Fight the Good Fight

Our primary task is not to engage directly with the enemy but to connect with the Lord who has already won the victory.

Source: Cherry Blossom Kitchen

Throughout the history of mankind there have been many wars, but none so fierce, so long lasting, so devastating as the havoc caused by the war in the heavenly realms. As Christians, ready or not, willing or not, we are embroiled in the cosmic conflict between good and evil, between God and the devil, who opposes everything good. So therefore, how do we fight the good fight?  Here are a few pointers:

Our primary task is not to engage directly with the enemy but to connect with the Lord who has already won the victory.  James 4:7 tells us; ‘Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you’. The word ‘submit’ is a military term, to get in rank under His command. In 1 Timothy 6:12 Paul tells Timothy to ‘fight the good fight of the faith’. So, there is a right and wrong way to struggle, and the right way is to believe and trust in Jesus.

Armed with this faith we are now ready to understand the strategy of the enemy of our souls, and there are two stages in his schemes:

1 - The Foothold - Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 2:11 that we need not be ignorant of Satan’s schemes; ‘in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes’ and in Ephesians 4:26-27 we are instructed not to let our anger give the devil a foothold ‘In your anger do not sin; Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry and do not give the devil a foothold’ – the original word is ‘topos’, simply meaning place or space, just like a beachhead gained by an attacking army from which they can begin to invade.

Source: PInterest

2 – The Stronghold – In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 Paul uses the word ‘stronghold’ (‘ochuromi’), for though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. ‘The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ’. Having given just a small space for a foothold in our lives the enemy quickly builds a fortress around it. This can be any area where human confidence has been placed, and whereas the foothold simply requires a ‘no’, the stronghold requires divine help to be removed.

But, Praise God, He has given us the weapons that have the power to pull down these fortresses. Given this Divine Power we are able to demolish every human reasoning, however logical it may seem, and to bring down the ‘puffed up’ pride that the enemy breathes into godless humanity. Now we can take captive all of our thoughts, motives, and feelings, bringing them into obedience to Christ who won for us that costly victory on the cross.

Be blessed.

Author: John Plumb

May God bless and enrich your life   

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Actions Speak Louder than Words

If our Words are hollow because our actions are not reflecting what we say, then they are just empty and meaningless

Source: PInterest

When I read the Gospels, I am always taken aback by the way in which Jesus speaks. I always imagine Jesus talking with calmness and love so that His voice alone makes you feel at ease and at peace. I also love the way in which Jesus responds to questions. A fantastic example can be found in Matthew 11:2-5 ‘When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’ Jesus replied, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor’. When Jesus is asked; ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’ Notice that Jesus does not say ‘yes, it's me, there is no need to wait for anyone else, I’m here’. Instead He asks the disciples to go back and report on the examples they have seen, rather than rely on words alone.

We should always learn from Jesus as He is the ultimate example. In the scripture above Jesus is demonstrating the importance and the significance of living by our faith and how words are empty unless backed up by action; James 1:22 ‘Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says’. We know that no amount of good works or deeds are required for entrance into heaven, it is by grace alone that we are saved and through grace alone we are allowed the opportunity to enter heaven; Ephesians 2:8-9 ‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast'. We can however demonstrate the Presence of Jesus in our lives if our actions back up our words.

Source: www.pktfuel.com

In 1 Corinthians 11:1 we are instructed to follow the example of Jesus; ‘Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ’, so a good question to ask is ‘am I living my life as a positive example to others in accordance with the Word of God and the example of Jesus’? Attending church, raising our hands, worshiping God and quoting scriptures are hypocrisy if the way we are living our lives is not reflecting Jesus’s example. There is some quite strong language used in the Bible on the subject of hypocrisy: Titus 1:16 ‘They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good’ and Matthew 15:7-9 ‘You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules’. If we are being deliberately disobedient to God’s Word, then what example are we giving to those who do not know Christ yet? If, by our mouth we are claiming to know Jesus as our Lord and Saviour but our actions are saying the opposite then it is hardly surprising that people who do not know Jesus will consider us as hypocrites because that is exactly what we are showing them. Actions really do speak louder than words and this is exactly what Jesus was demonstrating to John’s disciples in Matthew 11:2-5.

