The Believer’s Battle – Page 4

No Longer A Slave To Fear (II)

“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Romans 8:15

It means that when the sovereign God created you, HE did not make room for you to be fearful of anything or anyone, but HIS GREAT NAME.

And this same God tells us in Proverbs chpt 9 vs 10, that,

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Friend, the fear of the Lord empowers you! So any other kind of fear can only try to enslave or shackle you. But glory be to God that no weapon formed against you shall prosper in Jesus name!

I wonder how much room you have allowed fear in your life, in your territory, and in the lives of your loved ones. I wonder how much permission you have given for fear to reside in your mind and in your spirit.

Don’t you know that you serve a God of angel armies?! Don’t you know that the God of Elijah, daily surrounds you with His chariots of fire?! If God be for you, who or what can be against you?!!!

One of the most powerful songs I have ever heard is titled, No Longer A slave by Bethel Music, here are some of its words,

You unravel me with a melody
You surround me with a song
Of deliverance from my enemies
‘Til all my fears are gone

I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God

From my mother’s womb
You have chosen me
Love has called my name
I’ve been born again
Into your family
Your blood flows through my veins

…

I am surrounded
By the arms of the father
I am surrounded
By songs of deliverance

We’ve been liberated
From our bondage
We’re the sons and the daughters
Let us sing our freedom…

And I am grateful to God for the Spirit of truth to help us receive the truth as sons and daughters of the Almighty God.

Friend, I decree today that you are no longer a slave to fear in Jesus name. I declare it today in the mighty name of God that the strongholds of fear in every crevice of your life break free in Jesus name! May you shake off the spirit of fear and arise as the fearless child of God that you were created to be in Jesus name! Amen!

No Longer A Slave To Fear (I)

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

2 Timothy 1:7

Fear.

It is one of the most dangerous emotions any man can ever know. Anyone can attest to the chaos that goes on in their minds when they feel trampled by fear. Fear is so powerful and can be just as destructive as anger.

Especially for a believer, fear is king in deception. Fear can make you see what is not there. It can make you think yourself out of logic and truth. Fear can make you feel or hear things that do not exist. And then take you even a step further, fear will make you do things you cannot explain. Fear takes your control away.

Fear is the enemy’s most lethal weapon. As long as you are afraid, the enemy thinks he can have you and control you, making you do things that are not in alignment with your faith in the One who is All-powerful.

Fear has been used from the beginning of time by the wicked to enslave and conquer.

You see, when you have the spirit of fear, your enemy does not need to do much to make you come to your knees because it is really your own fear that has the power to make you crumble. But I give thanks to our Father for revealing His truth to us.

The scripture above testifies to God’s truth when He Alone formed you and I in our mother’s wombs. God DID NOT create you with the spirit of fear!

I’ll say that again. GOD. DID. NOT. CREATE. YOU. WITH. THE. SPIRIT. OF. FEAR.

Rather, you and I have been created with the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.

Friend, do you understand what that means?!!! FINISH READING HERE

Steps Of Fear Or Faith?

“A man’s heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps.”

Proverbs 16:9

Walking with God mandates walking in faith. But because the ways and thoughts of God are so much higher than ours, we often take steps out of fear than out of faith, especially when we stumble upon situations that challenge the power of our faith.

I wonder if like me, you have become sensitive to your Spirit that lets you know when you are moved by fear and not by faith.

One statement sums up this word – If God is ordering your steps, then you ought to know that your feet are moved by faith in HIM who knows where you begun and where you will end.

So it brings me to ask you, are your steps ordered by God?

or by the plans that your own heart has devised using the gifts from God but outside the will of God?

Think about it. Right now, you are afraid of something. What is it?

What fear has cornered you to a state of uncertainty? What fear has slowly pushed you to a place of loneliness? What fear has got your tongue tied that you are not even sure if speaking life and power and truth to that thing would make it bow? What fear has been motivating your steps, ways, habits, thought-pattern, and attitudes towards the future?

Friend, I ask you again, are your steps ordered by God? Have you been taking steps of faith or steps of fear?

HAVE YOU BECOME A SLAVE TO FEAR?

