Position yourself

Provision is only GUARANTEED at your place of OBEDIENCE “

If you never want to go work early or even be at work , I would start questioning if i were at  right place. 

If you never have passion. To stay late & complete a project, I would ask question to make certain I was at the right place of Assignment. 

If you are at the place where God has presently assigned you, “GIVE YOUR BEST”. Stop looking across the fence at the “greener grass”. 

Make your present responsibilities your total focus .Become obsessed with achieving the highest level of excellence any one has ever reached in your position.

When you are at the right place, the right people move toward you..

One day of Favor is worth A lifetime of Labor. You cannot work hard enough to get everything you deserve or want. You cannot work enough jobs to Create everything you want. You must move in the currents of uncommon FAVOR . 

Uncommon favor only occurs when you are where GOD has assigned you.

When you are where you belong, you will love what you do. You will not require the constant encouragement and motivation from others. Instead you will excite those around you . 

When you are where you belong, there will be a natural joy that creates an incredible environment of motivation for others. 

Look at the story of Elijah in 1 King 17 . The prophet was commanded to go to the brook Cherith. There he finds his miracle of provision during the famine . 

A raven feeds him daily & the brook supplies his water . He was where he belong . Suddenly, a crisis occurs. 

The brook dried up . The raven did not return with food . WHY ? His place of assignment had change . 

Lack may be a clue that it is time to make a change in your assignment. 

Jesus instructed Peter to go fishing . When he caught the fish, a coin for tax money was in the mouth. Why ? He was where he had been assigned. 

When you are at the place of Assignment, you will notice things others may overlook. 

A tailor notices a missing button, The hair stylist sees the roots of the hair that needs dying again, The mechanic hears a sound in the car engine nobody else heard. 

Someone said :  “ if you love your work, you will never really work a single day in your life “ so true ... 

Stop and evaluate your life today . Do not keep rushing into a future you have not gazed upon . Do not amble and wonder aimlessly through life . Life is too precious to throw away .  

2 Samuel 24;25 

“And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offering. So the Lord was treated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel”

Be encouraged

““Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭11:23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Your father may have abuse you, Your mother may have accused you, your wife, husband or boyfriend, girlfriend betray & misused you. You have being from having a lot to having nothing, from being with many to being alone by yourself. Ect..... 

But, you are still alive & well today. You are a SURVIVOR, A SUCCESS, AN OVERCOMER . Take a moment and look what you have come through, gone over, & races around .  

You are a WINNeR & it is obvious So, hold your head up high, out your shoulder back & March  confidently & boldly toward the remarkable land of grapes, honey & supernatural provision that you have arrived to. They were made for somebody .  WHY NOT YOU?

You were born to taste the grapes, you are a Giant killer, You are a Mountain- Mover , you can walk through FIRE & not be burned, the water of life have not overflowed you. You are worthy to receive what you need because you are the offspring, the child of the most high GOD

. “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭91:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭91:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

C’ MON let’s EXPAND are DESTINY...  will you Grow?? 

Set Your Ambitions

Set Your Ambitions 

Ambition is a double-edged sword. Earning an opportunity – a promotion or a chance to lead a key project, for instance – is exciting and rewarding. 

It feels good to be recognized for our talents and hard work. If we’re not careful, however, our pride can morph into a sense of entitlement and dissatisfaction. 

No matter what we achieve, it’s not enough. Instead of living fully in the position we’ve been given, we look to the next “there.” We become hooked on success.

Ambition is not a bad thing. God calls you to “work … with all your heart” (Colossians 3:23 NIV). In other words, do your best. 

But when our ambition is born out of our reliance on ourselves and becomes too focused on the typical rewards of success – power, recognition and money – we can lose sight of why God has called us to be leaders in the first place. 

The lives of Saul, Jonathan, and David were intertwined in ways that often illustrated the power of godly ambition and the perils of selfish ambition. 

Saul, Israel’s first king, experienced achievement addiction. He began to rely on his own abilities and his heart turned away from God. 

Jonathan, Saul’s son and heir, and David, who was called by God to replace Saul, both put God’s will above any self-serving ambitions. 

David, of course, also fell victim to his selfish ambition, which cost him dearly.

When we keep our eyes firmly fixed on God as the provider of our talent and ability, we can pursue appropriate ambition and experience success without losing ourselves. 

It’s OK to dream about the opportunity to lead at the next level and to eagerly desire new challenges. 

Just remember who has prepared you to do great things and that your success as you rise to the next level is dependent on Him, not you.

“Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task.”

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭3:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

““You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.””

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭13:13-14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭12:13-14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:23-24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Exposing the curse of idolatry

My people perish for lack of knowledge 

“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬

The apostle Paul prophesied: in the latter times some shall depart from the FAITH, giving heed to seducing spirits, & doctrines of the devil. 

To seduce means, to lead away, to persuade to disobedience or disloyalty, to lead astray by persuasion or false promise, to attract, to lure: 

the living bible translation of this verse say “some in the church will turn always from Christ” this is known as Apostasy Webster define apostasy as Abandonment of a previous loyalty, defection.

I believe this is the reason why so many leader, Minister, Pastor & Churches have abandoned the Faith.

In the Bible talk about this spirit 

“Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye

 have not known;”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭13:13‬ ‭KJV‬‬‬‬‬‬

Belial, which means worthlessness, tries to lead men & women astray to follow something that is worthless. Do you know idols are worthless 

It’s interesting to note that the word idol is the Hebrew word eliyl which mean “good for nothing” vain or  vanity no value - spirit of idolatry 

This kind os spirit makes people selfish & greedy 

David’s men became servant of belial, David had to rebuke them for being greedy& unwilling to share with those less fortunate than them 

“But all the evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers said, “Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go.” David replied, “No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us.”

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭30:22-23‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬

Lord help us against this spirit, make me a strong wall of protection and my home a locked fortress against this spirit in the name of Jesus 

Pride & Rebellion

“But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.” Then Saul admitted to Samuel, “Yes, I have sinned. I have disobeyed your instructions and the Lord’s command, for I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded.”

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭15:22-24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I don't willingly not listen to the Holy Spirit...I mean, I do, but not in a bad way. I don't raise my fist, stomp my feet and yell like a  teen arguing to clean the kitchen or their room. What I do, however, is put on my 'know-it-all' headphones and ignore the direction in which the Spirit of God is leading me, especially if it's a place that I don't want to go.

I do this in my marriage, my Job, church ministry, church attendance like the missing the sabbath, lack of prayer, lack of reading his word thinking I will be okay and other areas that I'm not ready to submit to the Word and will of God. Who wants to 'submit to one another' when your husband or wife  wants to take that extra Job “ Money”  away from family and friends. Or submit to a plan of healthy eating and exercise, especially during the holidays.

 But scripture says that this constant rebellious attitude is like witchcraft—yes, witchcraft and sorcery and our stubbornness is as bad as idolatry. We have set up ourselves, our wills, and our emotions against God. Remember this it’s not against your Pastor & the church but against GOD. 

I don't want to be God's enemy. I want to be his Son. I want my life to sing and my obedience to be worship. I'm going to submit...will you?   

Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16:18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Having a Encounter

“But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.””

‭‭Ruth‬ ‭1:16-17‬ ‭NIV‬‬.        

Read chapter 1 of Ruth

What Will You Give Up? Know:

If you seek to walk in the supernatural with God, there will always be a moment in which you must make the same choice Ruth made. If you will make it, you may proceed with God … and have abundance and blessing, too.

If you will not make this choice, you will go backward. Back to the old ways, the old land, the old misery.

Staying still is not an option.

So what’s the choice before you? Only this: What will you give up for Christ’s sake?

Ruth was willing to give up everything. She left her family behind. She left her culture and traditions behind. She left her home behind. She abandoned everything that the outside world valued, all for the sake of following the way of God.

So what are you willing to give up?

Will you give up your right to worry about your circumstances, and decide to trust God and speak in faith no matter what?

Will you give up your right to be right, in order to humble yourself under God’s mighty hand?

