Complete The Mission

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24 NIV).

As men, we love projects. We love to build something and to be a part of something greater than ourselves. Most men enjoy working with their hands and tend not be comfortable speaking to a group of strangers, especially about their faith. We have many large tasks that we want to accomplish in life – pay off the mortgage, raise our children to love God and their neighbor, get promoted at work to get the coveted corner office, etc.

The term “bucket list” has recently come into vogue with many men. Most bucket lists include things such as visit a foreign country, take a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, go fishing in Alaska, learn how to fly, etc. These are all fine things to do but they are not the mission that you have been given by God. You can and should still do these things, but keep in mind that God wants you “testify to the good news of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24).

The Great Commission is our mission and is found in Matthew 28:19. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” God put each of us on Earth for a purpose. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). He has a mission that only you can fulfill. That mission is to tell other people the Good News of God’s grace. Somebody told you about Him. Who will you tell? The way we show our gratitude for the grace of God is by making our own lives count; living a life of extravagant generosity with our time, talents, and money; and by telling as many people as we can about the Good News.

Now consider the words of St. Paul to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:7. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” The mission is clear to finish the race and finish strong! God has anointed and equipped you to be His hands and feet. Please remember that the greatest testimony is lived and not spoken. As St. Francis of Asi Asi said, “Preach the Gospel wherever you go

and use words when necessary.” Go with the confidence that God has prepared good works for you and Jesus is walking with you. Go from this day forward that “you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).

Prayer: Dear Holy Father, we long to complete our mission. With Your help we will fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith. Help us to live a life of meaning and be a role model for our families and the young men in our church. Help us to find a Timothy to continue our ministry and to expand it in ways that we can only imagine. Amen.

Meet the Author

Todd Shupe is a Men’s Ministry Specialist through the General Commission of United Methodist Men and is in training to be a Certified Lay Minister through the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church. He currently serves as the President of the Baton Rouge District of United Methodist Men and is a Board Member for Gulf South Men and serves on the Action Team for The Kingdom Group. He is a volunteer for the Walk to Emmaus, Grace Camp, and Iron Sharpens Iron. Todd resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

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Return to the Father

“If you return to me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve me” (Jeremiah 15:19 NLT).

All of us that follow Jesus have many things in common. One of which is that we are all sinners. As we become a believer in Christ, we are born again into God’s family. Once you are born again you cannot be unborn. Our relationship with God can, and will be, damaged by sin. However, read this closely – no matter the sin- the relationship is still there. The Parable of the Prodigal Son (also known as the Two Brothers, Lost Son, Loving Father, or Lovesick Father) appears in Luke 15:11–32. The love of our Father is unconditional, as is His grace. We as humans tend to deem some sin to be acceptable and some not. For example, sloth is a deadly sin, but we tend to look at it as far more acceptable than murder. God considers all sin equal. So, if we feel that our sin is too great to receive forgiveness and we cannot return to Christ, we are underestimating the power in His blood. Christ did not come for the righteous but rather for the sinners. So, that means He came for me and for you.

So, what can we do to regain our relationship with the Father? One word: Return! Come back to Christ. It’s that simple. Isaiah 1:18 says, “No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can take it out and make you as clean as freshly fallen snow.” As we earnestly repent our sins, they are forgiven. The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 103:12, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

If ever there were a sin you’d think was unforgivable, it would be the same as denying Jesus three times on the night He was betrayed. Jesus knew Peter would deny Him, and He even knew Peter would come back to Him. In fact, before it even happened, Jesus said to Peter in the Upper Room, “I have pleaded in prayer for you that your faith should not completely fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen and build up the faith of your brothers” (Luke 22:32).

Our Lord knew that Peter’s ministry would be more effective after his denial than it was before. Peter wrote two of the books of the Bible known as 1 and 2 Peter. Then he shared his memoirs with a relative, and that’s the gospel of Mark. Peter, who denied Jesus three times on that fateful night, was the rock of which Jesus built His church and was later recognized as the first Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.

Sometimes we think that God has forgotten us, but He has not. The Good Shepherd leaves the 99 sheep to go after the one. He knows how you’ve fallen away. It can happen through one big step or a series of small steps that have distanced you from Him. Regardless, we need to pray what David prayed when he came back to God after committing adultery. He said, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation” (Psalm 51:12). David did not have to pray, “God, restore to me my salvation,” because he hadn’t lost his salvation. He had lost his joy.

Prayer: Dear God, We are humbled by your unconditional love for us. Our sins separate us from you and as such we can do nothing. Restore in us a clean heart, accept our earnest plea for forgiveness of our sins, and provide us a peace that surpasses all understanding. Amen.

