Monthly Archives: May 2021

“Therefore submit to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”  (James 4:7 NKJV)

How many times have you quoted the verse, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”?  But we cannot resist the devil if we don’t submit to God first.  When we find ourselves in difficult situations, we must look first at ourselves in difficult situations, we must look first at ourselves and ask, “Have I submitted to God in this area of my life, this situation, or this circumstance?”  Once we have truly submitted to God, we then have the power to resist the devil.  Resist the devil and watch him run!

Sometimes when we are caught in the middle of a difficult situation, our worldly instincts tell us that we must rely on worldly instincts tell us that we must rely on worldly understanding and worldly solutions.  We try to analyze the problem, instead of immediately turning it over to God.

Always check your circumstances.  Do it in this order:  submit to God, resist the devil, and watch him flee.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We thank You today that we are not ignorant of the devil’s devices.  We see him for who he is and what he is doing.  We submit ourselves to You for this day in every circumstance.  And we resist the devil with God’s power that is within us.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

Jesus’ disciples slowly began to realize that dealing with fear was going to be an important part of their lives as His followers.  The more time they spent with Him, the more evident it became that He would not always be with them and that it might not be either popular or safe to identify with Him.  Persecution, an unappealing thought, was a frightening possibility.  Jesus tried to help them prepare for what lay ahead and remember that they would not be alone.

No matter how alone we may feel or how frightening a situation we find ourselves in, we can take courage in the fact that Jesus is always with us; we are never alone.

For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV).

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.  (John 14:18 NKJV)

I am with you always, even to the end of the age.  (Matthew 28:20 NKJV)

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed” –(James 5:16a NKJV)

There is a small and unusual “hook” in this scripture.  Not only are we to confess our faults “one to another,” but we are to pray “one for another”—that WE might be healed.  God is saying that, by praying for someone else, YOU can be healed!

Here again we see the law of sowing and reaping.  Do you need healing?  Then pray for someone else who needs healing, and watch God heal you.  As you sow healing, you reap healing.

The idea that we should confess our faults to one another is not aimed at squeezing confessions out of people, but rather God wants our faith to be released.  If we have unconfessed sin, our faith is hindered.  God does not want our faith hindered in any area of our lives.

Here is God’s beautiful formula:  if you need healing, confess your faults one to another.  Then pray for someone who needs healing, and expect to be healed yourself.  It will work for whatever need you have.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We thank You today for the power and wisdom of Your Word that works in our bodies and minds.

In Jesus’s Name,

When a setback changes the landscape of your life, trust God to bring new life into the situation.

Put everything — yourself, your family, and the crisis — in God’s hands.

Don’t run from the challenge; adjust to and learn from it.

Look for signs of life springing up in the hard soil and realize that, if you will maximize every opportunity to learn and grow, the trial will become the seed of new growth.

In the end, a bad situation can produce a magnificent harvest.

What harvest are you believing for?

“For in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28a NKJV)

Several years ago, God opened a door for me to preach in Nigeria.  I knew that men and women would travel many miles from other countries to that convention.  So, I cried out to God for the greatest anointing that I had ever experienced.

Sometimes we may think that God anoints us only in teaching and preaching.  But God’s anointing is available in every situation we encounter.

On the conclusion of our first service, a young woman passed by me.  I knew immediately that she needed ministry.  I confronted her, and she briefly revealed her difficult home situation.  We agreed in prayer for a miracle in her life.

Days later she presented me with a beautifully beaded bracelet.  It was as though the Lord said to me, “Your ministry to this woman will bear fruit in Africa.  When you look at this bracelet, it will remind you of My work in her life.”

Sometimes our greatest ministry takes place on the sidelines.  Remember, Jesus reigns in us at ALL times.  We live, move, and have our being in Him.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We thank You that we live, move, and have our being in Jesus.  He is guiding and directing every aspect of our lives.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.