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Janet's Blog
Janet's Blog
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Knowing Your Enemy – Knowing Your God
| Posted on 25 April, 2016 at 5:20 |
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The Lord is your
Strength and Fortress. Even if our enemy is referred to as the Prince
of the Power of the Air and his cohorts magnify themselves against us
with pride and deception – saying “what can your God do now?”
He will humble them and bring all their works to nothing. Yes He
will shame them and dash their prefabricated works to pieces. As you
trust in Him steadfastly, your Faith shall remain intact, unshaken.
You will look with satisfaction on your enemies seeing His promise of
recompense come true for you. Yes, when you remain
focused on your God, your Rock, He becomes your Salvation in any
situation and your Vindication comes forth as the Mid-day Sun,
because you trust in Him. Therefore I say to my soul, I will Triumph
over my foes and Rejoice in You – Yes Freedom shall Prevail for me
and I will see my Victories. That’s why it is written, that He is
present in any situation to help, He is my joyful expectation and my
soul trusts in Him. So wait for Him in quietness and confidence –
this is my strength, my hope, my trust at all times. Our enemies have not
changed their tactics since Old Testament times. They still work
with distraction or distress to take your eyes off God – you are so
busy or disturbed. In fact, we become so preoccupied with our
activities or “our problems” that we lose sight of our mission in
God – influencing others with Life-style Evangelism (living a
victorious life in Christ) and caring for those around us, that we
fail to be effective in our witness (making a difference in their
lives because they are drawn to Him through us). First thing I must tell
you is, things we experience are not our problems (when
we belong to Him) they are His to work out. Don’t own them –
that is to really take them on board, when we take ownership of them,
so to speak. IE “oh my indigestion” or “my asthma”……….”no-one
knows the trouble I’ve seen”……….“my problem is so
Big”………”they have not had a life like mine”……….”no-one
cares about my problem” etc Those things really set you up for
defeat – our enemies can play on us by magnifying them. When we become distressed
or obsessed with a situation or problems it turns into a story, you
know? And then we tend to lose interest in others around us.
Of-course, that is the whole point of the exercise, as far as our
enemies are concerned. Ever been so concerned about your story that
you have little or no time for someone else’s? Mind you, there can be
someone’s story in your family or among your friends that can take
a lot of energy (mental or emotional real-estate). This can be
draining you physically and/or spiritually. Sometimes this can go on
for months or years with a particular person – often due to poor
choices you have little say in or persuasion. Often we can see
someone’s situation clearer than our own but our perception or
advice is not welcome and we see them go through it for months or
even years. That has to affect us
somehow if we don’t know how to separate ourselves. That is a more subtle way
of occupying our “Spiritual Space” that is meant for God and
others. And enjoying the Abundant
Life Jesus came to give us (living life fully). So there are 3 Ways
our enemies can keep us out of the “Great Commission” that is to
keep us distracted with things that appeal to us (one after the
other)…….to bring upsetting circumstances our way……or to
weigh us down with someone elses…….so we have little peace or
interest to seek The Lord……or care and motivation for others. I
mean to say, one of these 3 things just takes so much of our time,
hey? Looking back over some
years has brought these observations to me.
We are told in His Word to be Vigilant
and Alert, concerning the works of the enemy, are we not? And half the time –
apart from the obvious – most Christians do not know what they’re
looking for! I have brought the less
obvious purpose and tactics of the enemy’s co-workers to your
attention, so you can seek God and know what to watch for, so you can
live a life in the Presence and Purpose of God our Lord and Savior! It is important with all
this, to keep the emphasis right there – on God our Lord and
Savior. He does’nt want you to
be enemy minded and focused but God minded and focused. The essential thing here
is to “know your enemy AND your God even better” that’s the
BALANCE! “The beginning of wisdom
is, Get wisdom; and with all your getting get understanding” (Prov
4:7). Yes, that is the counsel
of The Lord to us. We are told to “be wiser than serpents” that
is to be wiser than our enemies and the things of the world.
This includes the News program you watch every night – you would do
far better to be soaking yourself in the Good News. That is
strengthening your faith in His Word rather than breaking it down
with the devil’s news – those things are guaranteed to weaken or
compromise your FAITH IN GOD. Truly, why don’t you serve the news
program and soapys notice and invest that time in God? THEN SEE HOW YOUR PRAYERS
START TO BE ANSWERED. THE VERY LEAST YOU WILL HAVE IS STRENGTH AND
PEACE FROM YOUR SEEKING. Do not underestimate the value and impact an inspired WebCard can bring someone.
