Devo 64: Keep Me in Perfect Peace

Devo 64: Keep Me in Perfect Peace March 29, 2010

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in YAH, the Lord, is everlasting strength.

Isaiah 26:3-4

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You,”—what a remarkable statement. What would it be like to be “kept in perfect peace”?

There is a saying when someone is contemplating the validity of a decision—whether it is good or bad. One might say that they “have a peace of mind” about something, or they do not have a peace of mind about something. But, what would it be like to be “kept” in a peace of mind? Wow.

If there was a pill that would give someone true “peace of mind” around the clock, 24/7, 365—with no side effects, that pill would probably be one of the most expensive, hottest commodities on the planet. The people who produced it and owned rights to it would be the richest people in the world.

Everyone knows this is true. So many people in the world are on anti-depressants right now that the numbers are staggering. Even though those drugs may help, however, they could never possibly “keep a mind in perfect peace.” They may help with anxiety and nervousness, but they create all other kinds of problems—mood swings, blood pressure side effects, financial burdens, demonic dreams, nightmares, hot flashes, etc...

Other drugs are the same way. People try to medicate their minds with all kinds of things. They want to “numb out,” “veg out,” “check out”—and every other kind of “out” possible, because their minds never stop processing everything that is happening in their lives, and they can never possibly understand it all or react correctly to it all. The swirl of activity causes people to run to anything possible to get away from that constant stream of thoughts pulsating through their minds and reacting to everything that happens.

Some people react to things in their lives by becoming dead to their emotions and to things happening around them. They put up walls and blockades, and become so calloused to outside influences that they never really feel anything and never really attach to anyone. They become numb to the point that they are not even real with themselves.

Others interact with their surroundings by being influenced and persuaded by everyone and everything that comes across their path and they continue to spiral downhill until something catastrophic happens in their lives. They are such chameleons that they do not even know who they are or what they like.

Of course, both of these are extreme cases and stereotype people somewhat, but many people fall into one of these categories when they lack the influence of the Lord, or if they have not been continually receiving healing in their walk with the Lord.

But, can you imagine what it would be like to always, always, always have perfect peace in your mind and in your soul? That would be incredible.

This verse says that God will keep us in perfect peace if our minds are fixed on Him. Not only are our minds fixed on Him, but we trust Him. Not only do we trust Him, but our minds are fixed on a certain revelation of who He is. We trust His name as “everlasting strength.”

He is everlasting strength. It is His nature. Some translations say that He is the “everlasting rock” or “Rock of Ages.” He is unmovable. He will never leave or never be moved. That is the foundation for our trust in Him, and the reason for our perfect peace. He will never move, never leave, and never forsake us (Heb. 13:5).

In Romans 8:6, Paul says that being carnally (or fleshly) minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. That life and peace comes through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us. When we have that steadfast communion with Him, we can stay in that life and peace of mind. And it's free! We do not have to pay a thing for it. This peace has already been paid for.

Jesus told us to abide (remain) in Him and in His love and He would abide (remain) in us (Jn. 15:4-9). When we do that, we are constantly in the Spirit and not in the flesh. The only alternative to being in the Spirit is being in the flesh. If we remain in the Spirit, we can rest in the fact that we are resting on the Rock of Ages, and we can be kept in perfect peace.

Of course, none of that is easy—nor has it ever been perfectly accomplished by any human being other than Jesus, but it is worth it—and the alternatives aren’t that great anyway.

God is willing for us to have peace at all times. That is His desire. However, that does not mean that the circumstances surrounding us will be peaceful, but that in whatever circumstances, we can have absolute perfect peace, if we are keeping our minds on the fact that God is our Rock.

So here is a good prayer to pray: “Lord, keep my mind stayed on You. Keep Me in perfect peace. Show me how You are my Rock. Show me how You are The Rock of Ages. Reveal to me how You are everlasting strength and that I can put my trust in You. Take away everything in me that keeps me from trusting You or seeing you in a right way. I want to walk in the Spirit and be kept in perfect peace. I love You, Jesus. Amen.”

Blessings,
Amanda

Devo 63: The Kingdom like a Child

“Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 18:3-4

Jesus said that for us to enter into the kingdom, we must become like children. He is not only speaking of salvation here, but also of living the kingdom life. The things of God are foolishness to the wise, but they are powerful and they put to shame the things which are mighty (I Cor. 1:27).

Most of the attributes of the kingdom of God are completely contrary to the way we think. God said, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways…” (Is. 55:8-9). The way He does things are so contrary to the way we do things. He who is humbled will be exalted, and he who exalts himself will be humbled.

The God of all creation came to earth, lived a sinless life, and died for the sins of all mankind. Even though he was God, he did not consider equality with God as something to be grasped, made Himself of no reputation and took up the cross. Therefore, God highly exalted Him and now He sits at the right hand of the Father (Phil. 2:6-7).

Stop for a second. Think about that. Everything seems so upside-down there. This is the kingdom of God.

Many times on the road of being transformed into the image of Christ, we come across a blockade in our mind. Our mind must be renewed because the things of God are not natural things that can be understood by a natural mind, but they are spiritual things that must be understood by a spiritual mind (Rom. 8; I Cor. 2).

This is why we must become like a child. Before a child begins to do something, they do not think about the process it takes to do it. They just do it. Children do not reason through something and talk themselves out of it. When icecream is sat in front of them, they do not wonder how many calories are in it, how many miles they have to run, or if it will cause Type II diabetes. They just eat it.

If they go out to play in brand new clothes, they do not worry about whether or not grass stains come out with a certain stain remover, or if they will come out at all. They just play.

Jesus said for us to enter the kingdom of heaven like a little child. So when we lay hands on the sick, we do not need to think about the scientific improbability of something happening, or whether that person will think we are dumb, or whether God heals today, or why He hasn’t healed before, or if we are saying the right formula or not. We just need to lay hands on the sick.

If the Lord whispers a word to us, we don’t need to go through the mental gymnastics of whether that was God, or if God really speaks that way, or what those people will think of us. We just give the word. Just like a little child would. They do not think about what other people think of them. They just say it like it is. That is why parents cannot gossip around little kids because they just repeat what they hear, and they will say it right to the person.

The problem is that many of us do not know what it is like to be a child. Many of us had our childhoods stolen because of tragedy, trauma, abuse, or false responsibility. Some never had parents or their parents treated them badly. Some were abandoned or sick or never saw what it was like to have fun.

Many people believe that they are stuck with the childhood they had and they can never get it back. However, this is not true. You are adopted now. You have come under a different family and you can start your childhood all over again—and it’s not a bad thing this time.

You have been adopted by a heavenly Father, and no matter how good or bad your earthly father was—every single believer must learn what it is like to be adopted as a child of God.

It is no wonder that one of the names of the Holy Spirit is the “spirit of adoption” (Gal. 4; Rom. 8). That is His actual name. He is the one who cries out from within us and bears witness that we are sons and daughters of God (Rom. 8; Gal. 4; Eph. 1).

The only way we can know what it is like to be a child is to have a genuine revelation of the Father. We have to focus on who the heavenly Father is—not who we think He is, or why we do not know who He is, or if we will ever know who He is—but actually who He is. We must focus on scripture that tells our mind who God really is, and then pray and ask God to make that revelation real to us.

God is a Good Father who loves to give good gifts to His children (Lk 11). He is delighted in us (Ps. 16, 18). He delights in giving us the kingdom (Lk 12). He is forgiving (Lk. 7).

Jesus came to show us the Father (Jn 14). Everything Jesus did was a revelation of the Father. He only did what He saw the Father doing (Jn 5:19).

When we realize the joy and delight our Daddy God has over us, then we will be able to become like children and fully enter into the kingdom, which is our inheritance as sons and daughters.

Ask the Lord to reveal Himself to you as Father. Ask Him to pour the love of the Father into your heart. Ask Him to help you become like a child. Ask Him to give you the faith of a child. Ask Him to let you see the kingdom of heaven come to earth and let you be a part of it happening.

Grace and Peace to you in Jesus Name!

Love,

Amanda

Copyright © 2010, Amanda Rich, All Rights Reserved

Devo 62: Spirit, Soul, & Body

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then, you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, His good, pleasing and perfect will…”

Romans 12:1-3

When we first get saved, we are buried with Christ unto death, and raised into newness of life (Rom. 6:4). At that point, we are justified by faith, and we are a new creation (Gal. 2:16; II Cor. 5:17). This is called “justification by faith.”

From that point on, however, we go through the process of “being transformed from glory to glory” to be conformed into the image of Christ (II Cor. 3:18). This process is called “sanctification by grace.”

Every human being has a body, a soul, and a spirit. Before salvation, they are led primarily by bodily (fleshly) desires and appetites. The body usually leads first and whatever they want to do, they do it. Then, the soul follows.

The soul is made up of the mind, will, and emotions (heart). Some people are more led by their intellect (mind). Others are very strong-willed and led more by stubbornness and whatever they will themselves to do. Still others are primarily led by their emotions--depression, anger, happiness, sorrow, etc. We all know people in each of these categories.

No one who is unsaved is led by the spirit—even those in the occult, because their spirit is dead. Even those in the occult or in other religions are led by the body, soul, and demonic influences, but the bible makes it clear that their spirits are dead (I Cor. 2, Gal. 5, Rom. 8, II Cor. 10, etc).

However, upon salvation, the resurrection life of Christ enters that human spirit and then brings life to their mortal body (Rom. 8:11). The Holy Spirit then dwells in that person and begins the work of sanctification.

