Edevotional

Holy Spirit

Living to Please God (1 Thessalonians 4)

1 Thessalonians 4 verse 1 says:

Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.

How ought we live? We ought to live in such a way as to please God.

It is easy to live seeking to please yourself, or others, or your family, or your boss, or your flesh. But Jesus commands, first and foremost, I want you to live so that you please the Lord.

Living pleasing to the Lord is not a once off.

“But I made a decision to follow Jesus years ago!” some will say. “But I AM already born again” others will say.

Pleasing God is not an ongoing state of being. It is something we do (or don’t do) by how we live day by day. As long as we live, we must aim to live pleasing to Him. So how do we do that?

Some ways we can live pleasing to God:

  • Live by faith – Hebrews 11:6 says without faith it is impossible to please God. When we choose the way of faith, we please Him.
  • Resist temptation – Every time we say no to temptation, we choose the way of the Spirit and that is pleasing to God.
  • Walking in Love – When we act out of love we are demonstrating God’s heart to others. We are choosing His way over ours and it pleases Him.
  • Our Attitude – When we set our desire upon please Him, that in itself brings joy to His heart and is pleasing as we value Him first.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for showing me how to live. I ask that you would strengthen me so that I would live in such a way as to please you, day in and day out. Thank you Father, in Jesus name, Amen.

Opposition to Progress (Acts 17)

being opposed

Acts 17:5 says:

But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.

Whenever there is forward progress or whenever ground is claimed in the heavenly battle (see verse 2-4), there is invariably a demonic backlash. 

Jesus won the victory over sin and death and the devil, but we are charged with enforcing it. This kicks the enemy out of where he is – in someone’s life, in someone’s house, in someone’s business – and the response is reprisals.

Now not every kind of opposition in demonic. Sometimes it is simply the consequences to your own actions. Don’t blame the devil for what is your own responsibility! It is important to discern the difference. But if you are making forward progress for God, then at some point opposition will come.

It is important to not see the enemy as people. We are called to love people as Jesus does. Opposition might come in the form of other people, but “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness.” (Ephesians 6:12). It is the spirit at work in people that we need to carefully discern and see.

When you face opposition don’t be disturbed. Jesus faced opposition, the disciples faced opposition and we face opposition today. Don’t fear, because Jesus has overcome the world and everything in it. You are being opposed because you are being used by God, you are anointed for His kingdom work, and you are His beloved. You are winning the battle, don’t give up.

PRAYER: Father, thank you for the Victory. Thank you that you are with me and with you I will overcome. Thank you for your protection and your grace to persevere and overcome. In Jesus name, Amen

 

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Attaining the Victory Little by Little (Deut 7)

Little River

Deuteronomy Chapter 7 verses 21-23 says:

21 You shall not be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God. 22 The Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little. You may not make an end of them at once, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you. 23 But the Lord your God will give them over to you and throw them into great confusion, until they are destroyed.

God’ plan for you to take possession of the promised land He has given you is not to possess it over night or even in a day. Rather we possess it “little by little”.

Whilst we love the “suddenly”s of the Lord, the truth is victory and the promises of God are attained “little by little”.

  • One aspect of character at a time
  • One family member at a time
  • One financial breakthrough at a time

One step at a time, little by little, we walk in the promises of God more and more. Contrary to our schedule, God is not in a hurry. He works according to His pace and plan and it is a wise Christian who comes to realise that.

Why does God give us the victory “little by little”?

  1. It is as much the process as the outcome that counts – Like Enoch, God wants to walk with Him. And when we walk with Him we are changed to become more like Him. Little by little we walk with Him, need Him and allow Him to work for us.
  2. There is always more to God for us to discover – We don’t ever “make it” or “arrive” this side of eternity. As long as we have breath we are all works in progress. Little by little also discover more of WHO God is.
  3. We are being prepared for Eternity – Taking ground, taking authority, taking up who we are in Christ little by little is preparation for eternity where we will rule and reign with Him.

PRAYER: Father, I choose to walk with you and take ground for you little by little. I resolve to keep walking and stay faithful trusting you to fulfil your word to me. In Jesus name, Amen

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Five Steps to Crossing Over (Numbers 33)

Numbers 33:51-53 says:

…pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places. 53 And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it.

