A simple definition of spiritual attack would be to say that spiritual attack is anything unexpected, unusual, or out of the ordinary, that causes us to question our faith, to have doubts about God, or anything that takes our focus off God and places it on other things. When either of these things happen, we may become ineffective in our witness to others and in our relationship with the Lord. But remember who you are in Christ, and pray for the Spirit’s help in fulfilling your calling for God. You are His child!
One thing all Christians need to keep in mind, is that if you've had a true soul-saving, born again experience, Satan cannot defeat you outright. Jesus told Peter that the gates of Hell would not prevail against His church. This applies in our lives as well.
The Lord Jesus Christ defeated Satan at Calvary on the Cross. And when we come under spiritual attack, we have at our disposal the full force of that victory. The shed blood of Jesus gives us the power to resist the devil. We are under its protection as long as we keep our focus on Christ and submit our will to His. Use the name of Jesus. Demons will flee! “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7, also 1 Peter 5:8-9
So what does this mean to us? Simply this, Satan has NO power over us that we don't give to him. Once you became a born again child of God, you came under divine protection. Nothing Satan does can take you away from God. Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand." So, since Satan knows he can't defeat us, what is his plan? To make us ineffective.
He does this by placing unwanted thoughts in our minds, by placing doubt about our salvation and about God in our hearts, by placing desires for worldly things in us contrary to what we know is Godly, or by getting us into situations or circumstances that he knows will try our faith. He tries to take our focus off Jesus and doing His will. He is the father of lies. Read the Truth aloud, and quote it as Jesus did. (Matthew 4”1-11)
This is not to say that EVERY bad thing that happens to us is caused by the devil. Sometimes it's the actions of our fellow human beings, or even our own flesh carelessness that cause bad things to happen. Often it is our own bad choices (flesh).
DESIRES: Unfortunately, Satan doesn't always need to intervene directly. When people follow the desires of their flesh, bad results usually follow. With these people, while the devil may have placed the desires there initially, the results are due to the decisions made by the people experiencing those desires. Sometimes the devil attacks us through weak links – not directly at us, but through other people in our family, etc.
Of utmost importance is having more faith in the power of God to protect you than in the enemy to harm you. (Psalm 91; 1 John 5:4, 14, 15, 19) The safest place is to see yourself as a little child with a great big Father. God does not ask you to step into a deeper realm of influence for which He has not already prepared your heart. Simply humble yourself daily as a little child before the Father and do not think of yourself more highly than you ought. Spend time each day just sitting in the Father’s presence and allowing Him to express His love and comfort to you. It is often helpful to play worship music and to meditate upon the words while you wait on the Father to reveal Himself to you. (1 Peter 5:5-10; Zephaniah 3:17) Pray for God’s angels’ to help!ugh jobs, etc.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Friday, July 04, 2008
No Christian is Greater Than His Prayer Life!
A few years ago I was given a little card that reads, "No Christian is greater than his prayer life." I have come to a gripping realization that prayer is probably one of the greatest contributions we can make to advance the Kingdom of Christ. Yet, we as Christians, have yet to utilize this amazing resource at the levels God will allow us to do when we press into Him.
Surveys show the average Christian prays 15 to 30 minutes a week. If the statement, "No Christian is greater than his prayer life," is true, then it would explain, in part, why so much of the world is still not evangelized, and why so many lives are unraveling.
Years ago, when I was a high school teacher, I had a poster in my classroom, right next to the ten commandments. It read "Life is fragile, handle with prayer." This is so true!
Why do we spend so little time in prayer? Why is prayer one of the first things we neglect as we drift away from God? Many pastors have preached sermons condemning us for spending up to 3 hours a day in front of a television set while we pray less than 30 minutes a week. Although there is a need for such sermons, I have no intention of pointing out something for which you are probably already painfully aware. It is my desire to encourage you to pray more.
Satan would like nothing more than to distract us from our prayer life, because we can do so much vital good with prayer! Put your prayer time at the highest priority in your life. The family that prays together, stays together. The church that prays together moves mountains in the lives of its members!
When we as Christians approach God, He wants us to trust Him fully and understand that the solutions to our problems lie beyond our abilities. It is this recognition that releases the power of God. Prayer is an expression of the commitment and trust we have in God. When we come before God in prayer and give Him full control of a situation, we are acknowledging His sovereignty in that area. This is a powerful truth. We must humble ourselves before our God.
We are at our most powerful when we realize our own weaknesses and get on our knees. We will never have a true appreciation of how powerful and effective our prayers are until we enter God’s presence and He unfolds the completed story. At that time we will see how people were saved and lives changed as a direct result of our prayers.
Please pray for the sick and pray for those who are struggling with unbelief. Pray for the lost and pray for those who have hurt you. Pray for changes in heart and mind. Pray the Lord's prayer and mean every word. AMEN. AMEN!
Surveys show the average Christian prays 15 to 30 minutes a week. If the statement, "No Christian is greater than his prayer life," is true, then it would explain, in part, why so much of the world is still not evangelized, and why so many lives are unraveling.
Years ago, when I was a high school teacher, I had a poster in my classroom, right next to the ten commandments. It read "Life is fragile, handle with prayer." This is so true!
Why do we spend so little time in prayer? Why is prayer one of the first things we neglect as we drift away from God? Many pastors have preached sermons condemning us for spending up to 3 hours a day in front of a television set while we pray less than 30 minutes a week. Although there is a need for such sermons, I have no intention of pointing out something for which you are probably already painfully aware. It is my desire to encourage you to pray more.