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Proper Casting is Essential for a Bountiful Harvest

“casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

All fishermen know that proper casting is essential to catching fish. For some fish such as bass, we cast and then slowly reel the hook back in to attract a strike. However, the opposite is true for some other fish. For example, when I fish for catfish, I cast and wait. 1Peter 5:7 is a favorite scripture of mine because it tells us that we can cast all of our anxieties on Him. The Psalmist gives similar instructions in Pslam 55:22. “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.”

Each day I cast my anxiety on our Lord. However, each day I also take it back. The key to fishing with God is patience. Fishing for catfish requires sitting patiently and waiting. “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord (Psalm 27:14). Our time and God’s time are as far as the East is from the West. 2 Peter 3:8 tells us “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.”

Some would say that an inability to cast and leave your anxiety on God is an indication of a lack of faith. Perhaps this is true but I don’t think so. I have faith but I think many of us struggle with the “human condition.” Faith is critical for a disciple, and I think it is a natural consequence of our human condition to cry out to God in times of despair. I would never underestimate the need for faith or the value of all the fruits of the spirit. However, I think love is of upmost importance to the disciple. “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing” (1 Cor. 13:2).

Our God is waiting patiently for us to come to surrender to Him and give Him our anxiety. Then, and only then, we can live without worry. “Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you” (Isaiah 35:4).

Fishing was a common trade in the time of Jesus. It is well known that some of His diciples were fishermen and even returned to fishing after His crucifixion. I love the story in John 21 when the disciples were not catching fish and a Jesus tells the disciples to “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” The disciples did not know at the time to whom they were speaking. His advice is still applicable today. We may not be physically fishing with nets or poles but all of us are fishing for peace. The key is to cast it on Him and leave it. Jesus will tell you where and how to cast it, just be patient and wait for His voice and don’t be surprised if you don’t immediately recognize the source of the voice. Cast your anxiety on Him and the harvest of peace will surpass that of all understanding.

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Trusting In The Valley and the Mountaintop

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4 KJV).

Jesus warned us that we’d have problems in life. No one is immune from pain or insulated from suffering, and no one gets to skate through life problem-free. You may have heard the old saying “nobody is an atheist in a fox hole.” Many of us turn to God during the difficult times in our lives but then go back to living in the flesh during periods of good times. This is a recurring theme for the Jewish people in the Old Testament and is epitomized by the story of the golden calf in Exodus 32.

The apostle Peter assures us that problems are normal, saying, “Don’t be bewildered or surprised when you go through the fiery trials ahead, for this is no strange, unusual thing that is going to happen to you” (1 Peter 4:12). God uses these problems to draw you closer to Him. The Bible says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). It is during suffering that we learn to pray our most authentic, heart-felt, honest-to-God prayers. We gain character and hope through our suffering and a closer walk with God. God could have easily kept Joseph out of jail, kept Daniel out of the lion’s den, kept Jeremiah from being tossed into a slimy pit, kept Paul from being jailed, beaten, and shipwrecked three times, and kept the three Hebrew young men from being thrown into the blazing furnace, but he didn’t. He let those problems happen, and each of those people was drawn closer to God as a result.

We trust God with our problems but do we always trust him with everything, including our blessings. Perhaps we should stop and ask ourselves – where do our blessings come from? James 1:17 tells us “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

According to the Genesis 22, God commands Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. After Isaac is bound to an altar, a messenger from God stops Abraham at the last minute, saying “now I know you fear God.” God is seeking our trust and faith in good times and bad. In other words, He wants us to trust Him with our blessings as well as our problems.

Hebrews 11 details the accomplishments of people of great faith: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and others. I find it noteworthy that Hebrews 11:31 details the faith of a prostitute. “By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.”

I like the King James Version of Malachi 2:2. This is important scripture that deals with the consequences of not trusting God. “If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.” Now, contrast this to the blessed life that awaits us if we do trust Him and trust Him completely.

You’ll never know that God is all you need until God is all you’ve got.

Prayer: Dear God, Help us to realize that You are always with us, always love us, and will never forsake us. Amen.

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Put On The ‘Full Armor Of God’ To Maintain Hope

Put On The ‘Full Armor Of God’ For Hope

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:11 NIV).

