Tag: #godfocus

EPISODE 339 -SPIRITUAL WARFARE – USING OUR FAITH TO FIGHT SATAN

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: SPIRITUAL WARFARE -USING OUR FAITH TO FIGHT SATAN

Today is the conclusion of the spiritual warfare series. In this time of struggle and stress that the church is going through right now, we need to know how to stand against the enemy. The subject of spiritual warfare goes far deeper and is more detailed than I have covered. I encourage you to dig into the word and do research for yourself.

2 Cor 5:7 We walk by faith and not by sight.

This is a reminder that we cannot go by what we see. We fight our battles with our faith. Part of the armor of God is our shield of faith. In other words, our faith is a defense against the enemy. Because we choose to see things through our faith and not how they appear to be at that moment.

A strategy is needed when we make our battle plan against the enemy. Picture a room full of generals with maps and intelligence reports scattered about, trying to create a plan. Sometimes we have to defend ourselves from attacks. Other times, we need to go on the offensive and take back territory.

We must understand the tactics of our enemy, his vulnerability, his territorial strongholds and how to break the lines of defense. We have to be determined to win. Belief in our cause will give us the strength to keep pressing forward.

We are in a battle for a billion soul harvest. I cannot think of a better cause than that, when heaven rejoices over even one soul coming to Christ. How can we not do all we can to tell the world that there is a better way.

When David looked at Goliath, he saw an enemy of his God. He was determined to take him out because he defied God. The Philistine had been mocking God and God’s people. David looked at him through his faith. He didn’t let how he looked in the natural shake him. He didn’t compare himself to Goliath. He compared Goliath to his God. Actually, the giant was minuscule compared to his God.

If David had looked at Goliath with human eyes not through faith, then Goliath would have seemed huge. David may have fallen into fear like all the rest of the army. He would have believed a bad report like the children of Israel when they went into spy out the land. But Joshua and Caleb looked at things through their faith. They stood boldly and proclaimed that we are more than able to take the land. They understood there were giants. But they chose to look at things in comparison to their God.

This is how one would walk by faith and not by sight. We have to look at our enemy through the lens of faith. Yes, to our natural, physical being, the enemy is more powerful. He has had thousands of years to manipulate mankind. He is good at the art of temptation and trapping. But we have to change the way we see our enemy. We need to look at him like David looked at Goliath. Compared to our God, he is minuscule. The enemy is nothing.

This is how we win our battle; we allow God to fight for us. He will guide us and lead us.

James 4:6-10 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

James used a lot of wisdom when writing to the church. He called out the spiritual issues of the church. But he also encourages the church that they can walk in victory if they do certain things.

He tells us to walk humbly and submit ourselves to God. If we resist the devil, he will flee. But we have to resist. It doesn’t say play with him, allow just a little bit of sin, after all the enemy says a little will not hurt. We are wise enough to know a little opens the door to the enemy to get a stronghold.

James says for the double minded to cleanse their hands and purify their hearts. To stop being double minded. In other words, we must have a made-up mind. We cannot flip flop between two opinions. We have to choose the right side and not give room for the enemy to get a foothold.

James says to cleans our hands. In other words, the things we do, our works or the work of our hands must be spiritually clean. We must have a pure heart. It takes work to fight against the enemy and not be double-minded, have clean hands and a pure heart. We can do these things, with the help of our God.

Never go into battle with an attitude that you will not win. If this is the attitude you may as well not go to battle. We have to believe we will come out victorious. We cannot win alone, but we have to go.

Like Jehosophat’s army, I shared with you yesterday. He didn’t have to fight with natural weapons. But they did fight with worship, they had a part to play. They had to show up at the battlefield to collect the spoils of war. We have to plan to be victorious by walking by faith. This refers to fighting a good fight of faith.

Eph 6:13-17 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

I want you to notice verse thirteen. We put on the whole armor of God so that we can withstand evil. Then the verses go onto list the different parts of the armor of God. It takes this armor to equip us to be able to stand against the enemy. We could not discuss warfare without touching on our protection or armor.