See, the beauty of having the Lord as your Shepherd, is that HE is the One guiding you. His words, His rod, His staff, His truth, and His all-knowing wisdom is more than enough to get you from here to there. Don’t you know that having God means having everything you will ever need to be all that HE called you to be? So what are you really afraid of?

You are never alone.

HE who walks beside you is also the One that has gone before you to set your stage. Be not afraid.

Yes, there might be moments of confusion, weakness, and vulnerability but you must remember that a willing spirit will always triumph over a weak flesh, if you let the Spirit lead. Christ was willing to go to the cross no matter the pain of crucifixion and betrayal that he himself foresaw. We both know He rose again after death and was victorious.

Friend, you too will be victorious in Jesus name!

But not without being grounded in the faith that HE who called you did not call you into fear, but from faith to faith and glory to glory.

I pray today that your steps be ordered by the Most High God as you walk fearlessly in purpose in Jesus name. Amen.

Purpose Detects Pollution II

“To answer before listening – that is folly and shame.”

Proverbs 18:13

Friend, how often do you answer to a voice inside without first listening?

How many times in the past have you been quick to heed the direction of something you did not fully listen to?

Yes, you heard the voice say, “do it…” but you did not fully listen to the other end of this very voice that says, “it is against God’s commandment…It is against your purpose…I will lead you astray…”

Purpose detects pollution.

I was amazed by the prove of God’s command through the lips of a young girl. I wondered if I was as obedient to the voice of purpose inside me at such a tended age. I wondered how many times I quickly answered the voices of pollution without listening to the voice of purpose that first detected the pollution.

Friend, have you protected your purpose from the pollution it has detected?

Or are you still freely residing in it out of disobedience or shame?

When I spoke privately with this young lady, I confessed to her that I was inspired by her awareness to the pollution to her purpose. I then asked her to consider deeply that perhaps the environment of friendships she currently resided in was a place that God is taking her away from to protect the purpose inside of her. I asked her to pray fervently for God’s direction and to not be afraid.

Admittedly as I spoke to her, my own words resonated with me as I began to consider the environments I currently resided in – the people I closely related to, my job, the shows I watched, the songs I listened to, and even the media platforms I exposed myself to.

How about you friend? Do you sense the pollution inside you and around you? Are you praying for purpose sake?

Or are you the pollution that purpose detects?

By the grace of God, who is the beginner and finisher of our race, every high thing or thought that wants to exalt itself above God’s purpose in your life in the form of one pollution or another, has become powerless by the blood of Jesus. May you live freely in God’s truth as you walk away from pollution and continue living on purpose in Jesus name. Amen.

Purpose Detects Pollution I

“Now my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you.”

Genesis 27:8

Before this place, this precious, sacred, place of solitude with God, I sat, talked, walked, and slept in pollution. My eyes were shut to the pollution around me because I had not yet detected the pollution inside me.

Before I go any further, I have to clarify on what it means to first be pollution and then reside in pollution.

To walk with God, is to walk in purpose, a divine purpose. Trusting God in your journey through life says that you believe HIM when HE told you that HE knew you and formed you in your mother’s womb. Purpose is the reason you are still alive. Purpose is God’s own intentionality towards HIS own, YOU.

However, being born into a world of sin complicates things at first, seeing that we are ‘innocent’ until life happens and we learn that indeed we were never innocent. Some one paid the price for us even before we were born. Thank God for HIS Son.

All too often, we easily point fingers at the external – the people, things, events all around us that is to blame for who we are, what we do, and the pollution we know we have become. Unknowing to us, the pollution in us created many of what is polluted around us.

READ ABOUT A MALNOURISHED SPIRIT

I wonder if the Spirit of God at any time whispered something to you to alert you of the pollution that was growing way back then.

Friend, do you know that with purpose, comes pollution? Are you yet aware of the principalities of wickedness in high places whose sole purpose is to be a pollution to YOUR purpose?!!!

A lovely young lady recently voiced her personal struggle in one of our meetings at church. She needed advice on walking away or staying close to ‘friends’ she did not feel spiritually aligned with.

