My child, I will give you the Keys of the Kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. You are My church and My bride, and it’s not by might or by power but by My Spirit that you rule and reign in the midst of your enemies.
Matthew 16:19 Zechariah 4:6
My child, the same power that raised Jesus from the grave lives in you. My Spirit is able to accomplish what you can’t. Always be ready to hear My voice and do what I tell you. I am speaking to you and showing you My plan for your life. I have not called you to a life of mediocrity. I came that you would have life, and have it abundantly.
Romans 8:11 John 10:27 John 10:10
Being born again to become that “new creature” in Christ, in no way shields us from being confronted with the power of sin. There it is, even though we are now joined to God in this powerful new relationship. This is a rude awakening for us all once we’ve gotten past the initial exhilaration of being saved.
As we attempt to move forward in our Christian walk, the resurgence of sin is a bewildering source of sorrow. But we shouldn’t be surprised by the fact that sin crops up once again. Rather, we should expect it.
We yearn mightily to be free once and for all from the power of sin. The Church has wrestled with this issue down through the centuries, most times implementing a regimen of works and sacraments in an attempt to conquer it. But it’s impractical to think that such a strategy might actually work because this merely employs a Band-Aid approach; it treats the symptoms rather than attacking the root of the problem.
Nevertheless, we try and try. Yet just when we begin to believe that it might be possible to gain an upper hand over sin through works or willpower, corruption involving sex or greed is uncovered in another of our prominent leaders, highlighting our own inadequacies and serving to dash our hopes that we can ever truly change. Obviously not all Church leaders are given to the practice of secret sin, but those whose sin has been aired publicly serve as a wake-up call for the rest of us. Somehow we instinctively know that, “but by the grace of God, there go I.”
My child, start calling things that are not as if they already are. Pray My Word with power and authority. I have overcome the evil one and I desire My bride to walk in My power, My authority and My love. Be bold, My child. Go out in the power that I have equipped you with.
Romans 4:17
I’m reading a book that mentions another book by Deborah Norville called “Thank you Power” Making the Science of Gratitude Work for You. In it she tells a story about a man named David, who found himself discouraged. He had moved to Manhattan with high hopes of landing a well-paying job and living in a nice apartment, only to end up with a meager salary as an assistant and living with a friend because he couldn’t afford a place of his own.
One Saturday morning, while out on a job assignment, David decided to start counting things that made him happy. He started by smiling at the sight of a mother walking her baby, then realized seeing a jet make its way across the sky made him happy. He noticed fabulous aromas from cafes he passed and enjoyed bright, colorful displays in store windows. By the time he completed his assignment, he was once again happy-and he was actually thankful he had moved to New York.
More than twenty years later, David is a successful entrepreneur, but he’s never forgotten the day that turned his life around–the day he learned about the power of being thankful.
Get out a piece of paper right now and start listing things you have to be thankful for. Keep the list and add to it frequently. Make it a point to think about the things that you’re grateful for when you’re out and about. You can only learn the “power of thank you” by practicing it.
excerpt from Joyce Meyer’s “Power Thought” book.
Happy Thanksgiving!
As a matter of course, man without God is drawn into the world system made ever more powerful at the direction of demonic powers. Here we find those who have worked their way into positions of advantage (power), aiding and abetting the enslavement of their fellow men. Though the conflicts and challenges we experience in life may seem on the surface to be with people themselves, ultimately our struggle is against Satan himself as he goes about manipulating us through the world system he has developed and refined.
We dare not forget what Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12: “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Now it’s not hard to see how such captivity can happen to those who have little or no knowledge of God.(Ephesians 4:19) But what about those of us who have come to know, love and serve God? What is the effect of this powerful world system on our lives? The truth is that its impact is clearly oppressive for us as well. So we would be foolish to think that we could remain untouched while living in a world infected by such sin.
Excerpted from: Free from the Power of Sin: The Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself
My child, I didn’t create you to go it alone here on earth. I created you to depend fully on Me. You can’t do what I’ve called you to do in your own strength. Only when you are surrendered to Me and allow Me to work through you will you experience My Power and My Holy Spirit working. Die to self and Live to Me.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil.
1 Corinthians 15:26 1 John 3:8 Hebrews 2:14
Do you suppose God might have known what the consequences of sin’s presence with us here on earth would be? Of course He did. God knew Adam, human as he was, would fall into sin. Standing outside of time, He sees the beginning and end of everything all at the same time. So how could He ever have imagined that things might turn out differently?
The only logical answer is that our confrontation with the power of sin is simply a part of His plan to bring His purpose for our lives to fruition. Yet this doesn’t mean that God has decided to tolerate sin. He detests sin, not only because it’s a personal affront to His goodness and holiness, but also because of its destructive power in people’s lives.
The lesson for all of us here is that tolerating sin in our own lives is simply unacceptable. Let’s forget the excuses, then, that sin is merely an inescapable part of life, and move on to the freedom God designed us for.
My child, today you have the opportunity to either believe Me or be fearful. The choice is yours. My desire is that you put your faith in Me and not fear. Fear is a powerful emotion, but with Me you can overcome it. You can say no to fear and live your life in faith, the way I designed you to live. You are in control of your choices. Think about this. Can you change the outcome if you decide to worry and fret? But if you resolve to trust Me, I will lead you through with My power and strength. Would you rather rely on your own or Mine? You choose.