Every episode of this series has been to encourage you and give you a desire to study how to war and defend against the enemy. We have to go into training or boot camp to understand how to fight our battles. There used to be commercials that encouraged kids to read books then they would say, Knowledge is Power. When it comes to our enemy, the more we know how to stand against him.

Be bold and stand strong against our enemy. You can win the battle if you stand with God. Allow him to lead and be willing to face your fears and doubts, putting them under the shield of faith. Be sure to plan for victory, never allow the enemy to cause you to talk defeat. Our words have power. Using the word of God is the fiery darts against the enemy. I hope this series has encouraged you to stand strong and fight the good fight of faith.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 338 SPIRITUAL WARFARE -WORSHIP IS OUR WEAPON

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: SPIRITUAL WARFARE – WORSHIP IS OUR WEAPON

I have been doing a series on spiritual warfare. In episode 334, we covered keeping a watch for the enemy. Our adversary, satan, is on the prowl to destroy the body of Christ. We have to be on guard and keep watch for his traps and tactics.

The second thing we covered in episode 335 is our battle for holiness. We have to walk holy before God and resist the temptation to sin. The enemy is constantly trying to get us to fall into sin. We have to keep a guard on our thoughts and hearts so as to not fall into the traps of the enemy.

The third topic we covered in episode 336 was how the body of Christ needs to reconnect to the power of God. We must set aside our fear and man’s doctrines and spend time with God. We need to connect with the power of miracles and other tools the modern-day church has lost. We will be able to connect to that power source if we spend time in earnest prayer and fasting. These things are missing from our modern church. Episode 337 was all about prayer and fasting.

Today I want to talk about the power of praise. We often do not think about praise as being a weapon. Praise connects us to God in a way that nothing else does. We can break free of a lot of things with praise and worship. It helps us to untether from religion and connects us to God when we yield to him and zone out everything else. Getting into a place where it is just you and God, and you forget everything but your praise and love for God.

Worship is our weapon; every praise we lift sends explosions into the enemy camp. Worship breaks the narrative of the enemy, because we can leave the thoughts behind us. Every thought of the enemy that comes to cause us to be negative and to bind us up, we can break with worship.

One of my favorite stories is found in 2 Chr. 20, King Jehosophat had three different armies coming against him. The people were praying and God said,

2 Chr 20:15-18 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you. 18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord.

They spent time praising the Lord because he told them not to be afraid because they had a large number of enemies threatening them, he promised to take care of the battle. He told them the enemy would be destroyed without them even shooting one arrow or drawing their swords.

2 Chr 20:20-21 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever.

Their worship was their weapons. To the natural mind, this seems crazy to put singers in the front of the army. From the natural perspective they would be the first ones fired upon. But Jehosophat knew that God had said they would not have to fight, so he sent the praise team before the army.

2 Chr 20:22-24 And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. 23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. 24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.

I love how these three armies destroyed one another. It is like Haman being hung on his own gallows in the story of Esther. What the enemy plans to harm us will only elevate us, as long as we keep our perspective right before God. We need to praise and worship him. Releasing the darts of praise will cause the enemy to run or to be destroyed.

Evil spirits cannot stay where the anointing of God is, they have to flee. Our worship invites the presence of God. The anointing breaks yokes. We will not be tethered to the things of the enemy if we worship and do not dwell on the negative.

Complaining is the opposite of worship. Complaining is music to the ears of the enemy, because he will agree with your negative words. He will have an opening to work through if we allow ourselves to be full of negativity.

This is why we have to focus on the good things, even when life is not reflecting the good. We have to remember this world is not our home, we are just passing through.

Saul had lost his kingdom through disobedience. He still sat on the throne for a time period after Samuel told him that the kingdom was no longer his to rule. Saul even went to a sorcerer the witch of Endor to try to get insight into the future. Further opening up doors to the enemy the devil to take over and control him. He was tormented by evil spirits in the night and could not sleep. He called for someone to play music for him.

David played a harp with the anointing of God and the evil spirit would depart from Saul. This is proof that the anointing through praise will break the torment of the enemy. The evil spirits have to flee when we worship.

Just any musician would not work. People have talent and can play music beautifully, but if it is not anointed it will not drive away evil spirits. David, however, knew how to worship God. He learned when he was a shepherd boy. His pure praise was what elevated him to the position of King.

