You Praise The LORD But Serve The Devil

                                                 When The Door Slams

And when your children ask you, What does this ceremony mean to you? then tell them, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians. Then the people bowed down and worshiped. The Israelites did just what the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron. At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the lives stock as well. Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.                                                                                                      (Exodus 12:26-30 NIV) 

            The first Passover (in Exodus 12) is the story of two peoples and one choice. After more than four hundred years in Egypt, the children of Israel were clearly influenced by its culture and religions. Getting Israel out of Egypt took a few days, but getting Egypt out of Israel took forty years. 

            It was a seminal moment. There was a clear choice. Israel would obey or not. Her firstborn would live or die. They would find freedom or stay in slavery. They would go to the promised Land or choose Goshen. They chose wisely!

            We all face such moments. We must decide to go on to greater heights in God or stay where we are. In the moment, life, death, our future, and the fate of those we love all hang in the balance. Sadly, not everyone chooses wisely, they are double-minded. 

            The key to the story is simple. It was obedience. the way out of Egypt wasn't really the road to the Red Sea. It lay in obeying God. We do what God commands, or we don't. We leave the old life behind, or we don't. We cross the threshold of faith, or we don't. We live God's way, or we live the world's way. 

            They could not have crossed the Red Sea without first crossing the barrier of obedience. We will never see or experience the great things God has for us without this one simple act, doing what the Lord commands.

            Think about this: Start children off on the way they should go and even when they are old they will not turn from it. (Proverbs 22:6) is as true today as when Solomon wrote it several thousand years ago. Running one's eye down the columns of any concordance on the words obey, obedience, and obedient give some idea of the importance of these words in God's sight. "It is better to obey than to sacrifice. It is better to listen to God than to offer the fat of sheep," Samuel told Saul. In order to properly hearken, which is the beginning of learning, one must be obedient.

            Affirmation: Who is wise? Let them realize these things. who is discerning? Let them understand. The ways of the LORD are right, the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them. (Hosea 14:9 NIV)               

            Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                        Never Rest Ministries 

         

                                              

No Man Or Woman Can Be The Disciple Of Christ And Desire Fame

                                                When The Door Slams

Then the LORD said to me, "Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. This vison is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. "Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.* Wealth is treacherous, and arrogant are never at rest. They open their mouths as wide as the grave, and like death, they are never satisfied, In their greed they have gathered up many nations and swallowed many peoples.                                                                                   (Habakkuk 2:2-5 NLT)

            For the scope of power lives from man to man, And not from man, O Lord, to thee. The man, then, who does right, and seeks no praise from men, while he merits nothing, shall be rewarded by his Father, and his reward will be right precious to him. 

            No man or woman can not be the disciple of Christ and desire fame. To desire fame is disgraceful; it is a slang devil greed. In the noble mind, it is the more of an infirmity. There is no aspiration in it--nothing but ambition. It is simply selfishness that would be proud if it could. Fame is the applause of many, and the judgment of the many is foolish; the greater the fame, the more is the foolishness that swells it, and the worse is the fools that thirst after it.

            Think about this: Aspiration is the sole escape from ambition. He who aspires--that is, his endeavor to rise above himself--neither lusts to be higher than his neighbor, nor seeks to put in his opinion. What light there is in him shines the more that he does nothing to be seen by men. He stands in the mist between the gulf and the glory of the LORD and looks upward. He loves not his own soul, but longs to be clean. 

            Confession: I will cleanse them of their sins against me and forgive all their sins of rebellion. (Jeremiah 33:8 NLT) 

 Ask  the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                        Never Rest Ministries  

When Something Is Reprobate, It Has Been Judged By God As Worthless

                                                 When The Door Slams

Who knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them                                                                                                                             (Romans 1:32 NKJV)

                 

            What sins does Paul mention that are deserving of death? The answer is idolatry, homosexuality, and lesbianism. Now, I am not stating that every person involved in these sins should be put to death. Thank God for His mercy. There is salvation offered to all. Jesus died and shed His blood for sin. Those who repent and accept His sacrifice will receive, deliverance and forgiveness of sin.                                                                                                                                              However, the judgment of God will come to those who, through a hard unashamed heart, will not repent (Romans 2:5). Regardless of what the secular world or media try to tell us concerning idolatry, homosexuality and lesbianism, these are perversions and are under the judgment of God, because He knows your heart.                                              

            The JB Phillips calls them "disgraceful passions." Webster's definition of abomination is "extreme disgust and hatred, loathing." ....men with men working abomination. Loathe means "to dislike greatly and often with disgust or intolerance, to detest." 

