Powerful Words that Can Make a Huge Impact if Acted Upon

"Rejoice. Change your ways. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you." 2 Corinthians 13:11

Rejoice, change, encourage, harmony and peace, are powerful words that can impact our lives and the lives of others. Yet often times they seem to be the hardest ones to do, to express, to think upon.

But we make the choice whether or not to apply them and express them. For me I often allow how “I feel” to control my thoughts, words and actions. This I am not proud of, but willingly admit it is my biggest struggle.

My heart desires to walk in action and obedience, yet my flesh desires to walk in self. Miss “ME” is a very dominate woman, who I am still battling and though she often wins, I know Jesus in me is greater than she is and because of Him the victory has already been won.

But until He takes me home, I have to keep fighting. I have to keep focusing on His love and mercy. I have to keep filling my life with His Word. And I have to daily ask for His help to apply and live out His Word. I have to become conscious and aware of my thoughts, actions, words, and behavior and refuse to give into the ugly parts of them.

Jesus overcame all things. He endured all that I endure today. He resisted Satan. He walked a perfect and holy life. He knows the core of my heart, your heart, and He loves us anyway.

His power works best in my weaknesses. “My power works best in your weaknesses.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

He completes every part of me and I need to walk in that beautiful thought and promise.

Jesus I have tried to control too many aspects of this life You have given me. I no longer want that responsibility. It was Yours to begin with. I can’t fight without You. I can’t walk in obedience and faith without the Holy Spirit in me. Amen

 

Becoming Content with Our Weaknesses

"My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness. So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. Since I know it is all for Christ's good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Jesus layer me with every word of this passage. I want that same contentment.

His Will

"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

Sometimes the plans we have for ourselves or others is not the same plans Christ has for us.

So how can we make sure we are not pushing His plans and will aside in order to fulfill our own?

Altar Sunday

These are a few of the reasons I go to the altar.

For them and many more.

Written by James Mejias

What would we give up for Jesus?

Could we or would we follow Him if and when He asked us to do something that went against the grain of our reality?

If He asked you to become blind, deaf, maimed, or paralyzed, could you? What if He asked you to die for Him?

Do we really have enough faith (trust/confidence) in Him? Would we deny ourselves these luxuries if they turned us away from His light?

Do we truly believe He is good and who He claimed to be? If we did then why do we hesitate to follow through in what He says?

Perhaps it is because we are always waiting for the words He speaks to manifest before we will feel confident enough to believe. Like the disciples we still need to experience His goodness through the logic of our flesh, rather than that of our spirit.

Judaism will never be the way to God. Justification through the law will never be enough to convince our flesh. It will always keep us in the place between belief and unbelief. To where we are either always waiting for the Christ to appear or repeatedly crucifying the Savior, who already came.

He Will Make it Clear

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT

Just in case we don't get it, Jesus helps make it clear.

I know this sign has a negative intention, but I am thankful we have Jesus who opens our eyes and gives us clarity when temptation is right in front of us.

Jesus help us to grab hold of this verse and cling to its promises. Remove the film from our eyes so we can avoid temptation. Amen

The Temptation of Laziness

"Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper and be satisfied." Proverbs 13:4

Laziness comes in all differnt areas of our lives. It is not just in our jobs.

Laziness can be found in our homes, in our marriages, in friendships, in our relationship with Christ and in our Churches.

Laziness can be found in our lack of self-control, our appearance, our attitude, our thoughts and our speech. You can even find laziness in being retired.

Laziness is a great tool Satan uses to keep us from being productive for the Lord.

Laziness can be contagious if we are not careful.

"Stay away from any Christian who lives in idleness and doesn't follow the tradition of hard work we gave you. For you know that you ought to follow our example. We are never lazy when we were with you.  We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so that we would not be a burden to any of you. It wasn't that we didn't have the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow. Even while we were with you, we gave yo this rule: "Whoever does not work should not eat." 2 Thessalonians 3:6-10

Jesus I want to set a better example for my boys. Help me to overcome any and all laziness in every area of my life, especially the areas that matter the most. Forgive me for giving in to the temptaion. Amen

His Main Goal

"So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you." James 4:7

Satan will tempt us in anyway he can to take our minds and eyes off of Christ. He will go as far as discouraging us from studying God's Word and even attending Church.

He loves distracting us, discouraging us, and distancing us from the Lord. It is his main goal!

What is he tempting you with that is keeping you from opening God's Word or attending Church?

Don't believe his lies.

Don't give into the lure of temporary satisfaction.

Resist Satan!

Draw close to God and He will draw close to you.

Jesus give us discernment and wisdom to know the difference between Your truth and Satan's lies. Remind us of the importance of spending time with You in prayer and in Your Word. It is the only way we will be able to resist Satan. Amen

Who Comes First?

"When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor." James 4:10

In times of temptation do we depend more on human help than we do on God's  help?

Do we turn to people before we turn to God in prayer?

Maybe the reason we wander through the wilderness or walk through the fire longer than others is because He wants us to put our complete faith and dependence upon Him. 

I know and believe that Jesus is true to His Word, and, if we will trust Him to help us overcome temptation, we will overcome it. 

Don't get me wrong, we need encouragement and support from our brothers and sisters in Christ, but we need to make sure we don't put them before God.

Human help only accomplishes so much, but God can accomplish and overcome all things.

Jesus help us to place You above all things and all people. May we turn to You before we turn anywhere else. It is only by You and through You that we are able to resist temptation. Amen

The Temptation to Complain

"In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing, so that no one can speak a word of blame against you."  Philippians 2:14

The temptation to complain. How many times did you complain today?

