31 Days Wrap Up: Awaken and Stand

"..., knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep;...." Romans 13:11

Amplified version:
"Besides this you know what [a critical] hour this is, how it is high time now for you to wake up out of your sleep (rouse to reality).

For salvation (final deliverance) is nearer to us now than when we first believed (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Christ, the Messiah). The night is far gone and the day is almost here. 

Let us then drop (fling away) the works and deeds of darkness and put on the [full] armor of light. Let us live and conduct ourselves honorably and becomingly as in the [open light of] day, not in reveling (carousing) and drunkenness, not in immorality and debauchery (sensuality and licentiousness), not in quarreling and jealousy.

 But clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and make no provision for [indulging] the flesh [put a stop to thinking about the evil cravings of your physical nature] to [gratify its] desires (lusts)." Romans 13:11-14 

These are PERFECT closing verses for this 31 days series! They actually summarize what I was trying to convey these 31 days.  

Awaken, rise up, and stand for truth! 

Thank you all for reading.  

  

God is SO big and able. I continue to pray that He has and WILL use something that has been shared to bring about change. Only He can. And we ALL NEED change. 

It has been a blessing to me. I hope that it has been to others as well.  

Thank you for being a part of the process. 

"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time now and forever. Amen." Jude 1:24,25

AWAKEN and STAND. 

31 Days: Awaken, Arise, and Use Your Authority

May we realize who we are and what we have in Him, be encouraged, and use our God-given authority. It's as if the enemy has thrown a cloak of hopelessness over the church in an attempt to silence us from using the authority that he knows we have. 

If you are at all feeling hopeless, shake off that cloak; it is NOT from Him.  Hopeless, with the God of Heaven with Whom all things are possible?

May we know who we are by knowing Who He is.  May we daily be renewing our mind in His word, where we see what He has done, what He does, what He promises to do, and more importantly- Who He is.  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, knowing the end from the beginning and holding it all. This truth brings great hope.

"For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, 'My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure'; calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of My purpose from a far country.  Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it." Isaiah 46:8-11

Will you AWAKEN, arise, and put into practice all that you say that you have faith for?  You have faith that He 'can'.  Now have faith that He 'will'.  And go and DO...(Luke 6:46-49)

You, who have been given weapons of warfare that are divinely powerful (2 Corinthians 10:3-6), will you choose to use them?  Choose.  It is not a question of if you can, it's a "will you?"

May His people call out His Name, allow Him to heal up their own woundedness, be appalled at sin among His people (rather than expecting it) (Ezra 9:3-10:6), walk in repentance and put away any form of evil from their midst, serve Him with their whole hearts (1 Samuel 7:3), pray, and go make disciples.

What if through our prayers we could take the oxygen, so to speak, the 'fuel' out of the flame of evil and infuse it instead into the flame of the true Light, which is so much greater (John 1:1-13, 8:12), shining brightly for the world to see: Him, high and lifted up? Could prayer 'shift' the 'fuel' from evil to the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit to feed the flame of righteousness and snuff out the flames of evil burning brightly? That would be revival. Awaken and fast and pray for that shift- the shift to snuff out evil and ignite truth and righteousness.  Pray for the turning of the tide.

Be filled with His boldness and big faith to move into the midst of the darkness and bring His powerful life-changing LIFE.

"..pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith;..." 1 Tim.6:11 and "be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." 2 Tim. 4:5

31 Days: Stand

He is for you, so who can be against you? (There's a lot packed into that statement.) He supports you so that you can stand 'warriorously victorious'. So why fear? 

Is 40:6-8 "All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of The Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever."  So why would we bow down to and try to appease flesh and fear man rather than The Lord and submit to His eternal word?

Hear His voice.  Take heed.  Listen for His heartbeat, which beats for ALL.  There is a message of love for all to hear- a broad, broad ocean of deep love and truth (a straight plumb line of 'how' to live). 

Walk in a manner worthy.  Be unafraid to give of the hope you have, to those who agree and also to those who disagree and need it most.  Be unafraid (not fearful) and courageously speak His words of truth and hope and joy.  In this world you will have tribulations, but take heart; He has overcome the world (John 16:33). And as the world looks like it is in such disarray, that is a good word.

 The enemy has been defeated by the Risen King.  He took on flesh, "that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.." Hebrews 2:14 

Bring that truth into any and every situation and circumstance. 

Pray. Trust. Believe. Be unafraid. Take heart. Stand on His Word. And courageously speak His Word, which stands forever.

31 Days: Trust and Serve Him Alone

May it NOT be said of us, as it was in Daniel 9:13,'...all this calamity has come on us; yet we have NOT sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquity and giving our attention to Your truth." 