This is one example The Hidden Agenda of Our
Enemy, What to Do About It. |
Some Tactics To Watch Out For
| Posted on 25 April, 2016 at 5:05 |
comments (1)
|
When some of us read in Scripture
”not to be ignorant of the enemy’s devices” they’re mostly patterned around the
sin-nature that Adam and Eve passed on to us and insecurities that went along
with it (those things that bring discomfort, disharmony and distress). I’m going to bring a list of them
to your attention to help you “watch and pray” like Jesus instructed us to do. Both of these are essentials in the Christian
life. Many of us pray but not many watch. So you could be living for Jesus but
leaving your lives open. Adam was told to watch over that Garden and he could
enjoy it as long as he wanted to. But He did not remember God’s Words properly
and calamity broke out on all Mankind. He was supposed to be on Guard against
unwelcome guests. Instead of this, he paid attention to Eve and tolerated what
was taking place. This article will
show you how we do the same thing often. We too, have a Garden to watch over,
and that’s this life The Lord has given us. Some Christians think about the
enemy too much and would do well to think about GOD More! The Lord is not
telling us to think or obsess about
our enemies but to watch. As long as we are in the world, we need to
watch out for the following and if we don’t watch or pray, that is very
silly indeed. Peter said to “draw near to God, resist the devil and he shall
flee”. That is a good pattern for Christian living and absolutely vital when we
encounter the tactics of our enemies. You can see what I mean here. Remember
the emphasis Peter gave is to DRAW NEAR TO GOD first. Resistance is important –
we must – remember the Best Way! Anxiety – that’s
why Jesus said “be anxious for nothing……….” Anxiety is crippling, it can hinder
your praying and moving in Faith and drain your energy and Peace. Learn to relax and Rest in The Lord and not to lend your thoughts to worry and place your Trust in a Loving Creator. Depression – it has
a paralizing effect on your spirit “Rejoice in The Lord Always” and don’t allow
it an opportunity to creep in. I heard a prophecy in the 70’s that said “My
Peace cannot rest on a troubled spirit” so you need to rest and trust in Him
for this Peace to return. Doubts – if you
dwell on them, they will grow bigger. “There is Joy and Peace in Believing”
entertain thoughts of Faith instead – every child of God can do this. It is
resident in your spirit. You need to furnish your thoughts with His Living Words
– they will bring Faith to you as you prayer-read His Word. Judging – it will
only cause you to reap judgement “no-one knows the thoughts of a person except
Jesus” and He judges fairly because He is the Lover of our souls and our
Advocate. Condemnation –
that too, has a paralizing effect on your spirit. “Jesus has been made unto to
us righteousness, sanctification and redemption” so if you are redeemed, you
are forgiven. "I am the righteousness of God for Christ has shed His Blood for
Me”. You need to rest in that. Confusion – is meant
to confound you and make your faith shaky. “our God does not author confusion. He is a God of Peace” stay where the Peace is – best place is in His Presence. Unforgiveness –
is also crippling and brings spiritual blindness. Do what The Lord does “cancel
their debts (offenses) and consider their misdeeds no more” You don’t have to
feel nice about that person – it’s an act of will that God requires of us. Unforgiveness brings judgement and hinders our prayers. Dwelling on Things
– to do this only magnifies them and then we can’t think freely and clearly. “whatever
is lovely and true and trustworthy, think of these things and the God of Peace
will be with you” it will become more tangible. The News and Soapys
– the News is meant to destroy your Faith in God’s Nature (a hidden agenda) and
Soapys to shape and program your thinking (that’s the purpose of them). “whatever
is just and pure and honorable, whatever is excellent and of a good report” entertain
these things – you can’t do both. Worship includes our lifestyle, it is not limited
to prayer. Unhealthy Thoughts
– give way to distressing thought patterns. Sometimes our enemies impose
certain thoughts, hoping that we will dwell on them. Do not entertain them. To
entertain them is to pay attention to and tolerate them – like the TV set. This
gives them power – we virtually submit to them. We are told “not to be ignorant
to these devices. Worldly Temptations
– only bring grief later when we find ourselves in debt OR make us spiritually
empty and unequipped to handle situations when they come up. This is another
reason why we are told “not to be conformed to this world” and to “set our
minds on Heavenly things (not so much) the earthly things” because they will
weigh us down so we cannot “run the race that is set before us”. At the end of
it there is a Prize. We live on this earth and there is a balance of what we
should and should not. Try this: whatever you buy and engage in that you can
freely do with thanksgiving is the best way to know the difference. Unloving Attitudes
and Behavior – God’s River flows through the Law of Love. “by this we can
know we are (truly) His child”. Did Jesus not say to “be like your Heavenly
Father?” How dare we bring discomfort to others and pray for The Lord to bless
us. Try to “learn what pleases The Lord” and “be gracious with each-other”. Lending our Ears to
Gossip – the world has this attitude but so do Christians often. Neither
should we quickly shut someone up who is genuinely confiding in us, but monitor
this and direct them to The Lord. Be a peacemaker and offer prayer for that
person as well. If you know the other person, maybe you can bring calmness and
clarity by reminding them of something good about that person and assuring them
that things will improve. Quickly shutting someone up (if they are disturbed or
distressed) only causes further damage and You are causing more disunity
because that person who Jesus died for feels alienated from you. Weekly Magazines –
from your local store are full of gossip and do not make for Christian reading. “If anyone be in
Christ, he/she is a New Creation – those old things should pass away and all
things (habits and interests) become New” They give you a different blueprint
for living than The Lord intends for you. So you should refrain from them.
