so important that we know God's Word and determine to acknowledge God in every area of our lives, so that no matter the outcome, we know that God is still working. If we love the Lord, we will respect Him and His ways. God wants us to be obedient to His Word.
We cannot let life's disappointments separate us from God's Presence. Acknowledging God in every situation helps us to initiate our faith in Him so that just as with David, He will give us feet to Dance Upon Disappointment.
There was a time in my walk with God,
where I only saw Him as this God somewhere out there, so far away who
left us with many rules to follow. This only left me frustrated,
realizing that I was incapable of measuring up to what I thought He
expected of me. My life seemed like a series of hurdles I had to
jump to get approval of Him, others and even myself. What a
life-changing revelation it was for me when I realized that God loved
me for who I was!! He is a loving Father who wants me to become all
that He designed me to be. He only wants the best for me and has a
wonderful plan for my life. As I began reading His Word, and spending
time in Prayer, I was able to learn more about that plan and most
importantly come to really know Him! It is not only important to know
the Word of God, but we also need to know the God of the Word.
I was reading in Zephaniah 3:17 and
this verse just jumped off of the page at me. I have learned in the
past that when this happens, I know that God has so much more that He
wants to teach me. I began to pray and study and discovered the
relationship God wanted to have with me. I want to encourage you
today that He wants this same relationship with you!
Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord your God in
your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with
gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you
with singing.”
1.
The Lord your God in your midst. (HIS PRESENCE)
Our Father always promises to be with us. This means that no matter
where we go or whatever situations we may face, He is with us. He
promises to never leave us nor forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6) King
David even wrote about the intimate Presence of God in Psalm 139:
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your Presence?
No matter where we go, His hand shall lead us. Even in our times of
darkness, we can seek the Him and He will shine light in that
darkness. God comes in where it is dark even when it seems He is
nowhere to be found. He made darkness his secret place (Psalm 18:11)
and He gives treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret
places. (Isaiah 45:3)
2.
The Mighty One, will save. (HIS POWER) When we face
situations from which we need deliverance, our Father's wisdom and
His Word will save us. Proverbs 11:9 ...”through knowledge the
righteous will be delivered.” His Word tells us that we will have
many afflictions but He will deliver us from them all. (Psalm 34:19)
Through His Power, deliverance is possible and available to us.
3. He will
rejoice over you with gladness. (HIS
PRAISE) There are times when our heart may become heavy from the
cares of this life. But Our Father says to cast our cares on Him,
for He cares for us. (I Peter 5:7) The cares of this world are not
for us to carry. He loves and cares for us so much, that He is here
to take care of everything for us. He even appoints unto us beauty
for ashes, oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the
spirit of heaviness and as we begin to lift up our voice to Him, He
rejoices over us and with us. (Isaiah 61:3) Anything that takes us
away from our Father, He always rejoices over us when we return to
Him.
4. He will
quiet you with His love. (HIS
PEACE) Today, we live in a fast-paced world. There is so much stress
and chaos. But we must order our lives so that we plan the first of
our day to spend in Praise, Prayer and His Word. We never know what
each day will bring us, but even in the midst of stress, when we seek
the Lord, Our Father promises to give us perfect peace. (Isaiah
26:3) He also will speak peace over any life's storm that begins to
rage around us. (Mark 4) He
will create calm with His love. He is the only One capable of taking us to
that place of rest in Him, to quiet our hearts, and to envelop us
with His love, by calming us while in the storm, while He goes
through it with us.
5.
He will rejoice over you with singing.
(HIS PROTECTION) This one is a favorite of mine. It never fails,
when I am going through something and become overwhelmed, my Loving
Father always directs me to first, His Word, than to a song that
ministers to my heart. I find that music softens the pain, increases
the joy and opens the heart! I know that from the ends of the earth,
when I cry out to my Father, when my heart is overwhelmed, He will
lead me to a rock higher than I. (Psalm 61:2) When I am overwhelmed,
my Father calms me with a song. He softens my pain, increases my joy
and opens my heart to receive from Him. He takes me to higher
heights with Him where I am steadfast, immovable. I have a hiding
place in Him where He always protects me from trouble and surrounds
me with songs of deliverance. (Psalm 32:7) Praise God!
It's
interesting to learn that the name Zephaniah means...the Lord has
hidden/protected. When the tormenting spirit came upon Saul, David
played his harp and it changed everything. It calmed him. Saul was
refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him. (I
Samuel 16:23) Zephaniah says that our Father sings over us. There
is so much power in music that lifts Him up, then we are lifted up.
When He leads me to a song, I hear Him singing it over me,
ministering to me until deliverance comes.
Our
Loving Father desires an intimate relationship with us. With that
relationship we have His Presence, His Power, His Praise, His Peace
and His Protection. He's a GOOD GOOD FATHER! And we are loved by
Him!