Awake, O sleepers, lift up your heads. Look to Him.  Follow hard after Him that you may not be swept away by the torrents, that you can weather any storm. Like a life preserver for the soul is 'hope in God alone', not in man, government, reputation, country, money; allow no other thing to be your god, no other idol. He is enough and is holy and is to be treated as holy. 

In 1 Samuel 7:3,"...Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, 'If you return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines."

Are the steps that need to be taken today so different from these? Could this be what we need to hear and obey to not be overtaken by the enemy, the seen and unseen physical enemies and the seen and unseen spiritual enemies?

-Return to The Lord with all your heart. 

-Remove the foreign gods and idols from among you.

-Direct your hearts to The Lord and serve Him alone.

In response to Samuel's instructions, "the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served the Lord alone"(v. 4) and fasted and said, 'We have sinned against the Lord." (v. 6) As a result, when the Philistines, whom they feared, drew near to battle against Israel, "the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day and confused them so that they were routed before Israel." (v.10)

As we trust in Him alone, God can move in and suddenly take care of all that we fear, in ways that we could never even imagine. He is the God of the impossible. 

Laying aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, (Heb. 12:1,2) and trust and serve Him alone.

31 Days: Be Who You Are

You are to walk in a manner worthy, but He has already taken care of that 'identity' of worth.  It is finished.  As His child, you are made ready and new and worthy by His sacrifice; wear that 'cloak' of truth.  Jesus' sacrifice provides you with ALL: all righteousness, all authority, all change (you are not stuck), all power, 'ears' to hear and a 'heart' to understand. 

So receive that truth.  Let go of the 'chains' of "you must 'DO' " to be loved. You ARE loved. Respond and 'do' from that joyful, full place (filled with the Holy Spirit), overflowing out into this needy world.  May that identity make it to your joints and marrow and the very center of your being. 

Go forth in victory and joy. He will make you brave for the call, that you may be a loving voice to those who are in need. Every life has a present 'life situation' that needs His touch. Seek His love and truth that you may be His hands and heart in their time of need, to minister to His creation, Whom He loves and longs to draw nearer and nearer to Himself. 

And if you somehow feel 'less than', then 'someone' is lying to you. You have authority over those lies.  You have a new identity to step into. 

 Step into His promises. Step into that destiny, and be who you are!  Just be.

Fight for freedom. It is yours, all of it.  It is for freedom that Christ has set you free.  Be free.

Be. 

31 Days: Awaken to Freedom

He loves you with an everlasting love. 

Be encouraged. Be encouraged to not back down, back off, or settle.  Stand tall and resolute, even in the midst of others' compromise, that you may experience the overwhelming JOY of that choice.  There will be much joy in standing immovable, unshaken, and for righteousness no matter what the crowd and 'tide' is doing. He can do much with that stance. 

Step into that freedom.  It is a large, spacious place. Don't put yourself in bondage to what others 'might' think and make a 'little' place for yourself.  He calls you to freedom and will protect you and lead you in paths of righteousness for His Name's sake. 

Be free.  

31 Days: Hope, Dream, Act

Do you fear to 'hope', fear to 'dream' or 'expect'?

He is for you, not against you, so when you feel that 'push-back' and that fear, resist and rebuke it. It is not of Him, and therefore it is under your feet.  Stamp it out. That fear of disappointment that tries to keep you from hoping or dreaming need not move you, direct your steps, or sideswipe you. Look to Him and truth.

Unite the truth with faith (the leaning of the entire personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness1), that it may be effective. Believe and live accordingly, even if it feels foolish. Know the truth that sets you free, and believe it as reality. Because He has overcome and His power is not limited, believe what He says, more than what you see and feel. 

Do not just have a form of godliness while denying its power (2 Tim. 3:5). Move forward. Move. As you resist the fear and step forward in obedience, you will find His strength in every step and His love in every instance. Follow Him. 

Just do the next thing. And follow through. Press beyond your comfort zone and watch Him meet you in that place. He is a mighty and strong Deliverer.  

Be unafraid and unashamed. 

Motivational speaker and businessman T. Harv Eker is quoted as saying, "Nobody ever died of discomfort, yet living in the name of comfort has killed more ideas, opportunities, actions and growth than everything else combined. Comfort kills!" 

Lord, give us your fearless courage to be all that you've called us to be, to press beyond our comfort and walk in full confidence in You and obedience to You, to not just do 'enough' to go thru the motions, but to press for ALL you have for us and all you have had planned for us from before the world was created. There is something that 'blooms' within as we submit ourselves to You and Your will. May it be so.   