We never really look at complaining as a temptation but it is a huge one. Satan loves to hear us complain, because when we do, we focus more on the problem, situation, or person than we do on Christ.

Jesus keep us aware of every complaint we begin to utter. Hold our tongue, take our thoughts captive, and place our eyes and minds on You and Your Word. This is a huge temptation that I give in to regularly. Forgive me and help me to obey Philippians 2:14 and put it into action.  Amen

Altar Sunday

What if you entered the Church and the only thing there was the altar. Would you stay and meet with the Lord or would you leave?

The Way Out

The greatest promise to cling to in this world today where temptation stares us in the face.

"If you think you are strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin. But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it." 1 Corinthians 10:12-13

Seek the Wise

"Dear brothers and sisters, if another Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. " Galatians 6:1

We all face temptation and we all need help, encouragement and support. We also need to be aware and wise. Strong and faithful, because we to, if not careful, can fall into the same temptation before we even realize it.

Seek help from those who are wise and grounded in Christ. 

Jesus help us to be wise and mindful when we reach out to help or ask for help. Amen

One of His Favorite Places to Tempt

"Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” Matthew 26:41

Do you know the biggest area Satan tempts us?

Our marriages. He will put all kinds of doubt in our minds. He loves to see us quarrel, bicker, harbor anger, resentment, and refuse to forgive. He wants us to act out on our feelings and emotions.

How can we take this particular passage and apply it in our personal lives and in our marriages?

The benefits we will reap for turning away from the temptation and turning to God.

Jesus protect our marriages. Help us to stand firm and place You in the center. Amen

Getting Specific

"Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes." Ephesians 4:23

The more I study God's Word on temptations, the more I realize the importance of being specific with what tempts us.

When Satan tempted Eve he focused on a very specific thing.

When he tempted Jesus he focused on three very specific things.

For us, he focuses on very specific things and they just happen to be our weakest areas. Not only does he use them against us but he also magnifies them.

And it all starts with our thoughts.

The more we listen to him the more we allow his lies to settle in our thoughts.

But the more we listen to Christ and store His Word within us the less tempted and weak we will be.

Jesus strengthen us with Your Word. Take control of our thoughts. Help us store more of Your Word within us. Amen

Shedding the Weight

“Let us strip off the weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress.” Hebrews 12:1

I just keep coming back to this passage over and over. It fits in so well with the study I am doing on temptation.

The more I study and absorb this passage the more God reveals to me.

We all know what carrying weight around is like. It’s heavy, it bogs us down, it makes us tired and weary, frustrated and often overwhelmed.

I am not just talking about the weight of fat. I am talking about the weight of worry, fear, doubt, sin, anxiety, sadness, addiction, etc.

We all carry different amounts, and we all handle the weight differently.

I, lately, have taken on weight that has really left me dragging, tired, overwhelmed, frustrated and well not so chipper.

And no matter how hard I try to strip off this weight, it just seems to stay.

I have heard lots of advice from lots of people, but none from a Scriptural standpoint, and when we take on so much weight, we need Jesus and His Word to consume us from all angles.

Can you relate?

The Lord is teaching me how His Word helps eliminate added weight. He is bringing other Scripture even more to life within me.

You see the more I take His Word in, the more weight I shed. Here’s how, “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

He also says in the following verse of Hebrews 12, if we keep on running the race and keep our eyes on Him we will be victorious and progress will be made.

“And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.” Hebrews 12:1-2

It’s a process but in specific areas I can see a difference, and so will you if you keep moving towards Christ.

The hardest part and the thing that I need to do the most, is stop focusing so much on the weight and start focusing on Christ.

Jesus forgive me for focusing more on the weight than on You. I realize I have allowed these issues to become bigger than they should. I need Your help to remove them. Thank You for showing me some hidden weight that needs to be stripped. I can’t do this without You. Amen

It's Not Food You Need

"People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God." Matthew 4:4

Do you know the first thing Satan tempted Jesus with?

Food.

"If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Matthew 4:3

Jesus had not eaten anything for 40 days. Can you imagine not eating for 40 days? Satan knew Jesus was weak and had not eaten, thus focusing on His physical need for food.

Satan knows our weaknesses too and he loves to take them and exploit them. 

Look at food for example. Food is a huge deal in our society today. It is a huge temptation for lots of people. Food has become the main focus and closest companion for many, thus obesity. It has also become an enemy to others, thus anorexia. 

For many the hunger they feel goes a lot deeper than just basic hunger pains and I believe that is why Jesus said, "People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God." Matthew 4:4

Jesus is saying we need to satisfy our needs in the right way and at the right time. We also need to depend on Him to satisfy us, rather than rushing to temporary things that last for a short time.

Jesus can and will satisfy that deep hunger if we let Him.

Jesus open our eyes to see that our cravings and hunger can be satisfied with Your Word. I pray that we will begin to feed on Your Word and less on temporary fixes that worldly food offers. Amen

Altar Sunday

"This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin.  So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it."  Hebrews 4:15-16

What Tempts You?

“One day Jesus said to his disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but how terrible it will be for the person who does the tempting.”” Luke 17:1

What are some things that tempt you?

How well have you resisted them?

Have you called on the Lord to help you?

Jesus help us to resist the temptations that are before us. May we call on You for strength. Help us to stand firm in Your truth and draw on Your Word in time of need. Amen