But the Fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-25 (New International Version)
(22) "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,  goodness, faithfulness, (23)gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (24) Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. (25) Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."
 
While reading the above passages, I was led to think about the opposites of the fruit listed in verse 22:

FRUIT                   OPPOSITE
Love                      Hate
Joy                        Sorrow
Peace                    Absence of harmony & serenity, fear, torment
Patience                 Intolerance
Kindness                Inconsiderate, coldhearted, unforgiving
Goodness              Absence of good, badness, evil
Faithfulness            Unreliable, undependable, untrue, treacherous
Gentleness             Unkind in disposition, untamed, rough, crude
Self-control            Selfishness, no control, no resolve
 
In Philippians 4: 8-9, Paul tells us to think on these things:

(8) "Finally, brothers, 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. (9) Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."
 
The Bible teaches us that thought comes before action; sustained thought on anything will cause one to act or to be. Thought not only produces action but that particular action produces like fruit.

“Just as a gardener cultivates his plot, keeping it free from weeds, and growing the flowers and fruits which he requires, so may a man tend the garden of his mind, weeding out all the wrong, useless, and impure thoughts, and cultivating toward perfection the flowers and fruits of right, useful, and pure thoughts, By pursuing this process, a man sooner or later discovers that he is the master gardener of his soul, the director of his life. He also reveals, within himself, the laws of thought, and understands with ever-increasing accuracy, how the thought forces and mind elements operate in the shaping of his character, circumstances, and destiny”… James Allen

The Holy Spirit represents the thoughts of God the Father, who is the source of all goodness, the fruits of the spirit. This is the truth of cause and effect. In Him is all knowledge, wisdom, and love, of which supersedes their opposites… the law of sin and death.

John 16:13

13) But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future].
 
Would you rather your thoughts cause you to act or produce those things outside of the fruit of the spirit, or those from the Holy Spirit? We can be sure of the outcome if we "think on" the things of the Spirit, for there is "no law against them.” However, the opposite is true of those things that are outside of the Spirit.

“The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors; that which it loves, and also that which it fears. It reaches the height of its cherished aspirations. It falls to the level of its un-chastened desires - and circumstances are the means by which the soul receives its own. Every thought seed sown or allowed to fall into the mind, and to take root there, produces its own, blossoming sooner or later into act, and bearing its own fruitage of opportunity and circumstance. Good thoughts bear good fruit, bad thoughts bad fruit.

The outer world of circumstance shapes itself to the inner world of thought, and both pleasant and unpleasant external conditions are factors which make for the ultimate good of the individual. As the reaper of his own harvest, man learns both by suffering and bliss…” James Allen

So then, we have a choice, “think on such things”, or, think on unpleasant things, negative things, or let our thoughts run rampant, never controlling them. If we allow God, the Holy Spirit, be the center of our thought process, we are sure to see success and victory in our lives.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.  Proverbs 3:5-8

I believe today that you have chosen to live and walk in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit. It is easy to make the choice when you know and understand that the blessings of God await those who choose His thoughts.
 
I choose God! I choose the fruit of the Spirit!!
 
I pray that you will receive this message as an encouragement, knowing that someone cares enough to think about you and your relationship with our Father God.
 
Let us praise Him, and think on Him with all our being!

That You May Have Peace

In the 14th chapter of John, Jesus knows that the time has come for His greatest work. He knows that he was going to be betrayed and handed over to His enemies for His crucifixion. He and His disciples were at supper in the evening, when He rose and began to wash His disciples’ feet. Afterwards, He began to speak to them, about the  Father, answered prayer, The Helper in the Holy Spirit, and the gift of peace. During this time of turmoil in His own soul, He speaks to them and us about "His gift of peace".

John 14: 27    Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]

Then again in Chapter 16:33 Jesus says:  I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]

Also in Luke 10:19:

Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.

Spoken from the heart and mind of Jesus, the son of God who only speaks what the Father speaks, tells us that He has given all of us peace. It is the will of God, that we know He has provided everything for us. Then we have freedom to seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness.  Even our ancient enemy is defeated, and if he rears up to challenge us, Jesus has given us authority over him by using His name. It is by faith we take a stand (in peace) and use that authority.

So as one writer said years ago, (paraphrase)
"If God's Will for you is complete peace and joy, unless you experience only this, you must be refusing to acknowledge His Will. His Will is changeless; it is eternal; it does not vacillate. If or when you are not at peace, it can only be because you do not believe you are in Him. Yet, He is “All in All”. His peace is complete, and as His child, you are included; you must be included in it."

