authority over what the enemy has taken
•True repentance
•Thanksgiving – Be anxious for nothing, but by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, make your requests known unto God
•Testimony – Yokes are destroyed by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony. To have a testimony, you have to pass the test.
A – Arise, shine, for your light has come (Is. 60:1)
•Abide in His Word
•Act, Attain, Achieve, Accomplish
•Acknowledge, Affirm
•Anointing
Assembling the Right Resources – What Does “IT” Take?
We talked earlier about what essential resources are for your “vehicle” for the journey. In continuing with counting the cost and preparing that vehicle, I want to personalize this section on what it might take for each of us to live victoriously. This section is just for “you.” Some will tell you that “It doesn’t take all that” for victorious living. Maybe it didn’t take all of that for you BEFORE, but consider the time in which we live – the end times, and the marks of it, as given in 2 Timothy 3:1-9 include: (1) powerless religion; (2) corrupt ministry; and (3) a godless world. Is this world godless? Paul says that in the last days, there will be godlessness, where men will choose to be lovers of themselves and money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, incontinent (undisciplined and uncontrolled); without natural affection – lack of feeling for others; truce breaking – breaking of promises, covenants and agreements; false accusers (slanderers), fierce (savage and untamed – does road rage ring a bell for anyone?); despisers of those who are good; traitors – betraying a trust, God, one’s country; headstrong, high minded (puffed up and conceited); and lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.
This certainly sounds like the natural world in which we now live. It takes all of the Word and its full manifestation in our lives to counter the effects of this godless world – there are many unsaved individuals who are inundated with negative images and need the healing of salvation. We (individually and collectively) are going to have to tear down some strongholds to get to the people to whom God wants us to minister.
There is a familiar story that many of us have heard as it concerns Satan’s tactics to distract us as we begin to fulfill our calling. It has circulated around the internet many times, and its author is “Unknown.” This is also a good way to introduce particular lessons that you want to teach – through the use of an application, short story or parable. This parable talks about Satan’s tactics and is entitled, “The Devil’s Convention.”
The Devil’s Convention
Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his evil angels, he said, “We can’t keep the Christians from going to church. We can’t even keep them from conservative values. But we can do something else. We can keep them from forming an intimate, abiding relationship experience in Christ. If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So let them go to church, let them have their conservative lifestyles, but steal their time, so they can’t gain that experience in Jesus Christ.
“This is what I want you to do, angels. Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!” “How shall we do this?” shouted his angels. “Keep them busy in the nonessentials of life and invent unnumbered schemes to occupy their minds,” he answered. “Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, then borrow, borrow, borrow. Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6 or 7 days a week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their family fragments soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work.
“Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still small voice. Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive and to keep the TV, VCR, CDs, and their PCs going constantly in their homes. And see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical, contradicting music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ.
“Fill their coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, sweepstakes, mail order catalogues and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services, and false hopes.
“Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted, disquieted and unprepared for the coming week. Don’t let them go out in nature to reflect on God’s wonders. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts, and movies instead.
“And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they can leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotion.
“Let them be involved in soul-winning. But crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Christ. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause.”
It was quite a convention in the end. And the evil angels went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busy, busy, busy and rush here and there. Has the devil been successful in his scheme? You be the judge.
How about this definition of BUSY:
B – Being
U – Under
S – Satan’s
Y – Yoke
Satan’s goal is to take our hearts and minds off Christ, then steer us toward the cares of the world. God wants us to enjoy life, but He must be first. If we are too busy for God, then we are too busy!!! If we do not spend time with Him daily, we are just entirely TOO BUSY!!!!
Key Travelers From Whom We Can Learn
God prepared Joshua for his leadership journey by having him apprentice with Moses, the great leader. As you will recall, Moses did not volunteer to be a leader for God. When he was called by God to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land, he was very hesitant to do so. In fact, he told God (Who made him, is sovereign, omniscient, and omnipotent) that he (Moses) was not equipped to serve in this capacity. He mentioned the stutter that he had. God did not allow Moses to decline this assignment, although He did allow Aaron, his brother, to assist him. We know that Aaron and their sister, Miriam, also created some hardship for Moses. Had Moses stepped out on faith on the assignment that God had for him, he might have avoided this showdown in the wilderness. Joshua and eleven other spies were sent to survey the Promised Land to determine if the people would be able to secure what God had promised them. Ten of the spies brought back negative reports. Only Joshua and Caleb brought back a positive report. They argued that even though the people are giants, with God as their God, they were more than able to subdue the land. Joshua and Caleb were the only two individuals of their generation who subsequently entered the Promised Land
Joshua was an apprentice to Moses. He saw Moses in good times and bad times. He learned what effective leadership behaviors and strategies were, and what those that were not
