The Battle of Life

I've never met anyone who did not have a battle on their hands at some time or another. Most people are in a battle because the world is full of trouble. If the devil is attacking you, don't be alarmed. Jesus never taught that life would be problem-free. In fact, He said the opposite: "These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

As long as sin remains in the hearts of men, and as long as the devil is on the earth. there will be trouble! The Good News is that Jesus died on the cross to give you power over all the attacks of the devil. You don't have to have anxiety even if you're going through the worst battle of your life. You can find peace today in Jesus Christ. You can choose to believe Him and be of good cheer knowing that He overcame it all...and because of that, you can overcome it all too.

The Battle May Not Be Your Choice, But the Outcome Is!

Daniel was a man in the Old Testament who was attacked because of his faith and dedication to God.

He lived in an intolerant country, where even the king who liked him was manipulated into making a law that forbade praying to God. Daniel held onto his faith and was thrown into the lion's den for it. That battle wasn't Daniel's choice...but the outcome was.

Now, it seemed, at first, that Daniel wasn't being taken care of by God. After all, he had to spend the night with some hungry lions. But, in the morning when the king asked, "Is my servant Daniel still alive?" Daniel said, and this is my paraphrase, 'God saved me. Everything's fine.'

The battle was satan's choice. The outcome was determined by Daniel's choice. Daniel chose to believe in God's power to protect him, even when he was in the lion's den. Was it easy for him? No. But it worked! God shut the lions' mouths and Daniel was safe (Daniel 6).

Daniel wasn't like some people today who talk the talk but don't walk the walk. This is not something that you can pretend to believe and see results. If you're going through a battle today, your relationship with God must take priority in your life. The Word must become so real to you that you get beyond just "believing" it and start "knowing" it.

Do you know that Jesus died on the cross for your sins? Do you know that stripes were laid on His back for your healing? Do you know that He was chastised for your peace? Isaiah 53:5 is for you! Jesus Himself preached from Isaiah 61:1 saying, " The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me; because the LORD hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound..."

There is hope for you in Jesus Christ no matter what is trying to mess up your life. Today, you may be held captive like Daniel with some problem. The devil may have attacked you simply because you're a person of faith. He's a serial killer and out to kill, steal and destroy anyone who is affiliated with God—

especially those who are pleasing to God!

If you're attacked without just cause, remember that Daniel was too. But, he kept the faith and God saved him from harm. If you keep the faith, God will save you from harm too.

The Battle Starts In the Mind

The devil wants to cloud your mind with doubt.

His strategy is to get your eves off of what God said and onto the circumstances of the battle—and to throw doubt in your mind about God. Don't let him play games in your mind. Refuse to let that idiot paralyze you with fear to such a degree that you forget that you've got power. Show the devil that you won't stand for his criminal attacks on your life anymore.

Remember, the devil is an enemy of God. He hates God and attacks His children out of spite—just to hurt the Father. But the devil is a liar! Jesus defeated him at the cross, but that doesn't mean he has stopped fighting people like you and me. The devil is a thief. Jesus called him that in John 10:10 when He said, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

The devil has no right to steal, but he will try to do it anyway because he's an outlaw. But, if you submit yourself to God and resist him, James 4:7 says that he will flee from you. You will overcome the attack. You have been given authority over the devil because of Jesus Christ's work on the cross. When you resist the devil and speak the Word of God instead of the problem you're facing, you're enforcing the devil's defeat.

He may not like it, but it's just his tough luck.

He's a loser. God's the winner, and you're the enforcer on this earth. If you speak the Word, then what you say goes. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof"

(Proverbs 18:21).

The Word Is Your Weapon

When the battles of life are waging a tough war, it's time to find scriptures that fit your situation and start speaking them to yourself each day. Doing this is going to start changing the way you think about things, which will cause you to act differently. "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God"

(Romans 12:2).

