Devotionals Archives

November 4, 2022November 4, 2022

Strike It From Your Heart

³⁰But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” ³¹Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” ³²So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. ³³And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.” ~ Numbers 13:30–33

In 2006, Mel Gibson released a movie entitled, Apocalypto, based on the Mayans and their culture. In the film, the chief of a tribe warns his son of allowing fear into his heart because of the refugees they had just encountered, fleeing their homes and seeking a new start. This is what he tells him,

Fear is a sickness. It will crawl into the soul of anyone who engages it. It has tainted your peace already. I did not raise you to see you live with fear. Strike it from your heart. Do not bring it into our village.
Flint Sky,
Apocalypto

God told the people of Israel to go in and take the land because He was giving it to them as their inheritance. But the spies who went in to spy out the land, except for Caleb and Joshua, returned with fear in their hearts because of the Nephilim, and they spread fear through the whole camp and made the people too afraid to take what was theirs.

Fear leads to defeat, even before you start. Not one arrow flew, not one sword was drawn, not one rock flew out of a sling, but they were already defeated. What is happening now in our world is the unleashing of fear as a weapon, not only as a weapon but as a tool to keep people compliant. It silences Christians as we watch our world fall deeper and deeper into darkness. It stops us from even trying and spreads to those around us like a disease. Striking down each victim starting in their heart.

There’re many giants that we have to face in this world. Some will be scarier than others, but we have to strike fear from our hearts lest it consumes us and we fall subject to it. The only way to overcome our fear is to have faith in the love that God has for us. If He’s called you to do something, then you stand in faith, knowing that the LORD is and will fight for you. All you have to do is keep moving forward.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Strike It From Your Heart.

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Flee the Devil

²⁶Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁷and give no opportunity to the devil. ~ Ephesians 4:26-27

Our reactions are always the most important part of each and every encounter we have. Why? Because our reaction determines whether or not we have given the devil an open door to enter our lives. Some believe that if that was the case, we would be possessed by a demon. But that is not the case at all.

See, Paul himself warns us that we can give opportunity to the devil with our emotions. Unchecked anger isn’t the same as righteous anger. Unchecked anger can stem from many different roots, but the most common one is probably the root of bitterness. When we allow these different strongholds in our lives, we are allowing opportunities for the devil to enter into our lives. He doesn’t come in and possess us as he did to Judas the night he betrayed Jesus, but what he does do is enter into our lives and start causing havoc.

He steals our blessings, our peace, our patience, our call, and anything else we allow him to take from us. This is why Jesus calls him a murderer from the beginning because he leads the people of God away from God and spiritually kills them. He causes many Christians to spiritually die, and they don’t even realize it. The only way to overcome Satan is to flee temptation. We have to flee unchecked anger, lust, bitterness, grief, depression, guilt, or anything else that could cause us to give opportunity to the devil. The only way to have the strength to flee temptation is to be strengthened by the LORD. Our relationship with God has to be strong enough so that we can run into His name and be saved. So that we can soar on wings as eagles and be renewed. So that we can be tempted and have the means to escape. So, draw near to God so that you might not fall into temptation.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Flee the Devil.

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Close All Spiritual Doors

¹ Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David sought the face of the Lord. And the Lord said, “There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.” ~ 2 Samuel 21:1

David and the Israelites were not possessed by Satan, but yet, Satan used a spiritually open door to cause a famine and stop their harvest from coming. And that’s what happens in our lives today. We are going through a famine, and the enemy is stealing our increase. Every time our harvest comes, the enemy swoops in and steals it. We are doing what we are supposed to be doing, yet our harvest is always stolen.

If this is happening to you, then there may be a legal, spiritual opening in your life. Seek God, and He will tell you what is wrong. Leave room for God to bring conviction or point out something in your past that has opened a legal door. Something either you or one of your ancestors might have done.

Could be witchcraft, alcoholism, or some type of riotous living.

In David’s case, it wasn’t even one of his ancestors; it was his predecessor. King Saul was guilty of breaking the covenant that Joshua made with the Gibeonites, which opened the door for the attack. Therefore, we must all seek the LORD to close spiritual doors in our lives that we ourselves may not have even opened.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Close All Spiritual Doors.