            And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting. (Romans 1:28 NKJV)  

            Reprobate spirits also operate with idolatry, homosexuality, lesbianism and perversion. The dictionary definition of reprobate is "rejected as worthless, morally abandoned, depraved." You will recall that the definition of Belial is "worthlessness." When something is reprobate, it has been judged by God as worthless and, therefore, rejected. The Revised Standard version says, "God gave them up to a base mind." The word base means "to be of little value." Synonyms include low and vile, meaning, "deserving contempt because of the absence of higher values. The Reprobate spirits and spirits of idolatry, homosexuality and lesbianism cursing men and women to commit vile acts, thus bringing the judgment of God. 

            Think about this: The apostle Paul goes on to mention a host of evil spirits that come in once the mind becomes reprobate: 

            Affirmation: Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people." Therefore "Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you." And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:14-18 NKJV)

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

                                            Never Rest Ministries 

                                                                         

            

A Doubleminded Man Or Woman Is Unstable, Deceitful In All They Do

                                                 When The Door Slams

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is doubleminded and unstable in all they do.                              (James 1:5-8 NIV) 

            My life, like yours, is full of a thousand demands. Sometimes I feel yanked this way and that way, spiritual off-balance. When I become unbalanced and wonder how it happened, the Bible offers this explanation: "Such a person is doubleminded and unstable in all they do." 

            Some women say yes to the Lord and no to the world. Others say yes to the world, but no to the Lord. The doubleminded woman says yes to everything! Consequently, she's continually off-balance, like a drunken high-wire artist, lurching dangerously along the wire, leaning first to this side, then to that. She's a cataclysmic fall just waiting to happen. 

            False prophets works with the spirit of doubleminded to seduce the servants of the Lord into fornication and idolatry. This dark spirit can manifest through false teachings and deception, these spirits has no shame or guilt works well with manipulation and intimidation. Again, the intent is to draw people away from the truth and cause them to go into error, causing demonic bondage and curses that bringing upon themself the judgment of God. 

          Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works (Revelation 2:22-23 NKJV). 

            This is the judgment of the Lord upon those who allowed themselves to be seduced by  doubleminded spirits. Fornication and adultery will always be judged by the Lord. We understand that marriage is under attack in America like never before. Divorce is no longer considered unacceptable--it is almost expected in the church. Deceitful is an evil, demonic spirit with no shame, no guilt and no repentance that draws people into whoredom and adultery. This will bring the judgment of God upon you.

            It is interesting to note that the only reference to Belial in the New Testament is found in 2 Corinthians 6:15: And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? Paul was dealing with the rampant carnality in the church of Corinth. The evil Belial works with the deceiving spirit of Jezebel to draw people into abominable sins, including sodomy, homosexuality, incest, rape and perversion of all kinds. 

            Think about this: The greatest threat to Jezebel's spirit has always been true servants of God. Those who preach the truth and maintain a standard of holiness are obstacles to the work of Jezebel. This spirit therefore attacks these men and women of God in order to move them out of the way, which will bring the judgment of God on them.

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him For His Forgiveness.

                                                Never Rest Ministries                            

We Are In Constant Danger Of Having The Temptation To Exchange Something Very Precious

                                                 When The Door Slams

If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.                             (1 Corinthians 12:13 NLT)

            Oh, stupid Esau sells his birthright! "What good is my birthright to me now?"            (Genesis 25:29-34). The Point: We gain nothing by choosing the immediate over the significant. But what about me? What about you? What about us? "What is my mess of marital life?" How often do we ask this question of ourselves? It is important to verbalize the question. 

            We are in constant danger of having the temptation to exchange something very precious, a priceless reality-for indulging our sudden violent desires. The violent desire may be involved with greed for eating and drinking, passion for money or material things, letting loose our anger in action and abandoning reason, power giving in to depression without check, cursing God in despair or disappointment without even thinking of the trap which Satan set for Job and is setting for us, yielding to a sweeping sexual desire without waiting for the right framework. 