Imagine if we all stepped forward in confidence and obedience and took our place in the great plan of God in this present age.  He does have a plan.

Let's surrender, not to the fear, but to the FAITH, and hear, hope, dream big, expect much, and obediently ACT.  

1 Amplified Bible on the word 'faith' 

31 Days: Rise Up and Pray

Prayer changes opportunities.  

Fast and pray for His people to be wholly committed to His Word and to not be sidetracked by misinformation. It is His WORD that will stand, that will sustain, that will infuse with strength, that will make our feet to stand and not slip (Ps. 121:3) and make us to walk on our high places (Hab. 3:19).

He sustains the weary one with a word (Is. 50:4). He satisfies with His Word. Let us not neglect it and therefore neglect the very results that we long for. His Word will bring about the transformation that people are, with little or no positive effects, presently hopelessly striving for.  

Jesus is the Word (John 1), high and lifted up and greatly exalted.  Seek after Him, take heed and listen to Him, with open ears to listen and open hearts to obey. 

As George Muller shares how the Word leads one directly into prayer: "I saw the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God, and to meditation on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed; and that thus, by means of the Word of God, whilst meditating on it, my heart might be brought into experimental communion with the Lord. I began, therefore, to meditate on the New Testament early in the morning.  The first thing I did, after having asked in a few words for the Lord's blessing upon his precious Word, was to begin to meditate on the Word of God, searching, as it were, into every verse to get blessing out of it; not for the sake of the public ministry of the word, not for the sake of preaching on what I had meditated on, but for the sake of obtaining food for my own soul.  The result I have found to be almost invariably thus, that after a very few minutes my soul has been led to confession, or to thanksgiving, or to intercession, or to supplication; so that, though I did not, as it were, give myself to prayer, but to meditation, yet it turned almost immediately more or less into prayer." 

31 Days: Living Righteously and Godly and Unashamed in the Present Age

Listen to these words of Paul from the book of Titus. Do we believe them? And if we do, are we living accordingly? Let's not fall into the scheme of the enemy that just to know scripture and agree with it is somehow the same as obeying it. The Word and His instructions for our lives are not just to read and grow in knowledge; it is to be lived out.

Titus 2:11-15 "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,..."

Paul was living in a time when his message was radical.  And he knew how radically hated it was because he had previously been "in hearty agreement with putting to death" (Acts 8:1;9:1-22) the Lord's disciples and those who belonged to 'the Way'. God's inspired word and instructions through Paul in the book of Titus, which tell us

that the grace of God instructs us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires

and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,

was for that present age, when it was hard and unpopular, and for THIS PRESENT AGE, when it is hard and unpopular.

"....looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior,..."  This keeps this life here and now in perspective.*

"... Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us..."

so that we could live however we want?!  No.

He "...gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you."

Which leads us back to: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation...."

* 1 John 3:2,3 says, "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be.  We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.  And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."

31 Days: Not Ashamed of Him and His Words

"For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Mark 8:38

Those are some strong words. Take a moment and think of what being ashamed of Him and His words would look like.  What would that practically look like lived out in your life today, in your workplace, in your family? What would being ashamed keep you from saying? What beliefs would it keep you from sharing?

Seriously consider the answers to those questions, and then consider what 'tolerance', 'political correctness', and the world's definition of being 'loving' and not judgmental in 'this present age' would look like in those same situations.

If they look the same, consider whose tactic that is. Whose 'scheme' (2 Cor. 2:11) do you think we've fallen into?

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'But the righteous man shall live by faith.'  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them." Romans 1:16-19

Wouldn't it be true that the hard 'truth' that we are tempted to 'lovingly' withhold is not so loving to withhold. May we rise up and speak THE TRUTH in love.

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." 2 Tim 2:15 

May we be equipped and built up, that we will not "..be tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but being truthful in love, let us grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,..." (Eph. 4:14,15).

Lord, raise us up to be loving 'truth speakers'. May we not, in fear, hide away the only answer to the world's maladies.

31 Days: Awaken to Obedience, Prove Yourselves Doers of the Word

Listen to this great advice from Andrew Murray*: "Always study in God's word in the spirit of unreserved surrender to obey.  If you accustom yourself to study the Bible without an earnest and very definite purpose to obey, you can get hardened in disobedience.  Never read God's will concerning you without honestly giving up yourself to do it immediately, and asking grace to do so." 

