Responsive God

As I grow older and as I experience the ongoing war within my flesh, a conclusion has dawned on me. Growth in God is not linear. For we never outgrow our desire to sin and the same temptations that pulled at twenty will pull at thirty, forty, fifty, and beyond. Our growth and our experience is fully measured at the very end.

Because of the multiplication of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. But the one who perseveres to the END will be SAVED (Matthew 24:12-13).

To measure whether or not you are in, is for God to be responsive. Is he answering prayer? Are you experiencing his visible power in your life? If you cannot point to daily things that the Lord is doing, then you should consider whether or not you are in the faith.

For God is responsive to those he loves and those he hates he is eerily silent.

Seek to please God and watch for his response. We never really grow after our initial feeding on the meat of God’s Word. Now, you must simply hold on to what you have and do not allow the devil to let it slip.

How to Hear the Devil?

One of the last ways the enemy attacks is through argument. If you have overcome the alcohol, the fornication, the adultery, and idolatry, then he will attack your senses. I have found that the devil is able to move our emotions and give us feelings from within that are often unnoticed to those who have not learned how to hear every voice. We have teachings on hearing the voice of God. Learning how to move in the spirit, but have you been taught how to hear Satan? Can you recognize him? Because if you cannot recognize Satan, how will you be able to defend yourself. How will know what and whom to resist? It is important that you can recognize his voice. Because the devil speaks way more then God. We are naturally far more in-tune to respond to Satan, then we are to God. We work and fight to hear God, but we do not need to do that to hear Satan. Certainly, to move in the flesh is far easier then to move in obedience to the commands of God. For even with the Spirit of God, Paul said, I buffet my body.

So how do you hear the devil? He speaks mostly I find through feeling. You may hear someone say, I feel like this or that. That feeling is often rooted in the demonic realm, because that feeling is often a response that is ungodly. We are called to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger (James 1:19). Why? Because in the quick response, it is often a demonic one. Remember, it is far easier to hear the devil, then God. The problem is found in our ability to know Satan’s voice. Because when you recognize his speech, you can circumvent his strategy to ruin your relationships and steal your joy.

We must learn how to slow down. We must be quick to listen. What are we listening for? Whom is speaking. If you move to quickly, then you will be responding to the wrong person. But if I simply listen, then I can hear and discern my feeling and respond to the right person. For there are three voices that we can feel and hear. Our own voice, the voice of God  or angels, and the voice of Satan and demons. When you are slow to speak, then you give yourself time to know whose speaking and respond accordingly.

You will notice that the arguments will cease and joy will be maintained and the devil will lose ground in his ability to destroy your home with grief. James 1:19 is powerful and a crucial text within the pages of Scripture to gaining an ability to hear Satan and then respond Godly.

Time Does Not Make The Fight Easier

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we have an enemy within and without that must be fought daily. For when we would do good, evil is present. The works of the devil are consistent and his strategies though similar are modified given our resolve. He is not static in his approach to make sure we have the best chance of entering hell. The Bible tells us to fight the good fight of faith, Our faith must be protected and we must defend it. It also tells us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. In light of the way being narrow, we must be vigilant. Wise as serpents and gentle as doves. Time does not make the fight easier. In fact, we are more tempted to grow weary in well doing, when the clock keeps ticking.

Since we know that time does not make the fight easier, we must dig deeper and deeper in God. We must pursue him more and more and get closer and closer. It will be the only way to survive. We must cry out to the Lord for His rescuing hand and for His protection. We must put on the full armor of the Lord and resist the enemy. We must do everything we can to stand.

Let us direct our thoughts unto the Lord and repent of sin and draw near. Ask the Lord to renew and refresh you. Some may make it look easy this spiritual fight, but make no mistake, none of us will enter in without it being scare. For the Bible declares that the righteous scarcely make it.

Keep fighting to remain holy and when you sin, repent, move forward and press. We only have one shot at being right and you do not want to be wrong.

Fear and Honor

“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the Lord’s table may be despised. When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 1:6-8).

Are we giving God our best? Are we living in obedience? Have we gotten weary in well doing? Have we lost focused on maintaining our relationship with God in its proper order? Have we allowed they way of the world and the temptations that war against us to succeed? Is our profession more important then God? Is our fear of man more important then our fear of God? Have we become complacent? Complacency leads to relational failure in the spirit and in the natural. Have we forgotten that we are children of the Most High God and have left off in our honor? Are we stronger then God? Do we desire God’s blessing or curse?

Heavenly Father, lead us not into temptation and return to us a healthy fear of you. Remove the evil spirits that have nested in our members and replace them with your Spirit. Expand your Spirit on the inside of us and force out every spiritual thought that is out of alignment with your Word. Open our eyes wide and by the blood of Jesus, place upon us a garment that has been washed. Overflow our cup. Pour upon our heads the buckets of peace, joy, and love. Keep pouring until we are completely submerged in your glory. Keep pouring until my mind has been completely transformed. Keep pouring until my affection for you has blown open the doors of my spirit and all I see is you.

The Power of Listening

It concerns me that the conservative Christian church leadership has taken the helm to demonize critical race theory, not fully understanding what it is. More concerned with talking points and a political agenda without first listening to what it is. Have you done this? Made a judgment based on insufficient facts? If so, what does the Bible say about this? “The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps (Proverbs 14:15).

What is critical race theory? It is the study of American racism and the system of white supremacy that built the nation. It is called a theory for palatability, but the statement is either true or false. If you believe it to be false then you have been miseducated on the constitution and its reason for amendments and on the constitutions that are being amended today, like the Alabama constitution that prohibits black and white people going to school together and from marrying one another and at the same time, it has statements like “all men are equally free and independent; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” In its proper context you understand that this is speaking about white men only.

Are you listening? Then you would understand its necessity for unification. How does one come to Christ and mend a broken relationship? Is it not through the acknowledgment of sin and repentance? If we sidestep the truth and ignore the cries of the needy will God hear us? God says, he will not. It is entirely possible for one to be deceived and deceive themselves by not listening before responding.

Be careful with your mouth and your steps. Remain in the truth or remain silent until you have been properly informed and then answer.