I was in awe at the voice of the Spirit that spoke clearly to this blossoming 14-year-old and the obedience that resided in her young heart.

Then it became much clearer to me. PURPOSE DETECTS POLLUTION!

It is no question that you and I are purposed by the One who created us, but I wonder if you can sense the pollution that your purpose has readily detected. FINISH READING HERE

There Can Only Be One Master

“…Choose today whom you will serve…”

Joshua 24:15

In a recent heated conversation with a friend who I found fault with, I passionately (with a stern and aggressive voice) asked, “who do you want to be?!!!”

This person’s presence, whether in spirit or physically, has been prevalent in my life for almost a decade so I can say confidently that I am keen to the patterns, attitudes, behaviors, and good heart of this person.

However, the momentary discord that took place made me wonder, if my friend knew that they have grown an unhealthy and dishonoring habit of shifting from one character to another.

On one end, they would display a distinct vulnerability in the way they confessed not knowing how to relate with most people or knowing what love feels should feel like, or that they do not trust anyone in this world.

On the other hand, my friend would abruptly become nonchalant and indifferent with an air of arrogance, glorifying their own worth, and then acting as though nothing really bothered them, often appearing almost heartless sometimes.

So this time, I proclaimed my rebuke.

But also in that moment, I realized that I was not just asking my friend to choose wisdom in their becoming. Truly I was asking my friend to choose whom they will serve.

Did my friend want to serve himself? the world? or God?

As the Spirit of God would have it, our dispute was quickly settled and harmony was restored. But my questions lingered…

Friend, have you yet chosen whom you will serve? Or are you still weighing the power of God to the might of everything else?

How many masters do you serve daily?

Has your job, partner, or friendship become your master without your own knowledge?

Have you been serving these instead of the Lord your God alone?

Do you know that there can only be One master whom you ought to give all praise, honor, glory, and adoration to?

Do you know that you ought to bow down to only One master?

Do you also know that there is only One master that has the power to condemn and rebuke you?

Often times, we settle for blaming our serving of other ‘gods’ and things of this world, on the ills of society we dwell in, or the past that won’t let us go. But the Word tells me and you, that we hold the power to choose whom you will serve.

Why else would the Word ask us to choose if we did not have a choice?…

I wonder if you have allowed others to choose for you whom you will serve.

May the wisdom of God fall upon us today as we come to ourselves, the true self that we were divinely created to be, and may we seek God first in our discovery. May we once again fall to our knees and re-proclaim that God is Lord above all in Jesus name. Amen.

“O You Of Little Faith”

“Teach me your way, LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart…”

Psalm 86:11

It’s been going on three months now since I heed God’s instructions to leave my job. In plain terms, I have been unemployed since January 15th. Yet, I have never hungered or thirst. There is life in my body and joy in my spirit. Glory be to God.

Indeed there are trying days. Truth be told, I strive each day to abide in God’s peace a little more than the day before. Thus, my best days are the days I feel most grounded in faith.

My most fruitful and productive days are those spent in the Word and the recollection that I serve a faithful God who will not leave me to be consumed by the worries of this world.

Friend, faith brings you to a realm like no other. We need faith like we need air to breathe for it is faith that breathes new life and new hope into your lungs each day that moves us forward to victory.

Recall the story of the only other man aside from Jesus that ever walked on water. Yes, Peter. (See Matthew 14 vs 22-33)

The storm not only blinded some of the disciples to think their Master was a ghost, it shook the faith out of them. And even when they saw Christ walk on water, Peter alone was the one whose faith gave him a chance to walk on water too…but doubt then caused Peter to stumble.

It was not until peter literally took his eyes off of Christ and looked back to the others, that he then fell into the raging sea and had to be rescued by the Lord.

And what was the first thing Christ said?

“O ye of little faith…”

Friend I wonder today if like me, you feel yourself stumbling and even drowning because you have momentarily allowed your heart to be divided by doubts and uncertainty. I wonder if, just if we too can walk on water and mount greater thresholds when we keep pour eyes on the Most High God.

I wonder if our minds would lead our hands to assemble great things that can only be made possible by God in His majesty and faithfulness to us.

