Abiding TV

"My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help..."
Psalm 56:9, NLT

TODAY'S WORD:
Are you believing God to do something specific in your life? Be encouraged because God is already working behind the scenes on your behalf. Just because you don't see anything happening doesn't mean that God isn't working.


The moment we pray, God sets the miracle into motion. The thing we have to remember is that God doesn't say, "I'll deliver you in one hour, or next week, or Tuesday at 5:00 p.m." No, He doesn't put a time frame on it. That's where trust comes in. We have to know that our enemies retreat as soon as we call on Him for help. We have to choose the place of peace knowing that He is working things out.

Today, shake off the temptation to get discouraged during the waiting process. Shake off offense, shake off discouragement. Remember, all it takes is one touch of God's favor to take you years ahead. Keep standing, keep believing, keep hoping because the answer is on its way the moment we pray!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:
"Father, thank You for hearing me the moment I pray. Today I choose to trust that You are working behind the scenes on my behalf no matter what I see in the natural. I will praise You always because You are faithful. I love You and bless You in Jesus' name. Amen."

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue (2 Peter 1:3).


Christianity isn’t a life without challenges, and oppositions, yet it’s a glorious life indeed, because irrespective of the tests, trials, and persecutions, you’re always triumphant. 2 Corinthians 2:14 says, "Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place." The Bible says ...we’re more than conquerors through Him that loved us (Romans 8:37).

Therefore, count it all joy when you go through diverse tests (James 1:2). The Lord has said that when you go through the fire, you shall not be burnt, neither is there any flood severe enough to drown you (Isaiah 43:2). You’re not an ordinary person. You’re a victor everyday, and at every count, and that makes you a "wonder" to the world. David said, "I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge" (Psalm 71:7).

Some Christians think that living victoriously every day is some kind of utopia or a farfetched phenomenon; so they say, "Well, let’s live in the real world!" They believe that their problems are more real than the fantastic "dream life" of the Bible; but they’re wrong. Christianity is a call to the triumphant life; a perpetual walk in victory, dominion, righteousness, success, progress, peace, joy, health, and prosperity. This is the heritage of every child of God.

You have authority in Christ Jesus to reign and rule over the devil and the circumstances of life. Jesus said, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you" (Luke 10:19). He lets you know that you’re indestructible. Nothing, and no one, can hurt or destroy you, because Christ lives in you! Hallelujah.

Confession

My life is for the glory of God! His beauty, wisdom, grace, and righteousness are expressed in, and through, me. I’m a wonder to my world. I’m more than a conqueror, a victor, and a success forever! Greater is He that’s in me than he that’s in the World. I’m living the beautiful life in Christ. Glory to God!

further study: Isaiah 54:17; Romans 8:35-37

: Luke 24:36-53 2 Samuel 12-14

: 1 Corinthians 2:12-16 Psalm 145-146

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:31-32)

There are a lot of Christians who are not convinced that God is for them. They mistakenly think God is somehow partly to blame for the bad things that happen to them (never mind their poor choices and decisions).


How would you like to be commander-in-chief of an army where half of your troops don’t even know who the enemy is? They’ve got their weapons pointed towards headquarters, blaming you for all of their problems. As ridiculous as this sounds, it’s a pretty good description of God’s army. I’ve had people tell me about a particular trial they are facing and then ask, “Why did God let this happen to me?” They don’t realize that God not against them—He is for them!

Jesus made it clear who our enemy is when He said, “Your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8 NKJV) and “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10 NKJV). He went on in the same verse to say, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

It is the devil who comes to steal from you and to try to destroy you. God is a good God; everything He does is for your good and for your benefit. He will never ever cause a harmful situation in your life to prove something to you or to teach you something. You are so loved by God that He is willing to give you freely all things to enjoy.

God is on your side!

Confession: Father, I believe You are for me and not against me. I thank You that you are a good God who loves to freely give me all things.

READING OPTIONS
2 Chronicles 20:1-25

Faced with His nation’s certain demise, King Jehoshaphat responded with worship. Read his prayer in today’s passage, and you may find it difficult to separate the petition from the praise. Going deeper than familiar expressions like “hallelujah” and “praise the Lord,” he celebrates God’s personhood and extols His virtues.


Furthermore, the king led the people in glorifying God for their past redemption. As they focused on the Lord (instead of the incoming armies), the Israelites recalled anew how their heavenly Father had intervened, sometimes dramatically. This was exactly what God had told them to do—to instruct their children about His ways so they could daily honor Him. (See Deut. 6:7.) Doing so builds courage and strengthens faith.

The people’s praise paved the way for their complete and total dependence upon the Lord. The odds of the small Israelite army beating the united force of three enemies were slim. However, in their worshipful state of mind, the people could admit their weakness and await divine intervention. God gave them an outrageous solution to the problem: to do nothing. Even so, Israel was spiritually prepared to go against human reason and obey His commands. God loves it when we throw ourselves upon His mercy, because then His power can be released in its fullness.

God is also willing to lead you to victory in troubled times. The Israelites’ story is recorded in His Word so that all believers may apply its principles to their life. Bend your heart and mind toward the Lord, and He will enlarge your vision of who He is and what He can do on your behalf.

Bible in a Year: 1 Chronicles 4-6

Hebrews 8:12
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

Perhaps you have heard people say of others: “Oh, if only you had seen my husband in the early years of our marriage. He had such an explosive temper that I used to seek shelter in my mother’s house!”


“No one would have ever guessed that she had such a promiscuous past.”

“As a young boy, he would always lie through his teeth and not even bat an eyelid!”