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Be Spiritually Violent

⁴⁷When Saul had taken the kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, against the Ammonites, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned he routed them. ⁴⁸And he did valiantly and struck the Amalekites and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them. ~ 1 Samuel 14:47–48

When Saul had taken the kingship over Israel, in other words, when he had taken possession of the kingdom, he fought against all of his enemies on every side. It should be the same with us today. Now that the kingdom of God has come to us, we, too, are to fight against all of our enemies. It is not time for alliances with the enemy; it’s time for spiritual warfare on every side.

The kingdom of God has come upon us; it is here now. Jesus ushered it in 2,000 years ago. The kingdom of God is here because Jesus did cast out demons by the Spirit of God (Matthew 12:28). But please understand, the kingdom of God can only be taken by those who are valiant; that is, those who are courageous and violent in the spiritual (Matthew 11:12).

If we want to dwell in the kingdom of God, then we have to be spiritual warriors. We can’t have one foot in the world and one foot in the Church. We can’t dwell in darkness and in light. We have to make a choice. We have to be on our knees in prayer seeking the LORD God. We have to be seeking the LORD through His Scripture. There will be a time when the LORD can no longer be found, so don’t wait. Tomorrow is promised to no one. Today is the day of Salvation. Today is the day to take the kingdom of Heaven by force.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Spiritually Violent.

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Devote Them To Destruction

¹⁴And Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who had come from service in the war. ¹⁵Moses said to them, “Have you let all the women live? ¹⁶Behold, these, on Balaam’s advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the Lord.” ~ Numbers 31:14–16

The soldiers brought the accursed things into their own territory and into the presence of God, knowing that it was this very thing. These were the very women who had caused Israel to sin against their God in the first place. This is the same thing we are doing when we bring the occult into our house, such as Tarot Cards, Ouija Boards, Horoscopes, and yes, even Halloween and its paraphernalia into our homes. We have essentially brought the accused things into our lives, which opens up spiritual doors, just like Moses told the soldiers.

If we want to dwell in the presence of God and enter into His promises, we have to remove all darkness from our lives. We have to give up the accursed things and lay them at the feet of Jesus. They were never intended for us. They don’t bring light into our lives; they only bring darkness. They don’t bring life; they only bring death. This is why God said that they are things devoted to destruction. Don’t keep them. Don’t hold on to them. Remove them from your lives so that it might go well with you and your family. So, that you might dwell in the will and favor of the LORD.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Devote Them To Destruction.

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Is Your House Full?

⁴³When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. ⁴⁴Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. ⁴⁵Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation. ~ Matthew 12:43-45

Humanity was created to dwell with God and for God to dwell in us. We were created as temples to be filled by God. We were not created to be empty. Each and every person has to be filled with something, and when we leave it up to chance and we don’t choose God to fill us, then something else will fill us. Something dark and tormenting. Just like King Saul, when the Spirit of the LORD left him, an evil tormenting spirit came to fill that empty space.

We have to remain filled with God so that we don’t open ourselves up to anything of darkness. We have to spend time in His presence every day. God doesn’t want a sometime-ish relationship with us. God wants a close, loving relationship with us. He wants to be involved in our lives. He wants to be a part of us. So, don’t allow yourself to become empty. Spend time with God daily, and don’t let the light dim within you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Keep Your House Full.

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Flee Dim Light

¹³For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. ¹⁵So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. ~ 2 Corinthians 11:13-15

Sometimes, darkness is intriguing and alluring. Not because we want to dwell in all manners of evil but because the darkness tries to convince us it’s not actually dark. Darkness sets out small dim lights that we think are lighting up the darkness, but in actuality, it’s just drawing you in deeper into the darkness with a false sense of security. Because instead of the lights getting bright as you go, the already dim light gets dimmer and dimmer until your eyes have fully adjusted and you feel comfortable in the complete darkness surrounding you.

Sometimes, this dim light draws away believers dwelling in actual light because they’re convinced that the dim light is also the light of God because the darkness can’t have any kind of light. But God’s light isn’t dim. In other words, God’s ways aren’t filled with half or part Truths. God’s way is the Truth. But the Devil will try to disguise evil as good and good as evil. He leads many astray this way. He takes a part Truth and mixes it with lies so that he might appeal to believers by offering them the Truth with the sin they desire most. He’s offering them the best of both worlds. But don’t fall for it. His way only leads to death and destruction. Be on guard at all times. Don’t allow anyone to convince you that all you need is their word for it. If Paul had to be checked to see if what he was preaching was Truth, then so does everyone else. So, check each word spoken to you against the Scriptures to make sure that it lines up with God’s word.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Flee Dim Light.