When the Word is in you, you'll be able to fight off doubt easily. Instead of feeling hopeless and trying to believe God's Word, you'll start having real faith in God's power to change your circumstances and that will enable you to start proving the Word of God. You'll gain understanding of your authority in Christ and start knowing that God's Word is His will—and it's good, acceptable and perfect for whipping the devil!

Some people say that God sends sickness to teach you something, but Jesus already told us in John 10:10 that He came to give life and the devil is the one who steals, kills and destroys. You may learn something during a battle, but that doesn't mean God sent it to you to teach you something. The Word is your source for teaching!

The more you transform your mind to the Word of God, the more you'll know and the bolder you'll become. You will get so bold in your faith that you will stand up when the attack comes and say,

"Nothing is going to kill, steal or destroy me! I'm not giving up. I will fight the good fight of faith! The battle may not have been my choice, but the outcome is!"

Faith in God, confidence in what He's done for you and boldness in speaking the Word of God will be your weapons for the battles of life.

Fight the Good Fight of Faith

Some people choose to fight against faith. If you want to overcome these problems, you're going to have to fight for faith.

1 Timothy 6:12 says, "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses."

The devil may be the one starting every troublesome battle in your life, but it's your faith in God that is going to finish each battle. The circumstances may not look good, but God says you're going to make it—you've got to say it too.

Profess a "good profession" like the scripture says, and do it "before many witnesses." Make the Word of God the final authority for each situation that you face.

Make sure that you line up your heart and your mouth—so that you are in unity with yourself. If doubts arise, cast them off and reestablish what God says about your situation. When you commit to doing these things, you're fighting the good fight of faith.

This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:

1 Timothy 1:18-19

In tough times, it's especially important to keep your conscience clean and hold onto your faith. You may feel weak, but the Lord calls you strong, and it's time for you to pull yourself up by the bootstraps and start calling yourself strong too (Joel 3:10). Don't let the devil tell you that you are weak and nothing works for you. It has worked for others, and it will work for you too.

Watch out for those temptations that would cause you to sin—that's the devil's way of trying to wreck your conscience. Remember, you haven't received the nature of sin. You've been born-again and have the nature of Christ—His righteousness, grace and mercy are working in your life. So, you should have a hard time sinning. If you don't, you need to get into the Word and start renewing your mind and developing your godly character.

All of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God at one time or another (Romans 3:23), but we should work on growing in the Lord so that we get to a place where it's hard to fall because our spirit is well-conditioned. " We've been justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus"

(Romans 3:24). All we have to do is repent, forgive ourselves and keep holding on to our faith.

Having Faith in God is Most Important in this Life

Faith is something a lot of people don't understand. They like to joke about "naming it and claiming it" because they don't understand the power behind real faith. They are using their five senses to try and understand a spiritual concept—and it won't happen!

Faith is not another word for living in denial. It's actually a Fruit of the Spirit, listed in Galatians 5:22—it's a God-given attribute and has been given to you. Romans 12:3 says "... think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."

It may seem foolish to the natural mind to use faith, but it also seems foolish to the natural mind to "love your enemies" or "pray for them which despitefully use you," but Jesus still said to do these things in Matthew 5:44.

Having faith is not about going around with your head in the clouds and denying that you've got a battle on your hands. It's about having your feet firmly on the ground and your mind fixed on the reality of what Jesus did for you at the cross. It's not about denying that a problem exists; but denying satan's right to steal what the blood of Jesus has done for you. Faith is a spiritual force... and it's a force that the devil doesn't have.

Whether you understand why or not, it doesn't change the fact that faith is from God and it works.

God loves you with all that He is, however, Hebrews 11:6 tells us what pleases Him: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."

Faith is how Abraham became righteous before God (Romans 4:3). It's what Jesus used as he walked the earth, and it's what he told others to have. He inspired faith in others through His teachings and said things like, "According to your faith, be it done unto you" or "Oh ye of little faith, how long must I suffer to be with you?" Jesus valued faith, and He called it suffering to be around people without it. That tells you something!

