Who said being a Christian would be easy? Toughen up!

 We are in the middle of a war. There is an enemy planning to attack you from the moment you step foot out of your bed to the moment you lay your head down at night. But let's not get anything twisted here. You are being attacked, but there isn't a mark on you. Satan is making plans to destroy you, but God told you ahead of time no weapon formed against you shall prosper.

So why are you scared?

Some of you are allowing yourselves to be sitting ducks in the spirit, downright target practice for Satan. In reality, you have the ability through Jesus Christ to make Satan and every demon flee.
   
Whenever I panic about something, my mom always says, "Tiffany, put your big girl panties on!" She tells me this not to be insensitive, but to get me to toughen up because she knows that I can handle it. That's the message God is delivering today. He wants us to stand forth in the authority He has given us and carry out His will.

Nobody said being a Christian would be easy! We have to endure many storms. Jesus told us in Matthew 10:16,

"I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."

Matthew 10:22 "You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved."

Let's not forget who you serve!

Remember who you are! You are a child of God, you belong to the body of Christ! There's no need to fear anything. God is very overprotective of His children. He told us in Psalm 91,

"I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation.”

When the disciples were on the boat with Jesus, they began to panic after a huge storm hit. For that moment the disciples forgot every wonder Jesus performed prior to the storm. They forgot how mighty God is. This happens to the best of us, especially when we are overwhelmed by the appearance of a storm. It may appear to be hopeless because you have two days to pay a bill and only a dollar to your name. It may appear hopeless because you don't meet all the qualifications for the job you're applying for. God does mighty things in small ways. He created this world with His words! After the disciples cried to Jesus for help. He calmed the storm with His words. After He did so, He said to the disciples,

 “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Mark 4:40

Let's take a moment to reflect on all the things God has brought us through. Why do we worry, fear things and panic? God is saying, "Haven't I proven myself by now?"

Yes we have been through some hard times and close calls. Some people let their past belittle their faith by questioning God. Common question: "If God is supposed to protect me, why did He let me go through _____________?" 

Everything we go through builds our testimony and strengthens us by means of our faith. Your hard times didn't break you or kill you. I went through a season where I lost everything. I constantly asked God to lift the load off of me because I couldn't take it. I prayed and prayed, and the situation became worse than before. Finally I said to God, I'm telling you I can't handle this and you keep making it worse! Why are you allowing your daughter to suffer in this way? God replied, "You said you couldn't handle it, but you did. You are stronger than you think. But how could you realize that any other way?"

Peter 1:6-7 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Magnify God instead of your problems. This is the only way to avoid dealing with anxiety. Praise God during the storm and tell Him, "You are worthy, you are my protector, and my provider. Thanks to you, I don't have to deal with this situation."

That's all you have to do!
Believe that the same God who did it before will do it again!

Matthew 21:21-22 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

No matter how impossible the situation seems, you have nothing to worry about. I honestly cannot count how many times in the Bible God has assured us He is with us and we shouldn't worry. But here's just a snapshot to give you an idea:

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid of them! The LORD your God will go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you."

 
Matthew 6:25-27 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?


Isaiah 43:1-3But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you;  I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;  and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Philippians 4:6-7 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

 

1 Chronicles 28:20 Then David continued, "Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don't be afraid or discouraged by the size of the task, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you."

 

So what are you worried for? Satan can't punk you or overcome you. Put your big girl panties on, and get back in the ring.

Ephesians 6:10-18 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

 

 

 

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Even Mannequins are throwing up triple 6's?

   My what a demonic world we are living in! I came across this while I was shopping at Carson's. We can't even shop nowadays without being bombarded with Satan's symbolism! I pray God continues to heighten our discernment and protect our minds from what is to come. In Jesus name.

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We must be rooted in God!!

 

We must be rooted in God in order to stand against what is to come.

Do you love God?

Do you trust Him?

A majority of us have answered yes to these questions, but as soon as a storm comes, we wash away from Him.

 

God is calling for us to not only love Him, but to also be rooted in Him. We are at war with Satan and he is preparing to attack us in every way possible.

Can you handle it?

Can you hold on to the reason you came to Christ in the first place? Can you love God regardless?

We are God’s joy and He basks in the love that we have for Him. He in return drowns us with His love.

Like a father bragging about his child’s good grades in school, God said to Satan,
“Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” Job 1:8

However Satan tries to reduce our love for God into shallow routine emotions. Satan replied to God saying,

“Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.  But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” Job 1:10-11

In other words Satan told God, “Of course they love You! Your children are spoiled, You give them everything they need and more! But take some of those blessings away and see if they still love you!”

Are we proving Satan to be right, by complaining and giving into depression whenever we are faced with obstacles, or are we proving God to be right by praising Him when things are great, and when our lives are utter chaos? Can we praise in the storm?

After God gave Satan limited permission to attack Job, Job immediately lost his source of income, his kids, his servants, and his good health. Forget a simple storm,  Job’s life was more like a hurricane, tornado, tsunami, earthquake, and thunderstorm all mixed into one.

But Job still praised God.

Instead of crying over everything he lost Job said,
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” Job 1:21

When Satan began to attack his health, Job said,
“Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” Job 2:10

Job was rooted in God.

Being rooted in God means having a constant peace. It means having an unshakeable faith. Instead of asking for the situation to end, those rooted in God ask for peace in their spirit to withstand whatever is in God’s will. God leads by example. Right before Jesus Christ was crucified, He asked God,

“O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will but as you will.” Matthew 26:42

In other words Jesus was saying, “I really don’t want to go through this, but it’s not about my will. It's about God's will.”

