Daily Devotional Day & Night (Post # 400)

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about resisting the enemy. We live amongst evil every day of our life, and the enemy is always tempting us to sin against, and stray away from God. He’ll use any means necessary to block our blessings, and stunt our growth, so it’s up to us to make that very hard for Him. We must purposely live in righteousness, and in love, because living any other way will lead to separation from God. Granted, once we accept Jesus as Lord, our salvation cannot be taken from us, however, when we sin, we’re separated from full fellowship with God until we repent. That’s so very scary for me, because I know life with God, but I definitely know life without Him, and I choose God. Once you get a taste of His Agape love, there is no going back. God has opened my heart to point where no matter where I am or who I’m with, I’m at peace. The enemy tries to destroy that, but I put on the amour of God, and continue to battle against him.

I’ve learned that it’s me that has to change. I was saved as a child, and baptized on my 15th birthday, and since then my life has been a roller coaster ride. It’s been one trial or obstacle after the other, but they’ve all worked together to make me who I am today. Most of the tribulation that’s happened in my life was all about the choices I made. God always gave me a better alternative, with every decision I’ve made, but it was my ignorance, and desire to please my flesh that made me choose something other than Him. I wasn’t making any changes in my life, or choosing light over darkness, but I primarily chose what felt good to my flesh. I hung around people who were on the same, or sometimes lower, spiritual and moral level that I was, and we were like Jesus described, the blind leading the blind. I did things the only way I knew how, but never tried to learn a new way. What needed to happen was for me to seek the Lord and allow Him to lighten my path.

How do we resist the enemy? We have to change our way of thinking, and use our instruction book for life, the Holy Bible. This may be the most controversial book in the world. I’ve heard more people dispute the validity of the bible, and the stories in it, than I’ve heard people promoting the truth of it. People say, this book was written by man, so some things are fabricated, or aren’t true. They also say that because it’s been translated so many times, that some things were lost in the translation, but people who think like that truly underestimate God. I think many of us give more credit to the power of the devil, than they do God. If He created the WORLD, and everything in it, why couldn’t He use man to write and translate the Bible? I never claimed to be a Biblical Scholar, but I do know God. I write by the Holy Spirit, and the wisdom and knowledge that He’s instilled in me over the years, so I can testify that He still speaks through so many people, including me. If you have any doubts about the Holy Bible, think about Who God is, and then ask yourself if it’s possible that this could’ve been solely written and translated by Him, through man. You’ll find the answer in the Holy Spirit.

The only way to truly resist the enemy is to seek God. Everything you do, each day, need to be about God. Always ask yourself will this exalt God, or is He going to be proud of this. Live according to the principles taught in the bible. Try your best to keep His commandments, and live in Love, as Jesus pointed out to us. Remain slow to anger and quick to forgive, and always look to serve your fellow man, as if you were serving Jesus Himself. Take a moment to breathe, and spend some alone time with Him, praying, and meditating on His word. Sometimes just sitting quietly for an hour, just in deep thought about the love of God, and what He teaches in His word, helps keep you centered. This helps you build up your spiritual muscles, so that you can fight against the attacks of the enemy. If you don’t do these things, then you’re spiritually weak, and it’s much more difficult to resist the enemy.

When we looked at the story of when Jesus was tempted by the enemy, He actually had conversations with him. Jesus fought back with the sword, the Word of God, and finally told Him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” (Matt. 4:10). This is the key to being able to resist evil—your main concern is serving God and God only. The first step to walking away from evil is to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. If you’ve done that, then from the time your feet hits the floor in the morning thank God, and pray without ceasing throughout the day. Do everything with Jesus in mind, because everything that He did in His life, He had us in mind. If you don’t know Jesus, then take a few minutes to take the God Quiz right now. My favorite verses today are: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour; whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. (1 Peter 5:8-9)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY THURSDAY!

I pray all is well with everyone, and you're enjoying another beautifully sunny Friday eve. I thank you for your prayers and support, I know sometimes I ramble but I love to write, and it's therapeutic to share my thoughts with you. I appreciate the time you take to read them, and your continued prayers. If you have any concerns or questions, or just need a prayer, please let me know, because we are in fellowship together. Today's Black History month quote is: "I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear." (~Rosa Parks) Enjoy the rest of the evening, and be blessed family!

Today's scriptures are about the attacks of "The Enemy". It's said that the enemy was an Angel in Heaven, and the director of music. He’s now known as a Fallen Angel, because he wanted to be more powerful than God. (Isa. 14:12) Lucifer was his name when he was still an Angel, but after he was cast out, he was referred to as Satan, the Devil, the Enemy, etc. He’s the reason for the Spiritual warfare we fight everyday. He first introduced sin to the world, as the serpent that tempted Eve in the Garden (Gen. 3:1), and he still reigns on earth today. He has a legion of demons working for him non-stop, tempting us to stray from the will of God. He's powerful, crafty, and smart. He knows God very well, because He used to be one of His top ranking Angels. He knows every word in the Bible and will use it to his advantage. For example, Jesus said: “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly." (Luke 21:34) He’s warning us to always be prepared for His return, and to avoid being drunk, wild, or fearful, but focused on Him. However, the devil would say something to us like, "It's okay to drink as much as you want, because even Jesus turned water in to wine at a wedding" (John 2:1-12), or he'll constantly try to get us to worry, and feed us that line "Life is short party and have fun". He twists the Word of God to manipulate us into thinking, doing, and saying what he wants. This is why it's so important to study the Word and meditate on it daily, and stay in constant connection with the Holy Spirit through prayer. A great rule of thumb for a Christian is, "If it doesn't feel right, then it probably isn't". The enemy loves to play mind games with us, and so Jesus warns us: “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves". (Matt. 10:16) When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus used the Word of God to defeat him, and like Jesus we can only defeat him with God’s help. The Devil will never completely win the battle, but God does allow us to be tempted for certain reasons, and we learn that in the book of Job. We're constantly being tested because God needs us to be on a certain “faith level”, before we're promoted to a greater "life level". How could we expect Him to bless us with a lot if we cannot handle the little we have? The Bible teaches us that enemy attacks will happen, especially when he thinks we're in the midst of a breakthrough with God. He'll send different demons to trip us up, by any means necessary. He’ll persuade us using a loved one, music, television, food, alcohol, or anything we could think of. The enemy has used all of us at some time in our life. He's constantly working on our weaknesses, until we become strong enough to endure. He wants our life to be a living hell because he knows that God wants us to experience peace, joy, and happiness every day. It’s necessary for us to study our enemy, because at times of war, each side gains as much intelligence on their enemy as possible. Before attacking, they need to know their weak spots, and how to defend against their counterattacks. The Word of God, prayer, and love are the only ways to fight evil. Through Jesus we have the strength to withstand anything the devil will throw at us, but we must put on the Amour of God (Eph 6:11), and most importantly REPENT [or turn away] from sin. Always remember this: You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4) The first step to defeating Satan is joining the army of the Lord through Salvation. Jesus is the only way to God, so ask Him to come into your heart as your Savior, and allow Him to strengthen you. My favorite verses today are: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour; whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. (1 Peter 5:8-9)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455253&dtype=Scripture
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I love you!