Faith is Based in God's Power, Not Your Power

When you are discouraged, it's never going to be because of your faith. It's always going to be because of something you've seen, heard, touched, smelled or tasted—and that's the realm of the flesh.

The bottom line is that the devil is a flesh-devil, not a faith-devil, and if you try to combat his attacks only in the arena of your flesh, you'll always lose.

Why? Because the devil has been around for a lot longer than you, and he's skilled at manipulating people through the five senses of the flesh. That's why you have to resist his attacks and fight him with faith.

What God says will come to pass. His Word will not return unto Him void. So, when you say what He says and believe it like He believes it, you'll get the same results. Your faith will do the work for you because it involves God at that point. The devil will never be able to defeat that kind of faith because it's based in God's power and not your power. The Word will come to pass on your behalf.

Jesus said, "...If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you" (Matthew 17:20).

In other words, impossible things can happen when you just use a little bit of your faith, but you've got to be consistent. "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17).

The more you hear the Word, the more you're going to have faith in the Word—the greater your success in fighting the battles of life.

Remember, the God you serve is mighty. He is still God on the throne, and the devil is still a loser.

I've read the back of the Book, and it tells me that for all his fighting and attacks against man, the devil's destiny has not changed...he's still defeated and rejected, and he is going to end up in the lake of fire.

But you are a believer, and your destiny is to overcome the problems of this life through your faith in Christ Jesus. Your destiny is to speak the Word and see mountainous problems drop off into the sea.

You've been predestined to conform to the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29)—and His image is not sick, broke or disgusted with life!

When You Do Something for God, Opposition Will Arise

Is faith easy? No. It's simple, but it's not easy to believe in someone you can't see. It's not easy to discipline yourself to quote scripture to yourself or fight the doubt that enters your mind, but guess what?

Nothing is easy! Welcome to the world!

If something is worth having, it is going to take discipline, dedication, and commitment. Jesus paid the price for your salvation so that it would be easy for you to be redeemed, but notice that the price still had to be paid! It took discipline, dedication and commitment for Jesus to make it through this life 15

without sinning and to do all the things God wanted Him to do. He had a battle on His hands!

When God calls you to do something, you may encounter some opposition too. You may feel some pain and have difficulty because anytime you try to do something for God, there will be opposition.

Even Christians may oppose what you've been called to do. Remember that the religious people were the first to criticize Jesus. They didn't like the way He spoke or acted, but that didn't matter because God was with Him. Jesus did what He had to do.

When God called me to the ministry, most people I knew didn't agree with His decision, but I refused to let people steal my future. I had to put on the whole armor of God and become secure in my calling regardless of the opposition. You're going to have to do the same thing.

People may try to dismiss your calling in life and say, "Who do you think you are?" Tell them what you are! Say, "I am what Jesus said I am! I'm a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. That's what God said, so I'm just going to believe that." It's nice to have people support you, but even if they don't, just shake the dust off your feet and go on. If God called you to do it, you're going to do it!

God can open doors where there never was a door. If you go to Him in prayer and believe His Word. He'll give you things that you haven't even thought to ask for. The more you stick with Him and the more you obey Him, the further you'll go in life.

God will see to it that you are taken care of—and blessed more than you ever thought you could be—but you're going to have to see to it that you stick with Him no matter what people say. Take the heat! Deal with the opposition by realizing that people are people. They may not always believe, but as long as God believes in you and you believe in yourself, you're going to make it!

Get Rid of Guilt Focus on God's Love for You

Some people can't accept what the Word says because they still cling to guilt and shame. You may be one of those types of people. You may think that what you did in the past was so bad that you don't deserve to be helped through the battles of life. That's a lie. Jesus' blood washed you clean, and there is no reason for you to feel any guilt over the past.

God loves you with an unconditional love. He accepts you because of what Jesus has done. When He looks at you, He sees the end result—the perfect you. That's the power of the blood of Jesus.