Being born again means that your spirit has become new – a new creation, created by God Himself. Your sinful past has been done away with, and that old self has been cast away, never to be remembered by God. All your sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus. So, your newborn “will” is “God’s will”, even though your mind hasn’t been re-born, it now has to be transformed. Paul tells in in his letter to Rome.

Romans 12:2

Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

Father God, the activities of the day seem to overwhelm us at times, and we forget that in your peace is where we belong, and where all answers lay. We seek your peace, and may the reality of that peace permeate us so that we are totally saturated by its very essence, every moment of every day. As we hold fast to that confession of truth, we receive unspeakable peace and joy. Therefore, we are able to share it with the world around us… In Jesus’ name… Amen.

Against Such Things There is No Law

Galatians 5: 22 - 25 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."
Since there is no law against the fruit of the spirit, then we see that the same applies to the Love of God. There is no law "against" it. This fruit has a limitless supply of seed to plant, which when given, returns a bountiful supply of its own kind. If there are any laws associated with these fruit and the Love of God, it is in favor of or FOR these things.

Now one can see how the kingdom of God operates. The kingdom operates on the law of Love; God's own Love. The laws of nature or natural things are suspended, (for they have limits or laws against them), but in this realm, the real of Love, there is NO law!

Now you can understand what Jesus meant when He said "you are free indeed!"

Now you can see what the "new creation" is made of; its possibilities are endless;

"All things are possible to him that believes."

You, in Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, walking in the Spirit, have come to a place where you have the mind of Christ.

Your confidence in Him is unshakable; you know who He is and who you are in Him.

You walk where He walks; You speak what He speaks through you; You fear nothing because His perfect love has casts out fear; You see the truth in every situation.

You have a peace; calmness; gentleness, a kindness that quietly overcomes every situation.

You pray for others and God answers. You spend time in prayer for others. All your needs are met, and you give as He directs you.

You have more than you could possibly imagine. The Kingdom of God has come to you! You live in it!!!

You wonder why anyone would choose anything else. Why would anyone choose a life of troubles and turmoil, when life in the kingdom of God is peaceful and full of joy?

You live and walk above worldly things. The adversary comes to you with reasons to be angry, BUT you are not easily angered.

He comes to you with pride, BUT your are not boastfu1! The adversary brings doubt, you have trust; he brings selfish thoughts, you think of and give to others. Nothing the devil brings to you can take hold...it floats away into oblivion, for only God's way, God's truth matters to you now!!

This is living in the Kingdom of God!  Praise God!!!
In the previous note "Love Hopes All Things" I mentioned 15 characteristics of God's love, and how it is projected outward towards mankind, in an overall sense. However, it is in the personal reception of this love where we experience the limitless benefits, such as: (For God is Love)
God is always (patient) with you. God is always (kind) towards you. God does not (envy) you (for he made you) God does not (boast or present Himself proud) towards you or the world. God is never (self-seeking) but seeks the best for you. God is not (easily angered) towards you. God doesn't (keep records of your wrongs) God does not (delight in evil, but rejoices in truth) God always protects you (in every way) God always trusts you God always hopes for you God preserves you (sustains) God (never fails) you
This is Salvation.   Hallelujah!!!!

Power For Us Who Believe

Do you ever feel like the whole world is against you? If you have not, well please be aware that many others have felt exactly that. Ever felt helpless? How about feeling powerless against the government, whether local or Federal? How about powerless against sickness and disease? Everything in life seems to be under the control of laws or rules. You, I and others seem to be “powerless” against this world machine we live in. You would like to just fly away into the heavens, but the law of gravity holds you down, and the atmosphere above the earth is cold and doesn’t have the life giving air mixture for you to breathe efficiently. It seems as if there is no escape. We see pain and suffering around the globe, while our leaders seem to not notice, but only hear and see through selfishness eyes, producing greed, avarice, and corruption.

Yet we live. Our gracious creator, Father, giver of life, has made everything here on earth, not only bearable but possible to live in victoriously!! You see, this physical world is what we make it (or what man has made it). God has made it so that we have victory over the world, “even our faith”. Our faith in Him, and His marvelous faith in us, His children; joint heirs with Jesus, gives us absolute dominion over our enemy and the world. That place is what Jesus spoke of in the gospels: The Kingdom of God. What is even more wondrous is, Jesus said: “the Kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:21

Ephesians 1: 18-20  I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, (19) and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, (20) which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.