Man looks at you and remembers what you were like in the past. But when God looks at you through the new covenant, He declares, “I will be merciful to your unrighteousness, and your sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

He states it plainly in His Word as if to assure us: “When you come to Me, don’t think that I am thinking about your sins. Don’t think that every time I look at you, I am reminded of your sins. Not only am I not keeping a record, but I am also not mindful of your failures and shortcomings. I am telling you that I will remember your sins no more, never again!”

God can say that all our sins He remembers no more because there was a time when He remembered them and punished every one of them—in the body of His Son at the cross. He punished every single one of them until Jesus cried out, “It is finished!” (John 19:30) That is why today, God can justly say, “Your sins I will remember no more.”

We all know that we sin from time to time. But the good news is that all our sins have already been dealt with at the cross. They have been washed away by Jesus’ blood. Now, when we come into God’s presence, He sees us without our sins. So beloved, forget your past failures. Believe that God remembers your sins no more and be the righteous man that you already are in Christ!

Thought For The Day
All our sins have been dealt with at the cross, so we can come boldly into God’s presence.

“I will live in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6b NLT, second edition).

When Kind David says, “I will live in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6b NLT, second edition), he’s saying that God has prepared a place for him in Heaven.


That’s one of the most important connections we see in the Bible. It connects yesterday with today and then connects them both with tomorrow.

God says, “I’ve got this great life planned for you, and goodness and mercy will follow you through it. But that’s not the end! I’ve got something else in store for you!” God builds it to a crescendo.

So David ends his Psalm by saying, “We’re going to Heaven!” God saves the best until last. With him, it just keeps getting better and better.

You can live with the assurance of this promise: The best is yet to come.

“We know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands” (2 Corinthians 5:1 NIV).

PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>

Talk It Over

How does an eternal perspective change the way you live your life?
Who in your life needs to hear about God’s offer of an eternal home in Heaven? What will you do about it?
What kind of place do you think God has prepared for you?

It [grace] has trained us to reject and renounce all ungodliness (irreligion) and worldly (passionate) desires, to live discreet (temperate, self-controlled), upright, devout (spiritually whole) lives in this present world.

Titus 2:12, The Amplified Bible

When an athlete goes into training, he practices to improve his skills. He works hard, repeating the same motions over and over until they become what we’d call “second nature” to him.

Most of us understand how crucial that kind of training is in the physical realm. We know that you simply can’t be a winner without it. But did you know we can train ourselves that same way where spiritual things are concerned?


That’s right! Hebrews 5:14 says we can train our senses to discern between good and evil. When you train, or practice, for something, you expose yourself daily to whatever it is you want to become. You practice it over and over until it becomes second nature to you. People who are lazy have practiced being lazy. People who are disciplined have practiced being disciplined.

Spending time with God is “spirit” practice. As you do it diligently, your spirit will grow stronger and will start to overcome the habits of the flesh.

If, for example, you have trouble getting up in the morning to spend time with God before the busyness of the day begins, if you’ve been giving in to your flesh and staying in bed, then you’ll have to start practicing getting up. The more you practice it, the easier it will be.

Don’t expect yourself to do it perfectly right from the beginning. Don’t get discouraged when you stumble and fail. You’re just out of practice. Get back on your feet and go at it again!

Become a spiritual athlete. Put yourself in training by practicing the things of God. Build your spirit muscles through fellowship with Him. You will be surprised to find just how much of a winner you can be.

Scripture Reading:
2 Peter 1:2-11

Memorise: 
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalms 91:1

Read; Psalms 91:1-12, 
91 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.


Bible in one year: 
1st Kings 15:33-17:24,
Proverbs 18:15-19:4


Message:
Bodyguards are specially trained security persons who usually protect very important people wherever they go. They are commonly sighted around government officials and members of their families. Because moguls, multi-millionaires, mega stars, and TV personalities enjoy going around with them. As a matter of fact, many will not be seen in public without their bodyguards because they don’t feel safe without them. However, bodyguards are limited in power, and the cost of having them is beyond the reach of the average person. The good news for Christians is that as we have bodyguards in this world, we also have spiritual bodyguards. They are automatically appointed to every child of God at the moment they become born again. They are invisible, they operate at a speed much faster than the speed of light, they have limitless power, and their services have been fully paid for through the blood of Jesus. That is why Psalms 91:1 says:
“He thatn dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
I once taught some of my children that when a child is born, what happens to the child depends on the available support system.


The stronger the support system, the more fortified that child is for success in life. Within our Father’s support system are angels. Psalms 91:10-13 says it is the duty of our Father’s angels to ensure no harm befalls us. The angels are instructed by God to go with us wherever we go. If the children of kings are going out, they don’t go alone. If they are going to school, they are chauffeur-driven, whereas, children of ordinary people trek even through the woods unaided. From this day, you shall go on angelic rides in Jesus’ name.

There is a testimony a brother shared concerning his trip by air. He said while airborne, the first two engines of the plane suddenly stopped. The pilot panicked, saying that if the third engine follows suit, the plane would crash. Then the third engine also stopped. The whole place was in pandemonium but this brother who was seated by the window turned to look through the window on his left and saw a huge angel smiling at him and whispering to him that he was carrying the plane.  To the surprise of everybody else, the plane landed safely an hour later at the nearest airport. The brother saw three angels there. Nobody could explain how they managed to land except this brother. In the Bible, when Daniel was thrown into the den of lions, an angel went ahead of him and stopped their mouths. Similarly, when Peter was locked up in prison, an angel came to him, woke him up and led him out.

Prayer Point
Father, please don’t let me ever do anything that will drive my spiritual bodyguards away from me in Jesus’ name.