David didn’t always do the right things. He, too, fell into sin. But his willingness to repent and try again was honored by God. Our heavenly father doesn’t expect us to be perfect. He just asks us to worship him honestly and with a pure heart toward God.

We can win our spiritual battles with our enemy if we send up praise. Remember that worship is another weapon we have to fight off the evil that tries to overtake us. More spiritual warfare on tomorrow’s episode.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 335 BATTLE FOR HOLINESS

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: BATTLE FOR HOLINESS

The enemy will try to get us to fall into sin. He will lay every trap he can to trip us up. If he can cause us to sin, it opens the door for him to sneak past our armor. Then he can really cause us problems. The only way to make sure he doesn’t get a foothold is to be aware of what is happening in our lives. We need to pay attention and ask God to make us aware of anything that is in our lives that is an attack of satan.

Living a life of holiness will give us the strength to combat the enemy. But we cannot live this life fully on our own.

Matt 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

This verse tells us that the weakness is in our flesh. That is why the word tells us to walk in the Spirit. We will not fall into sin as long as we stay in the spirit. I know that statement may sound simple, but as long as we are in these fleshly bodies it is anything but simple. That is why God is faithful to forgive when we repent and why he gives us his amazing grace.

We should all aspire to be able to say what Timothy said at the end of his life.

2 Tim 4:7-8 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

How do we fight a good fight of faith? As with every spiritual battle. First, we have to know that we have protection from the enemy.

Eph 6:10-13 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

This passage tells us to put on the whole armor of God. The complete covering of protection. This is the only way we will be able to stand against the enemy. Verse twelve tells us that this is not a physical battle. We wrestle with principalities, powers, darkness and evil in high places. If we keep on the whole armor of God, we will be able to withstand the enemy. This is the only way we will be able to take a spiritual stand against the enemy.

2 Cor 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

This verse tells us that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. We have to fight this battle with spiritual weapons. We can pull down the strongholds of the enemy with God’s power.

We can win the battles one at a time, by the power of God that is within us. We can have victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot win if we do not look the Lord. The enemy is stronger than our flesh. But with the Holy Ghost on the inside of us, our flesh is reinforced and strong enough to stand against the enemy.

Learning to walk in the Spirit is a lifelong journey. Overcoming our flesh is one of the biggest challenges we have as Christians.

Gal 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

As children of faith, we have to understand the weapons we have in our arsenal.

Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Prayer is one of our most effective weapons against the enemy. We fight our battles on our knees. But also, we can do like Jesus did in the wilderness and use the word of God. It is our sword. To combat the enemy’s words in our minds. When he tells us lies, we need to say the scriptures that combat the lie.

Just as Jesus told satan to get behind him, we have the authority to resist him and tell him to leave.

But if we have sin in our lives, that leaves an opening for the enemy. This is why I called this episode the battle for holiness. The whole bible is about making the right choices and choosing to be holy. If we can walk in the spirit of holiness, we will not leave a foothold for the enemy.

Eph 4:23-27 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil.

We renew our minds with the word of God. When we are saved, we put on the new man, one created in righteousness. This tells us to not give place to the devil. It is so important to cut off his attacks immediately. When those thoughts come into our minds, this is why we need to take them captive and cast them down.

Stay alert, looking for his attacks, stay strong by building up your faith through prayer. He may be roaming to find someone to devour, make sure it is not you.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 334 KEEP WATCH FOR THE ENEMY

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: KEEP WATCH FOR THE ENEMY

If we look at the world with natural eyes only, we miss a large part of what is going on around us. Every day, spiritual battles are being waged. People often do not even know when they have been oppressed by an evil spirit. The enemy will send many our way to distract, deceive, and destroy us.

We have to have godly wisdom and discernment. Camouflage is often worn by armies in order to blend in with their surroundings. Sometimes soldiers even put on face paint to blend into their surroundings.

Our enemy will often come to us disguised as a good person. Many people have been taken down by people that were possessed or oppressed by the spirit of Jezebel. Many people at church have been hurt by those whom they believed were good people. Only to find out they were soldiers in the enemy’s army, who were planted in the church by satan.