Satan would like nothing more than to distract us from our prayer life, because we can do so much vital good with prayer! Put your prayer time at the highest priority in your life. The family that prays together, stays together. The church that prays together moves mountains in the lives of its members!
When we as Christians approach God, He wants us to trust Him fully and understand that the solutions to our problems lie beyond our abilities. It is this recognition that releases the power of God. Prayer is an expression of the commitment and trust we have in God. When we come before God in prayer and give Him full control of a situation, we are acknowledging His sovereignty in that area. This is a powerful truth. We must humble ourselves before our God.
We are at our most powerful when we realize our own weaknesses and get on our knees. We will never have a true appreciation of how powerful and effective our prayers are until we enter God’s presence and He unfolds the completed story. At that time we will see how people were saved and lives changed as a direct result of our prayers.
Please pray for the sick and pray for those who are struggling with unbelief. Pray for the lost and pray for those who have hurt you. Pray for changes in heart and mind. Pray the Lord's prayer and mean every word. AMEN. AMEN!
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Fruit of the Spirit
The most famous passage about the 'fruit of the Spirit' is in Galatians 5:22-23, where Paul gives us a list of fruit. The list is meant as a contrast to the list of the deeds of the flesh' found in 5:19-20. The fruit list is clearly not intended as an exhaustive description of the fruit, but was given to highlight the fruit that Paul wants us to keep in mind.
"Fruit of the Spirit" is a biblical term that sums up the nine visible attributes of a true Christian life. Using the King James Version of Galatians 5:22-23, these attributes are: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.
When Paul follows the list of the fruit of the Spirit by saying that "against such things there is no law", he was talking about the fact that the societal authorities find it pretty hard to object to behavior that shows these characteristics. Even a staunch enemy of the church will likely find these qualities appealing. They are known to be positive characteristics by the general public, in most eras, in most lands.
Love is foundational to everything. Jesus commands us to love each other (John 15). And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him" (1 John 4:16). Through Jesus Christ, our greatest goal is to do all things in love. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).
Joy - "The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2).
Peace - "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).
Longsuffering (patience) -- We are "strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness" (Colossians 1:11). "With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love" (Ephesians 4:2). This is hard for many Americans. We live in a fast-paced world which is getting faster even as age slows me down. However, the Spirit, who can be faster than any of us, is not in it for the quick hit. The Spirit counsels patience : you have all of eternity, and all that is not joy today will pass away someday. Remember that God wins in the end, and trust in that.
Gentleness (kindness) -- We should live "in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left" (2 Corinthians 6:6-7). The gift of 'gentleness' isn't about being wishy-washy, indecisive, unassertive, or just plain wimpy. It is connected instead to a refusal to use power over anyone, an unwillingness to cut and slash at people, wounding them for vengeance, spite or control. It's about being out to build people up instead of harming them or scaring them.
Goodness - "Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power" (1 Thessalonians 1:11). "For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth" (Ephesians 5:9).
Faith (faithfulness) - "O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth" (Isaiah 25:1). "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith" (Ephesians 3:16-17).
Meekness - "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Galatians 6:1). "With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love" (Ephesians 4:2).
Temperance (self-control) - "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love" (2 Peter 1:5-7).
Notice that the Galatians list is made of stuff that is both something you are and something you do. It is the Spirit giving you the character of Christ.
"Fruit of the Spirit" is a biblical term that sums up the nine visible attributes of a true Christian life. Using the King James Version of Galatians 5:22-23, these attributes are: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.
When Paul follows the list of the fruit of the Spirit by saying that "against such things there is no law", he was talking about the fact that the societal authorities find it pretty hard to object to behavior that shows these characteristics. Even a staunch enemy of the church will likely find these qualities appealing. They are known to be positive characteristics by the general public, in most eras, in most lands.
Love is foundational to everything. Jesus commands us to love each other (John 15). And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him" (1 John 4:16). Through Jesus Christ, our greatest goal is to do all things in love. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).
Joy - "The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2).
Peace - "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).
Longsuffering (patience) -- We are "strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness" (Colossians 1:11). "With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love" (Ephesians 4:2). This is hard for many Americans. We live in a fast-paced world which is getting faster even as age slows me down. However, the Spirit, who can be faster than any of us, is not in it for the quick hit. The Spirit counsels patience : you have all of eternity, and all that is not joy today will pass away someday. Remember that God wins in the end, and trust in that.
Gentleness (kindness) -- We should live "in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left" (2 Corinthians 6:6-7). The gift of 'gentleness' isn't about being wishy-washy, indecisive, unassertive, or just plain wimpy. It is connected instead to a refusal to use power over anyone, an unwillingness to cut and slash at people, wounding them for vengeance, spite or control. It's about being out to build people up instead of harming them or scaring them.
Goodness - "Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power" (1 Thessalonians 1:11). "For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth" (Ephesians 5:9).
Faith (faithfulness) - "O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth" (Isaiah 25:1). "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith" (Ephesians 3:16-17).
Meekness - "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Galatians 6:1). "With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love" (Ephesians 4:2).
Temperance (self-control) - "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love" (2 Peter 1:5-7).
Notice that the Galatians list is made of stuff that is both something you are and something you do. It is the Spirit giving you the character of Christ.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)