God has a “promised land”, over the river Jordan, for each of His children. It is a place in the Spirit for us to live in where the promises of God for our lives, our callings and our ministries are made manifest.

The command to cross over and possess that land involves the following five steps according to this passage:

  1. “Cross over the Jordan” – Passing over the Jordan is symbolic of the baptism of the Spirit. We need to first pass through the waters of the river Jordan, exchanging the ways of the flesh for being filled with the Holy Spirit.
  2. “…drive out the inhabitants” – Who is possessing the arena of your inheritance? If it’s your family – what strongmen are present in your line? If it is business – what strongholds are at work? If it is an area of ministry – what spirit is opposing you? Discern it, ask God for His strategy and pray taking authority over it.
  3. “Destroy…” – By taking ground you will encounter new temptations and new battles. Identify the idolatry and remove yourself far from them. Renounce any rights they have over you in all humility and the fear of the Lord.
  4. “Take possession” – Once you have identified the land of promise and consecrated yourself to the Lord for it, claim it for the Lordship of Jesus. Not for yourself or your glory – but for His! Declare His Lordship over it!
  5. “Settle in it” – Now you are ready to make the shift, from the old to the new. You no longer live in the old circumstance, you are living in the dimension of the promise of the Spirit. Settle in it by aligning your thoughts and words to this truth in God.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for my promised land inheritance in you. I thank you you are faithful and desire to lead me into it. I ask you for understanding and revelation for how I can possess it, in Jesus name, Amen

Photo by Herman. io from Pexels

Living the Life (Philippians 1)

Playing the gamePhilippians 1:27-28 says:

27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.

Paul issues a command to all believers: your manner of life needs to reflect your belief in Jesus, and His call for us to follow Him.

What does this “manner of life” look like?

  • “One Spirit” – All believers have the Holy Spirit in common and it is the work of the Spirit which unites us. A Spirit-led life – not one driven by our own abilities, feelings or desire – is a life worthy of the gospel.
  • “One Mind” – The one mind we all have in the “mind of Christ”. It is easy for other pursuits, thoughts, novelties and arguments to divide. Instead, together, we have the mind of Christ when we draw near to Him in humility.
  • “Striving side by side” – the result of one-ness of Spirit and mind is the body of Christ pulling together, under the yoke of Jesus, for the purpose of His Kingdom.

This is the manner of life Jesus has called us to. This is the manner of life that is worthy of the gospel. And what is the result of this manner of life? It tells the world the message of the cross by the substance of our life: with Jesus we are saved, without Him we are lost (v28).

PRAYER: Father, manifest the life of your Spirit within me. Let your light shine through me and my brothers and sisters that all the world around us might know you are real and your heart is to save us from ourselves. In Jesus name, Amen.

 

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The Open Hand of God (Psalm 145)

Psalm 145:16 & 18 says:

You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing…
18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.

Everything you need in life is found in the hand of God.

Stop, and read that again. You need to believe it!

There is nothing we need or desire that can’t be met from what we find in the open hand of God.

The Lord opens His hand to us. That means He is willing to give. He’s not reluctant. His hand is open to you.

But for us to receive from Him we also need to open our hands. If we hold too tightly to what we have in our lives right now, how can we receive anything further for the future? If we are clinging to what we think will fulfil our desires, how can we receive that which truly will fulfil them?

How do we attain this?

Verse 18 says “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him”. If you want what God has in His open hand, you need to call upon His name.

There is no good waiting for God to drop what you desire into your lap when He says He holds it out for you to grasp. What you need is right there! Just call upon Him, ask Him, enquire of Him, and see Him fulfil it.

What is it that you truly desire? And what is the deep need that is behind that desire? Let the light of God reveal it. Now, do you believe you can find that in God – or do you need to go hunt for it yourself?

God is not a scrooge reluctant to give you that which will satisfy you. Our problem is what we believe will satisfy us. We seek the wrong things when God promises all that we need and all that will satisfy is in His open hand.

PRAYER: Father, I renounce every lie that says you don’t have what I truly desire. I chose to believe your word and align my heart and soul under the leading of your Spirit. I ask you for everything I need to be truly and deeply satisfied. In Jesus name, Amen.