Look at when satan tempted Jesus, he first questioned his identity. The enemy will often make us question if we are truly a Christian, he will attack our belief in our salvation. He questioned Jesus’ sonship. He will use others to pick at little things that mean nothing, to plant a seed of doubt in our identity as a Christian.

If he cannot get us to question our identity. He will move on to his next tactic. The second temptation of Jesus. He tried to get Jesus to prove that God’s angels would protect him if he threw himself off the high pinnacle. Again, Jesus quoted Scriptures to him. I am sure everyone has had a random thought go through their head. Something that would cause harm. The enemy will keep those thoughts coming, if he can make you feel unworthy and like you will never measure up.

He offered Jesus power and status on the earth. A short cut to what Jesus would have after his mission on earth was complete. Satan will often offer people money, status, powers of influence, in exchange for their denying God. It is sad to say a lot of preachers have fallen into this category. This is only one reason we need to pray for those in the ministry, they are attacked in ways we cannot even imagine sometimes.

Satan attacked Jesus after he had reached a point of baptism and God declaring how pleased he was with Jesus. It was an act of God giving Jesus authority. According to Jewish tradition, when a son gets to be at a certain level of maturity and age the father will declare that he is pleased with his son and that he has authority to speak for the family. That is what happened when God’s voice came out of the clouds on the day Jesus was baptized.

We cannot be ignorant of the enemy’s tactics. There are too many lives hanging in the balance. We have to be wise enough to see through a person’s actions and recognize that they are actions of someone being lead by our enemy.

Many people avoid the subjects of spiritual warfare because they do not want to believe it exists. They are afraid they will have to confront the enemy. The lessons that we need to know today are not being taught in our churches. The enemy is real, witchcraft is real, demons and satanism is real. These things have power, but God has given us more power. If the power of the Holy Ghost lives within us, we have power over the powers of the enemy. We will be able to pray, and God will respond.

We have to be wise enough to know when the enemy is trying to tempt us. Jesus knew he was dealing with his enemy. Often, we do not recognize until it is too late that we are dealing with an attack from our enemy.

The only way we are ever going to know when the enemy is trying to cause us trouble is to have discernment. This only comes by building up our faith in prayer. We can ask God for discernment to know when things are not of God. He has promised he will be with us and will lead and guide us.

The hard part for us often is that we ignore that still small voice that is telling us that something is not right. The enemy with his camouflage will sneak up on us. Most people do not get bitten by the snakes they see. Most of the time it is the snake that is hidden in tall grass or under a rock that they don’t see, until it is too late.

Being vigilant to watch out for the enemy is very important when it comes to combat. If the enemy can’t sneak up on you the less likely you are to be hurt by his weapons. Stay strong, be spiritually awake and vigilant, we will win the battle if we faint not.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 333 ANTICIPATION

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: ANTICIPATION

The word anticipation means to be expectant, have hope, be ready for an event. Some synonyms include suspense, excitement, and hopefulness.

The church has much to be in anticipation about in our modern age. This is the best time in all of history to be alive. We wake each morning with the expectation that soon we are going to see the next great awakening. God is going to flood the earth with his spirit. We will see things that generations before us have only desired to see.

We should be hopeful, even though things may appear to be smothering and dark. The enemy is on the prowl to cause fear, anxiety and depression. He wants to paralyze the believers with these things. He is also using fatigue and illness like never before to distract the body of Christ.

But we have hope. Our hope is in Jesus. We can be excited and have anticipation about the good things to come on the other side of the darkness. I have often thought about the early church after the day of Pentecost. They added three thousand souls to the body of Christ in one day. What an amazing thing it will be to have a great revival and add several souls.

Once the gospel has been preached to all the world and everyone has had an opportunity to be saved. Then comes the end. Jesus will come and gather up his bride.

Most women can remember how excited they were on their wedding day. Many hours and some even months and years went into planning the perfect day. The morning, they were to walk down the aisle, the anticipation was almost unbearable.

The bride of Christ is in this waiting place a short time before the rapture. I understand that the word rapture is not in the bible. However, it says we will be caught up into the air with him. The anticipation is getting real.