Learn to fashion yourself after God and wear His Image – that’s the Best in
life. Medical Prognosis
– practitioners are often good at diagnosing what’s wrong so you can deal with
it – preferably with natural things or prayer He has ordained. Sickness can be
distressing and sometimes medical drugs can cause more problems (many do). Now
when a practitioner tells you what outcome you can expect - after diagnosis is
made or treatment given - you should not take a negative prognosis to heart. That
can be very damaging and is definitely not God’s Will for you. But rather, you
should not take that on board but go to Prayer and Press into God because HE is your Healer and Deliverance from whatever. Do
not be at the mercy of what you hear. That is a Bad Report. We are instructed
in scripture to go with the Good Report. Let me explain this: the medical
profession offers you a report of gloom but God’s Word promises you Health,
Peace and Joy! "I know the plans I have for you, not for evil but to give you HOPE
and a Future” look for that and go with the GOOD REPORT. If something needs to be dealt with – do it
Naturally. Nutritional Deficiencies
could be the cause or Lifestyle Corrections need to be made. Stress Management
could be a must. A Natural Health professional is more equipped to tell you than the Medicos are. Maybe you're deficient in certain levels of nutrients that cause you to cope less with stress. You should at least know how stress can affect your levels too and how to fortify yourself nutritionally. Lying Symptoms - A year ago, I woke up one day and experienced acute pain in my left leg and
could not stand with that foot to walk to the other room, in fact it caved in
on me 3 times. It went lame – a scarey experience, literally crippling. Perplexed by this
(nothing to account for it) I managed to get myself on the sofa where I lay
down and rested. I looked to The Lord and said to myself “ I live on my own, I
cannot have this. You do not want this and I do not accept it. I will
walk!” After a while in The Lord’s presence, I got up and was fine for the rest
of the day and it did not return since. We must put up resistance instead of
accepting what “comes our way” much as to say “you’re uninvited, get out of
here!” I literally refused to accept it. Now sickness is a work of the devil, scripture says and it also gives us
the perfect recipe for resistance. Peter said to “Draw near to God, resist the
devil and he shall flee!’’ Don’t forget the first part, we must draw near to God, then resist that symptom
whatever before it takes up residence, so to speak – yes nip it in the bud,
right there and then. As God’s beloved children,
we need to Clothe ourselves in Truth – that’s how The Lord works when we take a
step of faith and apply it. He does’nt require great leaps of faith, just a
simple step in the right direction. Wrong Company -
some people can really drag you down and weaken your spirit –
they're always talking about their problems, making depressing or
worldly conversation. This is not good for you. If they are like that, you
should cut their company to a minimum and stay with the company of
those who are not draining your energy (it has to affect your faith
somehow). And also, know the balance of whose company to keep in the
world – there is nothing wrong with having a friend who is not a
Christian. The problem is when someone's lifestyle whatever is
tempting you. Scripture does say “you are children of
light” and “what fellowship has light with darkness”. I do not
endorse the theory of some Pastors who encourage you to shun
everyone's company in the world and keep Christian company only. He
is their Creator and if you're young, you need to choose your
company wisely! Compromised
Relationships - these are the Last Days, the Coming of
The Lord is closer than we think. “He will Come to repay
each one, according to their works” yet there are some Christians
who convince themselves that it's “alright” to live defacto –
just like the world, they find no need for marriage, saying "The Lord does'nt mind". Some of them
consider themselves quite spiritual in the things of God and if you
had a conversation with them – no way would you guess they are not
committed to marriage. There is definitely some form of delusion
involved often but each new day there is an opportunity to Repent
and time is fast running out. If you're living in the flesh “He
will say to you, depart from Me, I do not know you!” EXACTLY
the same applies to those who break the bond of marriage to go and
marry someone else – if you want to be Christian, who do you think
you're kidding? There are better living people in the world. If that
is an indictment, it is meant to be. Jesus' last words in Revelations
says “outside are those who do these things along with
everyone who practices evil”. You will know then, if you really
loved Jesus or not. “why do you call me Lord, Lord and do
not the things I SAY?” Prayerlessness and Neglecting Devotions Seven days without prayer does make one weak. This
is true. Prayerlessness will weaken your
spirit like nothing else! And it is not natural for a child of God – there is
something wrong. Lack of Prayer and Devotions cause spiritual lack. You will
always be looking to someone else for prayer and strength OR wishing you had
the same relationship someone else has with Jesus. You can, it’s found in cultivating His Presence and finding
the most enjoyable way of feeding on His Words. They will become Life to you.