Will you give up your right to do what you want with your time, in order to seek God with your time?

Will you give up your entitlement to good treatment, in order to complete the sufferings of Christ in your own life?

Mark 8:34-37 says:

“When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, ‘Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?'”

There is a choice that you and I must make. We must make it once, and then we must make it daily. That choice determines whether we will be disciples of Christ or merely fans of Christ.

What will you choose today? Ponder your answer. Meditate on it. Don’t take this decision lightly. Then talk to the Lord about it, and verbalize your choice to Him.

Pray:

“Father God, in Jesus’ name, I choose this day to make Jesus the absolute, 100% Boss of my life. I choose to bow and yield my all to You. I choose to obey You in everything. Please help me carry out this choice every moment of my life from this time forward and forevermore. Convict me and help me as I walk with You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

votricities.comvotricities.com

Seven ways to make the devil flee

“The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him.”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭28:7-9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Seven Ways to Make the Devil Flee

God has promised us that He will cause our enemies who rise against us to be defeated before our faces. 

But we can get in the way of our blessing and leave room for the enemy to stand in our faces rather than fleeing seven ways. With that in mind, here are seven tactics to make the devil flee seven ways.

1. Diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God

2. Repent before you engage in battle

3. Know that God is on your side

4. War from a position of victory

5. Praise your way through

6. Take up your armor

7. Pray always and be watchful

Breaking the power of vicious circles is often a matter of making better choices, but when it’s a demonic cycle you need to identify the imaginations and wrong thought patterns that are allowing wicked spirits to wreak havoc on your life. 

Go forth, spiritual warrior, with praise in your heart and prayer on your lips, dressed for battle. The battle belongs to the Lord, and the devil will flee seven ways. 

He has no choice when you submit yourself to God and resist him. No demon in hell is stronger than a will aligned with the Word of God. God’s grace floods the soul that seeks first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Spiritual Battle

DAY 2: The Spirit of Jezebel

The spirit of Jezebel seeks to seduce and often works through teaching and prophecy. This spirit seduces the saints into idolatry and immorality. 

This spirit may use control and manipulation to do it, but ultimately that’s not the end game. Jezebel’s end game is murder. 

The wages of sin is death, and Jezebel leads people into sin.

Pastors, Leader or anyone, for that matter—who fall into sexual sin are among Jezebel’s trophies. If you are doing anything at all for God, 

Jezebel wants to cut off your voice. If Jezebel can’t cut off your voice, it will try to pervert your voice by seducing you to defile yourself by tolerating its activity.

Jezebel is not something you can tear down once and for all, but you can break agreement with it and refuse to tolerate it.

Father, I repent for tolerating Jezebel and ask Your forgiveness, in Jesus’s name. I ask You to heal my heart of any detected or undetected hurts, wounds, offenses, pains, pride, rejection, rebellion, or any other open door that may have let or could let Jezebel into my life.

I break Jezebel’s witchcraft, controlling powers, flatteries, deception, word curses, fearful assaults, false accusations, polluted prophetic utterances, subtle seductions, sorceries, intimidations, and other foul operations, in the name of Jesus. Amen

“Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 

I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 

I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.”

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭2:20-23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Battle Plan

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 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.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:10-15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

DAY 1: The Battle Against Evil

When I got saved, I thought I’d spend my life walking beside still waters and lying down in green pastures. I had no idea embracing Jesus as the captain of my salvation meant I was enlisting as a soldier in the army of God.

I’ve since learned that believers are soldiers and Jesus did not come to bring peace but a sword. I’ve discovered that I’m more than a conqueror in Christ, which also tells me ungodly and unseen forces are trying to conquer me.

Keep this truth in mind: the enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy. Every demon has the same mission. How they go about it—their strategies and tactics—are different. 

A spirit of fear attacks your faith, for example, while a spirit of rejection attacks your identity. Satan is strategic. 

His army is highly organized, and he is sending specific spirits against believers to derail them from their kingdom purpose.

My prayer is that you will gain discernment to identify spirits opposing your life—and the lives of those you love—and develop spiritual skills to battle back. 