            The "mess of material things" that is dangerous to you and me in any temptation to give in to violent speech or action or choice of direction, based on the fulfillment of the "feel of power" the immediate moment which will demonstrate power to anyone watching...that we despise the promises of the Living God for our future.

            Time after time we have the opportunity for demonstrating the reality of our belief in the truth of truth, of our trust in God's promises. Time after time we can demonstrate by our responses and our choices that we really believe that no suffering for the present can be compared with the glories that are ahead of us in the plan of God.

            Think about this: God may allow His servant to succeed when He disciplined him to a point where he does not need to succeed to be happy. The man who is elated by success and is cast down by failure is still a carnal man. At best his fruit will have a worm in it.

            Affirmation: God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, "God is tempting me." God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death (James 1:12-15).  

            Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

                                                        Never Rest Ministries 

                         

Resurrection Is The Story Of Man, From Its Beginning To It Present

                                                 When The Door Slams

As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world's interest in me has also died. It doesn't matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. May God's peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God. (Galatians 6:14-16 NLT)    

            Jesus laid both his teachings and himself on the cross. and answered the issue of "why?" History is nailed together! Literally it is! The story of man, from its beginning to its present, is so varied and disconnected that it had to be nailed together to give it continuity. Ever since the nail was driven, the human story reads more smoothly. Since then, there is a vital interrelatedness between its widely separated parts. Since then, we who choose to bear his cross know why we are on the planet. We have stared into the face of the Medusa and won. There is no "why" question for us. No wonder our lives are God's great Gloria! No wonder the apostle tells us, "Speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:19). The cross answers emptiness with  peace in mind--harmony.

            Is it time to raise the cross in the middle of our lives? We must be careful before we answer. His cross will not coexist with our present way of life. We may not raise the cross yet ignore it in all our petty social involvements. Once we salute it momentarily we must serve it hourly for the rest of our lives. The cross is the supreme example of righteousness and can never belong to the person who will not show it supreme respect. 

            God has placed the cross in history. People have found contingency in that cross. Just as history's finest hour was the hour of Calvary, so our greatest moment will be that small quantum of time when we say with Paul, "The teaching about the cross is foolishness to those who are being lost, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18). 

            Think about this: The crucifixion invites us to complete the cycle of human failure and   redemption. Each of us is created by God. Then, without exception, each of us moves away from the righteousness in which we were created. Then comes his invitation, issued by his cross, to return by way of Christ's sacrifice to fellowship with our Father and savor everlasting life.

            Affirmation: You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross (Colossians 2:13-15). 

            Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin.                       Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.  

                                                            Never Rest Ministries                   

Ignorant And Foolish People Are Watching Every Move You Make

                                                 When The Door Slam

If you explain these things to the brothers and sister, Timothy, you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed. Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives tales. Instead, Train yourself to be godly.             (1 Timothy 4:6-7 NLT)   

            It is important that you live your Christian faith sincerely, not just put on a show when you think people are watching. However, like it or not, people are watching you all the time and constantly judging whether you are living what you preach. This includes fellow believers and your own children. That's why Paul said, "Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity" (1Timothy 4:12). 

            Unbelievers are watching too-both the curious who are attracted to the Gospel and the antagonistic who are looking for an excuse to criticize the faith. Peter refers to them, saying, "It is God's will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you" (1 Peter 2:15). 

            Think about this: People are constantly watching true Christians. It can't be avoided. In fact, it's God's plan-one of His chief ways of letting the world see what the Gospel can do for a true believer. Jesus said that believers were the light of the world, a city set on a hilltop (raised up like a stage), where everyone could see them and think about them. 

            And people are especially watching you when you go through hardship, whether they are misfortunes, or illnesses, or persecution. Paul said, "God has displayed us...for we have been made a spectacle to the world" (1 Corinthians 4:9 NKJV). How you act when you are suffering communicates more effectively than a testimony.

            Affirmation: But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For "Who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But have the mind of Christ.                                                             (1 Corinthians 2:14-16 NKJV).     

           Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin.         Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.   

