Tag: stephen dedman

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:14‬ ‭

The devil’s objective is to distract you and get you off course. When you are in the perfect will of God, there are blessings of great joy and peace.  So when you get off course your life is not full of joy and peace.

We must realize that the devil desires to see you suffer but God desires to see you prosper. In order to stay focused and to stay on track you must keep your guard up. You must be aware of the schemes of the devil and know that he is spiritually attacking you.

With the strength of God you can stay on track and in God’s will. The Apostle Paul knew the reality of the struggle and said, “I keep pressing on!”  That is what we should do.

Keep pressing on toward the goal of the prize. The  ultimate prize is to be in the presence of God.  When we are in God’s will we are fully in His presence.

What are some of the things that distract you from doing what God has called you to do?  Can you make any changes?  Sometimes we just need a good reminder and spiritual check-up to get things right again.

Hopefully you are right where you need to be and doing exactly what God has called you to do. Praise God if you are pressing on. Never lose hope and always remember that many people before you have been right where you are and have come out on the bright side.

Pray

Lord, keep me in your will.  Your will be done here on earth as it is in Heaven. Give me courage and strength to press on.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1 John 2:15

The people who John was writing to were calling themselves Christians but they did not demonstrate the love of God.  They did not acknowledge their sinful behavior nor did they value God’s grace.  

They possessed a false philosophy as they professed to be Christians but demonstrated no love toward their brothers and sisters in Christ.  They were not obedient to God’s Word.  They were not any different than the evil world that they lived in.  

They loved the things of the world more than they loved the Lord. John said, “If anyone loves the world, the love of God is not in him.”

A true Christian reflects the love of God through loving others.  True Christians know the need for God’s forgiveness and run away from sinful behavior.  They love the things of God and they demonstrate love for His Word.

Let’s identify what it means to hate the things of this world.  We must hate the sins that dishonor and discredit the glory of God. We should hate speaking profanity and spreading gossip.  We should hate drunkenness and gluttonous behavior.  We are to hate sorcery and witchcraft, immorality and pride, murder and adultery, hypocrisy and lies.  These are just a few, but if you are a Christian you no longer love these things.

That is not to say that we don’t sin.  We all fall short of the glory of God but our affection is on heavenly things.  When we love the things of God our hearts and minds will detest the things of this world.

Pray

Lord, I ask for Your forgiveness and mercy.  Help me to live beyond what this world has to offer. Keep me from evil and show me how to love the way You love.

Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”
1 Samuel 17:45

We all have our problems.  How we deal with our problems is what makes a difference.  Some people ignore their problems and hope they go away while others face them head on and attack them with full force.  Whatever the case may be, our perspective of God is what makes our problems look small.

Notice how David acknowledged that Goliath was coming at him with full armor but it didn’t stop him.  David was experienced in the area of facing problems head on.  He had experience with beating off wild animals with bare hands.  Fighting the giant Philistine was nothing compared to the other animals he faced.  

David had something that most people don’t.  He had spiritual optimism.  David knew he had God on his side and that’s all he needed.  He knew God was bigger and better than any problem he faced.

David couldn’t ignore Goliath because he knew the power of God was with him.  He was prepared to have victory with just one throw of a stone.  We too, have the power of God to withstand any problem that comes our way.  

If we focus on the size of our problems they will seem very overwhelming.  But if our focus is on God our problems will seem pretty small in comparison.  Arm yourself in the name of the Lord.

Pray

Lord, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ that You give me victory over my problems today.  Your name is great and wonderful to be praised. Keep me in Your hand.