Spiritual bondage can manifest in many ways, but the good news is that victory can be ours. By walking in our God-given authority, we can effectively do battle and win in warfare.

Book of James

Read :James 1:1-20

I hate temptation. I hate it when it comes my way. It may be temptation to blow up on someone. It may temptation of saying something that I should not say, doing something that I should not do. However, temptation comes my way, every day in some sort or fashion. 

Yielding to temptation is a choice that I make and you make. We reap consequences when we yield and fall in to Satan’s traps. We reap benefits when we follow God’s word to the tee and avoid temptation. It is now time that we begin the process of discipling our converts and reach more for the kingdom. How are going to handle temptation from the Devil? Let’s dig in!

TEXT

I. Count it Joy when you are tempted!

a. As a believer, you should be joyful when you are tempted to sin, it is a sure sign that you are God’s!

b. As a believer, if we have a sad disposition all of the time, we will be vulnerable to the actions of the devil.

c. Trials and Tribulations will come your way. They will be of various types. No one person is able to avoid these things.

d. Everything works together to help shape us and mold us into what God wants us to be.

Remember Job, he suffered everything imaginable to any human being. Although he suffered, lost family members, and went through these things – his faith remained in God.

Job 1:21

The Lord giveth and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the Name of the Lord.

He realized who was in control and in charge. This is further emphasized in Job 42 where Job says:

Job 42:2

I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be withheld from thee.

e. If Job can make it, you and I can

II. When tempted, Be Patient!

a. The key to defeating the devil, is not to fall into his traps.

b. Temptations come our way to make us stronger. We cannot be strong in our own devises. We must depend on God. There are reasons that the Word tells us that we should be patient in the trying of our faith.

i. Romans 5:3-4

1. But we glory in tribulations also; knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope.

c. Notice in verse 4 – “Perfect patience”

i. Hebrews 10:36

1. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

d. Commentaries state that perfect patience is only achieved after enduring the trials that have been put in front of us. In addition, after we have gone through the tribulations, God has transformed us into a “complete” Christian.

i. After thinking about that for a few minutes, it makes sense.

ii. Being a Christian is not easy! We must endure all types of criticsm, all types of threats, all types of garbage – Why?

1. Because God Loves Us and We Love Him.

2. At this point and only at this point – we make our commitment to walk for Him no matter the obstacle. Perfect patience is achieved at this point in time.

3. Verse 12!!!!!

III. Get into the Word of God!

a. If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God!

b. Isaiah 40:8

i. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand forever!

c. His word will stand the test of time.

d. Go to His word, read, study, apply it to your life.

e. Not only will you receive help, you will be transformed into being all that God wants you to be.

i. For many years, I left the apply part off. Yes, I was a Christian, but not one who was being firm in the Word. I was as the wavering man in verse 6-8. If one person wanted to hear one thing, I told them it – if another wanted to hear the opposite, I told them that. It didn’t take long for me to realize that this would do nothing but get you into a pickle.

ii. A person is to be firm in their beliefs.

iii. A person is to be firm in their word

1. A yes must be a yes. A no must be a no. There is no in between.

2. All decisions must be carried to the Lord in prayer – there are no in betweens. He is in control, we are not.

3. When a decision is made, stick with it – don’t waver.

based out of the book of James.

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f. By knowing the word of God, you know what Christ was like and His recommendations for our life!

i. We are to be joyful, loving, peaceful, patient, gentle, good hearted, faithful to Him, meek, even tempered.

ii. We are to live in the Spirit and walk in the Spirit.

g. I must be honest with you, I have heard many sermons in my life. Most of which, I can tell you little about. Many people have heard the word of God, but few actually apply it. Until I got into the word, my life didn’t fully change. When I got hungry for God’s moving in my life, I got into the life-changing power of His word.

How do you avoid temptation? You don’t. It’ll be there every step of the way. It’s actually worse for an non-Christian. They don’t have an arsenal to say no with. They don’t realize that there is a protector that is ready to help them survive this crazy world.