The first thing that person begins to do is to bring their body into subjection of the Spirit. They lay down drugs, alcohol, sexual immorality, etc, but many stop there and never know how to proceed further into sanctification.

It is important that we learn to walk in the Spirit and be led by the Spirit. Galatians 5:16 says, “Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Many of us go from “Body=>Soul=>Spirit” to “Soul=>Body=>Spirit” or “Soul=>Spirit=>Body,” but if we stay in any of those places, we will never get victory and we will never walk in the fullness of what God calls us to. We must be led by the Spirit.

This passage in Romans 12 gives us a pattern for transformation/sanctification.

1) In view of God’s mercy

2) Present your body as a living sacrifice

3) Do not be conformed to the world (righteousness, holiness)

4) Be transformed by the renewing of your mind

5) That you will be able to test and approve God’s will

This passage hits three of the four elements of body and soul (mind, will, emotions). It begins with a right view of God—His mercy. He is the one who brings about sanctification, through His grace, but that is the agent of transformation, not an excuse to stay the same. It is not a false grace, but a grace that leads us to be conformed into His image (II Cor. 3:18).

So, in obedience and as an act of worship, we must present our bodies as living sacrifices. Romans 6:11-13 speaks of “presenting our members [body parts] as instruments of righteousness” and being dead to sin but alive to God. In Galatians 5, Paul encourages us not to live unto our fleshly, bodily desires, but to live according to the Spirit.

The next step according to Romans 12:1-3 is to not be conformed to the world. This means that we separate ourselves from the ways of the world and set our focus on walking in holiness and righteousness. We are to be set apart in every area.

Instead of being conformed to the world, we are called to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. The renewal of our mind is the only option to not being conformed to the world. If we do not win the battle in our mind, then we are still living in sin—even if we do not act on it outwardly. Jesus spoke of this in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. He said if you even think lustfully toward a woman, you have committed adultery; or if you have hateful thoughts toward your brother, you have committed murder.

In II Corinthians 10, Paul tells us that we do not have fleshly weapons of war, but that we have spiritual weapons that are used to pull down strongholds. He says that we must hold every thought captive and tear down everything in our minds that deems itself higher than the things of God—every sin, every lie, every wrong view of God, etc…Our mind must be transformed.

Thus, when our mind is transformed, it impacts our will. When our mind is submitted to the Spirit and transformed by the Word and power of God, it then leads the soul into transformation. Then, we are able to discern the good and pleasing will of God. At this point, we must surrender our will over to His, which is what Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane. However, because we are undergoing a complete transformation, we are able to willingly take up our cross and follow Him. We not only can discern His will, but we can say yes to it and do it.

So, the acceptable pattern of God according to Romans 12:1-3 is:

Body Submitted to=>Spirit=>Renews Mind=>Tranforms Will. Then the transformed will lead the emotions. Transformed will does not suppress emotions like an untransformed will might, but a transformed mind and will leads the emotions. Emotions are terrible leaders, but wonderful followers.

The point of all of this is to be led by the Spirit. However, sometimes when we break it down, it is easier to pin-point where we are on the journey when we cannot see a foot a head of us because of the storm. Once we realize that this is the process of transformation, we can seek to submit every area to the Spirit at every point in our lives—and we can recognize when an area is not submitted to the Spirit.

I would encourage you to ask God every morning when you wake up to give you strength to be led by the Spirit and not by the flesh. Actually speak to your spirit and bless it to lead. Ask the Holy Spirit to take charge and transform your mind, will, emotions and body. Actually present your members as instruments of righteousness. Say out loud, “Lord, I present my mouth to you as an instrument of righteousness. I present my eyes to you…etc,” and go down through the different areas that you need to present those parts to Him in. (i.e. “I present my eyes to only look on what you would have me look on. I present my ears to only listen to what you want me to hear. I bless my ears to hear in the Spirit, and my eyes to see in the Spirit. I bless them to have discernment and only listen to truth. I bless my mouth not to speak gossip of slander, but only truth…).

Come up with your own version too. I recommend doing it everyday. You will find yourself living differently.

Grace and Peace to you in the name of Jesus!

Love,

Amanda

Copyright © 2010, Amanda Rich, All Rights Reserved

Devo 61: Dwell in the House of the Lord Forever

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies…Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever…”

Psalm 23:5-6

In John 15, Jesus said to his disciples, “You are clean because of the words I have spoken to you. Abide (remain) in me and I will remain in you as the branch cannot bear fruit unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me” (Jn. 15:3-4).

Jesus was telling his disciples to remain (abide, dwell, live) in the “cleanness” of the Word that had already been spoken to them. This was a continuation from chapter 13 where Jesus was washing the disciples’ feet and said that if they did not allow Him to do this, then they would have no part in Him (Jn. 13:8). Then, Peter basically said, “In that case, wash all of me!” (paraphrase). Jesus said that he only had to wash his feet because he was clean because of the words that Jesus had spoken to him.

This revelation of being clean is an important part of abiding in the vine. Jesus talked about abiding in His love or remaining in His love and how if we do not do so, we will be cut off from the vine.

There are many different things that can cut us off from the vine. Sin is the main one, but for those of us who confess and repent of sin, there is something that continues to keep us cut off from the vine—condemnation and shame. Condemnation keeps us from receiving true forgiveness and being cleansed of the sin we committed.

When we confess our sins and repent, the Lord is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I Jn. 1:9). He gives us a clean slate immediately. However, condemnation continues to hold our minds in a prison of shame and accusation, so that we do not return to that place of abiding in those words.

In Psalm 23, David speaks of how the Lord set up a banqueting table in the presence of his enemies. As long as we are sitting at the table of the Lord, our enemies cannot separate us from His love. Our problem is that we allow our thoughts to dwell on our enemies rather than on the table of the Lord set before us. We allow ourselves to be cut off from the vine by believing that we are not cleansed from the sin that the Lord has already forgiven us for.

If we confess to the Lord and plead the blood of Jesus, He forgives us in that moment. When Satan stands before God to accuse us night and day (Rev. 12:10), Jesus stands there and says, “Not Guilty…Not Guilty…Not Guilty…”

However when Satan comes to accuse us before the judge, many times we are asked, “How do you plead?” We always say, “Guilty!” Our hearts condemn us, our minds condemn us, Satan condemns us, but Jesus says, “You are clean because of the Words I have spoken to you. Remain in my love.”

We have to stop agreeing with the prosecutor in our lives. Jesus is our Advocate who stands at the doorposts of our hearts painting His blood over them, and commanding the death plague to “passover.”

When we continue to beat ourselves up for what we did wrong after we have already confessed it, we are denying the power of the blood of Jesus and the forgiveness He has given us.

Jesus said to “Remain in His love.” When we do so, we are sitting at that banqueting table even when enemies are all around us. In doing that, we can dwell (abide, live) in the House of the Lord forever.

Our bodies are the temple of the Lord. They are the dwelling place of the Most High God and it is His desire to completely inhabit us. He wants to abide in us and us abide in Him. When we sit at His table, His goodness and mercy follow us, and we are not condemned, but we are cleansed. We are not cut off, but we remain.

“Lord Jesus, help us to receive your love and forgiveness. Let your goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our lives, and let us dwell with you forever. Cleanse us from all unrighteousness—even memories of it, God. Keep us from playing those memories like reruns over and over again. Cleanse us from bitterness and unforgiveness towards ourselves, others, and You. Cleanse us from shame, condemnation, and accusation. Help us to never separate ourselves from remaining in Your love and abiding in Your presence. Thank You, Jesus. We love You. Amen.”

Blessings,

Amanda

Copyright © 2010, Amanda Rich, All Rights Reserved

Devo 59: The Genesis One Creativity of Healing

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them…And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

Genesis 1:1-2; 26-27; 2:7

Imagine Jesus kneeling down in the dirt, making the first man. He probably put some dirt in His hands and spit in it (sound familiar?). Forming clay, He molded hands, feet, eyes, head, mouth, nose…Not only that, but He shaped organs. He shaped the lungs—the bronchial tubes, the alveoli, pleural membrane, cilia—little intricate organisms. He shaped the cells—mitochondria, DNA, ribosomes, chromosomes…He shaped the heart and arteries. He shaped the brain—the different hemispheres, the brain stem, the synapses, nerve endings, spinal chord, nervous system, etc…He sculpted every nook and cranny of the colon, stomach, liver, spleen, diaphragm, muscles, bones, veins, tendons, ligaments, cells…Every little part of the human body, Jesus formed it by hand.

He is a Craftsman. Proverbs 8 personifies Jesus as Wisdom. As He speaks of the formation of the world, Jesus says, “Then I was beside Him as a Master Craftsman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in His inhabited world, and my delight was with the sons of men” (Prov. 8:30-31). Jesus was creative—of course. He is the Creator.

Psalm 139 speaks of how God cares about the human body. The psalmist says:

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Psalm 139:13-15

Our physical bodies are precious to the Lord. He made them. He also loves to heal them. Asking for healing, releasing a prophetic word, or praying for heaven to come to earth are actually ways to release the creativity that God has given us.

We are made in His image, and He is Creator. We cannot create anything, but through us, the Holy Spirit can create. He can speak through us with the same power and authority that He created the world.

When we realize our God is the Creator, we can understand why humans love creativity. We love art. We love knew ideas. We love to see beautiful structures that man has built. Man is made in God’s image, therefore creativity is part of human design.

