TEMPTED?

I awoke this morning practicing what I preach...lol.  The first thought to enter my mind was an invitation for the Holy Spirit to fill me, to saturate me, to overflow within me.  I prayed this prayer off and on for maybe twenty minutes as I got up, showered, and prepared my coffee.  If you were at Grace River yesterday, then you know that this is from the message that I brought from Luke 4.  Just because I'm a pastor, it doesn't mean that I don't have tough days (weeks?). Even Jesus had tough days, weeks, and months.  Jesus experience with the devil (the slanderer) in the wilderness (the alone place) reveals five types of prayer declaration that we need to include in our every day in order to overcome the devil's attacks.

 

#1--"FILL ME WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT" - As Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted, he was full of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit's filling brings with it the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  It brings the power to heal the sick and to raise the dead. It brings the knowledge and understanding of God Himself--the once who created the day that we are now experiencing.  The Spirit's filling is the greatest resource that we can possess--almost as important as salvation itself.

 

#2--"I AM THE CHILD OF GOD" - The devil begins his conversation with Jesus, "If you are the Son of God...".  If?  He does the same thing with us..."If you are the child of God", "If you are loved by God", "If you are accepted and forgiven", "If you really matter".  My friends we do matter! We are children of the Most High God! We are the King's Kids!  If you are unsure of your identity, here are 40 Bible Verses to tell you: http://www.openbible.info/topics/identity.

 

#3--"IT IS WRITTEN" - Jesus responded to temptation with, "It is written..."  A verse a day keeps the devil away!  Get in the Bible! Find a reading plan on your Bible App! Dust off your printed copy and begin reading John.  Use the 40 Bible Verses on identity mentioned above. Read one each day, learn it, memorize it, declare it! 

 

#4--"I WILL WORSHIP THE LORD MY GOD" - Jesus response to the devil's suggestion that he bow down to him was simply, "You must worship the Lord your God".  We worship whatever we value. Start your day with worship expressions from your heart directed to the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit!  You will encounter names for God, revelations of His character, and descriptions of His attributes as you read the Bible. Use these biblical calls to worship to focus on declaring out-loud all that God is.

 

#5--"I TRUST GOD" - "You must not test the Lord your God", Jesus declared when it is suggested that he toss himself off of the temple in order to delivered by the angels.  No need to test God, when you trust God!  Declare it right now! "I trust God"...with my day...with my job...with my family...with my finances...with my life!

 

Friends, I'm practicing these five declarations today!  Will you join me?  Let's do it together and see what happens!  I suspect that Satan will depart until a more opportune time!  Let's chase him out of town with our declarations of faith in God!

HOW TO HAVE A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!

"Oh the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with scoffers. But they delight in doing everything the Lord wants; day and night they think about his law. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season without fail. Their leaves never wither, and in all they do they prosper." --Psalm 1:2-3
 

I love the fact that the very first Psalm tells us how to have a prosperous new year! It's right there in the text, "Their leaves never wither, and in all they do they prosper." In the words that precede the promise, a formula for success is revealed:
 

Don't follow the advice of the wicked!

Don't stand around with sinners!

Don't join in with scoffers!
 

But rather...Delight in doing everything the Lord wants!
 

Day and night think about his law!
 

The best way to know what the Lord wants is to spend time thinking about his law. If you haven't yet today, then let me encourage you to find a Bible and start a reading a plan for the year. A great resource on your computer or smartphone is https://www.youversion.com/. I use "The Two Year Bible" (NLT) for my daily reading plan. It doesn't matter the translation or the plan or whether you use a book or an electronic device--just get in the word! Think about His words--and do what He says! God promises that you will prosper! As I shared on Sunday, Jesus says, "He who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst" (JN 6:35).