The Battle for Your Mind

The struggle is real, indeed! As believers, we have a very real enemy and he doesn’t play nice. Over the past two-weeks, I have encountered intense spiritual warfare raging in my mind and heart, and believe me, this was not my first rodeo with the devil.

One of the biggest mistakes believers make is to at best minimize the devil’s influence and at worst to disbelieve in him or his work to distract, demoralize, and derail your joy and service for God. I am saddened that there are people who do not believe in God, and I pray that their eyes would be opened to the truth, but the saddest of all to me is the one who does not believe in the existence of the devil.

The devil’s main arena is our minds. Therefore, He likes to mess up our thinking and confuse us with his lies. Deception is the name of his game. At the very first encounter a human being had with the devil, he tried to confuse her thinking and understanding of God’s truth. Genesis 3:1-7 recounts the very first sin committed, and the bait the devil dangled in front of Eve was in the question of verse 2, “Did God really say…?” (emphasis added)

The devil is not very entrepreneurial. He has been creating confusion and doubt in the minds of the creatures about the Creator’s explicit truth forever. God’s Word is VITAL (I cannot overstate this notion) to our spiritual effectiveness. The Word is both an offensive weapon, the sword of the Lord in Ephesians 6:17, and a defensive tool, the word hidden that we might not sin according to Psalm 119:9,11.

Intentional Bible Study

This is why I challenge you so often to be intentional with your Bible reading and study. If we fill our minds with God’s truth, we are more equipped to fend off the devil’s attempts to confuse and delude us. For the believer, spiritual victory begins and ends in the mind. Read, study, memorize God’s Word so you will be armed and defended against our very real enemy’s attacks.

You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. – John 8:32

I want to help prepare you to memorize Bible verses for when you don’t have a Bible handy. Below is  a link where you can download for free my A to Z Bible Memory sheet. The sheet provides you with 26 Bible verses each beginning with a successive letter of the alphabet. You can memorize and have them ready when the devil tries to deceive you.

A to Z Bible Memorization Plan.


Flashback Friday – April 22

Articles and Blogs

Seven Ways Church Members Should Prepare for a Sermon – Thom Rainer

The Meaning of Manhood – Phillip Holmes

The Pastor’s Personal Holiness – Kevin DeYoung

Beyond the Quiet Time – Jared C. Wilson

“Who’s Watching You?” Asks Braves Legend, Sid Bream – Scott Barkley

Worth Repeating

Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. – Thomas Edison

Keep away from people who belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. – Mark Twain

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of determination. – Vince Lombardi

It always seems impossible until it’s done. – Nelson Mandela

Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength. – Theodore Roosevelt

Another Look

Tony Evans quote

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Are You Prepared to Hear the Sermon?

ear helpMost pastors I know work very hard at the most important thing we do – teaching and preaching God’s Word. I am sure there are a few who take short cuts and preach sermons already prepared in a book or online, but most that I know spend a good amount of time and pour a lot of spiritual energy into each sermon. Many of us prepare three sermons a week.

More than 20 years ago, God led me to Colossians 1:28-29, and that passage has since been the Biblical motivation for me as I prepare and preach. I see it as God’s commission to me as a preacher and because I take the verse and commission seriously, I prepare as fastidiously as possible.

Him [Jesus] we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all His energy that He powerfully works within me. – Colossians 1:28-29

I’ve heard some preachers confess that they spend as much as 12-20 hours on the Sunday morning sermon alone. Thirty years of preparing sermons week after week has taught me how to research and compile material more quickly than I did at first. Digital tools and resources (which I have amassed over the last several years at the cost of a small fortune) have made the process more streamlined for me and saved me some time as well.

I wondered what would happen if listeners prepared themselves to hear as diligently as preachers prepare themselves to preach. I certainly wouldn’t expect it to be an equal amount of time, but my fear is that most hearers sit down in church to hear a sermon having given little to no thought or prayer to prepare themselves for what God wants to say to them.

Yesterday, Thom Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources posted an article on his blog that gave some practical steps we can take to prepare ourselves to hear God speak through the sermon. I am including a link to the article below, and I want to challenge you to read it and take some time this week (and every week from this point on) preparing yourself to hear what God wants to say directly to YOU on Sunday.

I believe your preparation will make you a better hearer and certainly make your preacher a better preacher.

Use the comment section below to share ways you prepare yourself to hear God’s Word.

 

Seven Ways Church Members Should Prepare for a Sermon by Thom Rainer

 

 



Outsmarting Temptation

Anim-man_tired_after_exercise_funny-1mdI am 51 years old. Occasionally I forget that and think I am 25. Age-amnesia can get me in trouble sometimes. I have to learn that at 51, I can still do everything I did at 25, only now I have to do it only in my head.

I have to face the facts, I am not as strong as I used to be, but hopefully I am smarter. Where once I could tackle many issues with vigor now I must use prudence. For all of us, YOUNG or OLD, that truth applies to temptation. We allow make ourselves way too vulnerable to temptation – more vulnerable than we are actually able to stand. We are not nearly as strong as we think we are, and the secret to withstanding temptation lies in being wise and prudent.

Let me encourage you to consider your proximity to sin and take the most prudent of three options.