We continually pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and to see more and more people come to know Christ. If, however, we as the body of Christ do not display the Presence of Christ by the example we demonstrate in our own lives then what chance have we got? If our Words are hollow because our actions are not reflecting what we say, then they are just empty and meaningless. Jesus did not need to tell John’s disciples by His Words because He knew His example would speak much louder.

Let us follow the example of Jesus and allow our actions to speak for us. Let us humble ourselves and turn our face to Him, so that people who do not know Him can see His reflection looking back at them. Let us listen attentively to what God has to say to us; 2 Chronicles 7:14 ‘if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land’.

May words not be necessary because our actions speak for us.

God bless.

Author: Anonymous

May God bless and enrich your life   

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God Pursues Us

Because of God’s very nature, which is love, He seeks to have a relationship with us for His Glory. We cannot earn God’s favour and love, He comes, He pursues us, and He offers it to us.

Source: PInterest

When I first became a Christian, I looked back over my former life from when I was a young child and realized that God had always been pursuing me. I recalled all the people that God had put in my path who had filled my heart and mind with stories from the bible and especially the love of Jesus and His creation. I reflected on encounters I had with the Holy Spirit and God’s supernatural protection from potentially dangerous situations I sometimes found myself in during my lifetime. The realization that God was always drawing me to Him and pursuing me just blew me away; Psalm 139:7-10 ‘Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast’.

This made me think about whether God would also pursue ‘bad’ people; ‘why would God want to hang out with bad people and would He still pursue them as well’?  The answer I got was a definite yes, He certainly will pursue them because God longs to extend His Mercy to all. No one is perfect, not even Christians, and if they tell you that they are perfect they are deceiving themselves because the bible tells us; Romans 3:23 ‘for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ and 1 John 1:8 ‘If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us’. The bible is full of imperfect people. Moses and King David for example, were considered pillars of faith and although both sinned, they both had a close relationship with God.  Perfection has never been a prior condition to hang out with God, only a desire to meet and to know him. No man is capable of being perfect, only Jesus Christ can claim this, however we can try with all our heart to follow Jesus’s example and be His hands and feet in a dying World; John 8:12 ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life’. The light has come into the world and people who do evil things will be judged guilty if they love the dark more than the light. People who do evil hate the light and won’t come to the light because it clearly shows what they have done!  However, everyone who lives by truth will come to the light because they want others to know that God is really the one doing what they do. God wants to pursue us and to rescue us from the darkness. Isaiah 9:2 ‘The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned’.

Source: Quotes

As well as God pursuing us, He also desires our company and wants us to actively pursue Him. We often read about how ‘someone found God’, usually after a life event that caused them to reflect on things, but what they may not realise is that it was God who was pursuing them all along. Because of God’s very nature, which is love, He seeks to have a relationship with us for His Glory. We cannot earn God’s favour and love, He comes, He pursues us, and He offers it to us. God offers peace for those who have faith in Jesus Christ, His pursuit is not hectic as in the heat of battle, but it is gentle and peaceful. He speaks to us through His Word, the Holy Bible and when we accept His peaceful offer of a relationship, we will hear His still small voice; 1 Kings 19:11-13 ‘The LORD said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by’. Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’

Some final thoughts; there may be times when we feel very alone in this world, however these are the very times we should rest in the assurance that God is constantly pursuing us. In fact, He loves us so much that He gave us the most precious gift of all. He sacrificed His only begotten son to pay our sin debt. Jesus grew into a man and never sinned, not even once. It was because He was completely free from sin that He willingly gave His life for our own. Once we understand and believe what Jesus did for us it becomes personal and no matter how far away, we fall from Him, God still loves us and pursues us!!