Even natural men can be artistic, creative, and have ingenuity. However, men cannot create in the natural. They can only take what is already created and reform it to make something out of it. Jesus did that when he formed man. He formed man out of dust—but of course, He was the one who spoke the dust into being.

When we partner with the Lord, however, we can see things in heaven and call them into existence on earth. It’s called faith. Faith is the substance of things unseen, and the evidence of things hoped for (Heb. 11:1). We can bind and loose things in heaven and earth (Mt. 18). When we behold God the Creator and get a grasp on what things are like in heaven, we have the boldness to pray for them on earth.

Jesus told us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” (Mt. 6, Lk 11). Although this does pertain to the time when Jesus establishes His reign on earth, it is not limited to that time. The kingdom is our inheritance as sons and daughters. The Lord originally designed men to have dominion over the earth, but man gave his dominion over to Satan when he sinned.

However, as we come under the reign and dominion of Christ and are seated with Him in heavenly places, we also have His authority through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Many times, we try to fight our way up to heavenly things as though we could do anything on our own strength, but God puts everything in us, and He is the one who has called us sons. He made us sons and also heirs (Gal. 4). We are already seated with Him in heavenly places. We can do nothing to earn it.

We often have so many reasons in our mind why we should not pray and believe for healing—mostly unanswered prayer. We prayed and the person died anyway. Our hearts were broken. We ask why. We have physical problems in our own bodies. We do not understand and become discouraged.

All of those thoughts, feelings, and emotions are real. However, we must have faith and just keep asking, keep believing, keep asking, keep believing. The problem is that sometimes we feel it is just too painful for our hearts. We do not want to put ourselves out there anymore. Its too vulnerable, too painful, too difficult…So, we become burned out, discouraged—and if we let that go long enough—offended, bitter, and angry. We stop believing and stop asking.

But, the testing of our faith produces patience, and when patience has its perfect work, it brings us into maturity, lacking nothing (Js. 1). Not only that, but our faith is accounted to us as righteousness (Heb. 11). Not only that, but faith is the foundation for the kingdom of God. We must become like a little child (Mt. 18:3). Little children just believe. They do not know any different.

Also, healing is real. It actually happens today. The kingdom of God really exists and people are actually healed.

In Matthew 8, a centurion came to Jesus and asked for his servant to be healed. The centurion said that if Jesus only said the word his servant would be healed without Him even going back to his house. It says that Jesus marveled at the man. I heard someone pray the other day, “Jesus, Give me faith you can marvel at.” What a wonderful prayer. Jesus, give me faith you can marvel at.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. He said, “Let there be…” and there was. God took so much care in sculpting the human body. He cares what we do with it, how we take care of it, and He loves to heal it. So, let’s just ask—and keep asking, and ask again—and just believe, keep believing, and believe again.

Blessings,

Amanda

Copyright © 2010, Amanda Rich, All Rights Reserved

Devo 58: There is no Fear in Love

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.

I John 4:17-18

As the world continues to spiral downward in economics, politics, morals, spiritual decline, crime, etc…many people find themselves terribly afraid. Fear of death, fear of failure, fear of the unknown, fear of debt, fear of loss, fear of men, fear of rejection, fear of pain, fear, fear, fear…Fear is one of the most paralyzing influences on a person.

Many people struggle with fear. Even those who seem confident in outward appearance are, many times, terribly afraid on the inside. However, people will cover up fear with anything and everything, filling their lives with lots of “noise” to keep themselves from being alone and afraid.

Jesus said that in the last days, men’s hearts will fail from the “fear and expectation of things to come” (Lk 21:26). Basically, men will have heart attacks from the fear of the future—fear of the unknown, uncertainty, insecurity. The world will be rampant with fear in the last days.

However, as sons and daughters of God, fear is not our inheritance. Our inheritance is the spirit of adoption that cries out “Abba! Father!” and breaks the bondage of fear! (Rom. 8:15). Our inheritance is the love of the Father. His perfect love casts out all fear.

I John 3 says, “Behold what manner of love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God!” Then, I John 4 talks about this love and how it is manifested to us and through us. It is in this context that John speaks of love being made perfect among us, which casts out fear.

When this love is perfected, it also gives us boldness in the Day of Judgment. This is our inheritance, because even though we may not know individual twists and turns such as finances, deaths, disasters…etc, we know the ultimate outcome. We know that Jesus is coming back and He will make the wrong things right. We know what He says in Revelation and other books concerning the things to come. We are instructed in how to carry our hearts during these times—love, humility, abiding in the Spirit, etc.

In Philippians 3, Paul speaks of those who set their mind on earthly things. He says that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, but “our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly bodies that it may be conformed to His glorious body…” (Phil. 3:18-21). Our challenge is to live for heavenly things even while we are still on earth.

We belong to a kingdom which cannot be shaken (Heb. 12:27-28). In the last days, the Lord will shake not only earth, but heaven also (Heb. 12:27-28). He will shake the 2nd heavens where the demonic principalities and powers have their dominion (Eph 6.) Jesus says that this is the time when men’s hearts will fail because of fear—when the heavens are shaken (Lk. 21:26).

Revelation 12 speaks of the time when Michael will throw Satan out of heaven onto the earth. This is comes as a result of the intercession of the saints prevailing over the principalities and powers in the 2nd heavens, because the saints have found their identity not on earth or in the 2nd heavens, but seated with Christ in heavenly places (in the 3rd heavens) (see Eph. 2:6, 6:12-13; II Cor. 12:2).

At this time, Satan will be cast down to earth and this will be the time of the greatest persecution of the saints and Jews that the world has ever known. However, the saints will overcome by the blood of the lamb and the Word of their testimony (Rev. 12:11).

The Lord is preparing our hearts now to be free of fear so that we will have boldness in the Day of Judgment. Even if bad things happen to us and around us, we will have the courage and boldness to set our mind on heavenly things instead of things on earth. We will have answers when everyone else has questions, anxiety, and fear.

Don’t count yourself out! The immediate response when I say something like that is to say that this cannot be for you. You cannot have that kind of freedom. That is not true. The enemy wants us to believe that because he wants to keep us in bondage to fear so that we will not realize our inheritance as sons and daughters, and take our place seated with Christ—above Satan! When we truly realize that and make conscious choices to walk in that everyday, we become deadly to Satan, because it is the result of our prayers that will ultimately cast him out of heaven and call forth Jesus to return.

Where the Spirit of the Lord is—there is freedom! (II Cor. 3:17). We do not want to be enemies of the cross by thinking that we cannot be free and therefore setting our minds on earthly things (Phil. 3:18). We must be anxious for nothing, but set our minds on whatever is noble, lovely, true, and pure (Phil. 4:6-8).

This week, meditate on the love of God. Meditate either on Jesus love for us by dying on the cross (Jn 15:13) or on the love of the Father (Rom. 8:15, I John 3:1, I Jn. 4:19). Pray the following kinds of prayers out loud. Ask the Lord to reveal His love to you. Ask Him to prepare your heart to receive His love and ask Him to remove fear or anything that stops you from receiving His love. Ask Him to make you able to comprehend what is the width, length, depth, and height, of the love of Christ which passes all knowledge (Eph. 3:17-18). Ask Him to perfect you in love and to make you bold in the Day of Judgment.

Grace and Peace in the Lord Jesus!

Amanda
 
Copyright © 2010, Amanda Rich, All Rights Reserved

Devo 57: Where the Seed Falls

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.


But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.

Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
Luke 8:11-15

Jesus said that understanding the parable of the sower is key to understanding all the other parables. This parable has more truth in it than I fully comprehend right now, but there are several things I want to point out which are crucial for us in the time in which we live.

By the Wayside: We all have seen how the seed falls by the wayside and is stolen before a person has time to receive it and believe. This happens everytime the Word is preached to an unbeliever and they remain unbelieving.

However, the other three types of soil apply to people who believe or have believed the Word in some capacity during their lives.

On Rocky Soil: For the first type of soil—or rock rather, the person hears the Word and receives it with joy, but then when trouble or temptation comes, they fall away (Mt 13 & Mk 4 say tribulation and persecution). These are people who get saved, but they only have a surface-level knowledge of God and relationship with Him.

However, it is not just that they have never developed a root or had personal growth any, but their root did not grown as fast as the plant, and they have not tilled the soil for the root to grow. So, the storms come or temptation or persecution, and that plant does not stand up to the testing, because it has not developed a root system.

Jesus said that anyone who does not abide in the vine or abide in His love will be cut off (Jn 15), but He gives many promises for those who remain in Him. Paul prayed in Ephesians 3:17, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, may be rooted and grounded in love, and may be able to comprehend with all the saints, what is the width, the length, the depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes all knowledge…” We must be rooted in God’s love. We have to believe that what He says about us is true and ask Him to constantly fill us with His love and make us able to receive it.

Among Thorns: Other seeds fell among thorns. Some thorns are the cares of the world—sickness, disease, financial hardship, relationship trouble, circumstances, etc. Other thorns are riches, pleasures of this life—things that distract us. These things pull our attention away from growing. They outgrow us quickly, become taller than us, and consume all the light, so that we are stifled out, and get no light.

If you have ever grown plants, you will know that they always grow toward the light. If you turn a houseplant away from the window, its leaves will reach toward the window. However, say that a plant was surrounded by thorns and so focused on the fact that there where thorns, that it does not grow towards the light. This is how a plant dies from lack of light, and this is how our spirits get choked out from the cares of the Lord. Want is our focus on? Is it on the thorns or the light?