  • AVOID temptation when you can. The old saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is so true when dealing with sin. Know where you are vulnerable and simply do not put yourself in a place where you will be tempted. Watch where you surf on the internet, view on the television, listen to on the radio and at work. Just don’t go there. (Proverbs 5:1-8, Ephesians 4:27)
  • When you can’t avoid temptation, RUN from it. Often temptation sneaks up on us when we aren’t expecting it. When you find yourself suddenly being tempted, remove yourself from the temptation. Turn the channel, shut down the computer, walk away, excuse yourself from the conversation. Paul encouraged Timothy to “flee” from lust and temptation, and that is great advice to us. (2 Timothy 2:22)
  • Then finally if you are in an unavoidable temptation from which you cannot get away, RESIST – not in your strength, but in the name of Jesus. We do not humanly have the ability to resist the devil, but through the name of Jesus and by the power of His Word, we are undefeatable. (1 Peter 5:8-9)

Let me remind you also that the battle against temptation is more easily fought before ever facing the temptation. Be prepared. Have you heart clean and your mind clear. Meditate and memorize God’s Word so you will have a weapon to wield against temptation. Set your heart on heavenly things, nurture your spirit through daily Bible reading and prayer, and you will be more prepared to avoid, run, or resist.


Sunday Sermon – The Mystery of Life Revealed

Like most of us, you’ve probably asked the question before: why am I here?  For thousands of years, people have been trying to discover the true meaning of life.  We search for meaning, value, and purpose.  Today, we will let the cat out of the bag and reveal the great mystery of the ages.

 

The Mystery of Life…Solved
Colossians 1:24-29

Recap: The Secret to a great life is letting Christ live in and through me.

  1. Live in the PRESENCE of Christ

q The presence of Christ is appropriated by faith
q The presence of Christ can be a moment-changer

  1. Live with the PROMISE of Christ

q “Hope” in the Biblical sense is not iffy or subjective, but is sure and
grounded in God’s reliability

q “Glory” refers to anything good or praiseworthy

q Christ in us assures us that things will occur in our life that are
meaningful and purposeful.

  1. Live for the PURPOSE of Christ

q God’s purpose for your life is to make you like Jesus – Romans 8:29
q The WORD of God is the INSTRUMENT of God to accomplish the PURPOSE of God in the PEOPLE of God.

 

  1. Live through the POWER of Christ.

q So many times we fail to unlock the true secret to a meaningful life
`                                                                                  because we use the wrong keys.

q When we conform to God purpose for our lives, His power comes to
bear to accomplish His purpose.


Flashback Friday – April 15

Articles and Blogs

11 Traits of Churches that Will Impact the Future – Carey Nieuwhof

Setting the Moral Parameter – Bill Eliff

10 Ways to Start the Day Well for God – Chuck Lawless

Worth Repeating

“The day your memories are greater than your dreams you are dead in the water.” – Ike Reighard

“I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.” – Stephen Covey

“Our working is not added to God’s working. Our working is God’s working” – John Piper

 

Another Look

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When Doing Right Brings Wrong

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Have you ever noticed that when things seem to be going well that the prospect of something bad happening still looms over you? The old saying is that “every rose has its thorns.”

That experience seems to be present in our spiritual walk as well. Whether in a personal Bible study, moving worship service, or through some daily encounter, God intervenes in your life and you experience something of a spiritual breakthrough. You are prepared to serve God more diligently and walk with Him more intimately. Then… the devil gets wind of it and shows up throwing every possible obstacle in your path.

You are not alone. Even one as godly as the Apostle Paul experienced a similar experience during his time in the city of Ephesus. God used him there in a tremendous way to turn the hearts of many to Jesus. Opportunities for the Kingdom abounded. So did the obstacles. He spoke of the situation when writing to the church in Corinth.

“…for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.”
                                                                                                                                              – 1 Corinthians 16:9

Granted, when we are not obedient to God, we will experience His corrective hand often through our circumstances, but we MUST NOT consider every difficulty a sign that we are NOT “doing right.” Many times those difficulties of the opposite truth that we ARE INDEED “doing right.”

When we engage God’s mission for any season of our life, the devil is not happy and will do all he can to thwart God’s work through us. So, what can we do when “doing right” seems to be “going wrong”? Let me suggest three reminders.

  1. Examine yourself to make certain that disobedience is in fact not causing your difficulty. In Hebrews 12:1, the writer encourages to “lay aside every weight, and the sin that clings so closely…” Self examination is always a healthy first step, but once we determine that we are not the problem, we can turn to other practices.
  1. Remember that in spite of your circumstances, God is at work in and through you. Romans 8:28 stands as a reminder that God works through ALL THINGS – good, bad, indifferent – to accomplish His purpose. Do not let the devil’s opposition lead you to believe God is not at work. Remember, he is a liar and the father of lies.
  1. Cling to the Biblical principle of sewing and reaping. In Galatians 6:9, Paul reminds us that we WILL reap what we sew if we remain faithful and not give up. The Biblical principle of sewing and reaping tells us that we reap WHAT we sew (keep doing good), we reap AFTER we sew (so don’t give up), and we reap MORE than we sew.

So, don’t let the opposition you may experience when you serve God distract, disturb, or derail you. As God opens the doors, walk through them, ignoring the sounds of the devil’s naysayers.


How Does God Keep Score

My Atlanta Braves aren’t playing very well at all these days, and some fans are leaping off the bandwagon in Titanic proportions.

What if God treated us like we treat or sports teams?

 

Psalm 130:3-4 – “If you, O Lord, should mark our iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, that You may be feared.”

Psalm 103:12 – “…as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.”

1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”