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Thursday, June 7

It's IN You!

It’s not in me.

I cannot do this; it’s too hard.

I don’t have the strength.

I don’t have the patience.

I can’t conquer this.

It’s not in me to forgive.

It’s not in me to love.

How many times have you said those or similar things or heard someone else say them?

What do you need today? Strength? Power? Patience? Love? A forgiving attitude? Courage to conquer an addiction or thought pattern? Or maybe something else?

Whatever battles you face each day, I’m here to encourage you: you can withstand them. You can be an overcomer! You can win! You can conquer! You can be the victor! If you have welcomed Christ to live in your heart, then all you need is IN you.

* The Truth is IN you.

* Eternal Life is IN you.

* The love of God is IN you.

* The mind of Christ is IN you.

* When all is dark, His light is IN you.

* Through His Word, His joy is IN you.

* If you believe, the word of God works effectively IN you.

* When you abide in Him, His Living Word abides IN you.

* “God is working IN you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.” (Phil. 2:13 NLT)

* You can conquer because “The Spirit who lives IN you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” (1 John 4:4 NLT)

* God began the good work IN you and will continue until it is “finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Phil. 1:6 NLT)

When Christ is IN you, you can do all things through Him.

Paul said that the overwhelming victory of Christ is yours (1 Cor. 15:57) and you are more than a conqueror through Him. (Rom. 8:37) To be more than a conqueror is to gain a surpassing victory.

How do you gain this surpassing victory? All you need is already IN you, “for the kingdom of God is inside you,” (Luke 17:21b Phillips), because Christ lives IN you (Col. 1:27). All you need to do is make withdrawals.

Christ’s strength has not diminished. He is our Victor! We can have victory, because God “always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ.” (2 Cor. 2:14a NIV)

Be encouraged: Go forward into this day with all the Lord has placed IN you.

It IS IN you! You CAN do it!

“Christ IN you, the hope of glory.” (Col 1:27 NKJV)

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Thursday, March 3

Do You Have Spiritual Endurance?

What tests your spiritual endurance?

*finances?
*lack of a job?
*no insurance?
*home foreclosure?
*your spouse’s affair?
*a child with an addiction?
*a husband hooked on porn?
*death of a child or other loved one?
*the twisted knife in your back from your best friend?

On occasion, many of these strike at once causing chaos to overwhelm us. Our eyes spill over with the tears of heartache. Discouragement sets in.

What do we do? Have a pity party? Get in a nasty mood? Throw a fit? Camp out with a negative attitude? Stomp around yelling at everyone?

What happens to our hope? To our faith? To our spiritual endurance?

David wrote, “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him again - my Savior and my God!” (Ps. 42:5 NLT)

Who comes to mind as a biblical victor, a spiritual endurer? James wrote, “For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.” (James 5:10-11 NLT)

I love reading Hebrews 11, the faith chapter. Listed are the names of all those who persevered from Abel to Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and all the rest…by faith, by faith, by faith. They held to the backside of the cross, having the faith to see what was yet to be. They had no anchor of hope in Christ as we do.

And they all endured!

Our faith walk should be like Abraham’s, for he knew God kept His promises, “He drew strength from his faith, and, while giving the glory to God, remained absolutely convinced that God was able to implement His own promise.” (Rom. 4:21 Phillips)

Paul also said of Abraham, “No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God.” (Rom. 4:20 Amp) His words of praise strengthened his faith, connecting Him to God’s power.

And what of Paul? Didn’t he endure horrendous afflictions?

He said, “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.” (2 Cor. 4:8-9TLB)

What is your attitude as you endure your trials? Do you hide in the cellar of doubt and worry or hang out in the attic of praise and gratitude? Do you give up or rest in the power of God? Are you a spiritual victim or victor?

Does Jesus say to you, as He did to Peter when he began to be overwhelmed by the waves, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matt. 14:31b NKJV) Or does He say to you as He did to the woman that came to Him on behalf of her demon-possessed daughter, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire”? (Matt. 15:28 NKJV)

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” (Heb. 12:1-2a NKJV)

As you look to the Lord in your time of trouble, may He complete and perfect your faith that you may be a spiritual victor.