We have to focus on the light rather than on the things that are choking us. Paul said that when we behold God, we become more like Him (II Cor. 3:18). We must focus on Jesus and what He is capable of doing, rather than on everything surrounding us and what they are capable of doing.

James 1 talks about how the testing of our faith produces patience, which when patience is perfected, it makes us perfect or complete, lacking nothing. Being perfect here means mature. The Lord allows testing to produce a fruit of the spirit in us called patience, which brings us into maturity.

However, many times, we allow that testing to choke us out and keep us from bringing any fruit to maturity (Js 1, Lk 8:14). Jesus said that anyone who abides in Him, must bear fruit or it will be cut off and thrown in the fire (Jn 15). We must not only have a deep root, and grow tall, but we must bear fruit.

In Good Soil: Finally, the seed falls on good soil. These are those who hear the word, keep it, and bear fruit with patience. They hear the word, receive it, cultivate the ground, and grow towards the light. They keep the Word, which means they hear His word and obey it. They are ones who abide in His love, and because they love Him, they obey His commands (Jn 15: 9-10, 14).

Those who cultivate good soil bear fruit. Jesus said we must bear fruit (Jn 15). However, we cannot bear fruit by our own strength—that would be works of the Law or works of the flesh, but we must bear fruits of the SPIRIT. We cannot grow this fruit without abiding in the Spirit and allowing Him to prune us, and produce these fruits in us.

This includes coming against things that keep us from believing in His love, which damages our root. This process of bearing fruit includes focusing on the Light—Jesus, rather than the thorns surrounding us. It says those with good soil, bear fruit with patience. They allow the testing of their faith to produce patience, and the patience to bring them into maturity.

Ultimately, this parable is not about different types of people, but about different experiences of discipleship as we grow in the Lord. We go through each process many times in all areas of our lives.

After Jesus told this parable, He said, “He who has an ear, let Him hear!” The Lord is speaking to us through this parable, and it is especially important for the time we live in as the wheat and tares are being brought up into maturity and the harvest is made ready. The Lord will return soon for a Bride who has been brought into maturity, and we must take heed, so that we do not allow the things of the world to keep us from bearing fruit that will last for an eternity.

“Lord, help us to cultivate good soil. Help us to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Strengthen us with might in the inner man that we may know the love of Christ that passes all knowledge. Help us to abide in your love. Guard us and deliver us from the evil one. Give us ears to hear and eyes to see. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen”

Love,

Amanda

Copyright © 2010, Amanda Rich, All Rights Reserved

Devo 56: Death, Burial, & Resurrection: The Place of Intercession

"Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life…"

Romans 6:4

Even as it was the place of intercession that Christ died for us, so we also reach enter into the place of intercession through a daily death. As we take up our cross and follow Christ, conflict arises between our natural man and spiritual man. While wrestling in that place, if we choose to “put to death the deeds of the flesh” (Rom. 8:13), and truly walk in the Spirit, we are then able to enter into our calling as sons and daughters and join into intercession with the Father.

In John 17:3, Jesus said that He came to give us eternal life. Then, as if we did not know what that was, Jesus goes on to define eternal life by saying, “And this is eternal life, that they may KNOW YOU, the one true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent…” He defines eternal life as relationship. Life is about knowing God, and eternal life does not start when we die a natural death, but when we die to ourselves and are raised into the newness of a life in Jesus Christ. That is where eternal life begins.

Once we realize that eternal life is about knowing God, it leads us right into abiding in the Spirit (Jn. 15). Abiding in the spirit is all about having that personal relationship with Him—knowing Him. Jesus said that we MUST abide in the Spirit or we will be cut off. Also, we can do nothing apart from Him, but if we abide in Him, we can ask anything we wish, and it will be done for us (Jn 15:5-7). Abiding in the Spirit allows us to walk in the newness of life.

One of the difficulties we all face with walking in this newness of life is the problem of our old man creeping back in. For this reason, Romans 6-8 and Galatians 5-6 both talk about putting to death the deeds of the flesh and walking in the spirit. As Jesus instructed us in Mark 8, we must take up our cross and follow Him, which means that we must face crucifixion everyday.

As we walk the way God tells us to walk, we are faced with decisions daily where we must “put to death the deeds of the flesh” and therefore, our old man is crucified. Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ, it is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).

As we are confronted with these situations where we must die to ourselves, we are then able to enter that place of abiding in the Spirit, because we are remaining in Him. He said to His disciples that they were already clean because of the words He had spoken to them. Then He said, “Abide (remain) in me and I will remain in You, as the branch cannot bear fruit unless it remains in the vine.”

When Jesus saves us and we enter a relationship with Him, He speaks to us and says, “You are a new creation, the old has passed away and all things have become new” (II Cor. 5:17). These are the words He speaks to us that make us clean. Then, from looking at John 15:4, we can see that He would say, “Remain in these words…”

When we remain in these words, we bear fruit. Galatians 5 talks about the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, etc…we cannot bear that fruit without remaining in the spirit, remaining in His words. These are not “fruits of our strivings” but “fruits of the spirit.” We cannot make them happen unless we abide in the vine.

But, the enemy comes to steal, kill, and say that we are not a new creation. He comes to tempt us so we walk outside of the Spirit and therefore “prove” that nothing has changed in us and we are not a new creation.

However, if we continue to walk in the Spirit and abide in His words, we will walk in the newness of life—being a new creation. As we look at God and who He is through the word, we become more like Him and are transformed from glory to glory (II Cor 3:18). When we mess up and depart from the vine, we must ask for forgiveness and jump right back in without allowing lies and condemnation to stop us.

But what does this have to do with intercession? Everything. Jesus is the prime example of an intercessor, who laid down His life, but ultimately gained the place of authority by taking up His cross and following the will of the Lord no matter the cost.

Philippians 2:15 lays out God’s divine strategy by saying that Jesus humbled Himself, took up the cross, despising its shame, and therefore, God has highly exalted Him and raised Him to the right hand of the Father.

Every place in our lives where our will and desires conflict with God’s will and desires is a opportunity to take up our cross.

When we daily take up our cross and follow the Lord, we are exalted to the right hand of the Father. Ephesians 2 says, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…” (Eph. 2:4-6). We are already in that place because of the words He has spoken to us, but we must remain in it and walk in it.

Abiding in the spirit, taking up our cross, walking in the spirit—all allow us to walk in that “newness of life” of being seated with Him in heavenly places, and boldly approach His throne with confidence (Heb. 4:16). Then, we ask whatever we wish and it will be done for us.

I believe this is why so many times there is such turmoil surrounding a time of intense intercession. Things are being brought up in the intercessor that require that person “to die,” and then allow that person to “be raised up.” It is a daily process. I also believe that this is why prayer and fasting go hand in hand, because fasting brings up so much turmoil in the flesh that must be put to death, and then we are raised up before His throne in the place of intercession.

We are all intercessors. God has called every believer to pray. Some are called to make it a lifestyle more than others, but we are all called to “pray without ceasing” and to abide in the spirit. In that place, we will bear much fruit, but without it, we can do nothing.

Grace and Peace,

Amanda
 
Copyright © 2010, Amanda Rich, All Rights Reserved

Devo 55: Loving God with all our Will

He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground…

Luke 22:41-44

On the night before Jesus died, He struggled to surrender His will over to God as He was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. This is a remarkable concept. I have read this passage in Luke 22 over and over, and it says what it says. I have researched it, read commentaries, and it seems clear that in this moment, Jesus as a man wanted something different than what His Father wanted for Him. Jesus did not want to partake of God’s wrath by death on the cross. He wrestled with it and asked the Lord to take it away.

I have wondered about this passage many times. Here is Jesus, the Son of God, perfect in all things, struggling to surrender His will over to God. How can this be?

Jesus walked as a sinless human being who was tested in every way as we are, yet was found blameless. He walked out every part of the Law with perfection. The fulfillment of this law, as Jesus said, is summed up by the two greatest commandments—love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself (Mt 22:37-40).

When we look at loving God with all our soul, this means loving Him with all of our mind, will, and emotions. If we look at one aspect of the soul—the will, we realize that this is the specific area of surrender that is highlighted in Jesus’ life the night before He died, when He said, “Father, not my will, but Yours be done” (Lk 22:41). It seemed that this was the last real struggle He had to overcome before His death. This struggle had to take place so that He could sympathize with our weaknesses (Heb 2:17-18, Heb 4:14-16).

The book of Hebrews speaks of Jesus’ struggle in chapter five:

Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek…”
Hebrews 5:1-11

This passage reveals that because of Jesus’ struggle and surrender, He was given authority as a High Priest on behalf of the people. He was perfected because of His suffering and therefore, we now have the authority to boldly approach the throne of grace, because we have been sprinkled with His pure, spotless blood.

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:14-16

For Jesus to love God with all of His will, He had to be confronted with something that was against His will. He had to be faced with a struggle between His will as a man, and the will of God the Father, so that He would have authority as a High priest to sympathize with us in our struggles. Not only that, but He set an example for us to take up our cross and follow Him in complete surrender to the Father (Mk 8:34-38).

For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Hebrews 2:17-18

The writer of Hebrews encouraged his readers that those who live in rebellion will never enter the rest that God has prepared for them, but those who throw off every hindrance and look at the example of Jesus, the perfector of their faith, will be able to run the race with endurance, and enter into that rest (Heb. 12). The writer scolded the Hebrews because they had not yet “resisted sin to the point of bloodshed,” which was another reference back to Jesus’ struggle in the garden (see Lk 22:44).