I mean, if Peter, who walked with Christ and saw for himself the many miracles that Christ brought to life, still stumbled in his faith, how much more susceptible are we to stumbling?

How many times have you felt your confidence slip away suddenly? How often do you feel less motivated to carry on and achieve the ambitions that God has placed inside of you? Ask yourself, “when did the shift come about?” “What was, and what is the measure of your faith?”

Are you even aware of the difference?

Your faith is not a destination, but a journey with God. It is not a place you reach and stop, for the Word states that we are destined to go from faith to faith and glory to glory in Jesus name.

The Spirit says the faith that got you here may not be enough for what will be tomorrow, but your willingness and confidence in your Father, to see the full glory of HIM who can do all things, will surely bring you to the height that HE intended for you.

As we are being crafted by the Potter, may HE continue to keep our hearts and remold us to be unshaken in our faith. May God help us to keep our eyes on HIM alone as we sail through worldly storms in Jesus name. Amen.

It’s a Trap!…Be Still…

“Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge.”

Psalm 31:4

How quick are you to react on a negative impulse? How easy is it for you to ‘defend’ yourself when you feel attacked by another or unfairly treated?

For some of us, saved or not, when our anger or emotions are stirred, we loose all recollection of the Word in Ephesians Chpt 6 vs 12 that states,

our struggle is not against flesh and blood…but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in higher realms.”

Friend, don’t you know that the schemes of the enemy are intended for you to stumble and speak hate instead of love?

Will the enemy not entice you with situations that he is certain will evoke the bad habits that have distanced you from God’s best in the past?!

The question here is whether or not you are spiritually aware!

You and I both know by now that nothing just happens. We serve an intentional God. So why would the enemy who opposes our purpose and destiny for God’s kingdom, not be intentional in his own deceitful ways to cause us to misstep on our path to glory?

We are warriors for the God’s kingdom, you and I. Even God’s Word remind us that we are indeed in a fight. The glorious thing about the side that grace has safely positioned us, is that victory is already ours through Christ’s sacrifice.

Nevertheless, as the battle rage on, we cannot walk blindly in this life without the armor of God.

Friend, you have to put on your armor! Do you even know what your armor is?! I urge you to get in your Word, and along with God’s own wisdom, you will find His armor.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground…Stand firm then, with the belt of truth…the breastplate of righteousness…your feet shod with the gospel of peace…the shield of faith…the helmet of salvation…the sword of the Spirit…and prayer.” Ephesians 6 vs 13-18

So, the next time you feel a rise in your temperature because of one matter or another, let you full armor fight the battle before you.

The armor of God will teach you to be still and avoid the many traps of the evil one. The very same armor will remind you of God’s truth when the lies of the enemy creep into your thoughts and threaten to overwhelm your spirit. Your breastplate of righteousness will fight for you against the wages of sin because you will remember that Christ granted you salvation. The gospel of peace will grant you serenity amidst the chaos of life. And the sword of the Spirit will readily rebuke and fight off the temptations of sin.

So you see, we can no longer walk blindly without our armor. God provided it for you and I because He knows what we must face as followers of Christ. Pick up your armor and walk confidently with it and in it!

May God, in His Faithfulness, continue to grant us our daily victories against the enemy in Jesus name. Amen.

Failing Forward

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you…?

2 Corinthians 13:5

Failure is one of the most powerful words ever concocted by us. It’s a state of being we generally try to avoid at all cost, yet it is an inevitable destination that we must all pass through at some point in our lives.

One of the coolest aspects of growing up, and actually maturing in wisdom as we grow, is that old words begin to take on new meaning.

I know for me, and a whole lot of people I personally know, failure is an heavy weight to carry. Whether you have it in you to get back up again and try again in Faith of the One who is leading you, (or who should be leading you) is what sets each person apart from the next.

Friend, the Lord says it is time to fail forward.

This past weekend was one of the two greatest celebrations known to every believer. I am referring to the Resurrection of our Savior. The birth of Christ our Lord is the other.

