It's Not About Flesh and Blood

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Ephesians 6:12

In today’s focus verse, we learn two important things that we must understand and carry with us daily… The first is that upon this earth we will wrestle… There is a battle that takes place daily, the problem is that it comes in many forms… Laziness (a desire not to get up or go to work), jealousy (a desire to have what others have obtained), and malice (hatred, spite, or cruelty) which will cause us to be nasty to people or disrespectful just to name a few… Know that battles are at your door and sometimes have invaded your house… You must follow the guidelines outlined in this letter to the church of Ephesus… Paul teaches us in the verse that precedes this one that we are to put on the full amour of God… After instructing us about the importance of being prepared, he goes on in today’s focus verse to explain why we need to equip ourselves… Again, whether we recognize it or not, we are at war within ourselves and our societies…  We see many young men and women becoming chalk outlines, many kids having kids, and more and more decisions being made that lead to catastrophic outcomes… 

To understand the war we are fighting (this is the second lesson that we must learn and comprehend), we must understand who the enemy really is… When someone commits a heinous crime, we are quick to pass judgment, but the truth of the matter is that we should be praying for that individual to be released from the bondage of evil that has taken His life captive… This war we are fighting isn’t about the flesh; it’s not about what you see but about the motives and where the decisions are derived from… Consider Job from the Old Testament as an example; he lost everything (children, cattle) and then his wife told him to curse God and die… The physical things that we see on the surface of Job’s life weren’t the real problem, it was the decision to curse God or not… Paul’s letter speaks to us and Job’s situation confirms it… We wrestle not against the flesh (what we can see), but rather against the devil and all the traps that aren’t visible…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

There's Power In The Blood

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Revelation 12:11

Your ability to become all that God has designed you to be, defeat the enemy, and persevere through the tests, trials, and tribulations are found in “the blood of the lamb…” Satan knows that he can defeat you when you try to take him on in your own power; however, he also knows that he doesn’t stand a snowball's chance in hell to defeat you when you call on the name of Jesus… The storms you are enduring are developing your testimony which will bear witness to the power you didn’t have and the power that God bestowed on your behalf… When you go through challenges and oppositions in life and know that God brought you out, your approach to life will change; the things that mattered most to you will become less significant in your life and you will display a form of humility that was never seen before in you… As you mature in Christ, the life you sought in this world will be transformed into a life seeking to please Christ. This is what John is referring to when he starts this verse by proclaiming how to overcome; he concludes by saying, “They loved not their lives unto the death…” You won’t care about pleasing men when you realize that those same men can’t help you when you are in the midst of tragedy or trial… You will care less about what people say about you when you understand that God’s words produce life and fruit… John reveals the secret to overcoming and being victorious… It's all through “...the blood of the lamb…”

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Reconciliation Is Your Ministry

And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:18-19

As you are blessed, your ministry is to bless others with the seed planted in you… Christ came to this earth with a sole purpose in mind, to free us from the bondage and guilt of our sins… You are here to fulfill a God-given purpose; you are at your current location to reconcile yourself to the Lord by reconciling relationships and people that may have been fractured or punctured through this course of life… This is why Paul goes on to say that Jesus “hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation…” You were formed with a distinct plan from the Lord; you were created to fulfill the Lord's desire before you were even born into existence… The message that we are called to receive and understand today is a compelling and true message regarding the purpose behind each day that you witness on this earth…  So many people have overlooked the things that God has deposited in their lives and therefore continue to miss the mark of pleasing Him… The Bible declares that without faith it is impossible to please the Lord; you must walk in faith throughout your days and weeks and to do this you must realize that you don’t have to be a minister to have ministry… We miss opportunities to bring people to Christ because we are focused on bringing them to church… You have been called to the ministry; however, it doesn’t mean you stand in a pulpit on Sunday mornings… The message that Paul pens to us today is that you have some reconciliation to do in your life… This could be forgiving an adversary or it could be seeking forgiveness from another or from God above… Whatever the case or situation, you must know that people are perishing because you have not walked in your ministry… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Overcoming Spiritual Blindness

