Good Morning, My Friends… this is one of those days when I woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (in fact, I was only quasi-asleep most of the night) because I have so much I want to write about. Honestly, I’m having a hard time reeling it all in.
We just got back from our ten year anniversary vacation and it was spectacular. We had so many God moments and appointments… it was nothing short of astounding. And on Oct. 8th at sunset, we renewed our wedding vows by the sea and began to look forward to the next fifty years together! What an awesome experience.
The trip experience has made me want to write about carrying the message in our everyday life, but coupled with that is my over-whelming desire to write about God’s unconditional, unending, unfailing love for us…always, even when we feel like total slackers or loser.
But then again…also on my mind is a continuation of the “Growing in Prayer” church-wide study we are undertaking at Grace Church St. Louis. Regardless of how much we think we know about prayer, the author, Mike Bickle and our pastor, Ron Tucker, are enlightening all of us in the mater of unleashing the power of God through prayer. So…I sense I am ready to start with the unleashing God’s power through prayer, because that’s the basis for the other topics becoming a reality.
God’s promise to us (Christ-followers) is if we abide (stay) in him, he will abide in us. The critical two words here are “IF WE”. It is the exercise of our free-will that makes or breaks that promise. To abide means to say connected to Jesus. When we abide in Jesus, spiritual fruit will grow in us (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, Galatians 5:22) and people will begin to see Jesus in what we say and do. Jesus made it very clear to us in John 5:15: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, bears much fruit; for without me you can do nothing.”
There are three aspects of abiding in Christ. The first is talking to Jesus, and this does not have to be wrapped in religious trappings. Jesus may be a Spirit, but he IS REAL; he’s our friend; he loves us; he delights in us; he wants to be part of our life. He wants us to talk him when we wake up, when we take a shower, when we drive to work, at work, at play, walking the dogs, at home, when we go to bed. He’s always available…but we have to initiate the conversation. And because it is a conversation, it’s also important that we take time to hear what He has to say in return.
The next aspect of abiding in Christ is becoming aware of the more than 3000 promises contained in the Bible. But again, the promises are often predicated on the first two words…”if you” or “when you”. These promises are God’s truth, and it’s knowing and experiencing these truths that cause our belief (faith) to develop and become steadfast.
And finally, the third aspect of abiding is setting our hearts to obey Him. No doubt our obedience opens the door for God’s bountiful blessings, but the reality is…this is also where we often experience the “rub”. Consequently we must never forget the truth of Christianity 101. Jesus is “the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) And conversely…“Satan is a liar! He is the father of lies.” (John 8:44)
Satan was defeated 2015 years ago at the cross. He’s finished! He has no power EXCEPT the power of lies and deception. But make no mistake…he’s the master liar and he is relentless in his pursuit to separate us from God and his Truth. That’s his total purpose, and his favorite technique is to create in us fear, worry, stress, doubt, guilt, anxiety, shame, etc…anything that can make us doubt God’s love and his promises.
He’ll show up anywhere…even in the midst of our prayer life. Have you ever experienced anything like this… in the middle of your prayer? “Are you kidding me? You’re asking for forgiveness! God’s got to be pretty fed up with you. You’re back here all the time asking the same thing and getting nowhere. Fact is, he’s had it with YOU! What you’re doing is shameful…a disgrace!”
The only way we can combat such assaults is the same way Jesus replied to Satan in the wilderness. By standing on the truth of God’s Word and on his promises. James 4;7 tells us, “…Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.”
Following are some scriptural bullets that should be in our “God’s Truth” arsenal.
“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.” 2Timothy 1:7
“Be strong and of good courage. Do not fear nor be afraid. For the Lord your God is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6.
“I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
“There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1
(This is only a start…there are 2996 more promises waiting to be discovered by you, but the journey is nothing short of a joyride!)
Please feel free to respond to this posting, and please “like” it and share it with other social media friends.
May God Bless Ya…
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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