Now is not the time to be distracted by the things of this life. We cannot allow life to overwhelm us. Often the way to manage large tasks is to break them down into smaller ones. We have a period of time before this revival sweeps the land. If the anticipation and pressure of the enemy gets overwhelming, we can break it down to one day at a time. We can concentrate on the tasks we have to get done for that day.

Anticipation is a theme of the Bible to live in hope and readiness of God fulfilling his promises. There are different places in the word that God’s people acted with anticipation and hope of God fulfilling his word.

Instead of the anxiety that the enemy tries to give us, we need to cast it down and accept God’s anticipation. He has amazing things for his body. We have that hope to cling to with fervent excitement and anticipation.

The things we focus on will shape the course of our lives. If we focus on the evening news and how bad they tell you things are, it is easy to get down and depressed. Negative thoughts and words can get us in a position of being paralyzed.

When our enemy is about to lose his grip, he will throw everything at us at once. We have to know how to navigate the storm. But the great thing about the enemy’s storm is that God is above it. We will be elevated above the storm, because our God will lift us up.

What do we do to prepare for the storm? The best thing we can do is pray and ask for God to give us wisdom to navigate the upcoming days. We will ride out the storm because we are sheltered under God’s wings. It comes back to us getting in the secret place of the Most High God.

Psalm 91:1-3 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

If we dwell in the secret place of the Most High, we will be protected under his shadow. He is our fortress, which is a safe place that has been reinforced against the enemy. God will deliver us from the traps and snares of the enemy and from pestilences, which are diseases.

Psalm 91:4-8 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

The key to being protected and covered is to get into the secret place with God. I read this out loud over my home almost every night.

Psalm 91:9-12 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Because thou hast made the Lord thy habitation, no evil will befall thee. He has angels that watch over us and protect us. Think about hiding under God’s wings, the enemy will not be able to touch us. Because of this, we have no reason to fear.

In summary, it is good to anticipate our future; God will show up with his glory. The enemy will not win. Do not be discouraged, do not allow anxiety to overtake you. We are living in a great time to be alive, and we have to hold onto our hope and anticipation of what our God will do.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 332 HUMBLE AND JUST

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: HUMBLE AND JUST

There is a portion of our society that is all about gaining power and influence. They will lie, cheat, steal, and in some cases kill to get their way. The name of the game is elevation to more power. But their type of power is an illusion. Because it is all based on a lie. Truth is the only sure thing. We can rely on the truth.

Some of the greatest influences in my life have been people who had power and influence but didn’t wield it like a weapon. Most of them were humble, and only a few even realized that they had great power.

Prov. 11:1-3 A false balance is abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is his delight.

Think about the old scales that had two baskets or platforms. On one side, they put an exact weight, then in the other basket, they would put what they wanted to weigh. When the two baskets or platforms were balanced, you could say that the thing you were weighing was of a certain weight.

Often, dishonest merchants would have false weights in order to cheat their customers. People often do things dishonestly to as we would say, tip the scales in their favor. But the dishonest will not get away with their cheating forever; the truth will come out. They will be ruined; no one will want to buy from them once the truth is known.

However, if you are humble and honest, God will make things work out in your favor. You do not have to brag about yourself. God will do the bragging for you. He will lift you up and make you prosperous in every way.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

James was repeating what Jesus said to his disciples.

Matt 23:11-12 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Jesus was our example; he was the Lord of everything. He was God Almighty wrapped in flesh, but he never acted like he was anything more than a humble servant of God.

Jesus told his disciples that if they sought to be elevated, like people today want wealth and political power, then they would be humbled. But if they were humble, God will exalt them.

Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

We are to do that which is just and true. We are to love mercy, embrace it at every turn, when the opportunity arises. And walk humbly with our God. We do not have to walk this road or any road alone. He is there to help us and be our guide, but we have to humble ourselves and allow him to lead us.

Prov 11:2-3 When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. 3 The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.

Many times the word talks about pride. Pride goes before a fall. When we allow pride to enter our hearts, we will do anything to save face. These types of people do not want others to know they are not the person that they are perceived to be; they end up falling by trying to cover their pride.

Those who do not seek to be exalted have wisdom. They value other things over the pedestals in which people can elevate one another.

