The father of lies lies. That’s what he does. That’s his “claim to fame”. So when his children lie and utter untrue words aimed toward you, know that they are being true to their nature. Don’t give credibility to their lies by becoming angry. Allowing yourself to become aroused when a liar does what’s in his or her DNA goes against our nature as children of God. We stand for the truth and a lie will never be able to stand in the light of the truth.
Living by faith takes the pressure off. Living by faith brings peace. It fosters calm. It tells me what’s there even though I sometimes can’t see through the haze of life’s problems. To be able to live this way is a huge blessing. It gives me the advantage in every area of my life. I cannot be thrown off course because I already know where I’m going and I trust my Father to take me there. Walking by faith is true life and peace. And most importantly, living by faith is my greatest expression of my love of God.
God’s Word is life. It’s the source of all life. There is no life outside of God’s Word. He spoke His Word in the beginning and the lives that we now live have been perpetuated down through the years. A Spirit being created a body out of the dust of the earth. Then He breathed life into that dust body and man became a living being. He is the reason we woke up this morning, not our alarm clocks. Try this. Take your alarm clock down to the County Morgue. Set it to go off then tell me how many of those corpses wake up?
Trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not unto your own understanding…(Proverbs 3:5). There is no greater expression of faith than trust. Particularly trust when you don’t understand the circumstances. Think of a literal child. Young children are vulnerable. They must trust their parents for everything. They don’t sit up at night worrying about food, clothing, or housing. The ideal situation should have been a shifting of that same childlike trust over from parental trust to trusting our heavenly Father.
Casting your cares on the Lord is how you get rid of them once and for all. When a fisherman casts a line, he throws it far away from himself into the depths of an ocean, lake or river. You do likewise. Cast your cares into a sea of forgetfulness AND LEAVE THEM THERE. Live a care-free life, knowing that the cares of this world choke the Word and only serve to hinder your walk with God.
One willing vessel in the hand of God can literally change the world. I believe to be willing trumps talent, status, clout, strength and might. When talent, status, clout, strength and might are used to do a job, the possessor of said abilities gets the glory. However, when someone shows up who has nothing to offer accept his or her willingness to be used by God, great things can happen.
Godly living entails many things. Godly living can be equated to striving to live a Christ-like lifestyle. But what does that mean exactly? A large part of living the Christ-like lifestyle has to do with who and what you choose to identify with. Ask yourself, Who and/or what am I tethering my life to? What sustains me? What would I find difficult to live without? What am I attached to to such a degree that I would find life difficult to live without?
Seeking Jesus and becoming more like Him is a never-ending, life long pursuit. The things of God aren’t just plopped down in our laps. If we want to be “disciples indeed“, the truths revealed in God’s Word must be pursued. Countess times in scripture we see verses that talk about the benefits of seeking after God. Victorious Christian living is not the default result of being born again. If we want to see the hand of God move mightily in our lives, the ways of God and the blessing He has stored up for us must be mined daily.
Good stewards display their gratitude simply by being good stewards. By managing the blessings of God well, you show that you cherish that which God has given you. And when you manage well that which God has given you, will He not give you more of the same? In the parables told in Matthew 25:14-30 and Luke 19:11-27, Jesus illustrates for us that we are to use what God has given us to bring Him glory and honor. In both parables Jesus was please with those who were good stewards and increased what they were initially given.
Is anything impossible for God? Ask 100 people that question and 100 out of 100 would reply NO! However, we can limit what He would like to do here on earth. I understand that may be a controversial statement to some, but that’s exactly what happened to Jesus. In Matthew 13:58 the unbelief of the people hindered the works that Jesus desired to do. Mark 6:5-6 and Psalms 78:41 also indicate that the attitude of the people affected the works of God on earth.
Uncovering lies of the enemy should be our quest in life. However uncovering his lies isn’t enough. We must be prayerful in seeking the truth which is to replace these lies. The scriptures say “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). I’d like to focus on the “rightly dividing the Word of Truth” portion of this verse for a moment. It’s discovering truth within “the Word of Truth” which is the bible, that replaces the lies we may have been exposed to all our lives. The truth, when embraced will make one free.
Safety and security from the many threats and dangers in life can only come through God’s Word. Anything outside of the Word of God can only give a false sense of security. The scriptures say that He upholds all things by the Word of His Power (Hebrews 1:3). Anything that we place our trust in to safeguard our family, our assets, or our possessions is subject to this world. Likewise anything that is subject to this world and this world system is dependent upon the frailties of mankind.
Greatness resides within you. God created in you a one-of-a-kind masterpiece that will never be duplicated. Think about that for a moment. Think of the billions of humans that have ever walked the face of the earth in the past. And think about all of those who are to come. Now realize that there has never been nor will there ever be another exactly like you. You’re the apple of His eye. You are loved beyond measure. You are a gift to humanity.
The Peace of God ruling and reigning over our hearts and minds gives us the courage to face any adversity in life. But how is such peace obtained? The key to experiencing the Peace of God is anchoring our minds on God and what He has spoken to us in His Word to us…the Bible. According to Isaiah 26:3-4, the result of tethering our minds to God’s Word is called “Perfect Peace“.