I Reject You Satan!

 

 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. Matthew 8:16 ESV Bible Gateway

Did you know there is good then there is evil not any really middle ground although some may consider themselves not that bad or not Hell bound. 

Many are not schooled in demonic warfare as many churches fail to teach about spiritual warfare. Demons are real and demonic spirits possess those who are blinded to the things of the Lord and continue on a path that leads to destruction. 

To fight Satan you have to quote scripture to Him. To do this you need to know the Bible and where those ‘power’ verses are. Satan loves it when ‘church people’ mock the existence of casting out evil spirits because obviously those people don’t believe in strongholds so are powerful against demons because of their unbelief. Friend stand strong against the enemy who tricks, lies, deceives, destroys, and kills. Be alert. Your enemy(the devil) prowls around like a roaring lion seeking who he will destroy. (1 Peter 5:8) Now go in peace. 

PRAYER: Lord I am thankful for the power I have in the word of God to take authority over the devil and pray for complacent churches who keep their people weak by not talking about it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

#Biblegatewayblogger

Think First

 

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. James 1:19

If you suffer from impulsive behavior thinking first will take some work but for the rest of you it is really important to consider how you will reply to someone.

Stop, think, go. Be wise and be prudent.

Before you respond to an email, stop, think, proceed. One night I was constructing an email that I proofread a few times before sending it to make sure it didn’t convey wrong message or guilt the person receiving it. I had attached some photos and was ready to send when poof, my screen went dark. The email was lost. Maybe an answer from God I needed to wait a full 24 hours before my response.

Thinking before reacting is so vital to have a balanced life. Don’t just fly off the handle with the first thought or emotion in your head or things could get nasty real fast. Be still and pray. Give some time and thought to your response. Don’t proceed until you do this and make sure you feel at peace over it.

PRAYER: How I wish I could take back misspoken words, bad emails, hurtful texts, but I can’t. All I can do is learn from mistakes and try with your help Lord to be Christlike in my communications. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Overwhelmed With The Dark? Spread Light!

 

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible-and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: "Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."Ephesians 5:11-14

At times do you get so down in the dumps with the issues of light you can hardly imagine there is light at the end of the tunnel? In order to keep being able to escape the darkness of life you have to press in to know Jesus better and let the things of this world that aren’t important fade away.

Easier said than done I know. You may have been hopeful for a miracle to occur and somehow it has not happened yet. So God’s timing or yours is the question. You allow wrong thinking to penetrate your brain and start getting fretful.

My friend you have to do more than Sunday, and you have to make time alone with God a daily priority. The enemy of our souls stands ready with his lies, excuses, and deception to get you off track. Stand firm and call out to Jesus. Maybe that is something you are unfamiliar with or have not done in awhile. It’s ok the savior is waiting to hear you cry out for him.He is only a prayer away.

PRAYER: I once walked in darkness and allowed the foolishness of this world to control me because of the demonic deception which I was under. I thank you Lord for rescuing me and setting my feet to dancing. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

**Dedicated to my son Matthew on his birthday.

A Savior Is Born

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.(Bible Gateway, NIV) John 14:27


Every year about this time I see the hustle and bustle starting up where the two seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas collide with a frenzy of activity and I think of Martha and Mary in the Bible where one was calm and the other all caught up in the ‘doing’ that she forgot who she was really serving.

Do ever wonder about that as you observe Christmas trees go up even before Thanksgiving is completed? You don’t have to get on this treadmill of endless activity unless it truly does not stress you out and make you give second place to the true meaning of both these sacred holidays. 

Try to decide once and for all that these days are both about prayer and Thanksgiving and God. It is not about parades, clowns, Santa Claus, egg nog, crazy sweaters, gorging on high calorie food and sweets, or getting gifts. It is about the gifts God to the pilgrims first then to us as we remember the birth of the savior of the world who came to set eternity in the heart of man and forgive you of your sins. He wants to be first place. Can you slow down this time of year and allow that to happen? 

PRAYER: Thank you for the opportunity to celebrate my freedom in Christ and my freedom in the land I live in. Many countries are under tyranny. I thank you for Jesus who came that all men might have life and have it abundantly. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

#Biblegatewayblogger 

Lazy With Your Mind

 NASB: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." NLT: "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Romans 12:2 

Scenario: Believer, loves Jesus but hungers more for Hallmark movies or sports than growing in Christ. Sound familiar maybe. Sadly those I am attempting to reach and impact probably are blinded by Satan. This is not meant to guilt you into submission but to give some thought to what you let into your mind on a regular basis. 

Until the Holy Spirit convicts a person of their ‘true’ need for growth and mind control probably it would be like talking to a brick wall and is best left to The Holy Spirit to reach the individual. 

Your mind is so critical to your well being. For instance if you lack faith and keep worrying, that could affect your health in a negative way but if you truly trust God and have prayed then release your concerns don’t relapse into fretful worry. Let your mind be filled with joy and don’t allow negative thinking to enter. Now go think on good things! 

PRAYER: Lord thank you for the gift of my brain and the ability to think and reason. I know that Satan tries to enter our spirits through our mind and I choose to cast out wrong thinking and think on good things. (Philippians 4:8). In Jesus’ name.Amen.

Mouth Wreck

Reckless words pierce like a sword but the tongue of the wise brings healing.Proverbs 12:18

Are you careful with your words? Do you speak often before thinking? What do you do if the shoe is on the other foot so you speak and you become victim of a tongue lashing?

Scripture contains many references to the mouth, words, the tongue. Sit and do a search and you will be amazed. Often hurting people hurt other people mostly with a tirade of hurtful words. Your choice if a victim is to pray and be still. 

Proverbs 13:3 says ‘He who guards his lips guards his life but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.’ Likely those with a mouth wreck issue won’t even be reading this so you need to lift them up for God’s healing power to touch them and help them realize their problem. If you on other hand have issues with your mouth go to the Father and ask Him to do a work in your life. 

PRAYER:Father I need you every hour although many days I just jump into the day giving little thought to my spiritual life which is hungry for truth. Guard my heart and my mouth. Let both be aligned with you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Time To Get Serious About Prayer

 

Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying. Romans 12:12

When you pray do you wait until a crisis erupts or are you pressing in each and every day? It is easier to go the prayer route in a crisis as even ‘non spiritual’ friends may ask you to pray for them because you seemingly have a ‘hotline’ to God. 

My friend we should pray in season and out of season.(2 Timothy 4:2). It is easy to tell someone you will pray for them then unless you write it down most likely it is forgotten. You could stop then and there when the request is made and lift the matter up in prayer if the person who asked is okay and comfortable with that. 

For me, areas of concern I can think of now are my grandchildren, a coffee shop owner to have thriving business, broken relationships to heal, Covid to disappear, loneliness of friends who are alone, for my pilot son daily, my spouse each day he goes to work remotely, protection of my great niece in LA, nephew house issue to be resolved, for my sister and brother in law health and jobs, encouragement for church plant pastors such as our pastor Brian, and many more things. Focus on what God promises to do. Always be thankful no matter what. Feed your mind on good things not a steady diet of secular TV and things that aren’t necessary. God loves you my beloved and you are important to him. Make time in your day to commune with him in prayer. 

PRAYER:Jesus you are my everything. Thank you for using me in the life of others to lift them up. When I am feeling down help me to kneel quickly in prayer and cry out to you. Satan can not and will not gain access to my life or life of my family. In Jesus’ name. Amen.