Tag: demons

We Are Like Snakes – Part 2

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In Matthew 10:16 Jesus says, “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.”

What does this verse mean?

As we go through this life, there will be people that we encounter that will want to hurt those who follow Jesus. These people are like wolves, they want to tear apart the sheep. We are the sheep.

There will be situations that the enemy tries to destroy God’s flock of believers. This may be through gossip, lies, politics, war, abuse, or many other tactics. Anything that causes separation amongst believers, whether in the same church or the global church of believers, the wolves will use because they want you separated. They want you alone and feeling alone, even though you know you are never apart from Jesus. Never.

Jesus tells us to be shrewd like snakes. The word “shrewd” is defined as having excellent judgment and being wise. We are to be aware of who and what we encounter and assess whether they represent good, light, love, and truth.

To determine if someone is a wolf, read 1 John 4:1. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

Let’s pray. Thank You for loving us, exactly as we are. Help us to be an example of Your love to everyone we encounter. Lord, help us to grow in You each day. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

We Are Confused and Helpless – Part 1

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Matthew 9:35 says, “Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.”

That is how humans are without Jesus, we are confused and helpless. We wander the earth feeling alone, wondering why we are here and what is the purpose of life.

If you feel confused or helpless, do not be alone anymore. Give your heart to Jesus. All you have to do is believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that is it. There is no fancy ritual or act to be performed. Simply declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, and you will be saved. Romans 10:9

Let’s pray. Thank You for loving us, exactly as we are. Help us to be an example of Your love to everyone we encounter. Lord, help us to grow in You each day. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

You are Loved.

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No matter how you feel or what you are going through, it is important to remember that you are loved – passionately, deeply, unconditionally, more than you can possibly ever dream or imagine.

Romans 8:31 says, “If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”[o]) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[p] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Let’s pray. Thank You for loving us, exactly as we are are. Help us to be an example of Your love to everyone we encounter. Lord, help us to grow in You each day. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

When you are surrounded by confusion . . .

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We are living in odd times. It is difficult to know what is truth. What news outlet can you trust, what statements can you trust, what leader can you trust and who in your personal circle can you trust? Even the weather apps on our phones and devices are consistently wrong every day. It seems that we are living in a time of chaos and confusion.

With all that is going on around us, can we even trust ourselves? Can we trust the emotions we feel? I would offer that it depends on what prompted the emotion. Was it something we read, or saw, or heard about? And if so, what is the source of that information, is it reliable?

It seems that much of the information that is available to read, hear and watch is not true. The search for truth is an age old journey. Pilate, as he was sentencing Jesus to death asked, “What is truth?” In John 18, starting in verse 36 “Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.” 

Jesus was sentenced to death by a man who was confused by the shouting crowd. Whether Pilate believed what the crowd said or felt pressured to go along with them, Pilate’s journey is the same as ours, we are all looking for truth. Truth brings stability, predictability and a sense of peace. The only truth we have available to us is THE Truth, God’s Word, Jesus. Everything else should be treated with skepticism. Jesus even told us the whole reason He was “born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” It is that simple, listen to Jesus.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, help us to listen to Jesus. Help us to stay focused on You and Your Word alone. Fill us with strength and patience and Your peace. Help us to walk by faith in You and Your Word. Help us to be an example of Your love to everyone we encounter. Lord, help us to grow in You each day. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

We are to be holy, but how?

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There are several verses in the Bible that command all children of God to be holy because God is holy. One example is found in Leviticus 11:45 which says, “..you must be holy because I am holy.” The definition of holy is “dedicated or consecrated to God”. In the Old Testament, the Israelites had to consecrate themselves or cleanse the sin to be prepared to encounter a holy God.  

The book of Leviticus contains instructions that were given to the Israelites on what to do and not to do to live a holier life. There are many commands of how to be holy and what to do to avoid defilement. Leviticus 11:46 says, “For I am the Lord your God. You must consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. So do not defile yourselves . . .”.

The way people become defiled is through sin. As humans, we can never live a life from birth to death that is holy, one that is free from sin. All humans have either had bad thoughts, lied, cheated, stolen or committed some other sin at some point in life. Once we commit a sin, we are no longer holy or set apart, we are defiled.

So how can God command that we be holy, how can we ever successfully obey this command? The answer is simple, belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. In John 17:19, Jesus says. “And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.” It is through the sacrifice of Jesus that we are made holy. There is nothing we can ever do to earn holiness and because we are all imperfect, we cannot be holy by our actions. Once we accept that Jesus died on the cross for us and we accept His holy sacrifice, then we are made holy through Him. Yes, we will still sin as we are humans. But, through Jesus, we are forgiven and made holy each time we approach Him to receive His forgiveness, love and mercy.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, help us to be holy through Your sacrifice. Fill us with strength and patience and Your peace. Help us to walk by faith in You and Your Word. Help us to trust in Your plan and be an example of Your love to all around us. Lord, help us to grow in You each day. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Keep Your Eyes on Jesus

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Sometimes life is hard. There is pain, hurt, betrayal, sickness, suffering, and so many more painful things that we endure each day. The Bible promises us that we will have trials, so do not be surprised. In John 16:33, Jesus says, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

When trials become overwhelming, keep your eyes on Jesus. Remember that you are not alone – all of the believers across the entire world are suffering along with you. 1 Peter 5:9 says, “Stand firm against him (the devil), and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.”

1 Peter 14:12 says, “Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. 13 Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.”

If the trials become too much to bear, recall the disciples who were sawed in half and crucified upside down because they believed in Jesus. It is unlikely that you are facing such physical tortures, try to keep your trials in perspective. “We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.” 2 Corinthians 1:8-9.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, help us to overcome our trials by keeping our eyes on Jesus. Fill us with strength and patience and Your peace. Help us to walk by faith in You and Your Word. Help us to trust in Your plan and pray for those who may be causing us trials. Lord, help us to grow in You and stand firm in Your love. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

Wear a Smile

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Every single person on this planet has been hurt by someone or something in their lives. The hurt may be physical, emotional, spiritual or a combination. As we all move through life together, why not wear a smile.

When you smile, your body releases chemicals that make you happier. When others see you smiling, they will either smile back or wonder why you are smiling. So – go ahead and smile.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, help us to smile, help us to show love to all people. Help us to trust in You and pray for those who are not smiling. Thank You for Your love. In Jesus name we pray, amen.