Jesus resisted leaving the will of the Father to the point of bloodshed. He was determined that He would enter into the rest of the Lord and remain in His will. He prayed earnestly, and ultimately surrendered His will over to God. It was no easy thing for Him to do. It was a struggle for Him; yet He was obedient and overcame.

In our culture, we are accustomed to people telling us to do what we want. It is accepted for us to “do whatever makes you happy” or “do whatever you want;” and yet God has a will for our lives and has asked us to love Him with all of our will. Our will is never tested until God asks us to do something that we do not want to do. This is when our will is tested, and we have opportunity to lose our lives or to love our lives; yet he who loves his life will lose it, and he who loses his life will find it (Mk 8).

This does not mean that God will always ask us to do things against our will; He gives us the desires of our heart when we delight in Him, but when He tests our will in this way, He exercises our trust in Him that HE WILL BRING IT TO PASS.

Jesus made Himself of no reputation by taking on the form of man, going to the cross, and THEREFORE, God has highly exalted Him (Phil 2:15ff). He who loses his life will find it. If we completely surrender our will to God, we will truly enter into His rest, and He will exalt us and give us authority as sons, even as He did for Jesus.

Blessings,

Amanda

Copyright © 2010, Amanda Rich, All Rights Reserved

Devo 54: Shield of Faith

“…Above all taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one…”


Ephesians 6:15

Faith is one of our primary defensive weapons. The enemy is always throwing fiery darts at us. First, he wreaks havoc in the earth attempting to make things in the natural appear as though the promises of God are not true. He creates circumstances and difficulties to “sift us like wheat” and therefore test our faith (Lk 22:31, Js 1).

Then, he stands and brings accusations against us. His fulltime, 24/7 occupation is to accuse the brethren (Rev. 12:10). He stands and brings accusation against us night after night, day after day. He attacks us with lies and tries to make our minds line up with the negative things we see around us.

Yet, there is One who also stands before the throne day and night, night and day. He always lives to make intercession for us (Heb. 10:25). Do you know what He is praying? He is praying that our faith will not fail (Lk 22:32).

Faith is one of our main defensive weapons. Faith calls things forth that do not yet exist in the natural (Rom. 4:14). It is the substance of things not yet seen (Heb. 11:3).

This is the how our faith is tested. All around us, we see sin, death, sickness, sorrow, pain, lies, despair, anguish, poverty…yet, God has given us victory over all of those things. The test is to believe it even when we do not see it.

But, what happens if we do not see the victory? Satan immediately begins to lie to us—“Those promises will never come true…have you ever seen them? Why do you think that will happen? It’s never happened before…well, they SAY it did, but have you ever seen it? Is there even a God? He doesn’t seem to care about you…Why did He let that happen…”

It’s the same old lies that have been around since the fall of Adam and Eve. Every person throughout the entire history of mankind—including Jesus—was faced with these same lies Satan has been using for thousands of years.

But for all of those millions of people, why do some choose God and some walk away? What is the difference in how they choose to believe? The difference is faith. Faith makes that leap between what is seen and what is unseen. It bridges the gap between the natural and the supernatural. Faith just believes.

When Satan comes at us with lies, accusations, false ideas about God and everything that exalts itself against His name, we must lift up the shield of faith. This shield not only protects us from the fiery darts, but it completely quenches them.

Every lie that comes against us is in exact opposition to a specific truth about God. If we take the truth about God to heart and speak it out, then it completely nullifies the enemy’s schemes.

If we truly believe that God is Just no matter what we see, then the lie that He does not care or does not see, will have no affect on us.. If we believe that God is Good, we will trust Him no matter what circumstances surround us. If we believe that God is Love, we will have no doubt of His love for us, even if His love in manifested in a way we do not understand. If we believe that He is the Sovereign King over the whole earth, then we will believe He will come take dominion over the earth and make the wrong things right.

For every attribute (characteristic) of God revealed in His Word, there is a lie from Satan to oppose it. However, if we have faith in what God says rather than listening to what the enemy says, we will extinguish every lie.

The story of Jesus being tempted by Satan in the wilderness is a remarkable example of this. Satan himself came and tempted Jesus—Satan in person. That is intense! But do you know what I find even more remarkable? Satan only attempted to use three lies. He only tried to tempt Jesus three times during that testing (*see note).

With every attempt, Jesus released the sword of the Word. It was so powerful that Satan left. I imagine he was thinking, “I’m outta here!” That is because his lies had no power over Jesus, because Jesus’ defensive weapon of faith had absolutely no holes. His shield of faith was not down for one minute (along with the rest of the armor of God), so His defensive end was completely covered. Jesus was playing offense.

As soon as Satan realized that he was the one losing, he high-tailed it out of there like a fox with his tail on fire (** see note).

I wish I could say that Satan only hits me with three lies at a time then tucks his tail and runs, but that would not be true. He bombards me with lies. He bombards us all with lies. Over and over again, he throws those darts.

However, every time a dart is thrown and we feel the sting of its flame, it is an indication of a weak area of our faith. There is a hole somewhere in our shield—hence, the term “testing of our faith” (Js. 1:3). This is part of the reason God allows Satan to “sift us” because as our faith is being tested for holes and by enduring through the testing, patience is produced, and then we are made perfect (mature), lacking nothing (Js. 1, Rom. 5).

How do we practically lift up the shield of faith? We must take similar steps described in the last devotional.

Here are a few practical ways:

1) Identify the lie. Recognize it as a lie and break agreement with it by bringing it before the Lord and repenting for agreeing with it.

2) Recognize the attribute. Recognize what attribute (characteristic) of God that it is coming against. Then, speak that attribute out (i.e. Say out loud, “God, You are Good. I believe You are Good). Turn it into praise and adoration of the Lord.

3) Praise and Thanksgiving. Remember the times that the Lord has impacted your life. Remember His goodness and faithfulness. Thank Him and praise Him. It will truly bring your focus back on His goodness rather than on your lack. Psalm 105 is a good psalm to meditate on.

4) Pray the Word. Pray scriptures that identify that attribute and ask the Lord to reveal it to you.. Pray scriptures and ask the Lord to build your faith.

5) Sing and pray in the Spirit. As you think on the goodness of the Lord, let praise and prayers come out of your heart and sing those out. Sing and pray scriptures and let it flow from your relationship with Holy Spirit. He loves to praise the Lord and if you think on God’s goodness long enough, praise will begin to bubble out of you. Holy Spirit cannot contain His praise!

Bless you all!

Amanda

*Satan tested Jesus again at Gethsemane, and Jesus was tempted in every way that we are, but I am speaking of this one specific instance.

**This is also evidenced by the fact that every demon Jesus encountered throughout the Gospels begged Him not to torment them or cast them into the abyss. Jesus was not affected by them, but He was completely on the offense, kicking demons and taking names.

Copyright © 2010, Amanda Rich, All Rights Reserved

Devo 53: Check or Checkmate?

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they are mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…
II Corinthians 10:4-6

Growing up, my dad taught me to play chess and one thing he always said was, “If your opponent is about to get you in check-mate, then do something to suddenly get them in check. You won’t be able to take them, but it throws off their offensive plan and gets them playing defense. It is about shaking up his mind and keeping the focus on his own problem rather than on taking your king.”

This is the same way that the enemy destroys us and makes us ineffective. We step out in some area, and then the enemy comes in like a flood and tries to destroy us. There are many reasons this happens, but one primary reason in the little areas in our lives that are not fully given over to the Lord yet.

Even if they are small, those areas are open doors for the enemy to come in and get us in check so we will stop declaring the checkmate the Lord already has on Him. It is in God’s grace that He allows those areas to be exposed before they completely destroy us.

The Lord will use us to take out mighty strongholds over nations—like he did with Daniel (Dan. 9-10)—but first, we must be adamantly pulling down strongholds in our own minds. According to this verse in II Corinthians, a stronghold is an argument or anything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. This means lies, false doctrines, false ideas about God, wrong perspectives of how He relates to us, etc…

We are not usually aware of them until the Lord exposes them to us. Psalm 19 calls them “secret faults” (Ps. 19:12). However, as the Word of God penetrates our hearts, we begin to be “transformed by the renewing of our mind” (Rom. 12:2). Psalm 19 speaks of the law of the Lord converting (or restoring) the soul (Ps. 19:7-8). As the Word is revealed, it is measuring line for everything else in us.

All manners of sin and evil start in our mind and heart. Romans 8 says that the carnal mind is “enmity” against God, which means that our fleshly mind is “set against” or “opposed to” God. He says, however, that a life in the Spirit is “life and peace.”

As a people who desire to live by the Spirit, we are called to put everything in subjection to the spirit and the Word. As human beings, we are made of body, soul (mind, will, emotions), and spirit. When we accept Jesus into our hearts, the Holy Spirit comes and makes a home in us, then we begin the journey of “being transformed from glory to glory” (II Cor. 3:18).

Walking according to the Spirit means that we must bring our body and soul under the control of the spirit. Usually, when we are first saved, we tackle the body first—drinking, smoking, sexual immorality, gluttony, etc. However, many stop there, and their mind, will, and emotions (heart) are never brought under the reign of the spirit. So, this is the reason why many fall back into immorality, drunkenness, etc, because they never one the battle in their soul.

