Don't Play Dead

by Gloria Copeland (Kenneth Copeland Ministries)

From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

– Matthew 11:12

The Amplified Bible says, "A share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion."

I want you to get violent today. Yes, violent, determined, zealous. I want you to get so committed to the things of God that you'll withstand any attempt to take them away from you. Too many believers these days are like the Israelites. They're wandering around in a wilderness of defeat because there's an enemy in the Promised Land. They're being robbed of their rightful inheritance because they're afraid to fight him. They keep hoping that somehow they'll find a way in without using force. But they won't! You have to make demands where Satan and his associates are concerned.


When God sent the Israelites into Canaan, He said, "Send the armed men to go before you." They were to go up armed--ready for the fight. He knew they'd have to fight to take the land. He never promised them that they wouldn't. What He promised them was they'd win every time. The same is true for you. You can't just lie down and play dead when you're dealing with the devil. He's not going to let go of any area of your life--of your health or your finances or anything else--without a fight. He's not going to give it up unless you force him.

Quit sitting there in the wilderness. Quit sitting there while the devil steals the blessings of God out from under you. You have God's permission and His power and His ability to take the land. Get violent enough to do something about it...today!

Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 31:1-8

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+31%3A1-8&version=NIV

This was along with a Praise Jam I went to last night was inspiring.  I haven't been fighting.  I think I've been just standing there letting the devil get his punches in and I just am taking it.  I need to fight.  But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong. This [peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord [those in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced]; this is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain from Me [this is that which I impart to them as their justification], says the Lord (Isaiah 54:17).  Scripture will get me through.  I need to stop being so lazy and confess out of my mouth.  I need to get up earlier and confess.  I need to stop making excuses.  I think I need to tell my son to only come during day.  I need my morning with the Lord.  I am praying about another job I might be offered.  I hope they don't count me out because I said to start off with I couldn't work 7 days.  I don't even know what all the job entails, but I do know it will be an early morning shift.  If the money is the same I'm making at McDonald's I will take it.  I will give my notice and quit McDonalds  I am so unhappy there.  I know they won't want me to leave, but it is taking a toll on my body.  To be standing on my feet for 6 hours straight and sometimes getting a 15 min break.  I know I'm carrying a lot of extra weight.  I need to get back to the doctors and see if I can somehow get into Virtua's.  Well I believe it is a start.  Trouble don't last always.

Finding Contentment

Today I have been resting and listening to music via YouTube.  I love YouTube.  God gives me a song in my heart and I just search it and play it.  I was thinking on Philippians 4:13 Amp. "I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me (I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me: I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency)"  I am only sufficient through Christ who strengthens me.  I cannot do it in my own strength.  I trade His dying on the cross for my sin, my shame, my sickness.  By His stripes I am healed.  When do we fall short?  When we don't spend time basking in God's presence.  We are empty and need to be filled.  We all have that God shaped hole inside that only God can fill.  We can't fill it with chocolate, brownies, smoking, drinking or even sex.  God is the only one who can complete us.  The person in that movie with Tom Cruise got it wrong.  They were saying another person completed them.  We can't complete each other.  My spouse isn't my better half.  We are complete as we spend time in God's word and walking out our own souls salvation with fear and trembling.  God does and can equip us to do what we have to do.  We need times of quiet with God.  We need to be refreshed and renewed.  Spending time with loved ones is great, but we need to seek our creator.  He has the answers to how to treat our spouse how our attitude should be toward our family and co-workers.  I will be still and know you are God.  You have all my loved ones in your hand.  I was singing this song with my daughter this week right before we got some bad news that a loved one was in the hospital.  We had just mentioned their name in the song.  I found myself comforted in knowing God has the whole world in His hands.  I don't need to control things I can't.  It is great to just be and not have to feel like I have to have all the answers.  God has the healing he has our answers.  We need to tell our souls to be still.  We need to command ourselves not to be shaken, fearful for our God is more than the whole world against us.  God is love and His perfect love casts out all fear.  Goodnight and God bless!!

