Uplifting Insights

Saturday, June 24, 2017

Dressed For Battle

Ephesians 6:11-18

Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

These are powerful scriptures in that they give a clear picture of the powerful forces believers are fighting against. Evilness begins in the spirit realm and then manifests themselves in the natural.

Therefore, God being love and made provisions for man would leave us defenseless in a sinful world. God knew that man is powerless against sin; therefore, He dressed believers in the necessary battle armour to be successful in this spiritual warfare. Take note of the weaponry, and they are: truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation all are defensive except one, which is the sword of the Spirit-the Bible. We are encouraged to pray always because prayer is our close communication with God and when Satan sees believers praying he knows there is a close connection between the believer and God.

Let me encourage all to wear your body armour proudly because it is of God with victory written all over it, and then commence to wheel your sword, take the fight to Satan and his army even in high places.

We are victorious warrior because Christ defeated Satan at the cross of Calvary and now we can sing Victory is mine; I told Satan get thee behind me; because victory is mine.

We welcome your comments.

Author's contacts:

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

An Assured Hope

Psalm 34:18-19

The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

If the question was raised, why are you talking about hope? It is because our nation is in chaos. It appears as if wrong have replaced right and there seem to be no end in sight. Lies are everywhere and the truth seems to have disappeared from the minds and hearts of man. Let me assure all truth is still the truth and will resurface as never before and all men will hunger for the truth.

Another school of thought on hope is that many in the faith community and others are calling on the name of the Lord while knowing that our true hope rests in the Lord. In God's own time He will bring all this foolishness to an abrupt end. I and many others across this nation have been praying for a healing of this nation (2 Chronicles 7:14) with assurances that God will answer our prayers.

It is noteworthy to say as I interact across social media I am seeing more and more inspirational postings. What this tells me is that people realize that yes there is a God who is supreme and is in control. He allows situations to occur to get our attention. Our nation's current situation is no exception, but the end is near as there are many who still hold to the truth and believe it is right to do what is right.

Another thought is that all of us are not shame to tell the world of our faith and where our true hope is-Jesus Christ.

Let me close by saying, our assured hope is in Jesus Christ as we take the fight to Satan who is wearing three piece suits (Ephesians 6:11-18). Let's stay involved as we continue the fight because the battle is already won. Satan, you have to flee.

We welcome your comments.

Author's contacts:

Monday, June 5, 2017

Obedience

Acts 5:29

Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, we ought to obey God rather than men.

Growing up as a child I often heard the phrase, "obedience is better than sacrifice"; I learned the true meaning of this phrase and as I matured in my faith it became more meaningful to me. What my mother was teaching me was to obey her and God's laws instead of what man may say. This teaching is supported by scripture as noted above.

Early in my teaching career, I taught Critical Thinking, which incorporated the philosophy of obedience because life is about choice and when one make an unwise choice it has consequences whereas making a wise choice there is a reward. It is wise to give thought to a decision or action before making either. God has laws that are given for our benefit and are to be obeyed. There are civil laws that are to be obeyed and when broken there are consequences, but when man's laws contradict God's laws then His laws is what we should follow.

Therefore, Peter's sound advice to his audience then and for generations to come has a profound effect when followed. This is because God is supreme and knows all. His ways are best as is His thoughts are far better than those of man.

We are to live holy unto God and obedience is the beginning to holy living.

Comments are welcomed.

Author's contacts:

Courage

Psalm 31:24

Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

If we were to define courage it could be defined as being brave and having valor or the ability to stand strong in the face of a storm.

The writer of this Psalm encourages all to be of good courage because on this faith journey we will face storms in our lives that look like giants. The Psalmist also state that the Lord God will give us the strength we need to stand firm and strong. This is because our hope is in the Lord who is an assured hope. It is in Christ that our anchor holds.

The Bible records instances where the victor displayed courage, such as David when he faced the giant Goliath with noting more than a sling shot and three stones, which represented the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. David needed only one rock which can be representative of the Godhead.

The three Hebrew boys and Daniel showed courage, faith and valor in their situation and place all their hope and faith in the Lord. They were delivered and their testimony lives forever providing encouragement for others in all generations.

These questions come to mind, how courageous are you in the face of extreme adversity? Do you have enough hope in the Lord believing that He will provide the strength you need in every situation?

Deuteronomy 3:16 encourages all to " Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, He [it is] that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."

Comments are welcome

Author's contacts:

www.goodshepherdwritingandoublishing.com

Friday, June 2, 2017

A Daily Walk With God Through Prayer

Nehemiah 1:1-12

And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven. And said, I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love Him and observe His commandments.

In light of the sinful conditions this world is in I felt the need to remind all that we stand tallest on our knees. This is our daily walk with God through prayer as He hears and answer. We know that When God's people pray and or come together in prayer God hears and answer. That being said, we need a spiritual revival because of the sinful conditions facing our world. We are witnessing all manner of wickedness worldwide. The church is being persecuted in foreign countries to the point that many are being murdered for worshiping Christ and many are being imprisoned for the same reason. In this country, it appears as if God's people are being overtaken by sin and there seems to be no stopping it, but be encouraged sin and Satan is a defeated foe.

These conditions bring into focus 2 Chronicles 7:14, which states, if my people, which are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

All this week there has been a national call for prayer and as we come together in prayer as well as praying individually God hears and answers. Prayer has been and continues to be an integral part of believers lives the world over. Prayers of the righteous availeth much (James 5:16).

Keep praying, keep believing, because God is moving and it is being witnessed through nature. A healing is on the way.

Comments are welcome.

Author's contacts: