I hate the devil. I hate what he does, what he stands for, how he destroys lives and how he uses the simplest of tricks to accomplish his deeds. I thoroughly hate the devil. it's the only time God will allow you to reference yourself as all other times it must be to Him. yet even then it is He that gives you that hate for the devil.
this past weekend was a milestone in the path of God's direction for my life. I made it public to my parents and church family that I have surrendered to God's calling to the mission field. do I know to where God has called me? the answer is yes... where ever He wants me. right now it's my hometown, the surrounding towns and the state. no place like home. but what many times we fail to realize is we are all called to be missionaries. if to no other place than our own hometown.
that's exactly the same place where the devil wants to stop you. see if he can stop you there then he knows you won't go where God wants you. this is no more evident than in Genesis 25:34 when Esau sold his birthright to his brother Jacob. and for what, a bowl of beans? no. he sold it to curb an appetite. one that could never be satisfied. and where did it happen? AT HOME! it wasn't at a conference in the next city, it wasn't in the next state and it wasn't in the Bahamas. it was at home. the exact place where the devil knew he could curb his appetite.
God has opened my eyes to see that I have a huge bullseye directly above me with the devil aimed and ready. and he's begun in my own comfort zone. exactly where he knows I can curb my appetite. so how will I make it to where God wants me? by realizing that, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power (II Timothy 1:7)” and relying on that,“Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (I John 4:4). that's why I hate the devil.
Showing posts with label timothy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label timothy. Show all posts
3/24/09
cast your crowns
II Perter 1:11
“For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
so to conclude; if we seek the Found, in thus Abound and find ourself on solid Ground in Christ we have the promise that once in Heaven our “entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly.” God is pleased every time one of His comes home. but those who have chosen to serve Him, and not self, those who learn to live the Found list, is more welcomed as they have already been talking with God down here on earth. it's as if a best friend is coming home to stay forever. those who live the Found list here also have more crowns, rewards, in heaven to cast at Jesus' feet. now how do we accomplish this task? John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” more of Him, less of me. everyday He must gain more of a square footage on my heart and I must submit more of it to Him.
if I obtain but one thing in life, let it be said that I was Spirit led.
cross reference verse: II Timothy 4:7 & 8.
“For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
so to conclude; if we seek the Found, in thus Abound and find ourself on solid Ground in Christ we have the promise that once in Heaven our “entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly.” God is pleased every time one of His comes home. but those who have chosen to serve Him, and not self, those who learn to live the Found list, is more welcomed as they have already been talking with God down here on earth. it's as if a best friend is coming home to stay forever. those who live the Found list here also have more crowns, rewards, in heaven to cast at Jesus' feet. now how do we accomplish this task? John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” more of Him, less of me. everyday He must gain more of a square footage on my heart and I must submit more of it to Him.
if I obtain but one thing in life, let it be said that I was Spirit led.
cross reference verse: II Timothy 4:7 & 8.
3/15/09
stirring up the gift
I love Christmas. I love the lights, the noise, the smell, and the good cheer. sure some of it could be the excess but mainly it comes down to family. getting that opportunity to spend time with the ones you love. now as a child it wasn't the family that I loved unless they were giving me a gift. especially when it came to my brothers. the only opportunity I took then was to sneak over to the tree and shake those gifts that had my name on them. true it never told me what was in the box as it only moved the gift around, but I felt I had a pretty good clue before my dad walked in on me.
today God is beginning to shake up another gift. one that I laid down years ago and chose to walk away from. a gift I didn't particularly want but was given none the less. II Timothy 1:6 states, “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.” Preaching. I used to love it, used to do it and truly enjoyed being used by God while doing so. but I removed that mantle that God had placed on me years ago and chose to live for self. now as He teaches me to obey Him He is re-gifting it back. do I accept? verse 7 is the answer, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
the only way I can accept this gift is to whole-heartedly allow Him to live through me. accept the God-given power to preach what He gives me and trust Him to change the hearts of those receiving the message. it is humbling to realize that God wants me to finish what He has started. especially when I don't believe I am worthy. but as the pieces of God's puzzle come together one can only give Him the glory as it is only God that makes the pieces fit.
II Timothy 4:2 "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine."
today God is beginning to shake up another gift. one that I laid down years ago and chose to walk away from. a gift I didn't particularly want but was given none the less. II Timothy 1:6 states, “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.” Preaching. I used to love it, used to do it and truly enjoyed being used by God while doing so. but I removed that mantle that God had placed on me years ago and chose to live for self. now as He teaches me to obey Him He is re-gifting it back. do I accept? verse 7 is the answer, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
the only way I can accept this gift is to whole-heartedly allow Him to live through me. accept the God-given power to preach what He gives me and trust Him to change the hearts of those receiving the message. it is humbling to realize that God wants me to finish what He has started. especially when I don't believe I am worthy. but as the pieces of God's puzzle come together one can only give Him the glory as it is only God that makes the pieces fit.
II Timothy 4:2 "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine."
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