But, of course! That's what it is all about.....from the intention of the enemy. He wants to derail you. He wants you to turn away from God and submit to his subtle tactics to bring you down. He wants you to let go of the Word of God. He wants to defeat you. His efforts are successful in the lives of many Christians. Sadly, many succumb to his sly, deceitful methods of stealing, killing and destroying us. He cannot do it apart from our cooperation. He so subtly gets us to believe and thereby ACT in response to his lies. He is the Father of lies. When he speaks, he speaks lies only. There is no truth in him. John 8:44.
So, how do we keep from becoming one of the enemy's "feathers in his cap", so to speak or one of his "Trophy's on his wall"???
Over the last few weeks, this has been the struggle for me.....fighting to hold on in the midst of struggles and mental bombardments.
The life of David has been a helpful encouragement and counsel to me. Especially these verses that I shared in my last blog:
Psalm 56:3-4
"When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust.
I will not be afraid."
Psalm 56:10-11
"In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid."
So, in the midst of this battle what do I do?
I follow the same wisdom of God that David applied in the midst of his battle.
#1 - I Put my Trust in God.
Regardless of how I feel or what the circumstances are, I Put my Trust in God! There is no other sensible option. If I am not putting my trust in God, then I am yielding to the temptations of the enemy. Often we think there are multiple options. Like God's way, my way and the devil's way. Or drive, neutral and park. But the Bible makes it clear that there are 2 Kingdoms. The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Darkness. So, it's God's way or Satan's way. The way of the Spirit or the way of the flesh. The way of the Spirit yields to God, the way of the flesh yields to satan. There is no "neutral". The only "safe" zone is to stay on God's side.
We ARE in a battle. We must Fight. The fight is a fight of Faith. The fight of faith is conducted successfully by putting our trust in God.....regardless! Regardless of Anything and Everything that attempts to convince us of something that opposes God- regardless, we put our trust in God.
#2 - I Praise the Word of God. In the Lord whose Word I Praise!
I don't wait until things improve or change to Praise the Word of my Lord. I Praise the Word of God in the Thick of it. In the midst of the worse report, in the heaviest of the battle, I Praise the Word of the Lord. The option is to give credit to the ....enemy. Remember, there is no neutral ground.
Proverbs 18:21
Death and Life are in the power of MY tongue, those who love it will eat the fruit thereof.
What you say can preserve your life or destroy it; so you must accept the consequences of your words.
1 Corinthians 1:31
in order that it may be as Scripture says, "He who boasts--let his boast be in the Lord."
I used to be skilled at boasting about all my problems until I learned that was the way of a fool and that I was better off to keep my mouth shut (Proverbs 17:28) rather than to give the enemy any credit. Then I began to learn about the power that resides in God's Word.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
Praising His Word. Boasting in the Word of the Lord is more than just positive words. It is a battle technique that takes the enemy down. It shows our faith in our God. Speaking about our problems glorifies the enemy. Praising the Word of God and boasting in the Lord shows our confidence in Him. He fights for us. The enemy comes only to steal, kill and destroy. So, whose side will you decide to be on. Your words clearly expose whose side you are on. You are saying something on a regular basis. Are your words agreeing with God....Praising the Word of God or are your words supporting and glorifying the enemy????
2 Corinthians 4:13
We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
#3 - Next, the third lesson from David is "I will not be afraid! Fear is a choice. We can deny it's right to rule and choose to trust God or we can yield to fear and be defeated. I will not be afraid does not mean you don't "feel" fear, it means you do not permit fear to win. As Joyce Meyer says, "Do it afraid." I will not allow fear to dictate my response. It is all about the choices we make.
So, today.....
▪︎CHOOSE to put your trust in God.....Regardless!
▪︎CHOOSE to Praise the Word of God in the midst of the trial. Boast in the Lord. Give the enemy no positive reinforcement. Resist the devil. He Will flee!!! Regardless!
James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:9.
▪︎CHOOSE not to permit fear to rule your responses....Regardless!
Jeremiah 9:3
“My people bend their tongues like bows
to shoot out lies.
They refuse to stand up for the truth. (they are not valiant for the truth).
They only go from bad to worse.
They do not know me,”
says the LORD.
If we really know God, we will know with confidence that He fights for us. He is on our side. He is our Defender and our Deliverer. I say of my Lord, "He is my Refuge!" He has already given us the victory through Christ. He sustains us and keeps us from falling. With Him we are more than conquerors! So stand fast in agreement with God. Praise the Word of your God! Do not allow the enemy to derail you to defeat you and move you from your firm foundation of faith in your God!
Psalm 19:14
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
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