Look at how James instructs us according to truth: "Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.  But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does." James 1:21-25

The Bible tells us that we are not ignorant of Satan's schemes (2 Cor. 2:11).  I see a scheme at work today, in an effort to make us struggle in the area of obedience, that is twofold: First the enemy tries to keep us away from the truth of the word with the lie that it too hard to understand or irrelevant to today. So this may draw us to get 'busy' with other nice, good Christian material or activities, but the life-giving, powerful, inspired word of God that equips us (2 Tim 3:16,17) and judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb. 4:12) and changes us and encourages us and gives us hope (Romans 15:4) and transforms us (Rom. 12:2) is stolen away from us.  OR secondly, for the Christian who is studying and taking the word seriously, there is the lie that just knowing a truth, having intellectual knowledge, is good enough. We may have a yearning for more and more knowledge but at the same time be unwilling to deny ourselves and act on it or even to consider what obedience to that truth means lived out in our very lives, and the blessed consequences of obedience are stolen away from us. 

I believe that we can fall into either of these traps at different times without even realizing that we are buying into the subtle lies.  We must examine ourselves.

 "God has given us His word to tell us what He wants us to do and what grace He has provided to enable us to do it.  How sad to think it a pious thing just to read that Word without any earnest effort to obey it! May God keep us from this terrible sin!" Andrew Murray

We must be hearers! Hearers first- we must be in the Word. But it can't stop there, we must be effectual doers. "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock." Matt. 7:24.

Oh Lord, raise up effectual doers, and may we be counted among them. Equipped in every good thing to do Your will (Heb. 13:21), may we be 'doers of Your word'!

*from The School of Obedience (1898).

31 Days: The Time is Now

He is faithful. Radically trust in Him more than your fears. He will make a way, not always an easy way, but a way victorious, accomplishing His plan. 

We are His witnesses, witnesses of His glory and strength, to make known the glorious power of the King by standing strong and courageous in the midst of corruption and pain and deceit and turmoil, with weapons of righteousness for our right hand and the left  (2 Cor.6:7). We will stand and take courage. 

"He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.  He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord." Ps. 40:2,3

Be His mouth.  Be His hands.  Be His feet.  Be His courage. 

With your feet on the Rock, STAND. Be unmoved, by trusting in Him and His will and ways, doing what He says, following Him, and running into the strong tower of His name.

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is safe (set on high)." Prov. 18:10  

The time is now. 

31 Days: Be Transformed by His Truth

He has enabled you to run the race, fight the good fight, be victorious in battle, to fulfill your ministry, to use your weapons of warfare, and to stand. You are able. 

Being the omniscient all-knowing God, He would not instruct us to do that which He knows cannot be done. With His instructions come the power and ability to obey and accomplish that for which the instruction was sent, as we depend upon Him.  Nothing He asks you to do is impossible. 

We can examine the circumstances and be honest about them without becoming weak in our faith. We can say, "Yes, this is what is apparent with my natural eyes, BUT GOD says...... And He is able to perform!" 

I love Abraham's example in Romans 4:19-22; it is packed with applicable truth: "Without becoming weak in the faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb;...".  In other words, he was very honest about the truth of the circumstances, but he did not allow the truth of the circumstances to weaken his faith in God's Word. It continues, "....yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.  Therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness." 

 Know the promises and stand on THEM. Be in His Word. "..faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ." Romans 10:17. 

Allow your 'reality' to be transformed by His truth. 

Listen to Him. 

And then, of course, faith should always lead us to obedience.

This is no time to waver in unbelief. 

31 Days: Fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ

"If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin." I John 1:7. And this verse follows this statement about 'fellowship': "....what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. " 1 John 1:3 Wow, think of that invitation!

He is a personal God. He has built community with one another in our hearts, and it comes from Him.  He longs for community and fellowship with us. So He loves it when we come and 'sit with Him'. What an amazing truth.

He rules over the nations (Ps. 22:28;47:8) AND individual hearts (Prov. 21:1, Acts 16:14). 

May we turn from the busyness that even overwhelms our 'thinking'. Our thoughts can get so busy that it is hard to hear anything else.  Therefore we cannot hear the still, small voice call us to 'come', 'come arise', 'come all who are weary and heavy-laden', 'come'.

"...repent  and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of The Lord;.." Acts3:19

31 Days: Mine the Depths of Truth and Take Him at His Word

Hide His Word in your heart; know and speak forth His unadulterated WORD of truth.

Mine the depths of truth, asking, 'What does it mean for my life today?' Meditate on the ramifications of the truth of the Word and be bold and brash enough to take Him up on it.

Take Him up on His Word.

"Is not My Word like fire?" declares the Lord, "and like a hammer which shatters a rock?" (Jeremiah 23:29). His Word can break up the hardest of the hard: hearts, lives, situations, the impossible.   That's what it does. Take Him up on it.

