Have you thanked Him?
Have you praised Him?
Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?
Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?
ARE YOU SEEKING?
1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)
1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.
Luke 22:31-32
The Message (MSG)
31-32"Simon, stay on your toes. Satan has tried his best to separate all of you from me, like chaff from wheat. Simon, I've prayed for you in particular that you not give in or give out. When you have come through the time of testing, turn to your companions and give them a fresh start."
Do you realize that you could be a target?
Are you aware that there is an enemy crouching on your stoop, lurking at the foot of your bed, slinking behind the curtain in the kitchen with a singular objective today; get you off course, shut you up, take you out, get you as far from Jesus as possible?
He is armed with distraction, frustration, confusion, enticement, corruption, toxicity, temptation and lies.
AND his one and only GOAL is to drive a wedge in your relationship with Jesus; to pull your eyes and focus off of the Father; to try and cause you to fail today.
Don’t believe me? Well believe this.
1 Peter 5:8
New Living Translation (NLT)
8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
In that passage from Luke I shared at the beginning of today’s DISPATCH, Jesus tells Peter that Satan had demanded permission to sift the disciples like wheat. In other words, Satan was plotting a way to create separation.
It would seem strange to think that the enemy would discuss people on earth with God, but obviously, this is a reality—even Job was frequently discussed in the spiritual realm.
Job 1:9
New Living Translation (NLT)
9 Satan replied to the Lord, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God.
But here’s something to think about, do you suppose that you are ever discussed?
I know…I know you are sitting there rolling your eyes and saying, “Come on PASTOR you are getting a little “out there” aren’t you?” That is “bible-times”stuff.
But work with me this morning and think about it.
That verse from 1 Peter implies that the enemy is looking for “someone”, and that means ANYONE that he can pull away from Jesus, to take off the path, to trip up, to separate, to devour.
We may think we aren’t important enough, but if we knew our true potential, we’d realize how much we are talked about in the spiritual realm.
So we (yes you) have to be constantly on guard!
And while we often expect temptations in our weakest areas, some of Satan’s most vicious attacks are in areas we feel are the strongest. We let down our guard because we feel confident of our strength, and the enemy moves in. The enemy often targets Christians and churches with the greatest potential because he’s terrified of believers who understand the Holy Spirit’s truth. And I believe that is happening right here, right now to FREEDOM, to AHOP, to some dear friends, and even my family.
But we can't back down in the face of that adversity! Embrace it! GOD is maturing and strengthening us!
James 1:2
The Message (MSG)
2-4Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
Never forget the enemy hopes to shake our faith loose from its foundation and bring us to the point where we’ll want to give up on God’s love and go our own way. He wants us to cash out on CHRIST for if our faith withers, our threat to him diminishes.
Don't let it happen.
Be reminded, God uses this sifting process, these pressures, and adversity to purify our faith by revealing our hearts to us and giving us the opportunity to receive His grace.
1 Peter 1:5-7
The Message (MSG)
A New Life
3-5What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you'll have it all—life healed and whole.
6-7I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.
So brace up my friends! Be aware, be vigilant. Set your foundation and square your stance.
Because as hard as the enemy will try to sift and separate us, this truth remains!
Romans 8:38
38And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[p] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I love you all
Freedom Church
Pastor GDelaney
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