In my studies of workplace diversity, workplace environments, team building, managing diversity, and leadership, I have learned much about human behavior. However, one issue I feel that is of great importance is discovering how people respond to new ideas, new technology, organizational change, and new or different types of leadership, and then how to address their responses accordingly.

More importantly, is when “believers” receive revelation from God through the Holy Spirit from His Word. How do they respond? Is it the same or similar to how people respond in their places of work when confronted with change? Since the spirit of God has essentially been removed from the workplace, one can 'naturally' assume that the response is from the soul… the mind, will, and emotions. The actual percentages of response in the workplace are quite interesting.
They are:
20% will respond favorably
50% will take the 'wait and see' approach (pragmatic or skeptical)
30% will have a negative response (traditional)

However, in the Christian Church, one would like to believe that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ would welcome revelation. Not only welcome revelation, but also internalize and act accordingly. In most cases the latter is not realized. People listen but don't hear. They look but do not see. Their senses are dulled by the familiar; revelation is filtered by religious tradition; truth seems to bounce off or is repelled by belief systems based on feelings, not 'by faith'. Growth is actually retarded by the hindrance of sense knowledge or the 'flesh'. So, it could be safe to say that most church-goers would respond just like those in the workplace.

As you can see, 80% will have non-favorable responses. What is the cause?
Doubt and unbelief! Why? There is a prevalent refusal or unwillingness to renew the mind with the word of God. The spiritual eyes seemed to be blinded by the enemy. Their spiritual ears seem to be blocked so they can’t understand.

John 3:6 'That which is born of the flesh is flesh (senses), that which is born of the spirit is spirit.' 
Jesus said, 'According to your faith (belief system) be it unto you.'

If your belief system is based in sense knowledge (flesh), you will have difficulty understanding spiritual truths. Most of us live in the sense knowledge realm. It takes effort to release the 'flesh' and welcome the Holy Spirit; we actually have to quiet our minds and become God-inside minded. You just can not contact God the Father with the senses/flesh. You can recognize the need for Him, but contact is made only through the spirit. He contacts you through the spirit. You may experience His answer in the senses, but you won't understand it unless revelation comes through the spirit. He makes it so that you will know that the answer came by His hand.

This is the place where you will begin to experience 'the power for us who believe.' Once you can tap into, OR once you establish 'that' spiritual relationship with Him, all things in the natural or physical world become fresh and new. Your perspective changes from being a victim to victor; you begin to experience a “glory to glory” life style. You begin to see through His eyes; love begins to dominate your life; selflessness replaces selfishness! What a wonderful place to be.

You will begin to understand: "That power is like the working of his mighty strength, (20) which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms."

This is the place where you begin to understand that “It is God who is at work in you, to will and to work His good pleasure”. Philippians 2:13

This is the place where God the Father wants you to live, each and every day.  I know that I want to live there. Let us tune in and find out what He has in store for us. It is  nothing short of miraculous!!! Let's turn unbelief in to faith... let us ask for our spiritual ears to be opened and for our spiritual sight to see as He sees… Praise God, let's chose to believe God today!!!

Blessings;

Ben Qualls

And Sets the Course of Nature

James 3:6

“And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets the course of nature; and is set on the fire of hell.”

Such a powerful description of the human tongue and it’s nature. The word “course” translated from the Greek literally means “a circuit of physical effects”. In other words, the tongue will cause a "circuit of physical effects" in the body. That should be enough to cause one to bring pause to one’s thought and words. Think on, meditate on, believe in the heart words and thoughts and emotions…eventually actions are produced; situations are presented to cause those things to manifest or come to pass.

Your spirit is guided by the words you speak and what has been stored all from all your life’s thoughts and experiences. It does not rationalize or decipher what is truth or what is not. It seeks to act on and produce what you place in it as what you believe. “The sower sows the word” Mark 4:14. Words planted in the soil (our human spirits) produces fruit, just like planting corn in the earth….it will produce after its kind. Corn seed will produce corn stalks and more corn seed; grape seed, grapes and so on.

Without words the spirit is blank. Just think, no language, no communication, just the primitive nature controlling. Unregenerate man, sinful man is described in Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

But Jesus said, Matthew 12:34-35 "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things."

Proverbs 18: 20-21

A man's [moral] self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; and with the consequence of his words he must be satisfied [whether good or evil].

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]

 The unsaved or "not born again" man brings forth evil.  The good man (born again) brings forth good things. The Word of God is nourishment for the newborn spirit; it will produce good fruit! Most “so called good people” will reject the notion and consider it reckless to suggest such a thing, even though it is there in the Bible, directly from the Holy Spirit.