                                                    Never Rest 

Ministries               

Out Of The Darkness, A Bright Light Shone

                                                 When The Door Slams

Why is life given to a man whose past is hidden, whom God has hedged in? I sigh when food is put before me, and my groans pour out like water. For the thing I feared has overtaken me, and what I dreaded has happened to me. I cannot relax or be still; I have no rest, for trouble comes.                                                     (Job 3:23-26 HCSB)  

            No one is exempt from tragedy or disappointment--God himself was not exempt. Jesus offered no immunity, no way out of the unfairness, but rather a way through it to the other side. Just as Good Friday demolished the instinctive belief that life is supposed to be fair, Resurrection Sunday followed with its startling clue to the riddle of the universe. Out of the darkness, a bright light shone. 

            The primal desire for fairness dies hard, and it should. Who among us does not sometimes yearn for more justice in this world here and now? Secretly, I yearn for a world "fault proof" against disappointment, a world where my Blogs page will always find acceptance and my body does not grow old and weak.....But if I stake my faith on such a fault-proof earth, my faith will let me down. Even the greatest of miracles do not resolve the problems of this earth: all people who find physical healing eventually die. 

            Think about this: We need more than miracles. We need a new heaven and a new earth, and until we have those, unfairness will not disappear.....The Cross of Christ may have overcome evil, but it did not overcome unfairness. For that, Resurrection is required. Someday, God will restore all physical healings to its proper place under His reign. Until then, it is a good thing to remember that we live out our day on Resurrection Saturday.                                     (Read: Mark 15:27-47; 16:1-20)

           Confession: When it was noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Mark 15:33-34).                          

            Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin.                        Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

                                                   Never Rest Minister

It Takes Great Faith To Believe That God Is With You

                                                 When The Door Slams

Because of my adversaries, show me Your way, LORD, and lead me on a level path. Do not give me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing violence. I am certain that I will see the LORD's goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait for the LORD.              (Psalm 27:11-14 HCSB)  

            There will be points in your life when you are utterly incapable of affecting the outcome of a situation you find yourself in. At times like this, you have no choice but to wait for the Lord and trust Him to act. Often, it then takes great faith to believe that God is with you, because He might seem very distant or He has turned away from you. This is why Isaiah said, "I will wait on the LORD, who hides His face from the house of Jacob; and I will hope in Him" (Isaiah 8:17 NKJV). 

            If you have sinned and disobeyed the Lord, chances are good that He actually has turned His face from you and is not listening to your prayers (Isaiah 59:1-2). But if you have sincerely repented, then there are no longer any issues between you, and you simply have to believe that God loves you and will act on your behalf.

            Think about this: This takes faith. You might go through a time of testing just like Job, who was convinced for several months that God was against him. During such lonely sojourns, you must trust God's Word, not your feelings, and believe that "the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him" (Psalm 103:17 KJV). 

            This can be a difficult time, and what will sustain you is the knowledge that God is good and He will eventually come through for you and resolve the situation.

            Confession: I had heard rumors about You, but now my eyes have seen You. Therefore I take back my words and repent in dust and ashes (Job 42:5-6 HCSB).  

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

                                                    Never Rest Ministries              

Wherever The Light Is, The darkness Tries To Put It Out

                                                 When The Door Slams

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man' I put aside childish things. For now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known. Now three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.                                                                                                                      (1 Corinthian 13:11-13 HCSB)

            What accounts for all the anger and horror in the world around us? Where are the angels? Can they come if we refuse to believe in them? What accounts for the darkness in human hearts as the world becomes more and more secular? Why are people turning to drugs for comfort rather than to the Light of Love? I don't know the answers to these questions. But I do know that wherever the light is, the darkness tries to snuff it out. 

            Perhaps all the terrible things that are happening are, indeed, a sign that the Spirit of Love is MIA, that more and more of us are turning to this ferocious power who pushes us into doing what we don't think we can do, who gives us courage we never dreamed we had. I take the devil and his crafty plans seriously indeed. One thing which we can count on the devil to do is to take the original good which God created, and try to make something ugly out of it. Sometimes he succeeds--though that does not make the original good any less good. There are people today who play with the powers of love, who take them trivially, who seek easy answers. 

            Think about this: There are no easy answers, but I think we need to be aware that if we deny the world beyond the world of technology and provable fact, we do to our own pitfall. "The miracles of Jesus were the ordinary works of His Father, wrought small and swift that we might take them in." 

