If the axe is dull and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but wisdom brings success … Ecclesiastes 10:10 (NKJ) Granted, most people don’t know a whole lot about falling trees, but it just plain makes sense that a sharp axe would do a better job cutting through a tree’s trunk than a weak blade, right? Hebrews 4 tells us that the Word of God is living and effective and sharper than a double edged sword, and the same principal of efficiency applies to the sword of the spirit in your life. Now, the Word itself is sharper than any piece of metal you could find, but that doesn’t mean that your own spirit man is wielding the most effective weapon. When you’re not constantly feeding your spirit man from the Word, your “blade” gets weaker and you have to use more of your own force to get the job done, and you’re unable to let the strength in the sword take care of it. Allowing your sword to grow dull will make it harder for you to ably defend yourself from the devil’s attacks. Think about it-if you’re up against a monster, you’d pick up and effective and sharp double edged sword before you’d start slinging a butter knife, wouldn’t you? That’s because it’s easier to fight with a sharp sword - less strength is required of you when you’re using a better weapon. Your entire life is benefited by your ability to ward off the attacks of the devil, and that ability is completely within your grasp. The Bible says in Romans 10:17 that your faith is directly affected by the amount of time you do or don’t spend hearing the Word. That means when you spend time reading your Bible and filling your spirit with the Word, you’re sharpening your spiritual sword and keeping your shield of faith in top shape, too. With that said, keep up with your spiritual strengthening and keep the devil afraid! Confession: I don’t rely on my own strength against the circumstances I face in life. I keep my spirit man fed and my sword sharp. The enemy has no chance at defeating me in the Lord! ------------------------- "Believe Dat!" So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God ... Romans 10:17 (NKJ) Many people think the word “faith” is a religious term. However, it did not originate from a preacher or a monk living deep in the mountains of Mongolia – no, faith is simply what you believe! Everyone has faith and they live by what they believe everyday. For instance, when you are driving down a two-lane road and a car is coming from the opposite direction, what keeps you from freaking out and pulling off the road? You believe the other car will stay in their lane. Do you have any proof they won’t veer into your lane and hit you? No. This is natural, human faith and it is based on what your senses tell you and what you have experienced in the past. Everyone has this kind of faith. However, there is another type of faith (what you believe) that you need to develop in your life – the God kind of faith. God does not operate by how He feels or by what He can see and touch. God believes what He says is more real than what He can see. Abraham had this kind of faith. He believed he would be the father of many nations because God said so, even though it didn’t look like it was possible. That is the God kind of faith and it is a creative force – it calls things into existence. Jesus said in Mark 9:23, “all things are possible to him who believes.” If you learn to live your life according to this kind of faith, nothing will be impossible for you. You don’t have to be limited by what you see or what a situation looks like. How do you develop this kind of faith? By spending time in the Word of God – the Bible! As you spend time hearing and reading the Bible and accepting it as truth, the God kind of faith comes. All that is left to do is what Abraham did – acting like it is true, confessing what God has said and then see it show up in your life! Confession: I believe what the Word of God says. I believe His words are more real than what I can see, touch or how I feel. As I spend time hearing and reading the Bible and accepting it as truth, I am growing in this God kind of faith. Nothing is impossible for me because I believe! ------------------------- Praise Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations … Psalms 100:1-5 (NKJ) These have been some of my favorite scriptures since my days in the youth group, starting back in ’97. I would read them before service to get pumped up and to build something inside me that I could share with others. Although I have moved away from my teenage years, these scriptures have not moved away from me. They are full of power and excitement – you can’t help but enjoy what is being said! A good definition for praise would be: a celebration, the celebration of God. Your praise (celebration of God) should include all of the elements listed: singing, gladness, thanksgiving and worship. Sing to God because He has made you and He is good to you! Serve Him with gladness because He has filled you with joy! Come into His presence with thanksgiving for all the blessings He has given you! Worship Him because He is good, His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations. Confession: I thank God that He has filled me with His presence. I serve Him with gladness because He has made me and blessed me. My heart is full of joy and my mouth is filled with thanksgiving, praise and worship. The Lord is good and His mercy endures forever! ------------------------- The Helper Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you! … John 16:7 (NKJ) Doesn't it seem sometimes that life would be easier if Jesus were right here with us? When Jesus left, He sent the Helper, who is the Spirit of the Lord, (a.k.a. the Holy Ghost) to come and live on the inside of us. The Amplified Bible says that the Holy Ghost is the Strengthener, the Standby, the Advocate; He is this and so much more. That is why Jesus said it was to our advantage that He go away and send the Helper! He is there for you today to give you whatever kind of help you need. You can depend on the Helper! Confession: The Holy Ghost is my helper. I will depend on Him to help me in everything I do. I will follow Him and He will lead me to victory in all things! ------------------------- Abide in the Word If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it will be done for you ... John 15:7 Sometimes it seems we are in need