Most people, including myself, have claimed unwise things as theirs/mine. We make statements such as "my back hurts"; "I really feel bad today"; "I HAVE the flu, cold, stomach virus, you name it and we have claimed ownership. We speak it at the first sign of a symptom, "guess I'm catching a cold", "hope I'm not getting sick (fear)". Guess what! Your spirit believes it's true , and it will guide you into a position to cause what you are saying to come to pass. "If you believe, all things are possible to him that believes." Your spirit will work night and day to bring you to a position to receive what you said. Even though in your mind you really did not want it, you spoke the wrong words into your spirit, or your prayed the problem; "Lord I'm sick, please heal me" is confusing. These two statements do not agree!! "Where two or more agree... "

For years now, I have been saying for years that we need to understand who we are in Christ! We need to realize that God has made us powerful beings who he has endowed with the power to create. Most will say, "I'm not creative". Well you have said it so much that your spirit has created a world for you that has stifled your God-given creative ability. But understand, your spirit still "created" something!! The spirit of man is soil for words. It will produce after what is planted. Fear produces more fear; Evil, more evil, good-more good, pure-purity; lovely-more lovely. We are have encouraged to think on things that are “pure and lovely and just”! We are encouraged to always think, say, and do what is right; refuse to think, say, and do what is wrong.

Who are we in Christ? There have been many books, poems, songs, and many other forms of verbiage describing who we are in Christ… let me offer one more.

God breathed His spirit into Adam. With that spirit, Adam was in fellowship and communion with God the Father. Even though sin entered, the creative ability did not. So when Jesus entered the scene, He re-introduces the Kingdom of God, showing mankind what goodness and sinless man could do. He demonstrated to all what being in fellowship and communion with God is like. Then He gave us the ability to do just that, by being born again and by receiving the Holy Spirit. That creative ability has now been energized by the Holy Spirit, where "all things are possible, only believe". We have access to all knowledge, to all wisdom, to all possibilities, in Christ.

Now we can understand the fruit of the spirit. Now we can see that, we've said things in the past that we don't remember we've said, and it manifests
in our life, and we wonder why "God allowed" it to happen, but it was us all along. We said, we believed it, and the spirit produced it, whether we remember or not. We must stop blaming God for our troubles, stop hiding behind the "sovereignty of God", and

James says, "Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights..."
Jesus said, "The thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy, but I have come to bring life abundantly"

I have heard people describe other believers as being "name it and claim it" believers. However, this only pertains to something good or a blessing, maybe a car, new job, house or something material. Yet, if it is something to one's detriment, hurtful, destructive, sickness, disease, or lack of money, then it's God's fault. You claim innocence. If it is bad, God did it or is doing it for a reason, but if it's good, can't be or it won't work. In other words, our sovereign God, will not back up what he said when He said, "You shall have whatsoever you say" if you believe. When are we going to wake up and accept responsibility for our human condition. It was/is/will be done by our words, when we believe in our hearts, either good or evil.

Yes God has made us these powerful beings who exercise a great power each and every moment of the day... the power of choice. We choose to be victims or victors! We choose to take charge of our thoughts or let the adversary think through us. We choose to believe Jesus or something else, for there is no in between. There is no middle ground!! God said very clearly, you are either with me or against. We set the course of nature or create a "circuit of physical effects" in our own bodies by the words we speak.

This message has been brought to you by the Holy Spirit, through one who believes God. One who endeavors to realizing who I am in Christ so that I can take the message to all who will listen, as God has directed me.

What better gift to give to you than a message of hope and encouragement. That you are most wonderfully made in the image of God, with a Spirit, Soul, and Body, able to create good and beautiful things throughout your life; able to perform miracles!! It is not too late to begin defending your spirit and soul. Take charge of your thoughts make sure that what your spirit receives will produce good and holy fruit.

And the God of Peace Will be With You

Philippians 4:8 - 9 NKJV

        "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there  is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things. (9) The things which you have learned and received and heard and saw in me, [do these things], and the God of peace will be with you."

A quote from one of many "self help" authors:

"What you see around you, those aspects that make up your life and the quality of your life are merely a reflection of your own thoughts, beliefs, feelings and energy. Your reality or your life as you see it is a mirror of who you are and what you believe. If you are having difficulty in any area - simply examine your thoughts and beliefs about that area and you will see that your reality reflects your beliefs. Researchers have proved, what we believe has a direct impact on our reality."