            Affirmation: Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or anguish or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: Because of You we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered                                           (Romans 8:35-36). 

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness     

                                                    Never Rest Ministries 

Our Faith Or Unbelief Is Determined By Our Understanding

                                                When The Door Slams

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrew 4:14-16 NIV)      

            Our faith or unbelief is determined by what we understand. Few of us realize the effect of our spoken word on our own hearts or on our adversary. The adversary hears us when we profess failure, sickness, and the lack of finances, apparently he doesn't forget; and we unconsciously go down to the level of our own understanding. No one ever rises above it. If you confess sickness, it develops sickness in your system. If you confess doubt, the doubts become stronger. If you confess the lack of finances, it stops the money from coming in. You say, "I can't understand this." No. Because most of us live in a paradox realm and spiritual things are very indistinct.

            Hebrews 4:14 must become a constant reality: "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our  confession "(NKJV). Our confession is that the Word cannot be broken, that what the Father says is true. When we doubt the Father, we are doubting His Word. When we doubt His Word, it is because we believe something else that is contrary to that Word. Our confidence may be in the arm of the flesh; it may be in medicine; it may be in institutions; but whatever our confidence is in, if it contradicts the Word, it destroys our faith life. It destroys our prayers. It brings us again into bondage.

            Think about this: Every person who walks by faith will have testing's. They do not come from the Father; they come from the Adversary. He is refusing to allow you to escape him. You become dangerous to the Adversary when you become strong enough to resist him--when you have learned to trust in the ability of the Father to meet your every need. When that becomes a reality in your consciousness, the Adversary is defeated. 

            But as long as he can confuse the issue and keep you in a state of flux, you are at a disadvantage. May your confidence in the Word be strengthened to give you wisdom to know that no Word from God is void of power or can go by default. There is no power in all the universe to void one statement of fact in His Word. Your confidence is in the unbroken, living Word, and as you hold fast to your faith in the face of every assault of the enemy.

            Affirmation: The LORD said to me, "You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled." The word of the LORD came to me again: "What do you see?" (Jeremiah 1:12-13 NIV)            

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                    Never Rest Ministries 

The Main Tactic Of The Enemy Is Deception

                                     When The Door Slams

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:10-11 NIV)  

            We are not to be ignorant of the Devil's Tactics. We can overcome all the schemes of the devil. The devil is a schemer. A scheme is a plan, design, or program of action. The Bible talks about the wiles of the devil (Eph. 6:11) A wile is a trick or a trap. A trap is a snare. 

            Warfare involves tactics and strategies. The greatest generals are great tacticians and strategies. You cannot win without a strategy. Don't allow the enemy to strategize against you. Overcome and destroy his strategies through prayer. Traps and snares are hidden. People fall into traps unknowing. We are delivered from the snare of the fowler. A fowler is a hunter. Satan is the hunter of souls. We can release ourselves and others through prayer. 

            The main tactic of the enemy is deception. He is a liar and the father of lies. The Word of God exposes the tactics of the enemy. God is light, and His Word is light. The light exposes the enemy and tears down the darkness. 

            Multitudes of people are deceived by the enemy. There are hosts of lying and deceiving spirits that work under the authority of Satan. These spirits include delusion, deception, lying, seducing, blinding, error, and guile. Our praying can strip the power of these deceiving spirits and cause the eyes of people to be opened.

            David struggles were with natural enemies. Behind these natural enemies were spiritual ones that were opposed to the Davidic kingdom. Jesus was to come from this line and and sit upon this throne. David was fighting something beyond the natural. Through the Holy Spirit he was contending with the powers of darkness that were set against the arrival of the kingdom of God.

             The powers were also manifested through Herod, who attempted to kill the coming Messiah. Herod was driven by spirits of fear and murder. He was used by Satan to attempt to abort the coming kingdom. However, the Holy Spirit had already been loosed through the prayers of David, and Throne were secure. 

            Think about this: Many of these warfare prayers are taken from the psalms of David. Jesus is the Son of David. He sits on the throne of David's prophetic prayers were weapons against the enemy's attempt to stop the promised seed. David's victories in prayer opened the way for his throne to continue. The throne of wickedness was unable to overcome the throne of righteousness.

