Just Stop Making Excuses Everything Will Come Out Fine

As I sit here tonight (actually early in the morning) and think about how BIG and great our God truly is I am blown away by how quickly we as His followers are so quick to just drop out of the fight.  I know Christians who don't realize their power and potential, in Christ.  We stumble and we fall and as soon as we do something along those lines many of us simply stop fighting.  The enemy knows we are powerful and so what he does is he causes us to believe something about ourselves that is simply not true.  That we are weak and useless so we just can't be a tool in the hands of a powerful God.  So we just stop the fight.

You see our fight is not as simple as just going toe to toe with the devil.  In reality, the fight is not against flesh at all.  

Ephesians 6:12English Standard Version (ESV)

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  

The battle that is at hand is a spiritual battle.  We need to remember this and not get distracted.  We become so quickly distracted by so many small things in this world.  The trappings of this world we get distracted by can have the appearance of actually looking and feeling BETTER than what Jesus offers to us.  You see that is exactly what the devil is good at doing, making 'stuff' that is junk and trash seem like treasure.  We have to keep on alert to what is around us at all times, less we end up giving ground away to the one who has a desire to destroy us.  

So how does one do this?  We have to, according to 2 Cor 10:5 '...take every thought captive to obey Christ.'  Sin begins in the mind.  That why in Romans 12:2 it says: ' Do not be conformed to this world,[a] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.[b]    We have to renew our minds in God's Word on a regular basis in order to overcome the schemes of the devil.  

When we begin to renew our minds in God's word we end up being able to obey and fully submit our lives to the plans that God has for us.  

Look what happens when we humble ourselves before God:

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.  James 4:6-10   

How amazing and significant that truly is for all of us.  I heard it once said 'A humble voice carries more weight!'  When we make war on our sins and submit ourselves to God's plan for us, in a humble manner he promises to exalt us.  Because in reality what we are doing is not about us, but rather all about JESUS! 

As you begin 2017 I want us to keep a humble heart about us and strive to seek Christ first and make his plans more significant than our own plans!  When we strip down all the schemes and plans to one mission:  'MAKE MUCH OF JESUS,' everything becomes much easier!  When we stop making excuses as to why we can overcome and why we can't make it and just start obeying God's master plan for us everything else is going to come out fine!

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Come join us for Warrior Weekend 
Saturday January 7, 2017