How can you be rooted in God?

To be rooted in God  simply means to place God first in your life and recognize God as your root. To make that clearer let’s break down the significance of a root. Its four biological functions are:

1) To absorb water and inorganic nutrients.

 

The roots gathers all the water and nutrients the plant needs, and then gives it to the plant to survive. The root already collects these things so the other parts of the plant doesn’t need to do any gathering. This is how it is with God. There is no need for us to turn to the world for the things we need. The things of this world are temporary.

Jesus told a Samarian woman at a well, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13

Are you sipping from the fountain of life, or are you sipping from the fountain of this world? 

Being rooted in God requires us to turn to Jesus when we are first presented with an issue, instead of calling our friends to vent and cry. It requires us to turn to Jesus instead of that drink, or any type of drug. It requires us to run to God’s arms instead of the arms of that man who God has not set you up to be with. It means running to Him and staying aligned with His will instead of using temptations from Satan to temporarily relieve us.  

 2) To anchor the plant body to the ground to support it.

 

Are we allowing God to anchor us and be our foundation? We constantly have to check ourselves. We can start off with God as our foundation and the world can throw us off. God is love. Just like a married couple who have been married for years, it’s easy to forget why you are married in the first place. We have to go back to the basics again and again. I often ask myself , “Why do you love God?” We never want our relationship with God to be routine and thoughtless. God must be first, and for the right reasons. Don’t put God first because you feel you’re supposed to. That may sound right, but if love is not your driving motivation, then you are not rooted in Him. The moment Satan taps you, you will be led astray.

This is why it is important to write down blessings God has done, read the Bible, and praise Him. Always be in tune with Him. God is our friend, not some tyrant screaming things you can and cannot do. I literally talk to God like I would a friend on the phone. I tell Him how I’m feeling even if it’s good or bad. If I feel like Satan is tempting me to fall back into my old ways, I tell God. He responds with the love and the protection I need. Once you get to know Him, you will love Him for who He is rather than for what He can do for you. 

I know many people who love God, but they love Him for what He does for them and what He promised rather than for who He is. It’s an easy mistake to make. Even though your intentions are well, Satan can derail you and turn your love for God into something shallow. Here’s an example. Let’s just say someone prophesied over your life and told you God is going to bless you with a house this year. You immediately go into a praise. “God thank you for this, you are amazing!” It’s now December 31, and you still don’t have your house yet. Now this can go two ways: if you are rooted in God and love Him for who He is, you trust Him and you praise Him anyway. Now if you got derailed somehow by focusing more on the promise rather than God, then you are pretty pissed at this point. And Satan will use that anger to distance you from God and lead you into depression.

 Abraham wanted a child. God promised him that despite the fact that his wife Sarah was 90-years-old, she will bore him a son. Once God fulfilled His promise to Abraham and gave him a son, He tested him by telling him to sacrifice his son to Him, meaning kill him. As much as Abraham loved his son, his fulfilled promise from God, he loved God more and obeyed Him. Before he could do it, an angel of God stopped him and said,

“I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,  I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,  and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” Genesis 22:15-18

Abraham loved God for who He is. He allowed God to be his anchor and foundation.

 3.) It’s the storage for food and nutrients.

 

God is our provider. Our job isn’t our provider, our family and friends aren’t our providers, and our significant others are not our providers. Do you believe that? When you have bill collectors knocking at your door and only 10 dollars to your name, do you believe you serve a God who will provide for you? The stronger our faith is, the more we are rooted in God.

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20

That verse alone should counter any doubt you have about any obstacle in your life. Jesus was not a poet. He wasn’t speaking figuratively. He literally means it! With that in mind, there’s no need to panic about things you don’t have.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:26, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

In order to be rooted in God we must see and trust Him to provide us with the things we need to live. That way we will withstand seasons of plenty and seasons of droughts.    

4) It’s the site where vegetative reproduction occurs.

Vegetative reproduction is when plants reproduce and arise without seeds or spores. In other words, God will elevate you in supernatural ways. He will give you plentiful crops without the seeds needed to produce it. This is important for readers who feel like they are not where they should be. Satan often attacks me in the same way. I have a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree and I am an administrative assistant right now! But it’s all about trust. Those rooted in God are ok with where they are now because they understand a couple of things:

a.) They are in God’s will, meaning they are right where God wants them to be.

b.) They are not going to always be in this place. They understand God has bigger things in store for them.

That’s the mindset we must have!

God sent Joseph a dream, showing him that one day he will be in a position of great power. After telling his brothers, they secretly sold him into slavery. The time he spent as a slave didn’t break him. He didn’t whine and cry to everyone about how he was supposed to be at a greater place. Joseph was rooted in God. He accepted His will for that moment and trusted Him.

This is a warning from God!

Revelation 12:12:Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short."

If we are not rooted in God, and if we do not hold on to the love we have for Him, we will not make it!

Jesus warned in the last days, “Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah,' and will deceive many.” Matthew 24:5

There are many storms to come and we cannot let Satan pull us away from our Father! Rekindle your love for God every day! Have a relationship with Him by talking to Him. Get to know God so you can truly love Him for who He is. Understand what a beautiful God we serve! Run to God’s arms and rejoice in a love that endures forever.

Romans 8:35-39: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 Psalm 62:8: Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah.

 

 

 

 

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