Before resurrection, even the disciples who were closest to Christ wallowed in what they believed was failure. They mourned the murder and crucifixion of the only Perfect One that ever walked the earth. The innocence of Christ was mocked, and assaulted.

I mean, here they were, aligned with Jesus, preaching the gospel, healing the sick, saving souls, and yet, Christ was killed.

Can you imagine the weight of failure that they each felt?!!!

And if we want to single out one particular individual who could have drowned in his state of failure, consider Peter. Christ’s beloved right hand man, who denied the Lord on three different occasions! Peter swore he would be loyal in the face of adversity, he thought he would succeed being true to Christ, he thought he would never turn his back on his Friend, but he did. Peter failed…at least so he thought.

Then Christ rose again!

The Truth was resurrected in Christ and the disciples actually failed forward. They believed in His resurrection, got back up and preached the gospel of that resurrection power in Christ our Lord!

Friend, it’s our turn to fail forward.

Whatever it looked like, whatever it still feels like, failure is not where you end. In fact, just like the resurrection of Christ was the beginning of belief for those who doubted, your failure is a beginning for you because the same power that resurrected JESUS CHRIST, is in YOU!!!

By His stripes you are healed. Christ suffered all the way to the cross. He had to die and be risen all so you can accomplish the very glory that this failure is trying to keep you from.

We must have tests during this life. Your failure is just another test of your faith! If you believe in the resurrection as I know you do, then you have got to start believing in failing forward because God is still in control. God says ‘you shall live and not die!’ Prosperity is where you will dwell, but you must keep failing forward.

Wherever you think you have fallen short, the grace of God is more than enough to restore the chance you thought you lost, the life you thought you’d never had. We know it because Christ rose again. Because of the resurrection, victory is ours. Because of the resurrection we have already won. Your failure is only a test to get you to your win.

By the power of God, you will fail forward and you will go from faith to faith and glory to glory in the Living name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Get Out Of The Way And Let God Work

“The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands…”

Psalm 68:17

You claim you’ve given it to God. You say that God is your vindicator and your strength and it’s all in His hands.

So why are you still trying to assist God in winning on your behalf?!

A few days ago, a situation interrupted my morning abruptly and disrupted the peace I should have woken up with. This was not a new thing. It had happened before. It involved the same people and the same intentions, but the only thing different now is the person it was happening to – me. Thank God we are not who we used to be.

But when the problem erupted, when the anger was stirred, when the discomfort was evoked, it threatened a firm belief that I had come to ground myself – that God is indeed my vindicator and my present help.

We live in a world of beauty and cruelty, a world of evil and God’s goodness, a world of just men and wicked ones, a world of kind spirits and unrighteous souls and from time to time, we endure unfair and malicious treatment from people.

Whether we had it coming or not, the blow delivered hurts and threatens to knock us out. So we tell ourselves that we ought to fight back.

The problem with that truth, is that it often becomes blurred by our puffed up ability to discern how to fight back.

The battle is not mine, it’s the Lord’s,” is what we tell ourselves.

Then, we go back and try to add our own might to win.

Friend, you can’t remain on the battlefield after you have called on God for a victory! How much trust have you really placed on God to take care of it? How much respect do you really have for God’s judgment against your enemies?

No, what you want to happen may not happen when you want it or how you want it. But are your thoughts and ways higher than the Most High God?!

Believe me, I know how hard it is for the flesh to be overridden when we are pushed to a place of discomfort or anger.

Rather than being so quick to spill hate with your words or bury love with your actions, I urge you to be still and trust in the wisdom of a sovereign God to cover you when your foes try to overtake you.

You tagged God in. Now you have to get out of the ring and out of the way to let God be God. Let your heavenly Father fight for you!

You don’t need to make any extra calls to this one and that one to badmouth the person or persons that hurt you or try to destroy you. Nor should you go on side missions visiting one place to another devising ways to get even. Leave it alone to the Mighty One who can do all things. Let God handle it.

It is my prayer that as you and I walk closer to God, we are filled with wisdom every step of the way to know our place in the battle and to understand God’s powerful role as the One who still sits on the throne. May we begin to trust that victory is indeed ours in Jesus name. Amen.