We all experience times in our lives in which we feel hopeless. For some, these periods linger into years and years. Given these circumstances, I would like to equip readers with some thoughts on how to maintain hope when all hope appears to be gone. In this article, you’ll find some thoughts on the importance of hope in your life. For your consideration, Job was a strong disciple of God, but had all of his possessions taken. He expressed hopelessness in Job 17:15 saying, “Where then is my hope — who can see any hope for me?”

I have heard it said before that the most dangerous man is one without hope. He feels he has nothing to lose and no future. I have seen the look in someone’s face when there is no hope. I have seen this in hospitals, prisons, nursing homes, hospice facilities and even in church.

One of the greatest goals of the enemy is to convince you that you have no hope and that God has forgotten you and you have no future. I recently heard on a Christian radio station, “If you do not believe in the promises of God, then by default you are believing in the lies of the enemy.” Carefully read the following premise: You must know that you are a beloved child of God that is very precious in his sight. He desires you to seek Him and for you to be happy. He will walk with you always and never leave you. All of your sins have been paid by the blood of Jesus.

The enemy appeared in the Garden of Eden with the same goal as today – divide, destroy, and deceive. The relentlessness enemy wants to rob you of your hope and joy.

Ephesians 6 goes on to explain how to fight the enemy.

The Belt (of Truth): “Stand firm in the belt of truth buckled around your waist,” Ephesians 6:14. The belt of truth involves our hearts and our minds. Truth keeps us close to Christ and is essential in the Christian walk. The belt of truth holds our amour in place. Commit yourself daily to be in the Word. “Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth!” Psalm 86:11.

The Breastplate (of Righteousness): “With the breastplate of righteousness in place,” Ephesians 6:14, a soldier with a breastplate goes into battle boldly with confidence. The enemy is constantly attacking with lies to steal our hope. Without the breastplate of righteousness, these will penetrate your heart. Become aware of who you are in Christ Jesus. Come boldly into His presence, (Hebrews 4:16).

The Shield (of Faith): “Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one,” Ephesians 6:16. The shield not only defends our whole body, but also our armor. The shield of faith has a very specific function: To stop all the fiery darts of the wicked.

The Helmet (of Salvation): “Take the helmet of salvation,” Ephesians 6:17. Satan’s target: Your mind. Satan’s weapon: Lies. The enemy wants to make us doubt God and our salvation. The helmet protects our minds from doubting the truth of God’s saving work for us. Our mind is the battle ground. “Since we belong to the day, we must be serious and put the armor of faith and love on our chests, and put on a Helmet of the Hope of Salvation,” 1 Thessalonians 5:8.

The Sword (of The Spirit): Put on “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” Ephesians 6:17. The sword of the Spirit is the only weapon of offense in the armor, but the Word is also a tool for defense. Lies and deception are all weapons the enemy uses against us. With the Sword of the Spirit, God’s word, the people are equipped to deal with them all. We need to trust in the truth of the Word.

It is so important that you begin each day with hope. Romans 5:3-4 tells us, “we know that suffering produces perseverance; and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” So if you feel that there is no hope in your situation, be patient and realize that you will develop perseverance, then character, and finally hope. It is a promise from God. Be blessed!

Prayer: Dear God, Thank you for Your provision and protection. Deliver us from all that is evil. Amen

Meet the Author

Todd Shupe is a Certified Lay Minister and Men’s Ministry Specialist through Francis Asbury Methodist Church in Baton Rouge, LA. He is a Board Member for Gulf South Men, an Action Team member for The Kingdom Group, and a Board Member for the Lagniappe Country Walk to Emmaus. Todd is a contributor to Project XII and Baton Rouge Parents Magazine. He is a Past President of the Baton Rouge District of United Methodist Men and remains active in this and many other local, regional, and international ministries. Additionally, he’s the author of the inspiring book “Fathering A Special Needs Child.” Todd also enjoys filling the pulpit to share the Good News of our Lord and Savior. Todd is the proud father of Emma and Kyle and resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

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Defeating Fear

“There is no fear in love; perfect love drives out all fear. So then, love has not been made perfect in anyone who is afraid, because fear has to do with punishment.” (1 John 4:18 GNT)

I have two dear friends that have no worries. They are not financially rich, but they are rich in the Spirit. I admire their love of God. They have absolute confidence in Him and His provision for them and their families. I love God but, I also have worries. I have a son with autism that will likely never speak complete sentences or have a job to support himself. I worry about his future when I am gone. I do not want to put a large burden on his sister, and I am very hesitant for him to be in a group home where he may be abused.