Proud and exalted people never slow down to notice those around them that are hurting and need a kind word or deed. The humble person notice others pain and are willing to do what they can to make life bearable.

To be exalted and prideful is a lie, because they pretend to be something they are not. Those that are humble, are full of truth because they do not pretend to be something they are not.

Even children can understand the difference between real and make-believe. But as adults, if we pretend too long, we believe our lies. This is why getting our identity from the Lord is so important. He will never lead us in the wrong direction, but will keep us grounded in truth.

That truth being that we can do nothing without God. We are nothing without God. If we keep the proper perspective on our focus on God, walking humbly will be possible. Because all things are possible with Jesus.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 331 WHAT IS IN YOUR GARDEN?

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: WHAT IS IN YOU GARDEN?

I was reminded today of something that a friend told me they experienced in a vision. They had been feeling guilty about the things they did when they were backslidden. Months after they had asked for forgiveness the enemy was still throwing up the sins of the past.

To God, once we have asked for forgiveness, he sees it all through the blood. Our sins are forgiven.

Heb 10:15-17 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Does this mean that God has a bad memory? No, it means that he chooses to look at us through the blood of Jesus and those sins, He chooses to not count them against us. They are erased and, as far as God is concerned, are not there to be remembered against us.

Heb 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

How can the enemy still use something that is wiped away? Because we still have a memory of what we have done. He tries to make us believe that we are really not forgiven. As long as he can torment us with the past, we are distracted from concentrating on God’s plan for today.

God gave her a vision of two gardens. One was the garden of the past and one was the garden of now. God said to her, “Quit trying to plant seeds in the garden of the past. That garden is now empty.”

In other words, don’t beat yourself up for things you cannot change from the past. Today is a new day. What kind of seeds are you going to plant in your garden now that you have chosen to walk with God?

She saw another garden full of vegetables and flowers in all states of growth with some ground left to still plant seeds. It is in the fruitful garden that we plant seeds of righteousness, love, kindness, forgiveness and grace.

I want to be found planting seeds in the garden of God’s will for my life. I want to plant all the good things. I never want to be stuck in the things of the past. Today is a new day, he will be with us to help us plant only good seeds.

We often talk about the parable that Jesus shared about the seed we sow. It can be found in Matthew chapter 13, if you want to read it.

The enemy will try to steal our seeds. This is what happens when he is trying to distract us from the good garden and get us to pay attention to the barren plot of the past. God has uprooted what we planted there so that it will not grow.

When seeds fall on good ground the plot that is under the blood of Jesus, they will take root and grow in our lives. We nurture them by watering them with prayer.

Hosea 10:12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

Fallow ground is a plot of land that has been left unplanted for a season. Farmers used to rest the land and allow it to absorb nutrients. They would often burn the plots to help the earth be more productive when something is planted there. God is saying that now is the time to seek him. He will give us righteousness.

Do not look back at what is behind, the past is gone. But look to the future and plant good seeds in your good garden. There was a quote that I want to share with you. I don’t know who said it first, if I did I would give them credit. But it goes, “He who plants a seed beneath the sod and waits to see, believes in God.”

When we plant seeds they do not grow immediately. Some spiritual seeds take years. But we are still called to plant them and let God do what he does to make a miracle happen. He takes that tiny seed and multiplies it into much fruit.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 330 KNOW THE ENEMY

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: KNOW THE ENEMY

This morning, I sat and pondered all that is happening in our world. People are blinded to what satan is doing. A large portion of the Body of Christ is blind to the tactics of the enemy. We need to be wise to his tactics to keep us from falling into a trap.

Matt 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Jesus told his disciples he was sending them forth as sheep in the middle of a bunch of wolves. Sheep are vulnerable animals, they do not have many built in natural defenses. It is not like they have razor sharp fangs or sharp claws. When a predator comes around sheep are vulnerable without their shepherd. They do not have much chance of survival. They will be consumed by wolves. Just like satan, he is a predator, he will devour us if we do not stay close to our shepherd.

Understanding the enemy will give us wisdom on how to avoid his traps. However, we do not have to go down the proverbial rabbit hole and study satanism to know how to avoid his traps. God’s word tells us all we need to know.

I Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

We think sober just means not drunk on alcohol. But it also means: serious, solemn, clearheaded, temperate. Temperate means mild, balanced and self-restrained. Vigilant means to be watchful, careful, alert to danger.

The word is telling us to pay attention and not be distracted, be clear headed and self-restrained. The enemy’s biggest tool in his arsenal is to draw us away from God, he tempts us with something that our flesh desires. If we lack self-restraint it is easy to get caught in the trap of the enemy. Satan is out there, roaming and watching for us to get in a vulnerable place for him to try to pounce on us. Everyday, we have to make sure we have on the whole armor of God. We have to be watching out for the enemy’s attack.

Think about all the evil that is on open display in our society today. We cannot even imagine the evil that is being hidden from us all. God is going to expose the evil. All the evil will not stand if we pray for exposure and for God to remove it.

Luke 12:2-3 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. 3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

God will reveal every evil plot and plan of the enemy. Part of God’s protection as our shepherd is to reveal the plots of the enemy to us. He has given us discernment. Which is an instinct that we know in our spirit with deep understanding the plans of the enemy.

We can overcome it all by resistance. We can resist the things he is plotting and planning. If we resist him, he has to flee.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

We resist by being temperate or self-restrained enough to say no to satan’s temptations. In resisting we take away any right he has to overpower us. He has to leave us.

We overcome the enemy with the blood of the lamb and the words of our testimony. We need to speak out of our mouths how great God is, when we speak it, we reinforce it in our own belief system. Our testimony will encourage others as well as ourselves.

Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

We have power over the powers of the enemy. We are wise to his devices. We have to stand together and stand strong. Hold onto our faith and nail scared hand of our shepherd.

2 Cor 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

We have to know the tactics of our enemy and how to combat them. Our Lord is there to keep us safe. God will not allow us to be overtaken by the enemy as long as we look to him. He has promised to be our protector, savior and friend. So be vigilant, keep watch for the enemy so that you are not caught in his trap.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 329 MOUNTAINS OF HOPE

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: MOUNTAINS OF HOPE

Our faith walk is often referred to as being on the mountain top or in the valley. Each strategic place has something to offer. It is in the transition times that we find life to be the most difficult. When we are climbing to the top and are no longer in the valley. Or when we are moving fast almost in a free fall to the valley. All is important for our journey. Mountains all through the bible are significant places of revelation, hope and spiritual growth.

We cannot be too down when we find ourselves in the valley. All stages of our walk are necessary. In the valley, there is a place of rest. Often God will isolate us from people to spend time with him. He is the lily of the valley. He goes with us through all the stages of our faith walk. In the valley, we can find peace and strength. We can get into the secret place with God and allow him to pour into us. He will strengthen our spirit and equip us for the next stage in life. He will strengthen us to climb up the mountain once again. He knows what we are facing and will prepare us to handle the climb.

Today, I want to focus on the mountains of hope. Some are in the word of God, others are in our path. When Noah’s Ark landed on Mt. Ararat. It was a sign of hope that God would take Noah’s family and replenish the earth. All was not lost in the flood.

Just as Abraham took his son up Mt Moriah to sacrifice, I am sure the climb was hard. But once on the mountain top, God provided a sacrifice to spare his son. Abraham called that place Jehovah Jireh meaning the Lord would provide. So this was another example of a mountain of hope.

Jehovah Jireh people use often to just mean financial. But he will provide whatever we need, encouragement, health, healing, strength, peace. He will not let us go without what ever our need may be. He sent ravens to feed Elijah during a famine. He will not let us down.

Although Golgotha is referred to as a hill, it may have been the most difficult to climb. Jesus climbed that hill, knowing that all that he was struggling through would be worth it to save mankind from sin.

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

He endured the cross to give us all the greatest hope of all, a hope of eternal life and peace.

Another mountain of hope would have been Mt. Olivet or the mount of olives where Jesus often taught. The top of the mountain was also where he ascended into heaven.

I am sure the sadness of his departure was hard to walk through. It was with heavy hearts that his disciples followed him to the top. Knowing he would leave them; however, he promised that he would not leave them comfortless. He promised to send his Spirit to lead and guide them.

