A good friend and mentor in my life used to make
this statement when he would minister, “It’s what you learn after you know it
all that counts.” That is so very
true. In life, you should always
be learning and always be growing.
After all, if growth stops you will find that decay will set in to your
life. It’s vital in our walk with
the Lord that we are growing!
Jesus told us to seek the Kingdom.
Matthew 6:33 (New Living Translation) “Seek
the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you
everything you need.”
The Amplified Bible reads, “But seek (aim at and strive after) first of
all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and
then all these things taken together will be given you besides.”
We should desire strength in our lives. The Lord is our strength in all things. We always grow stronger as we are
seeking after the Lord. Even in
our struggles, in the hard and dark places, we always will find peace, joy, and
victory as we seek Him.
Isaiah 26:9
”With
my soul I have desired You in
the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; For when Your
judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.”
We need to remember what Proverbs 10:24 says, in the Amplified Bible (AMP) "The thing a wicked man fears shall
come upon him, but the desire of the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall be
granted."
What you dwell on can be a powerful force in your
life, in your thoughts and in the words you speak. It can drive your emotions and push your flesh to react in
bad and totally wrong ways.
The other day the Lord reminded me
of an episode of The Andy Griffith Show. When ole Barney would get all worked
up and flustered with Andy, he would say things like, "Nip it! Nip it
in the bud!" Or, "Tick a lock Ange! Tick! Tick a
lock!" Our attitude always will determine our altitude, spiritually
and naturally.
James 1:4 says, "But let
patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete,
lacking nothing."
Sometimes our flesh can be
uncomfortable, but you’d better "Nip it!" and you’d better, "Tick
a lock!" Don't you allow the
work of patience that is being worked in you, to be undone by circumstances and
outside influences. The enemy wants you to complain and say the wrong things.
But YOU need to speak the Word to the mountain. YOU need to speak
the Word to the circumstance. And in PRAYER, speak the Word regarding any thing
and everything and not what you think is happening. Let the Lord do the work. You relax in Him! Flesh is deceiving. The Lord
wants you perfect and complete, lacking nothing. There are things going
on that you cannot see. Don't tear it down. You can't get across the
river by kicking the rocks that you are suppose to use to get to the other
side.
One of our missionaries wrote,
“Remember, if the going is real easy, we need to beware that we may be headed
down hill. There's always free cheese in the mouse traps, but the mice ain't
happy there.”
There are times in which I find myself “between a
rock and hard place.” When I do, I
remind myself of three simple things that really reset my compass. Make a note of them and allow them to
speak to you and reset your compass.
I call these points:
The
Three Things I Have Learned In Life So Far
1.
This is the day the Lord has made – make the most of it.
The Bible says, in Psalm 118:24
”This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”
It’s HIS DAY!
He told you to rejoice and be glad! He didn’t say to be a whiner or a complainer. He said it’s HIS DAY, you rejoice and
be glad!
In Psalm 34:8
it
says, “Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge
in him!”
You’ll always be better off reminding yourself of
His goodness and His promises rather than your trouble.
2.
God is smarter than I am.
Stop and think here. There are over 7 billion people on the earth and only one
with my fingerprint. God made you
special and unique. Get it
in your head that He’s watching over you.
Jesus said in Luke 12:7, “And the very hairs on your head are
all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole
flock of sparrows.”
He’s got it together. His
blood was shed. You are the
redeemed. He has whatever you
think is so huge and overwhelming, under control. Jesus told us
in Matthew 6:25-31, “25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about
everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to
wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look
at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your
heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they
are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your
life? 28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the
lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet
Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if
God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into
the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little
faith? 31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What
will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These
things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already
knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously,
and he will give you everything you need. “
And lastly,
3.
Jesus has whooped the devil.
The real fight is in your mind and heart. It’s the
flesh versus the spirit. Colossians 2:15 says that Jesus, “…spoiled
principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly,
triumphing over them in it.
Ephesians 1:19-23 tells us about Jesus, “19 and
what is the exceeding greatness
of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power
20 which
He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly
places, 21 far
above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is
named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He
put all things under His feet,
and gave Him to be head over
all things to the church, 23 which
is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”
Jesus whooped the devil. Whooped him!
Won the victory! He put the
enemy under His feet and Jesus gave that victory to you! He made you MORE than a conqueror. He could have just made you a
conqueror. That’s pretty
good. But the Bible says in Romans
8:37 that He made you MORE THAN a conqueror.
Always remember that you have the will of God
before you all the time. His Word
is His will. Believe it and speak
it. When things come in on your
thought life, remember to do what 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “Casting
down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of
Christ.”
Amen!
Prayer:
Father, I choose to believe YOU.
I choose to believe YOUR WORD.
I cast down the wrong thoughts and imaginations that try to pull me down
and cause me to whine and complain.
I choose to believe and speak good things. I choose to walk in the victory that YOU bought, paid for,
and won for me. Amen!