Especially when you apply them – that way they stay with you for life! Then you will be “like the tree planted beside still waters”
and “the garden whose waters fail not”. The “knowledge of The Lord will become pleasant to your soul”
for during those times you will become acquainted with Him and see facets of
His Nature – instead of like strangers (the One you hear about once a week
maybe). He will become your
God instead of someone elses! Often our lives
are spiritually poor when we fail to be personal with Him weeks, months or
years after we found Him. That’s why the
apostle Paul counsels us this way “as you have received The Lord, so (continue to)
walk in Him” – remember? That is to keep relating with Him personally……don’t
allow the simplicity and vitality to slip away. Continue to cultivate His Presence – keep nurchuring your
spirit with His Words. JESUS says to You “I am close to the door of your heart.
Invite Me in (once again) and we shall sup and fellowship together”. He really
is a Treasure – find this TRUE! Identifying and Resisting the Enemys Tactics, The Best Way
to Do this. |
Powerful Tempters - Watch for them!
| Posted on 2 March, 2016 at 17:25 |
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Temptations
are in__ greater than ever before. We
should never consider ourselves exempt. Jesus
never encouraged that....Peter did not....Paul did not. In
fact, JESUS said “Pray that you will resist temptation”. Scripture
counsels us to “Draw
near to God and He will draw near to you” We
need to “Wash ourselves with the water of His Word” daily. Adultery
is on the increase among Christians. The
Love of Money and Material Possessions that is in the world is
affecting many Christian lives and Claiming some of them. These
come from “The Spirit of the World” The following
content is urgently
on my heart after several reports have
come to me in the last 24 hours AND a
survey I did on the integrity of preachers a
few weeks ago that was disturbing, to say the least. I am placing a list of things here The Lord just gave me for you to think about. See what they bring to mind and pray about them. Don't think you are
exempt The Holy Spirit is
sensitive Importance of
Father-time Work out your
Salvation Look for His Coming Watch your priorities Making Safeguards Pray not to enter
temptation Do not willfully sin Don't underestimate The Lord won't mind if I do this What we take in daily Company we keep Learn to nip things in
the bud Set apart to God What value do you
place on holiness? Spend time with The
Lord Don't play with sin The one that's
irresistible Making right Choices Master sin before it
masters you Unforgiveness - Cancel Offenses Watch for blind spots His Word will reveal
them. The one we can't resist is the one we should resist Why do you call Me Lord and do not the things I say? Grow in His Words they will strengthen you. Practice
accountability with The Lord. Take inventory Preachers leading the
way into sin with remarriages and
coveting. Q. What is the most
powerful sin? A. The one that attracts
You. We need to Practice
Care! There was a song years ago that went like this: Oh Happy Day, Oh Happy Day when Jesus washed my sins away. He taught me how to watch and pray and live Rejoicing every day. Oh Happy Day, Oh Happy Day when Jesus washed my sins away. There is another song that went like this: Heaven came down and glory filled my soul when at the Cross, my Savior made me whole. My sins were washed away and my night was turned to day. Heaven came down and glory shone around. Most churches present a Social Gospel these days. There's no repentance involved (turning away from sin) so that person does not experience the JOY of Forgiveness. If that was you - you missed it altogether! And some of us have forgotten what this experience was like. Time is like that but each one of us can experience this on a regular basis. Never forget the Cross, that He went there with Joy in His Spirit - seeing us the other side. YES, You and Me! "The Lord be with your spirit" |