His ascension into heaven made Mt. Olivet the greatest mountain of hope. Because it was on this mountain that he promised to come again and receive his people into heaven with him.

If you find yourself in the valley, thank God. Praise him in the valley. Ask for his guidance and wisdom. It is in the valley that we gain strength for the climb. Remember, when climbing, we have an expert survival guide. The Holy Ghost lives within the believer. He will be our guide.

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Our expert guide will lead us in the path we need to walk. He is our protector, comforter, teacher and will show us things to come. We can find hope in our Lord. He has promised to never leave us. Even in the lowest valley, the highest mountain or somewhere in between; we are safe. We know there is hope for the proper outcome. It doesn’t matter how big a mountain is in front of us. We can call it a mountain of hope, because God has already gone before us. We will never climb alone; we have security and hope. And our hope is always in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 328 STANDING IN THE GAP

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: STANDING IN THE GAP

All through the Bible we find stories of people who stood in the gap for their nation, people, and family. Standing in the gap means we fill the void space between those who are in need of God to reach God. Jesus is the ultimate example, without him standing in the gap for our sins, we would not even have a right to ask for God’s help. The largest gap ever created was the one Adam and Eve made when they sinned. Jesus came and filled in that gap.

John 14:6-Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Moses interceded on behalf of the children of Israel several times. Asking God to give them mercy when they deserved punishment. Many times God was weary of their idolatry and disobedience, but Moses prayed for God’s mercy.

Esther called a fast and prayed for God to save her people from Haman’s evil agenda to kill all of her people. Once the time of fasting and prayer was over she went to the king at risk of death. She asked for her people to be given into her hand to do as she wished. When his plot had been revealed to the king. Evil Haman was hung on a gallows he had prepared for Mordecai a Jew that would not bow to him. God’s people were spared because of Esther and her call for prayer.

Nehemiah was grieved by the news that the walls of Jerusalem lay in ruins. Because of his intercession and excitement of rebuilding the wall. Others got on board. Nehemiah stood in the gap and the people were lead into a time of repentance and renewal. The walls were fortified and once again Jerusalem was a strong city.

Sometimes all it takes is for one person to get excited about something. Their vision can become the vision of others. Nehemiah wanted to rebuild the walls, but it took a group of people to accomplish it.

Abraham pleaded with God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah. He asked God to spare it if he could find fifty righteous. He did not. Abraham kept bargaining down to ten people who were righteous. God could not even find ten in all the city that was righteous.

After Lot, his wife and his daughters left the city, fire and brimstone started falling from the sky on the evil. God told them to not look back, but Lot’s wife turned and looked back, she was turned into a pillar of salt.

It is safe to say that God spared Lot and his daughters because of Abraham’s prayers.

For years, there has been a movement in our country of intercessors who have prayed for our country and the world to be free from evil rulers. Many have cried out to God for mercy on our country, our states and local areas.

Being an intercessor takes time and energy. It means going beyond the words and feeling the emotion of the weight of where our country is spiritually. We have been taken over by evil agendas and the worship of satan.

I am sure that the only thing that has spared America is the large group of God’s people that feel compelled to intercede. Now more than ever we need for God to reveal the evil, make know satan’s agenda. God will spare our country, but we have something to do, we need to intercede.

I am sure we all have someone in our lives that needs us to stand in the gap of intercession for them. They are bound in sin and need God to intervene on their behalf. There are people that are dying of sickness and bad choices that need God.

We cannot be the church of recent years where we look at these situations and say a surface prayer and go on about our lives. Now is the time to get serious and get down to business. We need to allow our prayers to penetrate heaven. Many prayers never leave the earth. The difference one is saying a prayer. “Lord help that situation. Amen.” The other is getting on our face before God and praying until we feel like we cannot pray any longer. We need to P.U.S.H, Pray Until Something Happens.

Are you willing to stand in the gap for that loved one or friend? Are you willing to invest time in crying out for our country? God is needing us to keep pushing and praying. We are so close to our breakthrough but we need to keep going. Keep walking by faith.

Heb 4:14-16 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Because of what Jesus has done for us, we can come boldly to the throne of God and petition for mercy and grace. We can be bold in our prayers and intercession for those in need of God’s intervention.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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