However, Jesus commanded us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mt 22:37). One of the primary ways we do that is through the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 says that “the Word of God is living and powerful (or active), sharper than any two-edged sword, dividing soul from spirit” (author paraphrase).

Ephesians 6 is one of the primary chapters in the Bible that talks about “the weapons of our warfare” and two of the primary weapons listed are the sword and shield. It is interesting that one is an offensive weapon and one is a defensive weapon. We were made to fight and we were made to be a threat to the kingdom of darkness, not merely a target.

We use the sword as our offensive weapon. It is the Word of God. With it, we wage war not only on the strongholds in our own minds, but on everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Jesus used the word over and over again when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness.

For your primary defensive weapon (although the others are defensive as well), we are to take up the shield of faith. When lies come against us, we must believe that what God said is true. Period. If we believe it, then the lies will have no affect on us. However, many times, those subtle offenses in our hearts toward God or the false ideas we have about Him, strip us of our faith, which is not only our primary defensive weapon, but is the foundation of using our offensive weapon—the Word.

I hear of so many people who completely leave faith in God and begin to believe that the Bible is not the inspired Word of God. At some point, you just have to believe it is true, even when you do not see it. That is faith, and that is your protection.

Another weapon mentioned in Ephesians 6 is “praying with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to the end…” This is another important weapon that builds our defense so that we can be on offense. Jude 20 says to “build yourself up in the most holy faith, praying with in the Holy Spirit.”

So, how do we practically apply this? First we must hold every thought captive and examine it according to the Word. This means that when we think wrong thoughts, we must grab them as soon as we realize it and stop the thought from progressing.

Several steps I personally practice are these:

1) I know that a life in the spirit is life and peace, so I ask myself, “Do I have life and peace right now? Is this thought producing a fruit of the spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control?”

2) If not, then I am not walking in the spirit and I am not exhibiting the fruits of the spirit. So, I then, I examine what I am thinking about, “Is it whatsoever is lovely, true, pure, noble…?” (Phil. 4:8).

3) If not, then I am not “thinking on these things” so I refocus my mind on something is pure, noble, lovely…Well, that would be the Lord. Oh yeah. As we behold Him we become more like Him (II Cor. 3:18). So, I must find the attribute of God to meditate on that will pull me from my wrong thought.

4) So, am I afraid? Then I meditate on His perfect love that drives out fear, or God the Father whose spirit of adoption breaks the bondage of fear. Is it lust or sin? Then I meditate on His holiness and His sacrifice on the cross that broke the power of that sin over my life. Is it sickness? Then I meditate on His benefits that heal all my infirmities or Him taking all my diseases on the cross. Is it finances? Then I meditate on “the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want” or “Yahweh Yireh, God the Provider,” or Luke 12, “the Good Father that gives good gifts. Whatever it is, there is an attribute of God to fill that space.

5) Finally, SPEAK IT OUT! There is power in speaking it, singing it, writing it, praying it, thinking on it—anything and everything that will release it into the atmosphere and into your spirit.

From day one, Satan has been in check-mate, but he just tries to get the saints into check so they will quit playing offense. Let’s use our weapons. Amen.

Love,

Amanda

Copyright © 2010, Amanda Rich, All Rights Reserved

Devo 52: The Great & Terrible Day of the Lord

Throughout history, God has released revelation (or an unveiling) of Himself to His people through His servants the prophets and everyone He has used throughout history. Each time He reveals more of Himself and more of His plan, He expects the reaction of His people to rise to meet the occasion. With every prophet that prophesied, with every book written, with the revelation of the Messiah in the Gospels, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts, God has made Himself known to men. Each time, He has expected a reaction from men, and as more is revealed, the greater the expected response.


This has both wonderful and terrible implications for us. It is wonderful in that out of every generation past in world history, we have the most opportunity to respond to the unveiling of the Lord’s plan than any other time in history. However, it is terrible in that out of every generation past in world history, we have the most reasons to respond to the unveiling of the Lord’s plan than any other time in history. Therefore, our responsibility for what we know is greater now than at any previous time in history.

It is like the parable of the ten talents in Matthew 25. The master gave each servant different amounts of talents (a money value) and went away. Some used them to gain more talents and others buried them. When the master returned, he praised those who used the talents. He scolded those who buried them, took the talents away, gave them to the others, and cast the bad steward into outer darkness. This parable is in the context of the Lord speaking about the end of the age and His return. He warned everyone to watch because we do not know what hour He will come.

All throughout the Bible, prophets warned of impending judgment. They also testified of the fulfillment of amazing promises of the Lord. The Lord always gives the people time to repent and turn to Him, and then in a flash—judgment comes. Those who are watching are found ready and those who were not watching are caught off guard. There are many stories of this throughout the Bible.

A few examples are: Noah, Rahab, prophecies of Jeremiah regarding the Babylonian exile, prophecies of Ezekiel regarding the Assyrian captivity, prophecies of Daniel concerning Antiochus Epiphanies IV—and the coming Antichrist. New Testament examples include: the parable of the 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins (Mt 22), Jesus’ prophecies concerning 70 AD and the Antichrist (Mt 25, Mk 13), Jesus’ warning to the disciples in Luke 22, etc…

As the Lord visits His people, lines are divided. Decisions must be made. No one can remain on the sidelines. Everyone must choose. At no other time in history will this be more true that at the “Day of the Lord” (yōm adonai, Heb).

There is no other day more mentioned in the Bible than the “Day of the Lord.” This day is both the fulfillment of promise and of judgment. There have been many lower case “days of the Lord” (so to speak), but this Day will be the most catastrophic and wonderful in all history.

The prophet Joel prophesied of this day in Joel 2. He called it the “great and awesome day of the Lord” (Joel 2:31). A better translation of the word “awesome” here is “terrible.” This Hebrew word (yāh-rēh) is used many times to refer to those who were afraid or had much fear. The word for “great” here refers to strong or huge. In this context and with the whole of scripture to interpret it, it really means “climactic.” Everything from the fall of man through the rest of redemptive history reaches a climax at a point called the “Day of the Lord.”

Joel prophesied that at that time the Lord will pour out His Spirit on all flesh. As I have mentioned before, when the Lord pours out His Spirit—everything comes to the surface. Those whose hearts are receptive to the Lord and His ways are blessed with revival and those who are hardened toward Him are judged. No one can remain neutral. The judgments of God are being poured out, and the sinfulness of man is exposed. The Bride of Christ experiences revival and becomes bold and full of power in her proclamation of the gospel, and therefore, she is persecuted—especially at a time when man’s wickedness is being exposed.

We have seen this over and over throughout history, but especially at the time of the Apostolic Church. It was at that time in Acts 2 that the Lord poured out His Spirit in revival; the gospel was preached; the church was persecuted, and then Israel was judged with the destruction of the temple in 70 AD.

When the Lord visited the apostles on Pentecost, Peter highlighted Joel’s prophecy:

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass, that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. (Joel 2:28-32a; Acts 2:1-21)

This passage mentions both the outpouring of God’s Spirit and the judgments of God that will be poured out on the earth. Revival is a dividing line. Judgment is a dividing line. The manifestation of God’s Spirit causes lines to be drawn and sides to be chosen.

God’s Spirit will be poured out on “all flesh” (all people) not just believers. It will come as revival to those who are found ready and judgment to those who are not ready. It will be great and terrible.

However, it is the posture of the heart that we must take into consideration—not just the fact that we are Christians. Joel spoke of calling a “solemn assembly” for fasting, prayer, and mourning—people tearing their hearts before God in repentance. Likewise, Peter preached, “Repent and be baptized!” Repentance is for both the believer and the unbeliever. It requires asking forgiveness, then completely turning around and no longer walking in sin. (Not that we will be sinless, but it means not willfully consented in sin without fighting against it).

Men’s hearts will fail in fear on that terrible day (Rev). We will see “greater works than these” on that great day (Jn. 14:12). As the climate of evil is rising, God is calling His church to step into her identity as the pure and spotless Bride, walking before Him in holiness. To do this, we must be in a place of prayer, fasting, and repentance. It is urgent, and it is necessary. By the time the dividing line comes, it will be too late. But it is not too late now, to pick up all the revelation we have been given throughout redemptive history and walk in it.

This week, I encourage you to examine your heart and tell the Lord you want to humble yourself before Him and walk in righteousness. I encourage you to maybe even to fast one day, and I recommend picking the National Day of Prayer, which is May 7th. Many church groups will be holding “solemn assemblies” across the nation as we humble ourselves before God. I encourage you to find one and attend. The hour is urgent.

Bless You.
 
Amanda
 
Copyright © 2010, Amanda Rich, All Rights Reserved

Devo 51: Intercession through Our identity as Sons

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Luke 11:9-13

In the last devotional, we looked at the Holy Spirit being the guarantee of our inheritance as sons. He is “the witness” that gives us the assurance of eternity and the coming kingdom of God (Eph. 1). We have not been left as orphans, but the Comforter has come to teach us all things and tell us of the things to come (Jn. 14:18, 26; 16:13). He is “Christ in us, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). He tells us of the glory to come and transforms us into His likeness from glory to glory (II Cor. 3:18).

As we talk to Holy Spirit, we abide in His love and find our identity as sons and daughters of God the Father through the blood of Jesus (Jn 15, I Jn 3). It is in this place as sons and daughters that we have the boldness to come to His throne in intercession.