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints

Ephesians 1:18

Ephesus was a city full of superstition, magic, and all the other works that resembled that of a cult… It was the missionary journey of Paul (led by the Holy Spirit) to enter the city of Ephesus and open their eyes… Often we see people who have gone the wrong way, we speak words about them but never speak words to them… This is the message that I find so important for us to grasp in today’s focus verse… The people you encounter may not know what they’re doing is wrong, some of them may have very well been brought up with the notion that all the things that are being done are right and it is up to you to allow the Holy Spirit to move so that “The eyes of there understanding may be enlightened…” Not everybody needs to hear a word of encouragement, not everybody needs a pat on the back, some people in your life need to hear the truth in love, some people in your life need a stern kick in their backside… The ministry that God has placed in your life, you are accountable for; every person you encounter every day of your life should be impacted by the display of Christ in and through you… This is what Paul was saying in his letter to the Church of Rome when he said that we should be “a living sacrifice…” The problems that occur in most of the lives of people who live according to this world is that they place their hopes in and on material things… People of the world have the belief that a high-paying job gives them hope for a bright future and stability; however, this is where their understanding must be enlightened… The eyes of this world must be opened and enlightened; this can only be accomplished when they are taught the hope for their existence, the hope for their family and friends is not found in the world but in his calling… God will not fail, and He will not allow you to fail either, so continue to hold to His hand, continue to trust in the Lord, and be about the work that He has called you to do! Your eyes are being enlightened and you are growing in Christ!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Every Knee Shall Bow

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:10-11

When you make Christ the head of your life and walk according to His will and plan you are assured two things, the first is trials and the second is victory… Jesus reminds the disciples in John 15:18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”However, we see in the scripture penned by Paul that people will be humbled before the mighty name of the one that we serve and face trials for… Paul writes a letter to the church of Philippi focused on imitating the life of Christ… When Jesus was resurrected from the dead He received all power in heaven and on earth, He was given authority over every matter and situation and defeated the devil with His sacrifice… Paul reminds us of the authority that Jesus has in today’s focus verses… “That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow…” 

Today we see the reasons why we can smile in the midst of tragedy, today we are given evidence of how we can hold our head up amid a storm, through this passage we learn how to continue in praise despite the circumstances that we face… We have victory through the blood of Jesus; we can triumph because of His nail-scarred hands and we have received a clean slate because of His humility… Paul says every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord… You may see some people going the wrong way right now, you may see some people smiling while indulging in their life of sin and you may see others who appear to be better off than you; however, we must remember that Jesus experienced the same things when dealing with the Romans and Pharisees, Jesus was belittled on this earth, but now has a place next to the father (sitting on a throne) that everyone would love to have… He reigns because of His sacrifice and determination to fulfill the will of His Father… Today you suffer, but in the end, God will be glorified and you will be exalted…If you want to become God's disciple, then imitate Christ and suffer in and for His name…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

The Blessings Of Giving

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Matthew 5:7-8

Matthew 7:2 says, “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” You have to give to receive, in order to have something put in your hand, you must first remove what already exists in it… The Bible says that the merciful are blessed not only because of their kind acts but also because true mercy calls for one to be humble and solely focused upon the Lord… Mercy is withholding or forgiving someone who has wronged you and/or caused pain and strife within you… Mercy is something that we all naturally do not extend to our fellowman; when I was a little boy I was instructed that when someone hit me I should hit them back; however, Jesus tells us that we must turn the other cheek… A merciful person is indeed blessed because they are walking in the will of God and therefore protected under His mighty hand… Matthew records that those who are merciful shall obtain mercy; we have all fallen short, and we have all made bad choices and decisions, but as a child of God, we cannot allow those things to serve as stumbling blocks that hinder our growth and future aspirations! We must learn from our mistakes and seek the forgiveness of God as well as our fellow man… More importantly, we must be able to extend forgiveness to one another in pure and unconditional love so that our sins and poor choices may be forgiven by our Lord and Savior! Jesus informs us in the 18^th chapter of Matthew that the forgiveness of our sins is made possible by the forgiveness (mercy) that we extend to others… "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” To obtain mercy from above, you must first extend mercy on earth… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

There's Always An Escape

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

1 Corinthians 10:13

 

Everybody faces temptations; the only thing that varies from person to person is how we handle them… Paul says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as if common to man…” This passage shines light on the fact that the enemy knows your common weaknesses; however, it also provides encouragement to the believer as you are told that the adversary is using the same old tired tricks that our Lord has already conquered… This is why, despite the temptations that are common snares in our lives, Paul says that “God is faithful…”This means that the things we face in life are things that have been here before; God knows your limitations… Everything that you endure is never going to overtake you if you remain focused and attentive to the will of God… The things you are dealing with God already knows and the reason you are subject to them is simply because He knows that you can handle them… Temptations display the true character and heart of an individual… It is when we are tempted that we showcase the faith we have in Christ or the lack thereof… We must endure such temptations as we profess our faith and allow God’s faithfulness to work in and through us… Remember that the first portion of this scripture speaks about the common temptations that man faces; with that being said, we can look to Jesus and know how to handle tempting situations…  When Jesus was led into the wilderness and fasted for forty days, the word of God tells us that He was tempted by the enemy… Through all the temptations that were hurled His way, by standing upon the word He was able to resist the enemy and eventually make him retreat… Understand today, that through the word of God, you can overcome obstacles in front of you… You can resist the enemy just as Jesus did and he will flee… 

 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!