Challenge Him with it and challenge others to do the same.  Hold Him to it. Imagine how much He loves that: a child who believes Him enough to take Him at His Word, to act upon it, and is bold enough to fight for what He has promised.

Oh how pleasing in His sight. In contrast to the child who looks and forgets (James 1:21-25) and lays it aside AS IF it is USELESS!!,  when He has clearly proclaimed that it is the power of God unto salvation: any salvation you need. Oh take Him up on it and see if He does not pour forth from heaven and reward with power lighted (set afire, burning) on His Word.  

The Word IS living, active, sharper than any two-edged sword (Heb.4:12). Be serious, not casual! Lay all 'casual' aside as you hold a powerful sword. Study its implications, it's power!  Rejoice and use it.  You are exhorted to use it, to take Him up on His promises.  

Mine them, know what they are, and hold Him to them! 

31 Days: 'Watch' His Word

He watches over His Word to perform it (Jer. 1:12). May we 'watch' His Word and not allow the book of the law to be lost in the house of God (2 Chron. 34:14-21), build up (good) walls (2 Cor. 6:14-18), have our armor on (Eph. 6:10-18) and sword ready "to stand firm against the schemes of the devil" (Eph 6:11,17) and "to sustain the weary one with a word." (Is. 50:4)

 "I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart; and I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me, and how I may reply when I am reproved." Habakkuk 2:1

Knowing and believing Him, may we not just live with broken down walls, daily walking over the rubble and not noticing that it is a disgrace.  God gave Nehemiah the burden and the plan and used that one man to organize a movement that quickly got the rebuilding done. May we rebuild clearly defined walls so that we know where we stand, what we believe, and no longer allow any 'lofty thing raised up against knowledge of God' to masquerade as truth within our midst.  May God raise up leaders who are gifted in calling the faithful to work together for change.

"'You are My witnesses,' declares the Lord, and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may KNOW and BELIEVE Me and understand that I am He.  Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me.  I, even I, am the Lord, and there is no savior besides Me.  It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, and there was no strange god among you; so you are My witnesses,' declares the Lord, and I am God.  Even from eternity I am He and there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?'" Is 43:10-13

Will you answer the call and rise up and produce 'change'.

31 Days: Contend Earnestly for the Faith

"..be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." 2 Peter 3:17,18

Have the courage to stand up and be resolute, steadfast and firm in purpose and belief. Knowing what you know from His Word, make up your mind now, ahead of time with the leading of the Holy Spirit rather than the leading of the world, concerning what you believe and how you will obey. Know the promises that you can cling to as you obey His Word, and be faithful to stand with Him and not against Him. 

Many, who would call themselves Christ-followers today, are standing up against the truth that is clearly set forth in His word.  They need to KNOW the truth; the truth will set them free. So may we know that we know that we know what we believe, so that we can rise up and proclaim freedom to the captives. Freedom has come and been made available, but many, not realizing the bondage of spirit that accompanies it, prefer being fed by Egypt (their captors) because it is 'easier' (Ex. 16:3, Num. 11:5).

Today may we heed God's instruction in the book of Jude.  Notice that it is concerning the faith that was once for all handed down to the saints. Truth does not change with the changing times or changing world views. He created it all and knows how it runs best.  Let's listen to His instructions and not to our own 'opinions' and 'ideas'. (Matt. 17:4,5) And, again, do not just skim over the familiar words, but allow the Word of God to transform your mind more and more everytime you come in contact with it. (Romans 12:2)

  "Contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. 

For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ." Jude 1:4....

"But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, 'In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.' These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.  

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.  And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.  

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."....verses 17-25

Contend earnestly for the faith and proclaim freedom to the captives. 

31 Days: Produce Change

He is BIGGER and stronger than anything you fear.   

Jesus said, "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Please do not just skip over the familiar scriptures. Allow their truth to wash over you anew word by word.  In Matt. 10:24-31, Jesus tells us that we will be maligned, as He was. "Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops.  Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows." 

Go and act and speak and do not fear (an instruction to be obeyed). You have a courage that you do not even know is inside of you, placed there by the power of the Holy Spirit within you. 

Rise up and be unafraid to be different and to speak in the light. Don't hide away and keep to yourself what He teaches you.  Don't hide it away. (Luke 8:16)

Looking to 'that day' and eternal rewards, along with the PEACE that comes to your soul today as you walk in obedience, be filled with courage to be different from this culture. Do not fear 'them'. 

"The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever leans on, trusts in, and puts his confidence in the Lord is safe and set on high." Prov. 29:25

Know and believe Him (Isaiah 43:10-13) and stand with Him, and 'produce change' in your sphere of influence and beyond.