Sunday, January 13, 2013

Stand Strong Or You Will Be A Servant


    1  Samuel 4:9  “Philistines, be brave and fight hard!  If  you don’t, those Hebrews will rule us, just as we have been ruling them.  Fight hard and don’t be afraid.”  CEV
    1 Corinthians 16:13  “Keep alert.  Be firm in your faith.  Stay brave and strong.  Show love in everything you do.”  CEV

    All across the world, homes are in shambles.  Satan has declared war on the home as he tries to get the leaders (the fathers) focused on other things.  Usually this feeds his self-will or ego.  As fathers we need to Quit, get real, man, and fight for the Lord.
    We are only players in a much bigger picture.  The main character being played out is God and we are like the extras that only show up for a brief part of the show.
    As fathers it is up to us to be there for our families, to shepherd them toward God.  Most of us do not have gentle attributes that come natural to us, but as we get close to God ourselves, we will become more gentle.
    Ephesians 6:4
    We have an obligation as a father to fill our child’s emotional needs.  We need to be sensitive to what makes them work, and treat them in a way that will not make them become angry at us or at God.

We need to become our child’s friend, because friends care about each other.  We also need to be their peer, the one who influences their life.

    Psalm 127:1-5  

    When we allow the Lord to use us as leaders designed by Him, our homes will flourish.  We need to provide for our family, but not become work-a-holics.  Your children need you at home.  God has designed the home to be a safe-haven from the daily battles that wage on the outside.  Are we keeping these battles out?
    Also read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8  
    We are meant to exhibit these characteristics as Christians, and if we actually do, then our family and also the world will be won for the sake of Christ.
    Is the temptation you face too strong?  God does not allow you to be tempted without making strength available to you.  Sometimes it looks like Satan has the upper hand, but he will succeed only if you don’t stop, gird up your loins and fight like a man in the strength of the Lord.
    It will never work for a soldier of the Lord to have weak knees nor will it ever work to fight for truth with your hands hanging down.
    You do not have strength within your self, but God is faithful and willing to give you His strength.  We need to remember this is not our battle but God’s.  He furnishes everything we need.  When we fight under the ALL POWERFUL God we have nothing to fear.
-Resist The Devil-
    When the devil comes with a temptation to us, we need to push back against him with the shield of faith and the sword of the Lord.  Jesus, when He was tempted, quoted Bible verses as a rebuttal to Satan’s efforts.
Praying for our safety and the safety of others against wickedness, is like building a fortress around us.
James 4:7 

-Go For The Giants-
Joshua 14:6-15
The Anakim were giants in the land of Canaan, and Caleb, an 85 year old man wanted their land for his family.  The town of Hebron was located in a strategic location for safety.
When fighting giants or things bigger than ourselves, we need supernatural help.  God has never intended that we face life’s big problems alone.
God has given us Himself and the brotherhood as a means of helping us fight our giants.  When was the last time you helped someone fight their giants?
Joshua prayed that God would help Caleb and his men fight the giants.
    Some giants we face are: discouragement, fear, worry, despair, selfishness; and are all driven by the prince of giants, pride.
     If we let the giants we face penetrate our lives, we will fall into sin.  These giants will lead us to the sin of unbelief.  We need to recognize each giant we are facing and be aggressive toward it.  When the giants rears his ugly head we need to cut it off with the sword of the Lord.  We need to destroy him and his strongholds so he can not antagonize us any longer.

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