Status Check- Where do YOU stand?
Contrary to what you might have been told when you were saved, walking in the Lord is not easy and does require a great deal of knowledge of the Word of God. The Bible says in Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed because of lack of knowledge”. How many times have we heard that? Does it mean anything anymore? Let’s take it a step further and go beyond knowledge for a minute. Knowledge without understanding is nothing. It is imperative that we understand what we read so that we can apply it to our daily lives. If we don’t, we are fooling ourselves and we are totally incompetent to make any difference in anyone’s life, including our own. “The Kingdom of God is not just fancy talk; it is living by God's power” (1 Corinthians 4:19-21 NIV). I love that verse.
Let me rephrase that again: If we do not find a way to make the Word of God indispensable in our lives, if we do not find a way to live, breathe, and apply the Word of God every day of our lives, we are never going to “...measure up to the full stature of Christ” (NIV) Ephesians 4:13.
“For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” Hebrews 4:11-13.
You see, many Christians have read the Bible many times to the point of knowing where to find every verse and every book without any problems. But when you look at their lives, they are far away from the victorious life we read in the Bible. All they have in their minds is an intellectual recollection of books that is not any more effective to them that what they learned in school. In most cases, the words don’t even mean anything anymore. It is like when you repeat a phrase over and over, it loses meaning, understanding, and/or purpose. What do we do then? We need to renew our minds, as the Bible says in Ephesians 4:22-24 (AMP) “And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind”, which means to [have a fresh mental and spiritual attitude]. We have to find a way to reconnect with God because our lives- both our spiritual and mortal lives – depend on it.
One very important thing that we have to keep in mind is that our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual powers that are constantly trying to deceive us and make us fall. Their ultimate goal is to destroy us. Again, Satan’s ultimate goal is to destroy you. And if he doesn’t manage to destroy you physically, he will be happy to know that you are worthless spiritually.
Let me emphasize this again because unfortunately, God is the one that many times appears to be the destroyer, the killer, the thief, the one that discipline us by giving us diseases and all sorts of illnesses, and last but not least, the one that creates all kinds of weather anomalies. I believe the world call this “An act of God”. Have you heard anything more ridiculous? But that’s what the Devil does; deceive you. Satan is a liar. He whispers all these lies in your ear and you think they are coming from you but they are coming from him. I will discuss this in more detail in another chapter. The Bible says in John 10:10 (NIV) that Satan, “The thief comes only to steal, and kill and destroy; [but] I (meaning Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full [in abundance]. Therefore, we need spiritual weapons to fight back. We need to get back in the game with this understanding or we are going to end, maybe saved, but in total defeat. Ephesians 6: 10,11 says “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” (NIV).
Let’s take inventory of where you stand today:
a) With what attitude do you face your problems in life?
b) Do you automatically search in your mind for Bible verses that could apply to your situation? Do you even know/read the Bible?
c) Is it a concern of yours to please God?
d) Do you let negative thoughts run their course in your mind or do you “...take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”? (2 Corinthians 10:5. NIV)
e) Do you have a thirst for the Word of God?
f) Do you take time during the day to talk to God? Is He a priority in your life?
The devil is not going to leave you alone so you need to get ready for the fight. The Bible says “and when the devil ...ended every [the complete cycle of] temptation, he [temporarily] left Him [that is, stood off from Him] until another more opportune and favorable time”. Luke 4:12-14 (NIV).
Did you get that? The devil left Him (or you for that matter) until “another more opportune and favorable time”. He is going to keep coming, and coming, and coming. Scary? It doesn’t have to be. I don’t think we have much of a choice than to fight, not with carnal weapons, but with the Word of God. That’s how Jesus defeated him and that’s how you can too. There is no other way.
Let’s be honest here. Were you aware of this when you were saved? Are you ready for the fight of your life? Nevertheless, I am delighted to inform you that you ARE NOT alone. God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and all of His angels are with you every step of the way. Not to mention that the devil has already been defeated “the prince of this world now stands condemned” (NIV) John 16:11. His only weapon right now is deception. Do you believe him?
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