Self Controlled and Alert

I Peter 5: 8

Be self—controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Today, whether we like it or not, the devil is out and prowling.

Don’t underestimate his roar—because his bite is much worse than his bark.

He sole purpose is to find someone to devour—and he seems to be doing a pretty good job these days.

I think what disturbs me the most, is that Christians often open themselves up to being pretty easy prey.

And what do we need to do to keep from being the devils next snack? Be self—controlled and alert!

God the Father has given us all, every tool we’ll ever need to defend ourselves.

If I knew a lion was out there hunting me to eat me—I’d take a stand—I’d be alert.

Do you have self control in your prayer life? Do you have enough self control to study God’s Word—the Sword of the Spirit?

That’s what self control means. Picking up and using God’s arsenal against our enemy—who by the way wants to steal—kill and destroy you and me.

In the name of Jesus, this is one dude he is not going to devour today.

My eyes are going to be peeled, and I’m going to be as alert as I can be.

There’s no sense feeding his insatiable hunger, when we can defeat him, by trusting in God’s awesome power.

Will you trust in God today? Will you be alert? Now is no time to sleep—something’s out there lurking………

Unity

Romans 5: 15

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus……

What does a modern Christian church look like today? It should have unity.

Sometimes though, the way the church or believers treat one another, doesn’t look anything like a unified front.

Sometimes the way believers treat one another, wouldn’t be allowed in the secular work world, but the temperament of disunity is often seen in the church.

When you hear someone say…. “If this or that doesn’t work out this way or that way, I’m no longer going to be involved.”

That doesn’t sound at all like unity, it sounds like talk that might come from an elementary school.

So then, what will you do to bring true unity in your church this week?

What will you do individually, to bring a spirit of unity in your home?

The choice is mine….and the choice is obviously yours to make too………..

Where is your focus?

Colossians 3: 1

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Today as we finish a work week, for many of you it’s been a long one.

We need to be reminded that our focus in life, needs to be on things above, and not on the things here below.

Let’s face it, we live in a world where very few people have their eyes on things above.

People are very much distracted by all the things on earth, and life here on earth.

It takes real discipline to remove your heart away from the things of this world, and to concentrate on the things that last forever.

Jesus said it another way. He said we should store away treasures in Heaven, where no one can steal them and moth cannot destroy.

He said that if we do store our riches in Heaven, then that is where our heart will be.

So today, I have to ask myself. Is the Lord that special to me, that He takes precedence in my life?

That’s a good question. Join me, in meditating on that very thought this weekend…….

Kingdom Fruit

2 Peter 3: 3

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.

In the last days scoffers will come? What’s a scoffer?

A scoffer is a person who disrespects, mocks and makes light of God’s Word and warning of what will come in the final days here on earth.

They actually follow their own evil desires.

Evil desires could be a myriad of things. Is it an evil desire to forgo church Sunday after Sunday?

Some would say so. Evil doesn’t have to be defined as doing something blatantly against the law like murder or armed robbery.

In these last days, and yes I believe we’re experiencing them even now, we best get a tight grip on what we desire, and it had better be God.

What do you desire? It will show up in the kind of Kingdom fruit you’re producing.

No fruit, and you had better change what you desire.

He could come back today…...and don’t scoff at that!

Now is the time!

John 4: 23

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”

The time has come to worship God in spirit and in truth.

When we come into God’s presence, we should quite literally be awestruck.

Worship means that we appropriate God’s blessings when there is true worship.

Will you worship Him today?

God really demands that his people worship Him.

When we worship God, what we’re really saying is…. “You’re worth it God!”

His is worth it my friends, and we don’t have to wait until Sunday to offer up our collective praise.

Do it right now. Do it all day. Worship Him in spirit and in truth.

This is our created purpose.

That is the job description, of a true believer in Christ Jesus……….

Which prayer Category?

Luke 11: 9 – 10

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Jesus outlines the key ingredients for answered prayer: Ask—Seek—Knock

Our prayer routine should include these key components, and we must never stop asking.

Are you asking?

There are generally three types of praying people;

1)      The “Caught Off Guard Prayer”. This type of person generally only prays out loud when their asked to pray in public.

2)      The “Critical Crisis Prayer”. This person only prays when things are going to hell in a hand basket. They only pray for themselves when a crisis appears out of nowhere.

3)      The “Caring Prayer”. They prayer for God’s will to happen in the lives of others. They pray for the salvation of the lost. They also pray that new converts are discipled

           They generally only pray to see God’s will accomplished, in other people’s lives, and not their own.

Maybe today we should identify which “prayer” category we fit into.

Do we ask? Why do we ask? When do we ask?

Prayer is mightiest weapon that God has given the believing child of God.

How much, do you use that weapon

How confident are you today?

Isaiah 59: 2

But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

1 John 5: 14

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

These two verses seem to contradict one another.

One seems to say…. “Don’t waste your time, until you get your heart right.”

The other says, that we can have confidence in approaching God.

What keeps us from God, and what keeps our prayers from being heard? Something we did.

What gives us confidence in approaching God? Something He did.

Before you get too far down the road on this new week, stop and get things right between you and God.

Then we can know for sure, that everything we ask for according to His will, will indeed be heard by Him.

How confident are you today?