Isaiah 60:1-3
John 19:5,6,15,16,28-36
The banner is not physical, we do not use images in our worship, so what exactly is the banner? 1 John 4:8 God is Love > Love is the very nature of God, without God there is no love. Jesus showed us God’s love through His sacrifice on the cross, and that is the foundation of what we are. The sacrifice of love is also the banner we raise. Many times as Christians move on in their life, they succumb to the devil’s attacks by looking for another banner to raise.
Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit so we can effectively keep the banner raised and continue fighting the devil. Acts 20:28,31
Joshua 14:6-15; 15:13-15
As people get older they generally lose focus and zeal, but if God is with them, they can conquer the giants. Faith in God’s power to save is crucial to moving forward in your Christian life.
Joshua 17:14-18 The tribes of Ephraim and half of Manasseh had grown a lot, and had run out of room; instead of just giving them land that was already taken, Joshua gave them land they would have to work for. The unstated message is: If you have God, you can do anything. Iron chariots in the valley are nothing compared to God’s chariots of fire. Many times we as Christians look for an easy way out, but if you have no faith, or your courage or strength is diminished, you will lose. Stand up against the devil (in the strength of the Lord).
My goal is to encourage others to stand up for Jesus and use the armor and weaponry He has given us to fight the devil. Satan does not care how he get us and will lure us into thinking something is innocent when it is not.
Let’s get excited!
Matthew 16:18 Power over the Church is reserved for God Himself. Hell, death or anything else will not be able to control it. Through the centuries Satan has tried to destroy the Church by killing it, but it actually grew so fast, during that time that he was more behind than ever. Satan, then tried another tactic and was more successful , but the Church of God is still not gone yet. While persecution still exists in parts of the world it is no more effective than it was at the beginning. Satan has figured out that state tolerance and re-instating the laws of men will Destroy the Church, and it is working all over the place.
We need to get back to the basics of Christianity. Faith, Obedience to God’s Law, and love for our fellowman.
Jude 24,25 God has power unimaginable, and it is well able to keep us saved, even from the worst addiction; but we have to have faith in Him and want help. We do not need the help of the laws of men (standards) to keep us saved, in fact those will just lure us into thinking that we are safe when we really aren't.
God has always accepted those who have faith in Him. When a man or woman has faith Of salvation, He adds His righteousness to them. When Abraham had faith in God’s promise, he was accepted as righteous, even though his works were not perfect.
Matthew 16:18/Revelation 20:14 God’s kingdom has His protection. It may seem, sometimes that we as His Church aren't as protected by Him as we are. Satan does bring a host of attacks against the Church, but has not been successful yet. The gates of Hades-Hell has no power over the Church of God. At times a church may lose focus, or lose out; but the Church of Jesus Christ moves on. One day, death itself will be destroyed, but the Church will still be alive for God.
Jude 20-23 The foundation of our faith is solid, it is truth. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, The Son Of God came for a purpose, and that was to give us the sacrifice of Love. As we keep building on the foundation of our faith, we will be on the offense for Him. We need to use our shield, but we also need to use our sword. Ephesians 6:10-18 God has equipped us with all the defensive and offensive equipment we need. Get into the battle for God. If we don’t fight for God, we are fighting against Him.
It is easy for us to lose pace with our Savior’s Love. If Satan is successful in destroying our walk of love, he has destroyed us.
1 John 4:10,11/Luke 2:41-52 Jesus parents became caught up in the things going on around them and the made no effort to make sure they still had Jesus; they had to go back to where they had lost Him in order to find Him. It took three days to find him, and to have their relationship restored. You must be sure of who you have with you, it will be either Jesus or a counterfeit.
Doubt can eat you up, but the Church is designed in such a way that if someone doubts their Christianity, especially after going through a hard time, we are supposed to help them. Their soul is at stake, and we need to restore their spirit. Doubt can turn into total
Unbelief, and unbelievers are thrown into hell.
Revelation 21:8
Throw out the lifeline, many are dying, sucked into the flames of hell by their misdeeds. As we look at the wicked, we need to view them as dying in a fire. Some people realize their plight, but don’t care, others realize they are on a destructive course and stand at the window screaming for help, and still others have no clue of imminent danger. As God reached down for us, we should extend His arms to Sound the warning, blow the trumpet, and save a soul from hell. God has given us a command to bring the lost and dying to Him. If we fail in our calling will we hear “Well done, thou good and faithful servant”? This life is not just about keeping ourselves from sin (that is vital), but it is also about the message of hope to a dying world, which we were a part of. We can not put out the flames that have swallowed so many, but we can rescue, and that is our mission.
Every person has a passion, and your passion will show. As a re-created person, our passion should be for the honor and glory of God, which includes bringing lost souls to Him. Every one does have a unique way to do this, as we have many different gifts, but as new creatures in Christ, the common goal should be the same. We do not compete, but rather work together for the same goal. We have seen the idea of competition for lost souls, and really it stinks in God’s eyes, whether among individuals or groups. This idea basically stems from pride, and pride is sin. As fellow-Christians the only competition that is legitimate is against the devil.
Many times we don’t view sin as bad, and so we don’t have fear for those involved in sin. When we go into the temple with God, we should see the end of the wicked. The Revelation of Jesus Christ has been a source of contention throughout church history, but was the purpose of the book to divide the church? NO! The purpose of the book was to unite the church with one common goal of winning the lost.
We've got work to do, So what are we doing?
There is no righteousness outside of Jesus’ righteousness, which is totally pure. Not only is the righteousness we can drum up as rags, but filthy rags. We need to recognize it as such, and work to clothe the sinners with Jesus’ righteousness.
Are we fulfilling our mission that God has given us to do? Satan and his followers are very energetic in their mission. We need to be proud of the colors we fly. Wave them, hold them up, and shout it out. If we aren't doing what God wants for us, He will either have to make us willing or find someone else for this calling. All Christians, everywhere are to fulfill this mission.
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