When we think of the word "love," most of us who speak English think of romance because our language has only one word for love. One word cannot encompass love. The Greek language has four words to describe love found in the Bible and they are agape, phileo, storge and eros.

Agape is a God kind of love that says, "I don't care if you spit in my face and cut me and hurt me, I'm going to save you anyway. Just say 'forgive me.'

I'll do anything for you." Phileo is that human love—a friendship type of love. Storge is a family-type of love—as a mother to a daughter or a father to a son.

Eros is the type most people dwell on—it's a physical attraction or love. It's good, but it's not worth basing a relationship on!

Religion may say that you're no good and that you have to attain God's approval, but the Bible says that God's love is "agape"—it's unconditional and there is nothing you can do to destroy it. The Bible also says that you are pleasurable to God. Revelation 4:11 says, "Thou art worthy, oh Lord, to receive glory and honour, and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."

Knowing that you are loved and accepted is crucial to having faith in God and being bold in using the Word of God. Today, I don't know what you think about yourself. It may be that nobody has ever told you that you are worth much. People may have thought you were worthless and treated you like you were dismissible and disposable—but they were wrong about you.

God is right about you! He loves you, and in fact, you are worth the whole world to Him. You were created for His pleasure, and from the time you wake up until you go to bed at night, God gets joy from your very existence. He is glad you're here and wants you to accept His mercy and grace for your past mistakes and move on.

Stop Re-Playing Past Mistakes Watch Out for Satan's Tool— Disappointment

Disappointment is one of the greatest tools satan uses against the Body of Christ. He will always try to get you disappointed in yourself, your family, and in your social life. He wants you to replay every mistake and become preoccupied with past losses.

In ministry, many times pastors get disappointed by the size of their church. Success can't be measured by how many have come. However, it can be measured by how many have stayed, been changed and are effecting others. Jesus had thousands coming to His meetings but only 120 stayed. Yet, that small group transformed the Roman government into a Christian nation—I'd call that success!

One person can make a difference. One act of faith can make a difference too. Don't be disappointed with yourself. Just thank God for what He's already done, and press forward knowing that each step you take closer to God is a good step—your faith is growing.

Discouragement may lead you to agree with Paul in Romans 7:18 "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not." If you look a little further, you will find that as Jesus sets us free from the law of sin and death, we can live victoriously in this life.

If you are a believer, and you've stumbled along the way, forget it! That was in your past, and the past never sees the future. Don't waste your time worrying about what happened yesterday. Don't waste time worrying about what tomorrow may bring. Instead, concentrate on what you're going to do today!

Today is another opportunity to have faith in God. Today is another opportunity to speak your future into existence with the Word. Deal with today.

Make goals for tomorrow. Don't let disappointment in where you are right now steal your future. You can overcome these battles and God can use you to help others overcome too.

Accept His Mercy and Grace God Can Use You!

God specializes in using people who've had lots of trouble in life. Today, we call the Apostle Paul a saint, but before he knew the Lord, he was a cruel 20

man. He was a "chief" of sinners who persecuted many people and even killed some. But he obtained mercy when he chose to accept and follow Jesus Christ and that's why he could say this: This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Tim. 1:15-17

Jesus deserves the honor and glory forever for what He has done. Give Him glory when you accept His mercy and grace. So, you were a bad sinner...so what! Paul the Apostle was a bad sinner, and so was I.

Personally, I can really relate to Paul's immense gratitude to God because when I came to Jesus, I was in need of extreme forgiveness. I was an excessive sinner. I figured that it was the only fun I was ever going to have in life. I smoked so much dope that I took trips and never left my house. I drank enough 21

booze to float battleships over the years. All I knew about God was what religion taught me, and I hated it! I looked at religious people and saw hypocrisy. I judged God by the people who went to church, but that was a big mistake.

When I met the real Jesus, I found that He wasn't what I thought He was. I was astonished by His great love and mercy towards me. When I said, "Jesus come into my life," I suddenly knew that He was real, eternal, immortal, invisible and the only wise God.