Can I endure temptation? You can.

Give your life to Jesus Christ, totally, not a wavering commitment, but a solid, firm commitment of your life.

Trust Jesus to help you get through each and every trial of every day.

Trust God’s word to help give you the road map to successful living.

Trust an accountability partner to share your trials with. I guarantee you that you’re not by yourself. Not only will you be strengthened, but their faith will also grow stronger.

“I must tell Jesus all of my trials. He is a kind compassionate friend. In my distress He kindly will help me, make of my troubles quickly an end. I must tell Jesus, I must tell Jesus, I can not bear my burdens alone, I must tell Jesus, I must tell Jesus, Jesus can help me, Jesus alone.”

Have you given your life to Christ – only He can save you – only He can help you

– Only Jesus

The Heart of a Disciple Maker

Getting Beneath the Surface”

We have to be clear about what it means to help the people God has placed in our lives. When it comes to helping people, we often address the surface level of the problem but never get down to the heart of the matter. 

When someone is grieving, we might hand him a book that helped us in a difficult moment. 

But how many of us would take the time to really invest in his life? 

Would we listen on a consistent basis and offer help whenever we find a need that we are able to meet?

Or when we learn that a friend is struggling with sin, we are quick to explain why that sin is harmful and tell her we will pray for. 

But how many of us would walk with her as she works through the issues involved?

It’s not that Christians are uncaring. Very often, we really do want to help the people around us however we can, but we get so focused on finding a quick solution to the external behavior that we overlook the real problem. 

Here’s an example. If a friend struggles with anger, we find out what makes him angry, and then keep him away from the things that provoke his anger (e.g., don’t drive during rush hour, interact with your boss as little as possible, avoid talking politics). 

But changing the external situation doesn’t change his heart. In reality, his anger is rooted in his heart, and that anger will find a way to express itself even if his circumstances change.

When Jesus’s disciples started eating without going through the necessary cleansing rituals, the Pharisees accused them of defiling themselves. 

But Jesus’s response in Mark 7 calls us to look beyond the external to what is going on in the heart.

Every struggle with sin that we could possibly encounter in our own lives or in the lives of the people around us are represented in the list 

Jesus offered: evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. Jesus said that these things come from within. 

Whatever help we can offer people who are struggling with sin has to be aimed at transforming hearts, not behavior.

* Why is it essential to get to the heart of the problem rather than merely addressing the circumstances and behavior?

““Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.””

‭‭Mark‬ ‭7:18-23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Steps to Develop the Spirit of an Armorbearer”

“Steps to Develop the Spirit

of an Armorbearer”

“But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.””

‭‭James‬ ‭4:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬

“Every child of God…needs to develop the character of an armorbearer. …we need [more emphasis] on the development of the character of Christ. …God’s power is hindered because of our lust for power, money and sex. These things are currently destroying ministries around the world.

[Following are] some steps…to develop the spirit of a true God-called armorbearer.

Step 1. Free yourself from pride.

But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.””

‭‭James‬ ‭4:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬

Evidences are pride are: an independent spirit, failure to admit mistakes, lack of a teachable spirit, rebellious attitude toward those in authority, a proud countenance, a self-centered conversation, intolerance toward the mistakes of others, a bossy attitude.

Step 2. Free yourself from anger.

“Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16:32‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬

Evidences of anger are: temper tantrums, angry reaction to supposed injustice, expressed frustration over unchangeable circumstances, complaining, extreme sensitivity and touchiness.

Step 3. Free yourself from immorality.

“Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭7:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬

Evidences of a spirit of impurity are: sensual conversation, reading impure materials, impure attitude and improper actions toward members of the opposite sex, desire to listen to sensual music, sensual dress or appearance, carnal curiosity.

Step 4. Free yourself from bitterness.

“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12:15‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬

Evidences of a spirit of bitterness are: sarcastic and critical talk, inability to trust people, frequent illness, self-pity, a sad countenance.

These are all areas in which we need to judge ourselves in order to break satan’s power in our life, to be pleasing to God, and to be the light of the world.”