            David consumed his enemies (Ps. 18:37-40). He did not turn until they were destroyed . We must see our spiritual enemies completely destroyed. We must pursue the enemy. To pursue mean "to follow in order to overtake of capture." It means "to chase with hostile intent." We cannot be passive when it comes to warfare.

             Affirmation: The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker. (2 Samuel 3:1)

Ask the Holly Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.   

                                                    Never Rest Ministries                              

                 

They Conquered The Devil With Words

                                                When The Door Slams 

            This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. The seed along the path are those who have heard and then the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the seed on the rock are those who, when they hear, welcome the word with joy. Having no root, these believe for a while and depart in a time of testing. As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life, and produce no mature fruit.                                        (Luke 8:11-14 HCSB) 

            Few of us realize that our faith imprisons us. The right kind of faith will set us free. It is not only our thinking; it is our words, our conversation, that builds power or weakness into us. Our words are the understanding in the kingdom of faith. Our words snare us and hold us in captivity or they set us free and become powerful in the lives of others. It is what we confess with our lips that really dominates our inner beings. We unconsciously confess what we believe. If we talk sickness, it is because we believe in sickness. If we talk weakness and failure, it is because we believe in weakness and failure.

            We get in the habit of confessing our weakness, and our faith adds to the strength of our weakness. We confess our lack of faith, and we are filled with doubts. When we realize that we will never rise above our faith, we are getting to the place where God can really begin to use us. We confess that by His stripes we are healed; when we hold fast to our faith, no disease can stand before you. 

            Whether you realize it or not, you are sowing  spiritual words, just as Jesus said in Luke 8:11: "The seed is the word of God." The Sower went forth to sow, and the seed he was sowing was the Word of God. This is the seed we should sow. It is when we confess the Word of God, and declare with emphasis that" by His stripes I am healed" or "my God supplies every need of mine," and hold fast to our faith that we will see deliverance. The politician and religious leaders are sowing negative seeds of fear and doubt.  

            Our words sow faith or doubt in others Revelation 12:11 declares, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony." They overcame him with the Word of God that was in their testimony. They conquered the Devil with words.

            Think about this: Most of the sick that Jesus healed during His ministry were healed with words. God created the universe with words: faith-filled words. Jesus said, "Your faith has made you well" (Matthew 9:22). His word raised the dead. Satan is overcome by words; he is whipped by words. Our lips become the means of transportation of God's deliverance from heaven to man's need here on earth. We use God's Word. We whisper "In Jesus name, demon, come out of him." Jesus said, "In My name you will cast out demons; in My name you will lay hands on the sick and they shall recover" (read Mark 16:17). 

            Affirmation: But the seed in the good ground--these are the ones who, having heard the word with an honest and good heart, hold on to it and by enduring, bear fruit (Luke 8:15).  

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.                                   

                                                            Never Rest Ministries

Defiance, Resistance, Violence, And Retaliation Are Now "The American Way."

                                                 When The Door Slams

In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.                                            (1 Peter 5:5-7 NLT). 

            God speaks clearly of the evil, the wickedness of falsely accusing another person, of giving untrue testimony on the stand in court, of lying or twisting or exaggerating so-called "facts" into misrepresenting the truth.....

            The American way is a talk-back, fight-back, get-even society that is ready to resist--and sue--at the slightest provocation. Instead of the obedient Minute Man representing our national image, a new statue with a curled upper lip, an open mouth screaming obscenities, and both fists in the air could better describe out times. Defiance, resistance, violence, and retaliation are now our "Style."

            Those leaders who break the commandment in this way are every bit as committed to a life of crime as the other varieties professional thieves and bandits. There are so many ways to get money by having people give false testimonies that we stumble over new ones day by day. We need the Ten Commandments as a measuring stick to see where we may be tempted to simply shrug our shoulders and ride with the tide with an attitude of, "What does it matter, we can't do anything about it anyway!"

            Think about this: I fully realize there are times when resistance is needed. We would not be a free nation had we not fought for our liberty. Furthermore, the lawless would rule over the righteous if we allowed ourselves to be walked on, stolen from, and otherwise taken advantage of. There are times when there must be resistance and a strong determination to defend one's rights.... My concern is the obvious erosion of respect for needed and fair authority...the lack of submission toward who should be over us, who earn and deserve our cooperation. A man can never be the same after hearing God's truth spoken in the power of God's Holy Spirit; he will either obey and go forward, or ignore and die a little each day.  

