WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

THE TITLE FOR TODAY’S EPISODE:  PREPARING FOR ENEMY ATTACK

As children of God, we will come under attack by the enemy. It’s not a matter of if we will, but when. There are some steps we can take ahead of time to lessen the impact, before the enemy shows up with his bag of tricks and lies.

One we must determine ahead of time that we will walk in our integrity. We will not yield to the enemy or his temptations.

The second decision, we have to predetermine that we will stand for Jesus, even if we have to stand alone.

Instead of drawing a line in the sand for the enemy, we must draw a line in concrete, showing we will not be moved. The longer you stay the more likely you are to be swayed by the enemy. We need to get out of the situation as fast as possible.

GENESIS 39:1-4 And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.  2 And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.  3 And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.  4 And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.

Joseph found favor with Potiphar. He gave him the position as overseer of his house, because of the favor of God on Joseph. But after a little time Potifar’s wife looked at Joseph and was determined to cause him to lose his integrity.

Gen 39:10-14 And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. 11 And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within. 12 And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out. 13 And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth,  14 That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice:

Joseph fled from the temptation to compromise his integrity. He ended up being thrown in prison, because of her lies. God gave him favor with the head guard and he gave him a position of overseeing the prison. He eventually gets out after telling the Pharaoh about his dream and what it meant. He was elevated again and was able to save his family from famine.

If he had not made up his mind long before the temptation to be unmovable and remain faithful to God’s commands, there could have been a different outcome. His actions not only had an effect on his life but his entire family. This is why it is so important for us to purpose in our hearts ahead of time that we will walk in our integrity.

The first time Daniel showed his determination to follow Jehovah’s commands was when the King of Babylon ordered that the captives be given food from his table.

Dan 1:8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

 He knew there was a good possibility that the meat and wine from the king’s table may have been an offering to an idol. He didn’t want to compromise; he worked it out with the prince of the eunuchs to give him beans.

Daniel knew what it meant to purpose in his heart. He had a made up mind to stand firm, be immovable when it came to compromising his faithfulness to God’s commands. Even in captivity. Daniel understood he couldn’t wait until the test came to make up his mind. This is how he had the boldness to open his windows and pray loudly three times a day, even though it was forbidden.

Because of his determination to stay faithful to God. The nation saw him go into the lion’s den. But they also saw him come out, unharmed.

In summary, One – we need to be determined to not compromise our integrity. Two – we will make up our minds to stand for Jesus, even if we have to stand alone. Three – We need to study the word of God and get it down on the inside of us. So it will be there, when we need to draw from it to combat the enemy.  Four – We must pray and keep the lines of communication open with the Lord. So that we can flow into prayer easily when we are in need of an immediate answer.

The word says to put on the whole armor of God. That is always a good place to start. But the battle is in our minds. So we must have a made up mind, determined to follow Jesus at all cost. Because if we do not have a made up mind, we may fall for the enemy and his lies.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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