In Ephesians 1:9-10, we see that Jesus brought together the heavenly realm and earthly realm. He was fully God; yet, He was also fully Man. By walking out a righteous lifestyle and bringing redemption through the Cross, He restored the separation between the spiritual realm and earthly realm that was brought about by the fall of man with Adam and Eve. This is why He came preaching “The kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Mt 6:10, etc).

With each new revelation of God throughout history, the heavenly realm comes closer and closer to complete restoration with the earthly realm as it was in the Garden of Eden. It is God’s desire to dwell with men. When Jesus returns, His goal will be to bring heaven to earth. He will rule and reign from Jerusalem as King, then usher in God the Father to the earth (Gen, Is, Zech, Ezek, Mt, Rev, etc). For this reason, He taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” (Mt. 6, Lk. 11).

As we join Christ in intercession, we are ushering in the kingdom of God piece by piece. This takes the idea of “the meek shall inherit the earth” to a whole new level (Mt. 5:5). Intercession is the idea of “standing in the gap” between the people and the wrath of God we deserve because of unrighteousness (Ezek. .

Jesus was the ultimate intercessor. The Lord “saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him” (Is. 59:13). Jesus was the “right arm” who was “numbered with the transgressors” to make “intercession for the transgressors” (Is. 53; 59:16).

What Jesus did was previously pictured by Moses who lifted up the golden snake in the wilderness to stop the death plague that came against the children of Israel because of their unrighteousness (Num. 21). Jesus said, “Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:13-15).

Now, Jesus stands at the right hand of the Father making intercession on our behalf (Heb. 7:25). Also, the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us with “groanings too deep for words” (Rom. 8:15).

It is our inheritance as priests to join Him in making intercession. As intercessors, we ask for the blood of Jesus to cover our transgressions (sins) and the sins of our people. It is the same idea as when the blood was applied to the doorposts in the Book of Exodus and the death-plague “passed over” the children of Israel (Ex. 12).

Many people are confused about intercession because the judgment of the Lord is brought on by God. Many think that God was mean in the Old Testament and nice in the New. NO! God is the same yesterday, today, and forever! (Heb. 13:8). The thing is that when God reveals Himself to His people in a manifest way—those who are ready for Him are blessed and those who are not ready are judged (See parable of wise and foolish virgins in Mt 25; also see Allen Hood’s teaching on Daniel).

God is Holy, and when He shows Himself to us, we have to respond accordingly HIS WAY or we die. All have fallen short of the glory of God and deserve death (Rom. 3:23, 6:23). So, it is not God who is unjust. We are unjust and deserve death, but God, in His mercy, prepared a way for us to be covered with the Blood of the Lamb so that death would “passover” us. If we accept His plan, then the intercession He made for us covers us, and we are then adopted into His family as sons.

At that point He washes us with His blood, we are all made kings and priests (Rev. 1:5-6). Then, we have the privilege of joining Him in making intercession in prayer and by crying out for the mercy obtained through the blood of Jesus to be applied to our nation, our families, our lives, etc.

Throughout the Old and New Testaments, the Lord encourages us to pray. He has always been seeking human involvement in what He is doing. He does not need our help, but He does want us to love Him and want Him. He wants us to partner with Him. When we realize our identity as sons covered in the blood, we can boldly approach His throne and ask for the kingdom of heaven to be released on earth.

Luke 11 and 12 are examples of this. Specifically in Luke 11:13-14, Jesus instructs us that whoever seeks will find, and whoever asks it will be opened to them. Then, He connects it to our place as sons by saying that if earthly fathers love to give good gifts, then how much more will our heavenly father love to give the Holy Spirit! There again is the connection of our sonship in relation to the Holy Spirit and also in connection with the Holy Spirit.

This week, I encourage you to read Luke 11 and 12. I encourage you to pray the Lord’s Prayer not a rote memory verse, but as a true prayer with this new revelation of the kingdom coming to earth and our place in making that a reality. Also, I encourage you to ask for good gifts from the Father—the “much more” of the Holy Spirit—a deeper relationship with Him.

I also encourage you to reread Devo 50 from last week. I covered some things that are necessary for properly understanding this devo.

Bless you!

Amanda
 
Copyright © 2010, Amanda Rich, All Rights Reserved

Devo 50: Guarantee of our Inheritance as Sons

Daddy, Papa, Abba, Father...God is our Dad. Jesus turned everything on its head when He called God “Abba Father.” But Jesus knew our place as sons and daughters. He knew that we could come to the Father through His Son.


Over and over again, Jesus and the apostles spoke of our place as sons and daughters of the Most High God. Many times, this is in the context of freedom from sin, demonic powers, or the law. When we truly realize that God is our dad, our faith will go to a whole new level and many of our worries, fears, and anxieties will dissipate.

In Romans 8:15-16, Paul says, “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God…” (NKJV) It is the testimony of the Holy Spirit that bears witness that we are children of God. When we talk to Holy Spirit or “abide in Him,” it is a testimony to our place as sons and daughters, and we can then cry out to Him.

Paul also speaks of this in Galatians 4 and that passage says that the Spirit is “crying out” which indicates that once we have the Holy Spirit in us, He continually cries out to the Father. He is making intercession for us. Romans 8:26 goes into more detail about this intercession by saying it is a “groaning too deep for words” (NASB)

Again in Ephesians 1, Paul also speaks of our place as sons and daughters, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ…having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself… (Eph 1:3, 5). He then goes on to speak of our redemption through the blood of Jesus and how we now have an inheritance as our purchased possession. Again, he speaks of the witness of the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our inheritance (Eph. 1:13).

In each of these passages, the witness of the Spirit is mentioned along with our identity as sons and daughters. Also, in each of these passages, there is a freedom that comes from the witness of the spirit in the place of our identity as sons. In Romans 8, we become free of fear. In Galatians 4, we are free from the Law. Ephesians 1 is an introduction into the rest of the book which goes on to speak of our place seated with Christ in heaven far above principalities and powers (which is the demonic realm) (Eph. 1:3, 2:6, 3:10, 3:21, 6:12). So, from our identity as sons in Ephesians 1, we are free from demonic powers.

The problem is however, that many of us never find our identity as sons and we never use our weapons to fight. Much of the problem is because we have a distorted view of the Father. Also, much of the problem is that we have never truly felt that witness of the Holy Spirit, or if we have, we have neglected to continue growing in our relationship with Him.

When Jesus walked the earth as a Man, He told us that when He went away, He would not leave us as orphans, but that He would send the Holy Spirit—the Comforter (paracletos, GK), to help us (Jn 14:16-18). The Holy Spirit is the guarantee that we have not been left as orphans, but that the Lord will return to us and we will enter into our full inheritance as sons and daughters of the King.

Even though all of this is laid out for us in scripture, many people never actually walk in their identity as sons and daughters. Many of us get beat down by fear, anxiety, worry, depression, oppression, etc…and we never taste that freedom we have in Christ. He who the Son sets free is free indeed (Jn. 8:36).

There could be many teachings on what it is to walk in our identity as heirs—I have already taught on it many times, but I will say that the primary way is through fellowship with the Holy Spirit of promise. John 14-17 is all about our relationship with Holy Spirit. He is a person, the third person of the Trinity. He wants to be known even as the Father and Son are known.

In John 15, Jesus speaks on abiding in the Spirit and having fellowship with the Spirit. He warns that any branch who does not abide in the vine will be cut off. We cannot lose our communication with the Holy Spirit. We cannot decide, “Oh, I am not going to talk to you today…” I have tried that—trust me, it’s a bad idea. Anyone who does not abide in the vine will be cut off.

This is not to make us afraid of doing something wrong, but it is a reality check that we have to talk to Holy Spirit. We have to communicate with the Father and Son through Holy Spirit on a continual basis—all day, everyday.

What are some practical ways of doing that? First of all, we have to ask the Lord to help us abide in the vine. We have to ask Holy Spirit for that “witness” of the Spirit. There are many teachings and different theories on that doctrine, but I am not going to argue those right now. Ask the Lord about them. Read scriptures about the witness of the Spirit. Let Him explain it to you.

He wants to be known way more than we want to know Him (Jn 17:3). All we have to do is ask. The Lord said in Luke 12, “Fear not, little children, for it is my delight to give you the kingdom!” (Lk. 12:32). He says this just after saying that we can ask anything in His name and He will give it in Luke 11.

Ask Holy Spirit to give you that spirit of adoption that breaks the bondage of fear, the law (striving to attain our own righteousness), and demonic oppression. Ask Him to cry out on your behalf and tell Him that you agree with Him in intercession for your own spirit.

Then make agreements with scriptural promises over your life such as Jn. 8:36, II Cor. 5:17, and I Jn 4:4. Say these scriptures out loud and make them personal such as: “I am a new creation…” Break agreements with lies you have spoken over yourself and repent for agreeing with them. Say out loud that you no longer agree with those lies (name the lie), and when they come back, begin speaking the promises of God over your life rather than thinking about the lies.

Then ask Holy Spirt to fill you with His presence. I have faith that He will do it! Ask Him for a tangible witness of the Spirit.

There is so much more I can say, but I have already said enough. I have attached one or two similar devos in this email.

“Lord, I ask for the presence of the Holy Spirit to fill each person as they read this. I ask for a tangible presence to be in their room. Bless them and make your face shine on them in the Precious Name of Jesus. Amen.”

Amanda
 
Copyright © 2010, Amanda Rich, All Rights Reserved

Devo 49: Walking in the Spirit

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.

