"If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:31-32 NKJV
Did you notice that these verse come with a condition attached? People want freedom, and this verse shows us that freedom comes from knowing the truth, but the condition is that we need to be people who abide in God’s Word in order to know the truth. Instead of ‘abide’, another translation uses the word ‘continue’ which means, ‘to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy)’. As I read this, I think of Peter walking on the water and Jesus asking, “in what did you doubt” (see April 21). When we are believing God for something, fear will always raise it head and try to make us doubt God and sway its way, but when we doubt something it loses its ability to remain an option. If we are trying to grow our faith, then staying in the Word of God will continue to reinforce the truth of Who God is. We grow more in our knowledge and understanding of Him, and we then become more ‘disciplined’ (discipled). The more we know of God and His plans and purpose, the stronger we become. Then fear loses its grip and we grow in the truth of Who God is. Then, as we live out that truth, and walk in the authority and dominion He gave us, we then become people who know real freedom in Christ. Choose today to become a person who spends more time in the Word, and you will learn freedom like you’ve always wanted. Declaration Starter: “I declare that I am free because I know the Truth and He is alive in me…”
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"Even Death and Destruction hold no secrets from the Lord. How much more does He know the human heart!" - Proverbs 15:11 NLT
How amazing is it that God knows everything? He knows every thought you have, every secret you have, and every struggle you have, no matter what it is, no matter how insignificant or substantial, no matter who it’s about and no matter how happy or painful it may be to you. There is no secret you have that He doesn’t know about. You may wonder why that is so amazing but the truth is, that it means that you can never bring anything before Father that will surprise Him. There is nothing you can say that will cause Him to fall off His throne in shock. Not only that, He can sympathise with our weaknesses because He was tempted in all areas like we are. (Hebrews 4:15). He knows you intimately, and He still loves you unconditionally. That is so freeing, because it means that no matter what secrets we have, we can share them with Him, knowing that He isn’t shocked, surprised, or even disappointed. He wants to us to share everything with Him. Go to Him in faith. The very think you don’t know how to put in words, He already knows. Just go before Him and be open and honest and let Him lead you. You’ll be glad you did. Declaration Starter: “I declare that there is nothing that God doesn’t know. Even death and destruction hold no secrets from Him. He even knows the secrets of my heart and I know can trust Him with them all…” "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7 NLT
Anxiety is something so many people suffer from, but it isn’t part of God’s plan for us. Poor thinking habits and the stories we tell ourselves play a major role in the way we feel, however, the truth is that if we change the story, we change the outcome. When we worry about things, we allow fear to rule us. We are trusting in that situation or circumstance to harm us more than we are trusting God, but you need to know that we aren’t created to be ruled by fear. The Holy Spirit is always with you and He wants to be involved in every part of your life no matter what you face. This verse tells us to not only talk to Him about our needs, but also to thank Him which also indicates expectation that He will be involved. That expectation is our faith in action. When we know that Father is actively involved in every part of our lives, we can relax and be at peace. Know that you are never alone. The Holy Spirit is always with you so remember to talk to Him. Get Him involved and then thank Him. He is more than able. Declaration Starter: “I declare that the peace of God will guard my heart and my mind. I will not allow anxiety to rule my life. I will give Him thanks in all things because I trust Him completely…” "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." - Isaiah 40:31 NKJV
Waiting on God in this verse isn’t referring to ‘serving’ God, it literally means to be waiting, lingering and expecting. So often we run around frantically doing things like completing our to-do-lists, cleaning the house, taking kids to sports, or even just pleasing people. These things aren’t all necessarily wrong, but what if instead of running around frantically, we chose to follow Jesus example by stopping and waiting first on God? Father wants us to just sit a little while with Him, waiting with Him, talking with Him, worshipping Him. As we do, He begins to talk with us. He communicates His plans and desires to us and beautifully begins to recharge our weary spirit. We begin to hear from Him, learn from Him, and relax in Him. Our stresses begin to trail away and we begin to recharge. If your prayers are short because life is frantic, then change your routine. Spend time waiting on your Father and you too will see yourself being restored and soaring like an eagle, seeing things with new perspective and running with new strength. Declaration Starter: “I declare that God is my primary focus above and beyond the demands and expectation of people. He knows what I need to do today, so my first priority is to wait on Him. I choose not to be stressed, but to trust Him. As I follow His leading, He will renew my strength. I will soar like an eagle and I will run with endurance. No matter what I go through, I will never grow tired, because my direction comes from the Lord…” "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." - James 4:7 NKJV
Romans 6:18 says we are free from our slavery to sin, and have become slaves to righteousness. When I read that, I see that I can be a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness, but either way I am a slave, but I tell you what, with the two options before me, it’s really a no-brainer which one I will choose. James 4:7 tells us that we are firstly to submit to God. That’s easy, especially when we realise that God has an amazing plan for our lives. He loves us and wants to bless us, so in submitting to Him, we are lining our will up with His will. We are allowing Him to be in control. Next, we are told to resist the devil. John 10:10 tells us that Satan’s plan is to ‘steal, kill and destroy’, but God has given us authority over Him through Jesus Christ and enemy knows that and that he cannot defeat that. That’s why the verse above says we are to resist him. Don’t surrender to him because Jesus already won the battle for us. The enemy has no authority unless we give it to him, so as we stand our ground on the promises of God’s Word and resist him, he doesn’t have a choice. He has to flee. So, let me encourage you in this, whatever promises in God you are believing for, stand strong today knowing that God is also on your side. Because of Jesus, you are already the winner. Declaration Starter: “I declare that the devil has to flee from me because my trust is in the Lord. I will stay close to Him at all times. I will be by His side, and He will be mine…” “I declare that I am free because I know the Truth and He is alive in me.” (John 8:32)
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