Think on These...

We were created to overcome, not avoid.

Your attitude determines your altitude.

Sometimes what you do speaks so loudly, that what you are saying goes unheard.

You can conquer if you only believe.

Faith is who you are when no one is looking.

The Thief Comes To Steal

Continue trusting God

Have you ever begun to pray about a particular situation and it seems to get worse? Have you ever begun to confess the word of God in a particular area and it seems that no matter how much you confess and pray and believe it continues to get worse? If you have ever believed God for anything, I am pretty certain this is what happened, as it happens for many of us.

So what do you do? Well, the Bible says that the thief (devil) comes to steal, kill and destroy. I want to talk to you today about the thing he has to steal, kill and destroy before he can begin to touch your stuff.

You see, my friend, he must first steal the word of God that has been sown in your heart ~ if he can't steal the word, he can't steal your finances, your health, your marriage or your peace. Oh, I know he can make you think he is ~ but he doesn't have the power to take it unless we hand it over to him. Before you ever begin to ask God for anything, you must first see it in His word, and if you have found that word that pertains to your situation and you mediate on that word, then it is sown in your heart. That's what the devil is after - the word of God.

If he can steal the word, then he can kill your vision and destroy every dream you ever had. But he can't touch anything until he first pulls the word out of our heart. How does he do that? Through attacks on your finances, your health, your marriage, your mind. He comes at you with everything he's got, feeling confident that he can make you bow to his threats. Don't bow. What do I mean by that? Don't lay down your weapon which is the word of God. Don't begin to doubt God. Don't start to wonder if what the word says will really work for you - trust God. Trust him when the heat is the highest, trust Him when it looks like the opposite of the word is manifesting in your life, trust Him when it seems that there is a Red Sea in front of you and the enemy on your tail. He is the same God today as He was back then and He will part the sea for you if you can only resist fear and resist the enemy and his lies and hold firm to the word of God. Trust Him, no matter what it looks like.

Don't allow your thoughts to wonder. God told me something years ago that has kept me from wondering. He said 'wondering will take you down a road you don't want to go.' I ask Him what He meant. And He replied 'wondering is wavering, wavering is doubt, and doubt is sin.' You see my friend, wondering will lead you to sin - for to doubt God is sin. The Bible declares that anything that is not of faith is sin. Stop those wondering thoughts before they begin. Give no place to the devil. Whatever he says to you, the opposite is true. Trust God. He will not fail you.

Recognizing Our Source

Deuteronomy 8:18 - But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.

Pride is the greatest temptation to a successful marketplace minister. When we begin accumulating wealth, managing people, and becoming known for our marketplace expertise, we are most susceptible to falling to the most devious sin in God's eyes-pride. The Bible tells us that God is the reason we are able to produce wealth. It is not of our own making. As soon as we move into the place where we begin to think more highly of ourselves than we ought, God says he will take action.

You may say to yourself,

"My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me."....If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 8:17,19-20).

These are strong words from God. It demonstrates His utter impatience for any people who think that what they have accomplished has anything to do with their own power. It is God who gives us the skill, the mind, the resources, the energy, the drive, and the opportunities in life to accomplish anything. When we become prideful in heart, He will begin a process of reproof in our life.

Today is a good day to examine whether we have fallen prey to pride. Are you sharing what God has entrusted to you with God's people, or the needy? Are you being the instrument of blessing that God desires for His people to be? What areas of pride have crept into your life? Ask the Lord to show you this today. And avoid being put on the shelf. Nothing is worse than being cast aside because of our own pride.