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.

Our Comforter

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."  John 14:18

I'm reading a book right now by Charles Swindoll entitled, Embraced By The Spirit. The theme of the book is about developing a relationship with the Holy Spirit and receiving the full benefit of His indwelling in our hearts. So what do you do when the very life that you have come to know is turned upside down?  When the very person you believed in the most lets you down.  Your security blanket is lost.  The one you love is gone on to live with the Lord.  Who will you go to now to have those conversations that you couldn't tell to anyone else?  The company is going out of business and you have mouths to feed at home. How are you going to pay your bills or buy groceries.   I know that, as a Christian, you want to tell yourself that everything will be okay.  That you can handle it.  You've read the scriptures.  You don't want others to know that this incident has shaken the very foundation of your faith.  You still say all the right things but when you are alone the questions begin to come. So what do you do?

When situations like the ones mentioned above are taking place in your life it is easy to feel like you are alone.  You feel like no one is there for you even though there may be people around you.  You may even feel that God has abandoned you.  After all He is sovereign.  He could have stopped this from happening to you but instead He allowed it to happen.  Now you are scared, worried, alone. Read again the words Jesus spoke to His disciples in John 14:18.  Jesus promised that He would not leave you comfortless (or orphaned).  Just another indication that God was looking down the road and working on your behalf.  He was making preparation for you to receive His promise.  Although you may experiencing some or all of the emotions I listed above you can take comfort in knowing that you are not alone for you have a Comforter.  One who will provide inner strength during your weakest moments.  A Comforter who is able to speak to the Father on your behalf when you don't have the words.  When the world that you once knew is no more.  Jesus himself, during His time down here on earth, experienced some of the very things that you may be feeling.  By giving us a Comforter, He was saying that I love you too much to abandon you.  I am going to provide for your future well-being.  Praise God!  He left you with everything that you would need for your time here on earth, especially during those difficult moments.

This word today comes at a very timely moment.  I think about how even though I grieve the loss of someone I loved, I am happy because of the things He left with me and so many others.  Driving in my car I hear the nuggets of wisdom that He shared throughout His ministry and I'm grateful.  I can only imagine how the disciples felt having experienced the teaching and preaching of Jesus firsthand.  How sad they must have felt when they learned of His upcoming death.  Which is why He quickly told them, "Don't worry.  I got you covered.  I am not leaving you alone. I will come to you through my Spirit.  I will speak to you through the Word.  I will continue to show you love through visits of grace and mercies that are new every morning.  That is why you can go on.  There is still work for you to do. 

Father, in the midst of my tears I know that You are still worthy.  Thank You for not leaving me alone to deal with the difficulties of life.  I rejoice because I know that it is in my weakest moments that you are able to stand up in me and show Your strength.  I know that the reason that I am still standing today is because of You.  I thank You today for the Holy Spirit that dwells within me. I know that there have been many times that I didn't have the words to say and yet the Holy Spirit made intercession for me and I'm still here today.  Help me not to doubt but to trust You and stand on Your promise that You will never leave me nor forsake me.  I will forever give Your name the praise.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen.