Some kids were playing outside the other day. I watched them for a moment as they were having races, running from one point to another, to prove who was the fastest. One child stepped up to the mark. Another child said, “I bet you can’t run fastest this time.” “I will, too!” The other answered. “You’ll be too tired now from all that running. I’ll win this time.” The first child said nothing but still stood on his mark. The race was suddenly on. The second child won. “Told you, you couldn’t win this time,” came the teasing. So, why did the first child, the usual winner, lose this time? Was it because he was truly too tired, or was it doubt that injured his confidence?
Doubt is a powerful creature that lurks at times in all of our minds. For the child of God, doubt is an often used weapon of Satan, who loves to see us quiver in fear rather than run our race in faith. He is constantly seeking to shatter our confidence in God. He whispers doubts such as, “Will God really help this time?” “Is this really of God?” “Does God really care about this in your life?” “Is God going to answer your prayer?”
This week I was reading an article by Pastor Phil Derstine. He wrote concerning Satan’s tactics, “He wants to plant tares of doubt among your wheat fields of faith.” Isn’t that the truth! We joyfully plant seeds of joy and the peace of God in our wheat fields of faith. Our focus is on Him and His majesty. We are thankful for all He has done in our lives, and we believe He will continue in His goodness towards us — until we hear a whisper, “What if you fail this time?” “You’re so weak, God is tired of helping you.” On and on comes the onslaught of Satan’s doubting in our minds.
Our response is uncertain. We listen, consider, and sense skepticism. Ever so subtly, doubt takes root, and when it does, despondency begins to grow, then weeds of stress and misery choke out plants of joy, courage and peace in God. Ever been in that field? We have all been there, and there is only one remedy to grow healthy plants again. The field must be weeded and watered. What does that look like? Praise, praise, and more praise.
Satan and his demonic forces must leave when, in Jesus’ precious and holy name, you shout out in strong and joyful praise, “Get out of here, Satan! You have no place in my mind. I worship and praise Jesus!” Then do so. Praise God out loud. Tell Him of His greatness. Why do we do that? God hasn’t forgotten His own majesty. No. but our own hearts need to be filled with reminders; therefore, we praise Him for all He is, for all He has done in our lives, for all He will continue to do. How do we know? Because His Word tells us so.
I have found it both powerful and uplifting to praise God using Scripture. Scripture is without mistake. Scripture is glorying to God. Scripture permeates our hurting places. Some have said to me that they just don’t feel like it. That’s when to choose, in the most downcast of moments, to praise. Waiting until you feel like is a win for Satan. Don’t let it be so! Choose to praise in your most fearful of situations, in times of deep sorrow, in the heaviness of what tomorrow may bring. Doing so is a gift to yourself. Praise Him and sense the grief and fear being replaced with trust and quiet joy. The book of Psalms is a great place to find passages of Scripture to use in your times of praising.
When you praise, joy rises above your fear. Then you are reminded and know the truth of Nehemiah 8:10, The joy of the Lord is your strength.
I love reading stories and then trying to imagine what the characters must have felt in various situations. One such story takes place in the Old Testament book of I Samuel 22 when King Saul was searching for David. The king vowed to find and kill David; therefore, David and a band of his loyal followers were on the run. They were hiding in a cave.
In this particular story, with David deep inside a cave, King Saul himself suddenly enters. Imagine what David and his men must have felt! The man vowing to kill them is right there in the cave! Saul had just stepped in to relieve the call of nature. He didn’t know David was near. David saw the king. He could have stepped forward and even killed the king. His men encouraged him to do so, but David said emphatically he would not touch what God would take care of Himself. Is there something we can apply to our own lives in this story? Oh, yes!
You see, often you and I find ourselves in caves. It could be a cave of uncertainty or a cave of grief and sorrow or a cave of feelings of inadequacy. There are all sorts of caves that pull us in during moments of life’s anguishes. When we are hiding there we can see fear enter the cave. Perhaps even terror enters. Maybe it’s rejection that comes unwanted into the cave of our despondency. It happens to us all. What can we do?
We can learn from David and choose, in our Father’s presence, to be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10 KJV). We can attempt to slay fear in our own strength, but we will not win. We may feel better for a time but fear will grow and choke out our peace once more. Only God is strong enough to slay fear entering the cave of our weaknesses. Only God can soothe our grief like no other. Only God can bring quiet joy in the midst of any storm. Only God can enter our mind’s caves, take us into His arms, and in His powerful love bring us out into the openness of peace where every fear has been slain.
When we try in our strength alone, our “feeling better” is a temporary measure. When we wait for our Father to act on our behalf, all enemies that plague our peace, melts away into the joy of the Lord Who is forever our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
When I was a child we often went camping as a family. We had a big tent and all the gear. We had cots to sleep on and cooking pots for the fire. Camping was always fun for the whole family. I remember an occasion when such a trip was planned, but the plans got cancelled. I can’t remember to this day why the plans changed, but I remember my disappointment. To make matters worse, so I thought at the time, my parents suggested we put the tent up in the backyard and invite friends from the neighborhood. I couldn’t imagine that would be anything compared to our usal camping trip, but we made the invites anyway.
Friends came. My mom gave us hotdogs and popcorn. My sister and I, along with several friends were in the tent. We giggled until the early hours. I remember being greatly entertained when two sisters began to argue. Their hot exchange took a most amusing turn when their words were spit out in French, a language they had learned from their French mother. When they realized they were the source of our fascination, they began to laugh. Soon we were all in fits of more giggles. The whole night was a wonderful, unplanned adventure. My parents, caring about our disappointment, had come up with a fantastic plan.
If our earthly parents, or friends, or colleagues can make good plans, how much better does our Heavenly Father make them? I love the truth of Proverbs 16:9, We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps (NLT). It’s so easy to fret when our plans go awry. Let us remember, the next time disappointment or even fear creeps into our hearts with unwanted plans, God is never surprised. He is never left fretting. He is the One in control. He is the One who brings blessings in the midst of our ever-changing worlds. We may plan, but the perfect, final touches are His own doing.
Because of his immeasurable love for us, He jumps into our paths, making adjustments as needed, and all according to His loving and perfect plans for our lives. Oh, how He loves you and me.
We are always thinking. Even when we’re not concentrating on thinking, we are thinking. Everyday we ponder, recollect, daydream, analyze, plan. Scripture has much to say about our thinking. Perhaps the most challenging is found in Romans 12:2, Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you by changing the way you think (NLT). Upon first reading that can seem an impossibility, but it can’t be impossible or God would have never given us this instruction. However, we must remember that, in our own strength, neither you nor I can change the way we think. It takes something more powerful than us. It takes the Holy Spirit working within us. When we choose to submit our whole selves to the Holy Spirit at work within us, then we know the truth and joy of Luke 1:37 which tells us, For with God nothing shall be impossible (KJV). We can try and try to be our best selves; becoming a kinder person in the process of our own attempts, but to become holy as God is holy (I Peter 1:16) then we need every possibility in God that is available to every child of God.
Willfully surrendering ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit is not a one time only decision, but a daily choice. Is it easy? Oh no! It’s hard because our arch enemy, Satan, fights hard to keep us from growing closer to Jesus. Satan never wants any of us to know the depths of peace and heights of joy that comes to us when we allow the Holy Spirit to transform the way we think. Perhaps the writer of Hebrews was thinking about that when writing, Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith (12:1-2 NIV). John the Baptist had to have some inkling of the importance of how we think when he wrote of Jesus, He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30 KJV). Jesus cannot become greater in our lives without our minds conforming to that idea or shall we say, to that very thought. Paul encouraged this same thing when he wrote, Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus (NLT&KJV)).
When we are controlling our own thoughts, we end us surrendering them to our feelings rather than to our minds. Our feelings are wishy-washy. Our feelings, sometimes against our own desires, can fill us with tenderness or rage one minute, and with selflessness or self-centeredness the next. Submitting instead to the power of the Holy Spirit, (everyday and sometimes several times through the day as we struggle with Satan’s attacks on our minds) keeps us on a steady path that leads to transformation. As we are being transformed, we are leaving behind willful sinfulness; gradually taking on instead, that family resemblance of Jesus shining in our lives. All this is possible through the power of the Holy Spirit, but the choice is entirely ours to allow transformation of our minds or not.
Let us choose to think on these things because these things are true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable (Philippians 4:8 NLT).
Recently my mother and I had the most wonderful trip to America. We spent six weeks traveling, speaking in many churches and other events, and joyfully visiting dear friends and family. We both say that this trip seemed especially sweet as we shared and prayed and hugged and laughed with those we love so dearly.
One particular visit was to see my cousin and meet her two new family members: Vinny and Milo. Vinny is a one year old, long haired dachshund. Milo will be one in August and is a dachshund-chihuahua cross. When we entered the house and were seated, they were let loose. Oh, my! What exuberance! They were displaying happiness on steroids!
Every night before my cousin goes to bed, she cleans up “the boy’s” room, gathering all the toys, scattered everywhere, and returns them to the toy box. First thing in the morning, the boy’s run with gusto and attack the toy box, bringing out every toy. They are so happy with what they have been given. To Vinny and Milo, every morning is Christmas. Their excitement is off the richter scale.
What caught my attention when I watched a video clip of their morning happiness, was the fact that the toys were the same toys they play with everyday. The same balls, the same stuffed animals. the same, same, same., but they are appreciative beyond measure. I thought to myself, if only we humans could be so appreciative. Let’s think about what we are given each day.
A sunrise that promises a new day. A sun that warms the earth. Clouds that offer coolness. Rain that gives the plants, animals, and us what we need to drink. A moon to brighten the night, illuminating our way. Fruit on trees, grains in the fields, vegetables to fill our plates. It’s the same sun, the same moon, the same rain, the same food, but where is our excitement? What happened to our thankfulness?
I have been touched by the display of gratitude and enjoyment displayed by Vinny and Milo. May I also look at God’s world with fresh eyes, being excited and appreciative of all that He has given me and each of us.
When I look at the night sky and see the work of Your fingers — the moon and the stars You set in place — what are mere mortals that You should think about them? Yet You made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything You made, putting all things under their authority — the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims in the ocean currents. O Lord, our Lord, You majestic name fills the earth.
Psalm 8:3-9 (NLT)
May we all count our blessings today. May we all stay busy being happy.
This is the last of the 66 books of the Bible in the series – Genesis to Revelation. All 66 studies can be found on my YouTube channel. I hope all who listen will be blessed.
Financial loans, mortgages, insurances; the fine print must be adhered to as there are always hidden costs. Loans promise financial freedom while calculating the interest added on repayment. It’s no different in our spiritual worlds. Our arch enemy promises unlimited pleasure while stealing away our inner peace. Never forget Satan’s goal for every one of God’s children as Jesus warned in John 10:10 when He told us, The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy (NLT). He always seeks to steal our peace, kill our joy, and destroy all hope. By stark contrast, Jesus said in that same verse, My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. Jesus longs for us to be rich in joy and peace and to be sweetly satisfied with the plans and hope He designs for our futures.
The question then comes, “How do we maintain such peace and joy in the midst of Satan’s constant barrage of temptations?” Some, with all good intentions, make the mistake of concentrating on the enemy’s tactics, focusing on being aware of his tricks and deception. It sounds like a good plan. After all, the famous quote from the film, The Godfather, “Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer,” has permeated self-help books and has even landed in war rooms. This quote originates from the 5th century when Sun Tzu wrote in his, The Art of War, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” It’s a strategy that makes perfect sense in human warfare, but Jesus speaks about spiritual warfare. The game plan is quite different in the spiritual realm.
To fight Satan is futile in our own strength and reasoning. Satan is stronger than any of us, but he is never more powerful than God. Therefore, to maintain our peace, joy, and hope in the midst of strongest temptation, we don’t concentrate on Satan’s tactics; rather and most importantly, we heed the Holy Spirit’s inspired instruction found in James 4:8, Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. There we have the simple but profound secret to success in overcoming the temptations of the enemy — purposely draw close to God.
Satan and his demonic forces quake when they see a child of God engaged in prayer, or praising the Lord for His goodness and blessing to us, or reading the Bible because, 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 (Hebrews 4:12 NLT). As it exposes what is weak and sinful in our lives, it allows us joyful opportunity to be cleansed in heart and mind; therefore, to be ready and strong to ward off any attack of the enemy.
Demonic attacks are daily upon; so is the power of the Holy Spirit as He reveals truth from God’s Word, and fills us with God’s power as the result of our praying. Engaging in God’s plans for spiritual warfare brings God’s own strength into our lives that wins every attack Satan can ever plan.
Like many of you I love thinking about Jesus as our Good Shepherd. Psalm 23 always gives us a comforting and vivid picture of His care for us. It begins with the reminder that in our Shepherd we have everything we need. He is with us when we are resting and at peace, or when peril strikes threatening the strength of our faith. He constantly refreshes our every thought so that we have all we need to get through anything at all. He guides us along our journey without mistake pointing in which direction we should take. Sometimes the way is difficult, scary, even foreboding, but He does not leave us in such moments; He draws even closer, reminding us of His presence, just as any good shepherd will assure the flock. Taking the rod, the shepherd will clear the path of sharp stones, and prod the sheep to stay on the right path. Should a sheep take a wrong step, the shepherd does not ignore the sheep, leaving the frightened animal to its own devices, but gently and firmly uses the crook of the staff to lift up the sheep, placing him or her again on solid ground. When a sheep is wounded, the shepherd will clean and anoint the wound with oil. Our Good Shepherd does the same, anointing us with oil of gladness (Psalm 45:7). When wolves draw close, smelling the wounded and weakened animal, the shepherd stands guard while the sheep eats with assurance of protection even in the midst of predators seeking to destroy.
Jesus our Good Shepherd does the same for each of us who knows Him, who are counted as one of His flock. Enemies of fear may be biting at our faith and stealing our peace, or despondency seeks to destroy our joy, or disappointment rolls in to kill our hope. The enemy, Satan, never changes his strategy to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). Enter the Good Shepherd Who reminds us with His words of love that He never leaves us nor forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5) and that He will gladly carry our burdens (Matthew 11:28).
Sheep can be foolish animals, just like each of us can be foolish, too. What wonder and encouragement that our Good Shepherd never gives up on us. He is always present, always loving, always forgiving. He never forsakes us. Why do we ever entertain such a thought to ever turn away from His perfect will for our lives? Because we are foolish. Oh what undeserved love is ours from our wonderful Shepherd. Praise the Lord for He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).
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