I have to remind myself of the endless love that God has for all of His children. My son will truly always be a child at heart and mind and as such I know he will one day enter heaven. Matthew 18:3 tells us “And He said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

My son has an inner innocence and kindness to him. He has no fear. He only gives and receives love. His vocabulary is limited so he has never professed Jesus as his Lord and savior, but I know that Jesus wants the children to come to him – children of all ages.

We can all take our fears and cast them on God. Once we focus on thoughts on God and His love for us, we become confident of our present and future. I realize how much God loves me and my son and in turn it is my joyful response to share His love with others. There are many opportunities and ways in which we can share God’s love. For some, it may be to join the choir. For others, it may be to help maintain and beautify the grounds of the local church. For me, it is to write and speak about my challenges and how I have yoked myself to Him to share my burden. I was comforted during my divorce by older men that had already gone through a divorce. I was comforted during the flood of my house by a close friend that quoted Isaiah 43:19 to me. I will always believe that God was speaking to me but was using my friend’s tongue.

God is love and wants good for all of us. His light will always conquer the darkness in our hearts and minds, if we let Him in. Faith and trust are essential to opening our hearts. If He loved us so much to send His son to die for our sins, He certainly loves us enough for us to leave our burdens with Him and then walk away with confidence that we are in His hand and there is no better place to be. Consider the words Jesus left with his disciples immediately following the Last Supper. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27). We are His disciples. Let our hearts not be troubled and let us not be afraid.

Prayer: Dear God we live in a fallen world and we have so many worries about ourselves and our loved ones. Help us to give these worries over to you and to not take them back. We know that You have plans to prosper us and not to harm us. We know that You have plans to give us hope and a future. We thank you for your tremendous love which we cannot even begin to fully comprehend. Please help us cast out the fear in our lives and replace it with the confidence that can only come from your love.

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Love is Everything

Love Is Everything

“Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5).

I overheard a conversation between a young couple recently. The couple agreed that they deeply loved each other but the young lady said: “love is not enough.” I was intrigued by her statement and gave it some thought. I certainly had no idea as to what struggles the couple was experiencing. However, I do have a decent understanding of the power of love. I pray that after reading this blog you too will have a better understanding of the supernatural power of love. Please read the Holy Scripture below from (1 John 4:7-19).

^“7Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. ¹⁰In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

¹³By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. ¹⁶So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. ¹⁷By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. ¹⁸There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. ¹⁹We love because he first loved us.”

Since God is love, we know that love has the same powers as God. Love is everything and in the absence of Love (apart from the vine), we are nothing. The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 13:2, “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” This is the same Love that walked on water, raised the dead, healed the blind, and conquered death. Now, don’t you think that Love is enough?

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but does not have love, I am nothing.

Prayer: Dear God, Your Word teaches “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Amen!

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The Battle for Purity

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8 ESV).

According to recent statistics, there are over 24.5 million web sites dedicated to pornography. A report by Bridges and Wosnitzer in 2007 found that there are 13,000 porn videos produced annually with revenue of $13 billion. In the same year, 507 movies from Hollywood produced $8.8 billion. Another report found that over 25% of all internet searches are for pornographic material. I am certain that what was true in 2007 has not gotten any better today. Marketing advertisers have long used sex and scantily clad women to sell everything from alcohol to weight loss pills. Now, with the advancement of the internet, download speeds, and a decline in moral virtue, pornographic material is highly accessible and in demand.

So, how do we resist this temptation? First, is to acknowledge that you cannot do it by yourself. However, you “can do all things through Christ who gives you strength” (Philippians 4:13). Recognize porn for what it is – a favorite weapon of the enemy. Now, recall how Satan tempted Jesus after 40 days of fasting and Jesus defeated him by using Holy Scripture. The power of the Word is great and can be used for many things, including “rebuking” (2 Timothy 3:16). So, rebuke impure thoughts in the name of Jesus. Each thought is the seed for potential action. This is why we are instructed to “take every thought captive” (2 Corinthians 10:5). If the thought is not taken captive, you have yielded a portion of your heart to the enemy and the thought will lead to action that does not honor God.

The heart is essential to our spiritual health. This is why we are encouraged in Proverbs 4:23 to guard it, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Matthew 5:28 expands upon the concept of the heart. “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” I remember years ago when President Carter quoted this scripture and admitted having lust in his heart.

The battle for sexual purity is fought in your heart. All actions, good or bad, begin with thoughts. The thought may have taken root days or even years ago and finally is manifested, often subconsciously, into action. The way you think determines how you feel, and feelings drive our actions. The Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 2:22 how to manage our thoughts before they ever head down this path: “Turn your back on the turbulent desires of youth and give your positive attention to goodness, faith, love and peace. ” Scripture encourages us to turn away from impure thoughts, and turn instead toward God. That two-step process is how you break a temptation before it ever gets started.