He deserved my honor and glory. He had made the ultimate sacrifice for my sin by going to the cross—His love was real, and He honored me with His life.

I can never repay Jesus for what He did for me and neither can you, but, together, we can show Him our gratitude by accepting His work and believing His Word. We can "fight the good fight of faith" and put the devil in his place. We can tell others about His amazing grace and start living the abundant life.

If you've been clinging to heart-issues like guilt, shame and disappointment and have been using these things as a reason to abandon the fight of faith—put that junk to rest now! Go to God in prayer and release it to Him so that you can fight the good fight of faith and overcome the battles of life.

Stop Worrying God Gives His BelovedSleep

It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so He giveth His beloved sleep.

Psalms 127:2

In other words, stop worrying! God cares about you, and there's no need to worry about the problems of this world. 1 Peter 5:7 says that you should be,

"Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you." That's how you can have a good night's sleep in the middle of troublesome times.

Today, I have a ministry with a huge budget...but I don't let it worry my mind. It's not my budget. It's God's! He's the One who put me in this ministry and the Bible says a man's gift will make room for itself (Proverbs 18:16). Now, that's easier said than done, but it works, and I refuse to spend sleepless nights fighting the battle of life when God gives His beloved sleep.

I've decided that I'm just going to believe His Word and "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Phil. 4:6 NKJ).

I learned years ago that I could do nothing on my own, but the Christ in me can do all things. I've decided to think about what God has done instead of what the devil is trying to do—and use my faith to succeed. I am going to overcome, and I believe that you will too!

Press Forward! You're Going to Be Victorious!

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is one that encourages the Body of Christ to continue pressing on in life.

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13-14

Today, the battle may be waging, and it may look like there is no way of escape. Keep pressing on in your faith. Remember, God will always come through and satan always attacks what he fears the most. But, he's a loser. In fact, no one has been a loser longer than the devil!

You, on the other hand, are a winner! You've won because of Christ Jesus. Never forget that you have power. Never forget that your power isn't based on what you've done but what Jesus has done on the cross at Calvary. He made you righteous, and all the promises of God are available to you. You don't have to tremble at the battles of life. You can stand up to the attacks of the enemy, speak the Word with authority and watch circumstances change.

In Psalms 107:2 it says, "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy." This is a scripture that I began my ministry upon, and it's something I still practice today. I believe that the redeemed of the Lord should say so!

Saying what God has done will always bring you peace and joy—exactly what Jesus said you should have when you're going through the tribulations of life. So, make the choice today to keep the faith.

Jesus has overcome the world. You can be of good cheer and rest in His peace knowing that He will help you to live an overcoming life.

You will have a testimony worth sharing. Keep pressing on in faith, and you will overcome all the battles of this life!

Prayer of Salvation

If you don't know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, I'd like to take this opportunity to pray with you. All God asks is for you to come to Him with a sincere heart and accept His plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. Right now, go to Him in prayer.

Speak from your heart. The Bible says in Romans 10:9-10 that if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ with your heart and confess it with your mouth, you will be saved. Your sins will be washed away when you accept what Jesus did for you. Pray this prayer right now:

"Lord Jesus, come into my life. Forgive me of all my sins. I believe that you are the Son of God and that you died on the cross and rose from the dead to make a way for me. Thank you for loving me enough to die for me, for thinking that I was worth it. Today, I accept you into my heart and give myself totally to you. I'm tired of living my own way, and I want to live your way. I need your help. Lord, create a clean heart in me right now and guide me from now on. I love you, Jesus, and I accept you as my Savior. You are now the Lord of my life!"

If you just prayed this prayer, Congratulations!

You're starting a new life! 2 Corinthians 5:17 says when you accept Jesus as your savior, "Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

Friend, you have a whole new way of life to look forward to. You've been given a clean slate—you are righteous now because of what Jesus did, and nobody can take that away! You're saved and starting a brand new life in Christ.

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