            Instead, there is a growing independence, a stubborn defiance against any authority that attempts to criticize, correct, or even caution. No one can deny that this self-centered rebellion is on the rise. My desire is that we see the difference, then respond correctly to God-given authority with an attitude of true humility, the mentality mentioned in the New Testament modeled so beautifully by Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 5:6-7). 

            Affirmation: You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1: 8-9).

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

                                                Never Rest Ministries

True Believers Of Christ Have Found The Secret Of Life

                                                 When The Door Slams

For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, In his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.                                                                                                                  (Ephesians 2:14-16 NLT)

            The struggle we have with a holy God is rooted in the conflict between God's righteousness and our unrighteousness. He is just and we are unjust. This tension creates fear, hostility and anger within us toward God. The unjust person does not desire the company of a just judge. We are at war with Him unless or until we are justified. The religious and unjust go to church every Sunday but there is no true repentance. Only the justified person can be comfortable in the presence of a holy God.

            The Apostle Paul sets forth immediate benefits--fruits of justification. In...Romans he explains what happens to us when we are justified, when we are covered by righteousness of Christ that is by faith: "Since we have been made right with God by our faith, we have peace with God. This happened through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has brought us into that blessing of God's grace that we now enjoy. And we are happy because of the hope we have of sharing God's glory" (Romans 5:1-2).

            Think about this: The first fruit of our justification is peace with God. To the ancient jew peace was a precious, but elusive commodity. The present-day turmoil in the Mid-East seems like a replay. Every time they get close to finding the peace found only in Christ, Satan steers them away. Blinds them. He throws up a smoke screen. He bluffs them. And they miss it! But true Christians have found it--forever! We have found the secret of life.

            "The unjust don't know how to live in peace," the apostle Paul says concerning the human race (Romans 3:17). As we look around, we find that there is little personal, domestic, social, economic or political peace anywhere. Why? Because we all have the seeds of suspicion and violence, of hatred and destruction within us. 

            Peace can be experienced only when we have received divine pardon. When we have been reconciled to God and when we have repentance within, with our fellow man and especially with God...Christ has made peace with God for us and is Himself our peace. If by faith we accept Him, we are justified by God and can realize the inner serenity that can come to man through no other means.

           Affirmation: He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far from him, peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come the the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us (Ephesians 3: 17-18). 

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.                       

With It, We Survive And Conquer, And God Is Glorified

                                       When The Door Slams

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.                                                                                       (Galatians 6:7-10 NIV).  

            Maybe we have come to expect too much too soon in our lives. We microwave our meals, speed-dial our cellphones, download and upload all our devices on the internet. Fast and faster, still not enough. We have become accustomed to instantaneous results. But instant breakfast is one thing; I don't believe we can expect instant gratification and instant fulfillment in our lives. In spite of what they show you on television, there is no quick fix between info commercial breaks. You must have patience and engage in persistent action toward making your dream become a reality. 

            When they don't see instant results, many people become discouraged with their dreams and goals. They become impatient. And I believe many of them walk away from their dreams just as they are about to break through and flourish. You must have patience. Your time is going to come if you work diligently and faithfully. It don't matter if no one else recognizes that. It matters only that you see it and have the patience to wait for it. 

            Without it, we stumble and fall. And God is grieved. Because life is a task, we need strength to face it, not speed to run from it. When the foundation shakes, when Christian leaders and friends--even the religious leaders--are immoral and falling into apostasy, when the bottom drops out and brutal blows attempt to pound us into the corner of doubt and unbelief, we need what perseverance offers: willingness to accept whatever comes, strength to face it head on, determination to stand firm, and insight to see the Lord's hand in it all.

            Think about this: I can't imagine a better picture of the race of life. Winning is not simply a matter of coming in first; it depends as much on finishing the run with the light inside us still burning bright. That light is a gentle and quiet spirit, full of peace and hope, which stays alive even when darkness closes in all about us.

            Affirmation: You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, "In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay." And, "But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back." But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved. (Hebrews 10:36-38 NIV)   

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness  

       

                                                     Never Rest Ministries