You’re thinking wrong long before you’re acting wrong. You stop the cycle by turning your back on those sinful thoughts and turning toward goodness, integrity, love, and peace. You’re not an innocent bystander to sexual sin. You have a choice. Choose to live in the Spirit.

Prayer: Dear God, Deliver us from all that is evil. Amen.

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Thank God for THE False Accusation

“Having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame” (1 Peter 3:16 ESV).

Have you ever falsely accused somebody of something and later discovered that your accusation was false? Perhaps you accused your spouse of eating the last slice of pie only later to find out that it was one of the kids? I think we all have both made and received false accusations. It is part of the human condition.

Rarely do we give thanks for false accusations. The more serious the false accusation, the deeper the real cut. However, Christianity would very likely not exist today if not for the greatest false accusation of all time. Jesus was falsely accused of blasphemy by the Pharisees. This is unprecedented because He was the only one to ever walk on this earth and live a sinless life. Some of His “crimes” in Jerusalem immediately prior to Passover included healing on the

Sabbath, turning over the tables of the money changers that had turned the temple into a den of thieves. He also stopped the stoning of a woman accused of adultery by challenging those without sin to cast the first stone.

As is often the case, false accusations speak much, much more loudly about the character of the accuser than the one being accused. So, what is the cause of false accusations? They are clearly intended to separate the Body of Christ and the accuser is being used as a vessel of the enemy. God allows us free will but will fight and rescues those that seek His face. “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10). God uses our suffering and adversity to prepare us for a closer relationship with Him and a more meaningful ministry to others.

Without these false accusations against Jesus, the subsequent crucifixion, resurrection, ascension and forgiveness of our sins would not be possible. The false accusation was imperative to initiate this important series of events upon which we base our faith. This is not intended to encourage you to falsely accuse your neighbor. A false accusation is perhaps the highest backhanded compliment that you can receive from the enemy. It means that he knows you have a glorious future of leading others to Christ and he wants to destroy you by the words of others or even better by suicide. I always enjoy a good challenge and have been told at various points in my life – you cannot achieve this or that. My determination is always strengthened and I make it a mission to achieve it faster and better than before.

Prayer: Dear God, Forgive us our sin of falsely accusing our brothers and sisters and help us to forgive those that falsely accuse us. We know that You are with us when we are falsely accused because You were falsely accused. May we view each false accusation that we receive as an invitation to respond in love and grace. Amen.

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The Power of the Mind

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:45 NIV).

I think we are all pretty much aware of the importance of good mental health and the power of positive thinking. However, the importance of our thoughts also has a profound effect on our spiritual health. This point is made clear in Philippians 4:8. “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” God is clearly encouraging us to focus our thoughts on things that are good and decent.

This is important because the mind is a battlefield of positive and negative thoughts. God is introducing positive thoughts and the enemy is sneaking in lies and negative thoughts. Both God and satan know the power of our thoughts and hence the battle for control. Also, both know the Holy Scriptures, although satan will misinterpret and misapply scripture as he did to Jesus after He fasted for forty days in the desert. The importance of our thoughts is evident in Luke 6:45. “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” This point is further amplified in Proverbs 18:21. “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” In summary, what goes into the brain is what comes out of the mouth. Have you ever noticed that over time you begin to take on the accent and other mannerisms of your close friends? For example, if you visit Boston for an extended period you will likely return with a different accent, particularly if you are actively engaged with the local population. Feed yourself “spiritual milk” and walk with confidence as the children of God. Speak words of life to all that you meet, especially those that belong to the body of Christ.

Action step: Take each thought captive and examine its origin. Godly thoughts will inspire, encourage, and strengthen you. Godly thoughts will give you confidence and an inner peace that transcends all understanding. Thoughts from the enemy will cause discouragement, self-doubt, resentment, worry, and embarrassment over past decisions. These thoughts are meant to divide and destroy.

Next steps: Who do you surround yourself with? What do you read, watch on television and the internet, and listen to on the radio? What books, newspapers, and magazines are you reading?

Give praise for Godly thoughts and rebuke in the name of Jesus those from the enemy. Be in the Word and the Word will be in you and you will have the only offensive weapon in the armor of God. Be actively involved in authentic, confidential, Christian small groups. Pray for God’s protection of your heart, mind, and soul from the enemy. Moreover, do the same for those you love and those that seek to harm you.

Prayer: Dear God, Please help us to take each thought captive. Amen.

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