Know What You Have

Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10, NLT

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere--in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8, NLT

 

One of the greatest weapons you and I possess is to know the things you possess as a Christian.  Every day I am learning that there are just some things that I don't need to be worried or stressed out about. I was just sitting here today thinking about how many times I have wandered around aimlessly, confused, and disoriented, unsure of myself and the direction I was headed when all I needed to do was tap into my source.  All this for nothing when I have the Holy Spirit in me to guide and direct me.   Some rights I have inherited simply because I am a child of God.  The problem that I have had in the past was that I didn't use my God-given power.  I have left my armor in the closet instead of gearing up from head to toe.  Everything from having my feet shod with the Preparation of Peace, my Sword of the Spirit, my Shield of Faith, my Breastplate of Righteousness, and my Helmet of Salvation, were all left in the closet.  And if you are anything like me there are days when you put it on as emergency gear instead of everyday wear.What good do they do me in the closet?

Today I want you think about taking a different approach to how you deal with Satan's tactics.  You do realize that as a child of God, 'This is not a wrestling match against a human opponent. You are wrestling with rulers, authorities, the powers who govern this world of darkness, and spiritual forces that control evil in the heavenly world'. (Ephesians 6:12, God's Word Translation)  One of my biggest failures as a Christian has come in not recognizing my true enemy. My life became much better when I realized that my true enemy was Satan and that I could not fight him in my own strength. He wants nothing more than to distract you and to throw you off course.  He wants to get you so bogged down with conflict and confusion that you no longer hear the voice of God or feel the urgings of the Holy Spirit.  A precise reason why you must know what you have.  You have the promises of God and they are all 'Yea and Amen'.  But you would only know that if you spend time in the Word of God.  Be honest with yourself.  How often do you read God's Word throughout the week or  do you only open your Bible on Sunday's?  If so, you are missing out on so much.  How are you expecting to grow if you are not in the Word of God allowing it to perform its designed duty?  There are things God wants to share with you along this journey of trust that you can use in your daily walk.  He does this in part through His Word. I can't tell you how many times I have opened up my Bible and there on the pages was a relevant Word to my current situation. And by the way the Word of God is always relevant, whether for your current situation or something for your future. There are scriptures that let you know that you serve a God Promise, a God of Wisdom, a God of Strength, and a God of Refuge.  He left You His Holy Spirit who is there to guide you and direct you.  The Holy Spirit is there to help you deal with your circumstances but you have to know that He is within You and heed His warnings and direction.  Consult God in everything.

Another tool that is so not used is the power of prayer.  The scripture says that you have not because you ask not.  How can God do anything for you if you don't bother to ask Him?  I don't know about you but many times I walk around trying to do things in my own strength but it never works out.  It isn't until I turn it over to God that things begin to change.  I don't know what is going on in your life right now but I challenge you to tap into your source.  Know what you have!  Tupac sang a song that said "It's just me against the world."  He had it all wrong.  In order to make it in this world it needs to be You and God against the world.  It's the only way you're gonna make it. 

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

Thank You for being a God of promise, reminding me that I don't need to fear.  For You have given me power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and nothing shall by any means hurt me. Forgive me for being so naive and not turning to You for my every need.  Being silly enough to try to do it in my own strength.  Help me to be faithful in reading my Bible and in my prayer life.  Strengthen my commitment.  Help me to prioritize.  I know that I have what seems to be a million things pulling me in so many directions but I know that unless I have plugged in to You I will be no good for any of them.  I want to do better so that I can be of service to You.  In Jesus' Name I pray Amen.