I pray that if you are looking for answers in your life right now that you consider that perhaps our wonderful Heavenly Father is pursuing you and drawing you to Him. Amen

May God bless you all.

Author: Anonymous

May God bless and enrich your life   

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The Word of God is Alive!

Whatever God has to say to me through His Word, whether instruction or discipline is always given in love. This is why the Bible is alive, because God’s Word relates to everyday things that are happening in our lives right now.....

Source: Facebook

To anyone who does not read the Bible regularly or maybe have never picked it up, it is very difficult to explain exactly what you are missing. At face value you could argue that the Bible is a book like any other, it has a front and a back cover, pages, chapters and written words, but this is where the similarity ends. The Bible is far more than a book of words, it is the written Word of God. Every single word, full stop and punctuation mark is God breathed and with the help of the Holy Spirit the Bible comes alive like no other book can or ever will. Hebrews 4:12 ‘For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart’.

The answer to every single circumstance, problem, situation, call it what you will, can be found within the pages of the Bible from 'In the beginning' in the book of Genesis right through to the final ‘Amen’ in the book of Revelation. To access this treasure trove all you need to do is pick it up, open it and crucially, start to read it, however, very few seem to realise the priceless gift often hidden on a dusty bookshelf or in a crowded attic; ‘A 2005 poll for Newsweek magazine found that despite average sales of more than $1 billion annually, only about 20 percent of Americans read their Bible daily, making the Bible the most owned but least read book in history’ (Source: www.ledger-enquirer.com). I would suggest that the 20 percent of Americans reading their Bibles on a daily basis is wildly optimistic, however, regardless of statistics it is really tragic that so many people own a Bible but very few decide to open it up and read it. It is tragic because without realising it people own the key to their eternal salvation but instead choose to keep it locked away and in doing so are blindly choosing the wide path to eternal destruction; Matthew 7:13-14 ‘Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it’.

Source: GNT – Uplifting Scriptures

God, through the Holy Spirit will use the Bible to communicate with us. What is wonderful is that no matter how many times I read the Bible, each time is like reading it for the very first time. Yes, I can remember certain scriptures and stories and often know ‘what is coming next’, however what is new every time is the way that God uses the scriptures to show me something different. Sometimes I’m provided with advice, sometimes with comfort, sometimes I will be given a Word of wisdom and sometimes I get a good telling off. There are lots of ‘sometimes’ used as examples however one thing I always receive from reading God’s Word is unconditional love. Whatever God has to say to me through His Word, whether instruction or discipline is always given in love. This is why the Bible is alive, because God’s Word relates to everyday things that are happening in our lives right now, not just thousands of years ago, as well as showing us what will happen in the future. The Bible is so powerful and alive because the love of God which shines through His Word is real and beyond comprehension: 1 John 4:16 ‘And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them’.

It really is a sad state of affairs when people need to be convinced and encouraged to read their Bible, and especially sad when those people are Christian brothers and sisters. The Bible is the Living Word of God and it contains everything we could ever want or need. Nobody should read the Bible out of routine or duty as God deserves much better than that. I feel a heartfelt desire to wake up each morning, to get into God’s Word and to see what He has for me before I embark on the day ahead. I need the Living Word to develop and deepen my relationship with Him and to guide me through the choppy waters of life. I need the Word of God to protect me from the attacks that will inevitably come my way from the devil throughout my day, I need the Word God to continually remind me of the suffering and sacrifice that Jesus endured for my sin and shame and I need the Word of God because without it I am lost.

If you are reading this article and wondering what all the fuss is about or you are in a situation where you are looking for answers and feel that there is nowhere else to go then find a Bible, say a short prayer to ask God to guide you and then open the Bible up, start reading and let God guide you. You have nothing to lose but everything to gain! So why not give it a try?

2 Timothy 3:16 ‘All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness’.

May God bless you.

Author: Anonymous

May God bless and enrich your life   

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