of certain things and yet they never come our way, and we want to turn and blame God for not giving them to us. This verse says that we are to find out what God's word is on a subject and then ask what we want. We have to find out what the Word says first, so that we can ask in faith (ask, believing what the Word says is true). The word "ask" in the verse actually means demand, we need to take what the Word of God says and then demand that it be so in our life. Soon you will see those situations turning around. Confession: What the Word says is true in my life. The promises of God are coming to pass in my life because I abide in the Word and the Word abides in me. ------------------------- Focus If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things of the earth … Colossians 3:1-2 (NKJ) Keeping your focus is an important part of your day. There are many things to distract you and get you off on the wrong path especially now that school is back in full swing and you have the added pressures of those that are around you everyday. With teachers and peers pulling on you and expecting certain things out of you, it is easy to forget your focus and your aim in these years of your life. Keep your focus on God and the riches you have inherited through Christ and you will have a lighter step throughout your day. Confession: The Lord is with me today. My eyes are focused on Him and His goodness. His love and mercy surround me everywhere I go. I know He has given me favor with my teachers and patience with my peers. He is leading and guiding my way today. ------------------------- Mercy & Favor It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His tender compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness … Lamentations 3:22-23 When I think of how many times God’s mercy has been given to me – Wow! The truth is it never runs out. It is all encompassing; it is not just for a touch up, or a little patch. By definition it is unmerited favor, a kindness in excess of what may be expected, a disposition to forgive, compassion, having the power to forgive. This describes the very nature of God. He is mercy and He endures forever. It is because of God’s mercy that we are saved and healed. To think that He loved us enough to give us new mercies every day! All we have to do is ask, to obtain them for ourselves. He does expect us to try our best, yet He understands we aren’t perfect and doesn’t expect us to be. Who better to really understand that than our Creator? I’m grateful every day nothing will ever separate us from His love. We are His choice possession. Every day you can have a fresh start because the compassion of God will never fade away. When we meditate on this, the victorious person God has created us to be is able to stand tall. When you have messed up or are feeling defeated, remind yourself and the enemy that God’s mercy is for you. Confession: I have the mercy of God available to me today. His Word says that His mercies are new every day they endure forever. I cannot be defeated today. I will not be seperated from the love of God today or any day. I have the unmerited favor of God in my life. ------------------------- “You’ve Got To Feeeeeed A Cold” The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, but who can bear a broken spirit? … Proverbs 18:14 (NKJ) I remember several years ago there was a commercial on TV advertising a certain brand of cold medicine. This goofy commercial had different people giving advice on how to get rid of a cold. One of the people was a kid with a plate of chocolate chip cookies (sounds like my kind of remedy) who said, “Take three of these and call me in the morning.” It was a funny commercial. Another person offering advice, an older woman who was holding a huge plate of food, said, “You’ve got to feeeeeed a cold!” Although the advertisers were trying to be funny, they were absolutely right! The best remedy to any sickness is feeding – feeding your spirit. A strong spirit = A strong body The level of health you have in your body is a direct reflection of the level of health you have in your spirit. Every sickness, every pain, every disease is subject to your spirit. Proverbs 4:20-22 (NKJ) says “My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.” You must feed (study and meditate) on what the Word of God says about healing – Matthew 8:16-17 is a good place to start – look it up! As you do this, faith will come. Your spirit will grow stronger and stronger and your body will grow stronger and stronger as well. This is true in every area of life. The stronger your spirit is in an area, the stronger your life will be in that area. “You’ve got to feeeeeed your spirit!” Confession: I will feed on the Word of God. It is making me strong in every area of my life. No sickness, disease, or anything in opposition to what God has said can dominate my life. My spirit is strong! My body is strong! My life is strong! ------------------------- More Than Conquerors No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us ... Romans 8:37 (NIV) What an awesome verse! Too often Christians have the wrong idea of who they really are. They see themselves as weak, helpless people who have to struggle to get by in life. No, that is not what God's Word says at all. God's Word says we are "more than conquerors through Him who loved us." If God's Word had said we were conquerors alone, that would have been incredible. However, it says we are more than conquerors! That means there is nothing to fear in life. No sickness, need, or circumstance can overcome us because of what Jesus has done for us. It may not seem this is true in your life. If so, take a close look at what you are saying. Instead of saying, "I am a loser," or "I just can't make it," begin to confess what God has already said about you. "I AM MORE THAN A CONQUEROR!" As you do this, you will begin to see things change in your life. The fact is, what you say about your life is exactly what you will have - good or bad. So, begin to let your words line up with God's Word. Confession: In every area of my life, I am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me. I am not weak. I am strong. There is no situation or problem that can overcome me. I live life fearlessly because I know I am not just a conqueror, I am more than a conqueror! |
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