When life and the people in your life let you down, Jesus lifts you up! Do you believe that is true? I do, with everything in me.
Events in your life and the people in your life will eventually disappoint you and probably more than once--there's just no avoiding it. We live in a fallen world. This world is being controlled by the evil one until Jesus returns. John 15:9 says "We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." The Bible makes Satan's dominance of Earth very clear from these and other passages. Satan is the Prince of this World.-- make no mistake about it. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us to be on the alert: "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." Ephesians 6:10-17 is one of the most famous Bible phrases of all time, about putting on the Armor of God to shield yourself from the dark forces in this world.
" 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. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand, Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
Shield yourself from Satan and his lies with the Armor of God!
So, what does that mean to you and me? If you are a Christian, Satan is not your Lord, however he is still out there and you have to guard your mind and heart against him and his evil ways.You need to put on the Armor of God to shield yourself from the evil one. Not always easy because he is right there all the time. He just loves to trip up believers and pull them away from their love of the Lord. He is the father of lies and he can be very crafty and talk you in to believing that your actions are of God, when they are NOT!
If you don't know the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, it means you are especially vulnerable to Satan's trickery and lies. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says of unbelievers: "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." If you don't want to be blinded by Satan and his lies, surrender your life to Jesus, NOW.
If you're having a down time, like we all do and I did last week, don't turn to the world or it's evil ways to relieve your stress because it really won't help you. Drowning yourself in drugs and alcohol, or doing something silly like cheating on your spouse to hurt them because they've hurt you, or going on a big shopping spree that you can' t afford, or maybe having a pig out of ice cream or other things that you think will alleviate your pain, or lashing out at the person who hurt you in anger: none of these things are not going to do the trick to stop your real pain.
All of these are just quick fixes to make you feel better, and then what will you do? And the damage that you can do to yourself or the people you love can be hard to repair. You are still left with the same old problem staring you right in the face after your initial "quick fix."
Jesus is the ONLY answer to any of your problems. Jesus and His forgiving love are the only ways to fix anything that is broken in your life. Jesus is truly that only One that can ever "lift you up!" Can't you see it? Can't you see that His love and His mercy and grace, which He so easily gives to those who repent and turn from the sin, are the only things that can save any situation you might find yourself in? He is there and He is ready to save you from your sin and the circumstances you are in!
When things seem impossible to you, that is when God steps in and says "WAIT!" Matthew 29:26 says " Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Everything is possible with the one who holds the Universe in His hands.That little problem that is consuming your every thought is already thought of and settled in the Lord's mind.
Events in your life and the people in your life will eventually disappoint you and probably more than once--there's just no avoiding it. We live in a fallen world. This world is being controlled by the evil one until Jesus returns. John 15:9 says "We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." The Bible makes Satan's dominance of Earth very clear from these and other passages. Satan is the Prince of this World.-- make no mistake about it. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us to be on the alert: "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." Ephesians 6:10-17 is one of the most famous Bible phrases of all time, about putting on the Armor of God to shield yourself from the dark forces in this world.
Satan is real and he is the father of lies!
" 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. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand, Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
So, what does that mean to you and me? If you are a Christian, Satan is not your Lord, however he is still out there and you have to guard your mind and heart against him and his evil ways.You need to put on the Armor of God to shield yourself from the evil one. Not always easy because he is right there all the time. He just loves to trip up believers and pull them away from their love of the Lord. He is the father of lies and he can be very crafty and talk you in to believing that your actions are of God, when they are NOT!
If you don't know the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, it means you are especially vulnerable to Satan's trickery and lies. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says of unbelievers: "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." If you don't want to be blinded by Satan and his lies, surrender your life to Jesus, NOW.
If you're having a down time, like we all do and I did last week, don't turn to the world or it's evil ways to relieve your stress because it really won't help you. Drowning yourself in drugs and alcohol, or doing something silly like cheating on your spouse to hurt them because they've hurt you, or going on a big shopping spree that you can' t afford, or maybe having a pig out of ice cream or other things that you think will alleviate your pain, or lashing out at the person who hurt you in anger: none of these things are not going to do the trick to stop your real pain.
All of these are just quick fixes to make you feel better, and then what will you do? And the damage that you can do to yourself or the people you love can be hard to repair. You are still left with the same old problem staring you right in the face after your initial "quick fix."
Jesus is the ONLY answer to any of your problems. Jesus and His forgiving love are the only ways to fix anything that is broken in your life. Jesus is truly that only One that can ever "lift you up!" Can't you see it? Can't you see that His love and His mercy and grace, which He so easily gives to those who repent and turn from the sin, are the only things that can save any situation you might find yourself in? He is there and He is ready to save you from your sin and the circumstances you are in!
Jesus is already there
and aware of what you are going thru~~
Our job is to trust and obey. Every hurt, every disappointment He knows about and He can help you through it with His love and forgiveness. But, you have to be willing to put it in His hands and "lay it down at the foot of the Cross" knowing that He is in control of your life. That's often the hard part, because it's not easy for us to forgive people we believe did us wrong. But that is an absolute necessity if you want Jesus to lift you up!
Matthew 18:21-22 reminds us how God wants us to forgive: "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."
Last week, someone "wronged me", by insinuating that I was a hypocrite. I was insulted and discouraged to say the least. I wrote a big long blog about how I had been wronged. As I've had time to think about it this week, I realize through prayer and the counsel of friends that I need to forgive that person. I realize that just because someone else thinks I may not be acting like a woman of God, doesn't mean a thing. I am strong in my love of the Lord, and I know that and so does Jesus, my Savior. Then this morning my devotional was about serving the Lord, and how our service should be about glorifying God and not about us. "Well put" I thought, forget about me and keep serving the Lord and that is exactly what I plan on doing, regardless of what one person or 100 people say about me. I felt like the Lord was talking right to me. My life and my service are about Jesus, not me! I am praying for the person that hurt me and will continue to do so.
I know I am spreading Jesus' love through my writing and glorifying God and that is all that should matter to me and I realize now that is all that does matter to me. Thanks for the wake up call from the Lord and from my friends. One last thought and one last verse from Matthew 5:11 about persecution for Jesus's sake: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." Enough said. I will carry on in His Name until I draw my last breath.
My verses for today are above in red.
My prayer for today:
Dear Heavenly Father:
Thank you for opening my eyes to the truth this week Lord. I know that you suffered ridicule and persecution during your brief time on this earth. Help me to withstand the insults for your Names sake. Help me to always Glorify your Name in everything I do, everyday. This blog and my life are about you Jesus, not about me and I thank you that you are in me through your Holy Spirit and in my life everyday.
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen and Amen
I know I am spreading Jesus' love through my writing and glorifying God and that is all that should matter to me and I realize now that is all that does matter to me. Thanks for the wake up call from the Lord and from my friends. One last thought and one last verse from Matthew 5:11 about persecution for Jesus's sake: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." Enough said. I will carry on in His Name until I draw my last breath.
My verses for today are above in red.
My prayer for today:
Dear Heavenly Father:
Thank you for opening my eyes to the truth this week Lord. I know that you suffered ridicule and persecution during your brief time on this earth. Help me to withstand the insults for your Names sake. Help me to always Glorify your Name in everything I do, everyday. This blog and my life are about you Jesus, not about me and I thank you that you are in me through your Holy Spirit and in my life everyday.
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen and Amen
