Having passed the midway point in our 40day journey titled “The Take Back”, the thought that comes to mind is DON’T GIVE UP! In the book of Galatians the 5th chapter, the Apostle Paul states that we should not get weary in well doing, for in due season we will reap if we DON’T GIVE UP!. Jesus said we should always pray and NOT GIVE UP!. When Nehemiah was rebuilding the wall, the people began to get discouraged half way into the campaign. God told him to encourage the people NOT TO GIVE UP!. Starting is always great, but there is something to be said for the person who continues to the end.
Here are a 7 areas we can daily continue in:.
1. Keep your life clean before God through repentance.
2. With your thoughts, words, and actions continue to fight for peace in your relationships. While you can’t control how others think or feel about you, you can control your thoughts and your responses.
3. Be sure to continue granting the Holy Spirit access into your daily activities, making Him your dominant voice of counsel.
4. Continue to daily read the Word, memorize the Word, meditate on the Word, speak the Word, and do the Word.
5. Don’t stop praying! For yourself and others.
6. Don’t stop resisting the devil and exercising your authority over him and all spiritual wickedness-they are defeated!
7. If you fall, keep getting up.
Always remember, you are not in this alone. God the Father is for you. His grace, His love, and His favor surround you. Jesus your Lord is praying for you-even now! As you move forward rest in The Holy Spirit’s power to help you to NOT GIVE UP!
Living To Please Him!
Pastor Terry
Hey PT,
ReplyDeleteI really needed this today. All kinds of darts were thrown at me today, but praise God for the shield of faith he has given me to intercept each one. I found myself excited because I knew God would use the attack as a teaching moment for me...but what He also did was send me reinforcement with other saints on the job. Wow.........but God and all of His goodness! " I Belinda declare I will not wrestle agianst flesh and blood....")
Oh boy, did I need to read this right now! It is raining and my mind is tired. The last thing I feel like doing is coming to service tonight. Who wants to stand in the rain waiting for the bus? "Not I" said, one of God's lazy girls. But as I sat trying to make up my mind whether or not I was going to resist the temptation to not keep my word to God, (That I would attend all 6 of the Wednesday night services during the 40 day Take Back) I read your blog! Came to my senses, told temptation to take a hike and now I must get ready to leave soon.
ReplyDeleteThere is but one Holy Spirit and don’t you just love Him! How He knows our struggles.
I know that the process that God is taking me on is not to stifle or hinder my growth, but it is to build my faith and help me persevere. I also know that consistency is the key to success. The test that I have been facing went to another level this week. Although it seemed hard at first, I found the strength in God to leap over that mountain. I realized that God is molding me and shaping me into His character. The way God is teaching me to respond to people is the way Stephen responded when he got stoned. In the middle of a trial, when I am getting "stoned," can i respond like Jesus or Steven? Not because of an obligation or because of a "Christian Rule" that I must follow, but because I want to respond the right way. My consistency involves me being a student of the word of God, this means to study and meditate on the scriptures that apply to me.
ReplyDeleteThose principles can come with much sacrifice, total surrendering to Gods authority and obeying his laws.
ReplyDeleteIn the past, those principles were hard for me to live by on the daily basis. But since surrendering to those principles and living by the Fruits of the Spirit(also in Galatians 5), I found great strength that has made this journey at this time refreshing and brought forth a renewing to my spirit(Not Giving Up) and now being equipped for battle, living by the word, prayer and supplication. I feel like Daniel in the lions den. Lets get it on devil.
DON’T GIVE UP!
ReplyDeleteREALLY?! Who actually aspires to give up?!
I can recite that phrase repeatedly, frame it or have someone quote it to me, and it still would not guarantee that I will not give up. As Christians, we have strength in God to accomplish, complete, establish, settle, and to do (II Corinthians 12:9; Philippians 4:13; I Peter 5:10). However, some of us are constantly giving up. We give up on various things –our marriages, our children, our careers, our health, our visions, our futures, our church, our pastors, etc… Although we may not file for divorce, give a two week resignation letter, cancel our insurance, or leave our churches as evidence of giving up, we are still guilty of giving up. WE GIVE UP EVERYTIME WE CHOOSE OUR OWN WAY IN LIEU OF GOD’S WILL FOR OUR LIVES!
I was guilty of giving up! My “give up” did not come in the form of desiring ungodly things. It came by wanting what God wants for me BUT obtaining it the way I thought best. God wants us to succeed (Joshua 1:8), He wants us to prosper (III John 1:2), and He wants us to have the good things in this life (Ecclesiastes 5:18-19) BUT we must seek HIM (Matthew 6:33). God wants us to be educated (Proverbs 1:5), He wants us to own (Deuteronomy 28:12-13), and He wants us to have the desires He gave us to come to fruition (Psalm 37:4) BUT we must seek HIM (Matthew 6:33). We can not truly believe we are seeking God when we do not mediate on His Word. It is essential in seeking God to mediate on His Word day and night in order to KNOW AND THEN DO His will for your life (Joshua 1:8). God has a unique will and a customized individual plan for each of our lives, and His timing is perfect (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
I thank God that I am no longer bound by guilt but that I am free knowing that I am residing in God’s perfect will for my life (Romans 12:2). I am happily married and in love with my faithful husband (I Corinthians 7:10; Titus 2:4), training our three children (Proverbs 22:6), while being a college student, and A FULL-TIME Christian. Believe me when I tell you that the enemy has attacked the five of us all along the way. It has even seemed at times I was on the brink of defeat. BUT WHEN I BECAME DETERMINED TO SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUS, AND TO MEDIATE ON HIS WORD DAY AND NIGHT, I AM GUARANTEED TO HAVE ALL MY NEEDS SATISFIED, TO BE PROSPEROUS, TO HAVE SUCCESS, AND TO LIVE THE ABUNDANT LIFE JESUS DIED TO GIVE ME (Matthew 6:33; Joshua 1:8; John 10:10). I AM NOT GOING TO GIVE UP! DEFEAT IS NOT AN OPTION! SO I WILL CONTINUE TO SEEK HIM!