I Corinthians 1:27-29

The wisdom of God is foolishness to the world (I Cor. 1:27). Wisdom is a Man dying on a cross for the sins of all humanity. This is wisdom. It seems so ridiculous to the natural mind, and men throughout history have turned their backs on God, because of the seeming foolishness of this display of wisdom. God’s ways are so much higher than our ways (Is. 55:8-9).

By our nature, we cannot fathom the ways of God. Our natural minds are at complete enmity with Him (Rom. 8:7, I Cor. 2:14, Gal. 5:17). We must be transformed by the renewing of our mind, which is a continual process (Rom. 12:1-2). Therefore, we are commanded to walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16). When we walk in the spirit, we subject our minds to the ways of the spirit instead of the ways of the flesh (I Cor. 2). In I Corinthians 2, Paul speaks of “what no eye has seen and no ear has heard;” The ways of God are unfathomable; yet those things are revealed to us through the spirit, who searches the deep things of God. When we walk in the spirit, we come under the wisdom of God.

This “mind of the spirit” in I Cor. 2 is the mind that reveals to us the mysteries of God—even the ultimate mystery of Jesus’ death on the Cross. As we walk in the spirit, we are subjecting ourselves to the leadership of God, which is the same leadership that led Jesus to the cross.

What does it look like to live a life by the Spirit? It looks like what Jesus said in Mark 8, “Whoever loves His life will lose it, and whoever loses His life will find it.” Subjecting ourselves to the Lord’s leadership means following Him to the death—daily.

The first aspect of living a life by the Spirit is obeying His commands. If we love Him, we will obey His commands (Jn. 15:10). This entails obeying the commands written in His Word as well as following His leadership in the daily guidance of our lives as we abide in the Spirit. We must walk as Jesus walked and do what we see the Father doing (Jn. 5:19).

Another aspect of living by the spirit is prayer. In Ephesians 6, Paul says to: 1.) Take up the full armor of God, and 2.) Pray always with all prayer and supplications in the Spirit. I believe that praying in the Spirit has to do with more than praying in tongues, but I believe that is a part of it. However, there are more ways to pray in the Spirit than only praying in tongues. Jude 20 also says to “build yourselves up in your most Holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit…” Jude instructed the church to do this to guard against immorality.

Likewise, Jesus told His disciples in the garden of Gethsemane, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Lk. 22:40). He also instructed us in the Lord’s Prayer to pray, “Lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Lk. 11:4, Mt 6:13).

Of course prayer not only helps us walk in the spirit, but it also helps us obey His commands. We are instructed to “pray without ceasing” (I Thess. 5:17).

The fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22ff only come when we walk in the Spirit. We cannot have the fruits of the Spirit without actually walking in the Spirit, and we must continually walk in the Spirit so that we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Gal. 5:16, 22ff).

Jesus walked out this example perfectly. He was tempted in every way; yet He did not sin (Heb. 4:15). As a priest ministering before the Lord, He made a way for us to approach the throne of grace (Heb 4:16). As a man walking on earth, He perfectly walked out a life by the Spirit as an example for us to follow.

When tempted by Satan in the desert, He used Scripture to fight (Mt. 4, Mk. 1). When tempted to leave His calling of dying on the cross in the garden of Gethsemane, He prayed to the point of bloodshed (Lk. 22:44). The writer of Hebrews corrected his readers because they had not yet resisted sin to the point of bloodshed (Heb 12:4).

Jesus prayed in the hour of temptation and made a decision to follow the will of the Father no matter the cost. He even knew what the cost was and still decided to follow. He asks nothing less from us. He said for us to “take up our cross and follow Him” (Mt. 10, 16; Mark 8, 10; Lk 9).

Even though it is so explicitly stated, it does not make it easy. This is not an easy thing to do; yet when we look at what the God of all creation did for us, it gives us strength. We then realize that there is no greater love than this, and it fuels us to give everything to Him (Jn. 15:13).

When we are faced with temptation, we have to realize that Jesus was tempted even as we are and He has given us the tools to stand against the evil one (Eph. 6, etc.) Not only that, but the Holy Spirit lives in us, and He has come to teach us and guide us into all truth (Jn. 14:26, 16:13).

I pray that this strengthens you and gives you tools to fight. Pray for me as well. We are all faced with temptation and we all struggle to come under the leadership of True Wisdom.

“Lord, I ask that you would strengthen us with might in our inner man. Teach us how to walk in the Spirit. Arm us with the armor of God. Teach us how to pray and war in the Spirit—whatever that entails, I ask for an impartation of praying in the spirit as everyone reads this, God. I ask for grace to be released. Release the fire of your presence. I ask for a divine strengthening in the name of Jesus. Amen.”

Grace and Peace to you in the Name of Jesus.

Amanda
 
Copyright © 2010, Amanda Rich, All Rights Reserved

Devo 47: The Story of the Ages

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel…”

Genesis 3:15

Throughout the entire history of the world, there has been one continuous story underlying the stories of man. One story has pervaded history and has superseded even the greatest stories of mankind. This prevailing story is His story—the story of God pursuing the affections of man. Since the time of Genesis 3:15, through the present, and until the fulfillment of the book of Revelation, there has been one story of a Man passionately pursuing his bride. It is one story of a Man who came to redeem all mankind from sin and bring them back to Himself.

Genesis 3:15 is known as the proto evangelium (Latin, “first gospel” or “first good news”). This verse was God’s declaration to Satan that he would be crushed by the woman’s Seed even though Satan would have some victory.

The proto evangelium was the first revelation or unveiling of God’s redemptive plan. It pointed toward the first coming of Christ and also toward the Second Coming (parousia, Gk). Satan bit the heel of Christ in the Crucifixion, but Jesus crushed him in the resurrection and will ultimately crush him through the events in the book of Revelation.

The complete crushing of Satan will not yet take place until after the Millennial reign, but Paul encouraged the church of Corinthians by telling them that “the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly” (I Cor. 16:20). He was encouraging them with this hope that one day this promise of Genesis 3:15 would be fulfilled.

From the first unveiling of the Gospel in Genesis 3:15, saints throughout history have been pursued by a God who loves them. In Genesis 12:3, Abraham was promised that all mankind would be blessed through his Seed.

The book of Ruth further shows the line of the Seed that would come as Ruth was the grandmother of David. Ruth was the young widow who was blessed and cared for by Boaz who was a type of Christ. He pursued her and covered her, and thus, he was blessed to be a part of the Davidic line.

God promised David that his seed would be established forever and that one would reign from Jerusalem on the throne of David (II Sam. 7:12-13; I Kings 2:3-4; Ps. 89:29).

Even though Israel disobeyed and rejected the Lord many times, the Lord continued to pursue her and continued to keep His covenant promise to David.

Hosea knew firsthand the pursuit of the Lord for His bride Israel. The Lord called Hosea to take a prostitute as a wife and encouraged Him to continually pursue her each time she was unfaithful to him. He was inviting Hosea to identify with His pursuit of Israel and her rejection and unfaithfulness to Him.

The Song of Solomon shows the leadership of the Bridegroom for His bride. It is a picture of the ultimate plan of how He will lead her into the fullness of her calling as a pure and spotless bride who has made herself ready (Eph. 5:26-27; Rev. 19:7). He desires a Bride who is equally yoked with Him which is a principal of His leadership for our lives (2 Cor. 6:14).

Over and over in the Old Testament, the judges and prophets called Israel back to her first love. In the Gospels, Jesus came to show us the Father and to draw all men to Himself (Jn 14:7, 12:32). In the Epistles, the apostles repeatedly focused the church back on the work of the Cross and the hope of the resurrection and Second Coming. Finally in the book of Revelation, Jesus appeared to John with a message for the seven churches to encourage them, correct them, and call them back to their first love (Rev. 2-3). He also laid out the plan for the End of the Age and showed in detail the plan for purifying His Bride that was given in the Song of Solomon.

When we see the broad scope of God’s pursuit of mankind, it encourages our hearts when we face difficult circumstances where we cannot see the intimate workings of His hand in our lives. If we look back on how He has pursued us throughout history, and we look forward to the hope of the completed work when He will crush Satan once and for all, it will encourage us during our day to day struggles.

Also, it will build our faith to pray and reach out to those who are hurting and dying without hope. It will build our endurance to continue loving people who do not have the ability to love back. This hope will fuel our passion for purity and holiness and will help us identify with Christ in His longing and passion for the lost.

This week, I encourage you to look at the big picture and find yourself in it. Look at the picture of redemptive history and follow it all the way through to your story. Let it encourage your heart to know that God is big enough to work a plan with so much detail that the overwhelming circumstances of your life fade away in the context of the big picture.

Secondly, I encourage you to think of one person in your life who is running from God or not convinced that God loves them. Maybe they are unsaved. Imagine that entire strand of redemptive history took place for that one person. Let this revelation fuel your intercession for that person and interaction with them.

Lastly, take one entire day and ask the Lord to give you a revelation of this picture for every person you come in contact with. If you are at the store, gas station, school, work, or home, ask the Lord to show you how each person fits into the picture of God’s redemptive plan. Ask Him to give you a revelation of His love and pursuit for each person you meet that entire day. It will inspire you in intercession and evangelism.

“Lord, I ask for a revelation of Your redemptive plan and Your passion for relationship with us. Let us see beyond life circumstances into the big picture of Your eternal plan. Open our eyes. Give us a passion for the lost and teach us how to pray.”

The God of Peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. Amen!

Love,

Amanda
 
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