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Avoid All Wicked Customs

⁹When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. ¹⁰There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, ¹¹or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. ¹²For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. ¹³You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. ¹⁴For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you. ~ Deuteronomy 18:9-14^NKJV

If you are a Christian, the occult is off-limits for you. Plain and simple. But someone will say, but I’m a good witch, or I’m a white witch. I practice white magic. I believe in God, and I do good with my white magic. There are no double standards in Christianity. You can’t separate the two. Why? Because God does not separate the two.

Did you notice that it didn’t differentiate between white witches and black witches? Or between white masses and black masses? No, it said one who practices witchcraft. It was all-inclusive. These same white witches have familiar spirits that they consult, and they are enchanters. There’s no way to get around it. Each one is involved with the other, and God forbids all. In fact, Paul implies to drink from the cup of the LORD and from the cup of demons is like we think we are stronger than God and can take on His wrath.

²¹You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. ²²Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?

1 Corinthians 10:21-22

What does this have to do with you? Well, if it’s not from God, which is why the LORD forbids it, then it is of the Devil. And if it is of the Devil, then most likely you are in communication with demons. Just as the people of Israel thought they were worshipping gods in the land of Canaan, God clarified for Moses that they weren’t even worshipping gods, which was bad enough. What they were worshipping was lower than the gods.

¹⁷They sacrificed to demons that were no gods, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come recently, whom your fathers had never dreaded.

Deuteronomy 32:17

We think we understand what we’re doing and who we’re worshipping when actuality, we know and understand very little. We only know what we’re told. If God is Truth itself and Satan is the father of lies, why would we take Satan’s word on how to better our lives and those around us instead of God’s word? If the thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus comes to give life and life more abundantly, why wouldn’t we follow Jesus over the false prophets that make our ears tickled? They only lead to death, so why not live? Put away the things of the darkness and dwell in the light. Dwell in life. Dwell with Christ.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Avoid All Wicked Customs.

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Prepare For Your Giant

³⁴But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, ³⁵I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. ³⁶Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” ³⁷And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!” ~ 1 Samuel 17:34-37

There’s a song that says,

I’m calling on the God of David
Who made a shepherd boy courageous
I may not face Goliath but I’ve got my own giants!

O God, my God, I need You
O God, my God, I need You now

See, we all face giants. We may not all face the same giant, but each and every one of us have, are, or will face a giant. And the only way to take down a giant is to first take down the lions and bears. In other words, the giant isn’t our first battle. Our first battle is with something smaller so that we can build our faith. David’s faith was so strong when he got to Goliath because he had already taken down bears and lions, so he knew what his God could, can, and would do for him.

So many of us try to jump ahead to face our giant and end up like the Israelites who cowered in fear before Goliath. We have to start little by little. We have to build our relationship with God so strong that nothing shakes us. And in due time, God will give us the faith, strength, and courage to overcome our giants.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Prepare for Your Giant.

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Be God’s

¹⁹Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, ²⁰for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. ~ 1 Corinthians 6:19–20

We are not our own. In other words, “we DO NOT belong to ourselves.” Therefore, we must honor God with our bodies. When we begin to do what pleases us, and we try to protect our little feelings, then we are usurping the authority God has over us. I want you to think about that for a moment. This is pretty deep, and I want you to fully understand what I’m saying here.

So, what I’m saying is that when we are offended at what someone says to us or about us, we are now taking offense for God because it is Him that they are insulting, right? I mean, since we’re not our own and all of that, we should no longer be offended for someone else, namely God!

God is big enough to be offended for Himself. This is why God says so many times that vengeance is His. Because whatever people do to us, or say about us, is not to us but to and about God Himself. It’s like when Samuel felt rejected by the people of Israel because they no longer wanted a judge, but instead, they wanted a king like the other nations. God told Samuel not to feel rejected because the people weren’t rejecting him; they were rejecting God, who was their King.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be God’s.

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