“We are God’s armorbearers. We are to carry the

shield for one another, joining our faith together. If we

will do that, we will truly become God’s Great Army. We

will go forth to conquer in the power of the Holy Spirit.”

How well do you carry others’ shields in the army

that you are a part of? Do others trust you to carry their

shields? Do you see yourself as part of a unit that will

conquer satan’s forces in the power of the Holy Spirit?”

Closer than a brother

But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!”

Matthew 12:48-49

When you’re looking for potential leaders, if someone you’re considering lacks loyalty, he’s disqualified. Don’t even consider taking him on the journey with you because in the end, he’ll hurt you more than help you. So what does it mean for others to be loyal to you?

1. They love you unconditionally – They accept you with your strengths and weaknesses intact. They care for you, but don’t put you on a pedestal.

2. They represent you well to others – Loyal people may take you to task privately or hold you accountable, but they never criticize you to others.

3. They are able to laugh and cry with you as you travel together – This makes the trip less lonely.

4. They make your dream, their dream – Some people will share the journey with you only briefly. But a few, a special few, will want to come alongside you and help you for the rest of the way.

When people combine loyalty with other talents and abilities, they can be some of your greatest assets. If you find people like that, take good care of them.

Favor in r Trial

1 Peter 2:18-25 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are [a]unreasonable. 19 For this finds [b]favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds [c]favor with God.

Christ Is Our Example

21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 23 [d]and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself [e]bore our sins in His body on the [f]cross, so that we might die to [g]sin and live to righteousness; for by His [h]wounds you were healed. 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and [i]Guardian of your souls.

Every believer wants God’s favor. We usually have expectations of what that looks like since the word favor brings to mind blessings, and no one would include things like mistreatment in that category. But while unfairness and other harsh conditions aren’t good in themselves, the way we respond can bring divine favor.

Scripture tells us that obedience brings blessing, but from a human perspective, it sometimes seems that the only result is trouble. Peter uses the example of a servant who submits to an unreasonable master but is treated unjustly and suffers as a result of doing what’s right.

There are basically two ways to respond to such unfair treatment. We can grumble, complain, and seek vengeance, or we can patiently endure it. The latter is the only response that finds favor with God. Why? Because when we act this way, we are following in Christ’s footsteps.

No one was treated more unfairly than Jesus. He never did wrong, yet He was reviled, mocked, tortured, and killed by men. However, He didn’t revile in return or utter threats but instead entrusted Himself to His Father.

Having this kind of attitude may seem impossible, and it is—apart from God’s power. But Jesus bore our transgressions on the cross so we might die to sin and live righteously. 

He’s given us all we need to respond in a manner that pleases our heavenly Father. Every difficult, unjust, and painful situation is an opportunity to entrust ourselves to God, who judges righteously. Then, through the Holy Spirit, we’ll be empowered to respond in a Christlike manner, which God looks upon with favor.

LIVING OBEDIENTLY

Joshua 6:1-20

 God still guides us today, and by studying this account, we gain insight into living obediently.

Joshua heard God’s directive, “You shall march around the city” (Josh. 6:3). In order for us to obey, we likewise need to hear what the Lord is telling us to do. This means we must be reading and meditating on His Word, confessing sin, praying, and spending time with Him.

Joshua obeyed, telling the people, “Go forward, and march around

 the city” (Josh. 6:7). Joshua did as instructed, despite three potential stumbling blocks: 

1. He could have questioned God’s directive. After

 all, marching around the city didn’t seem like a practical battle strategy for overpowering a fortified city. 

2. He could have felt pressured to explain himself to his men in order to gain their approval and agreement. 

3. He could have let fear of failure keep him from obeying. 

But Joshua did none of these. Upon hearing God’s voice, he followed instructions to the letter—and without hesitation. 

The result was that God honored his obedience: “The wall fell down ... and they took the city” (Josh. 6:20).

Are you willing to do what God says, regardless of your feelings or misgivings? Joshua was confident because the Lord had promised to give Jericho into his hand. And God’s promises to us are also the reason we can trust and obey Him.