Casting Crowns - Praise You In This Storm

Be Courageous

I was having devotionals and this was what I read.  I really wanted to share.  It is awesome how God knows what you need.  It was written by Gloria Copeland from Kenneth Copeland Ministries.  I'm off to the salt mines and praying the Lord will give me strength and courage.  I am having conflicts with a co-worker and I pray the Lord can give me courage to talk to her.  I pray He gives me the opportunity and words to say.  Have a blessed Day!

Gloria Copeland

Be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.

– Joshua 1:7

Living a life of faith takes courage. Most people don't realize it, but it does! It takes courage to stand up in the face of sickness and declare you're healed by the stripes of Jesus. It takes courage to believe for prosperity and put your last dime in the offering plate when poverty is staring you in the face. There are going to be some days when you'd rather pull the covers over your head and hide than take another faith stand against the devil. But you can't. Because the battle of faith isn't fought once and then forgotten. If you want to keep living in victory, you have to fight it again and again.


There's no way around it. Of course, some of God's people still try to find one. The Israelites, for example. They thought their battles should be over when they crossed the Red Sea. So when they heard reports of giants living in the Promised Land, they decided they couldn't face the fight. Their courage failed them. So they took a 40-year detour through the wilderness.

But you know what? They still couldn't avoid that fight. When the time came for the next generation to enter the Promised Land, the giants were still there!


This time, however, they found the courage to face them. Where did they find it? In the Word of God.

Their leader, Joshua, had obeyed the instruction of the Lord and kept that Word on his mind and in his heart day and night. He'd meditated on it and let it constantly remind him that God was on their side.

If you're going to fight the good fight of faith to the finish, you'll have to do just like Joshua did. You'll have to continually draw courage from the Word of God. So make up your mind to do it. Get into that Word and let it change you from a coward to an overcomer. Then march into battle and slay the giants in your land.

Scripture Reading: Joshua 1

You Are My Hiding Place/As The Deer

MercyMe - Bring the Rain w/ Lyrics

His Mercies are new every morning

I have been fighting hoplessness in my situation.  My husband and I are fighting discouragement.  He has been told they need to replace both his hips and do carple tunnel surgery and this will be a year December.  He has slowly become depressed and somedays bearly gets out of bed.  It reminds me of that commercial that says depression hurts everyone.  I fight every day to hold my head up and not allow myself to sink.  There is hope in Jesus Christ.  I have been holding onto Isaiah 30:18  "And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you.  For the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!  My bible is an amplified and it only reads this way in this translation.  I also love the translation of John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you: My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.  Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled]."  I have quoted that last part to myself before and I can do it again.  Robin stop allowing yourself to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled you can minister to people.  I sometimes become fearful when it comes to standing before people and interceeding in prayer.  I come against the spirit of fear.  I can quote and walk in Isaiah 61 This scripture when I quote it to myself becomes activing and energizes me to minister.  I don't look to myself or my ability I only look to Jesus the author and finisher of my faith.  Well had a great uplifting prayer night.  I was more energized after leaving but now I'm becoming weary.  I have hope and pray I can be a help to another on my journey.  Well until next blog God Loves you and so do I.

7 Steps of Wisdom

Step 1 - Stop
Step 2 - Wait
Step 3 - Pray
Step 4 - Search the Scriptures
Step 5 - Ask for Wise Counsel
Step 6 - Make a Decision
Step 7 - Create a Plan
 
I am on a journey to do these 7 steps. I am seeking how to stop and overcome not completing stuff.  I start a project and do not complete.  I start a weightloss plan and do not finish.  I starting reading books and don't finish.  I intend to get up and devote an hour to prayer and am not consistent. I will stick to a plan and ask wise counsel to keep me accountable.  I also know that I have been tempted in ways I know are wrong to give up and give into somethings that are temporary.  They don't give you lasting joy they just complicate the situation.  I want to start making money from home.  I dream of staying home and taking care of my apartment.  I desire to have freedom to minister to people and not be in a hurry.  I feel trapped in a job I hate.  More later as I must go do the daily grind.

God bless until this evening.  How does one balance everything?