"Science has proven that your subconscious mind {the human spirit} picks up on your beliefs and then acts as your driver - taking you to the situations, events and people that correspond with your thoughts and beliefs. If you have negative beliefs and negative thoughts, your subconscious will take you to negative people, negative situations and negative events. You will simply end up creating a negative lifestyle. "

I Say:
If you have positive beliefs and positive thoughts, your subconscious will take you to positive people, positive situations and positive events.  You will simply end up creating a positive lifestyle. If you have Godly beliefs and faith thoughts, your spirit will take you to Godly people, Godly situations and Godly events. You will simply end up creating a Godly lifestyle.

Mankind, in search for truth, outside of God, seems to bring its findings right back to the Word of God. So, in worldly fashion, this author agrees with the truth of God, spoken through Paul and the Holy Spirit.

If one thinks and meditates on all that is pure, lovely, just, true, noble, and of good report, then those things of purity, of the lovely, and the just, and the truth, and of good report will be drawn to us. No wonder His Peace will be with us.

Folks, I believe it is a day of Praise! The God of Peace is with you, every second of every minute of every hour of every day!!!!

Father God. Let us seek your thoughts always, as we allow our “reborn” spirit to grow by your power and direction. As we trust you, our strength increases; as we seek you, our desire for your presence intensifies; as we receive your love, our ability to share it unfolds; as we look to you for direction, your light shines on our pathways. Darkness flees as your light brightens our life; as we meditate on all that is good, we know that all that is good will be ours for eternity. We thank you, and give you all the praise and glory, IN JESUS NAME!!!!!  Amen.

Be Strong in the Lord

Ephesians 6: 10 – 11 - NKJV
 (10) "Finally brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.
 (11) Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil".

The word "wiles" is defined by Webster as:  "to trick or entice somebody into doing or not doing something".

Genghis Khan, "the Barbarian", used a tactic or used his "wiles" to conquer, just as much as he used brute force. One of those tactics was to send spies disguised as ordinary citizens to the city/town/territory that he wanted to conquer. The spy’s job was to infiltrate the society and spread talk or rumors about the terrible and awesome power of Khan. They were effective enough so that the people were stricken with fear or terror, and would not try to defend themselves, surrendering themselves to be slaughtered or enslaved by a brutal and evil tyrant.

You may say that we are too smart and powerful (the USA) to allow such a thing to happen to us. As a matter of fact, we would even step in and try to stop that kind of thing from happening to most countries. Perhaps, the UN and or NATO would not allow such a thing to take place.

Think about this. There's something going on today in this country and around the world that's similar to the tactics used by Khan.  A religion exists today that is trying to conquer the world through words and acts of terror. While some say they are peaceful others perform terrible acts, killing others and themselves, all for the sake of this religion. (Not our God) Bombs in Baghdad, London, Spain, America, Yemen, and etc. Threats of nuclear bombs from Iran weigh heavy on the minds of many government leaders. They infiltrate, dilute and divide with fear tactics; confuse with double talk, "we're a peaceful religion... those others are extremists." Yet the common goal is to conquer and bring all people under this religion. Some of our government leaders are almost "shaking in their boots", and are willing to try man's diplomacy to "change their behavior". The only way to see change is to bring Jesus on the scene. He's the only one that can change hearts, not through fear but through love and Holy Spirit power.

As Christians or believers, we should recognize this tactic. We should see it for what it is..."the wiles of the devil", and our formidable and awe-withstanding power is the "armor of God".  We stand fast in prayer, believing God, and observe HIS awesome power unfold. Since this "religion" is not of Him, then it cannot stand. Anything that is not of "faith" (in God through Jesus Christ) is sin, period. And, that alone cannot stand against God our Father. It will perish and be destroyed.  That is where your faith belongs! Do not cower down to fanatics who are already doomed, lest you go with them. God tells us to put on the whole armor of God, and then STAND!  It takes faith to stand... it takes courage to stand… it take trust to stand!!!

1 John 5: 14 - 15
 (14) "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
 (15) And if we know He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him."

God is saying this to you, to us and every believer. You either believe it or you don't. There is no middle road. If God wanted the believer to be conquered by evil, then He would not have given us armor to withstand it. God would not have sent His only Son to die for our sins and to conquer satan on our behalf so we could have eternal life with Him, if he wanted us bow to the devil.

 What is your part in this grand plan of our creator? How do you make sure you don’t fall victim to satan? You have to be born again, filled with the Holy Spirit, and then transformed by the “renewing of your mind” by the Word of God.

The next step is to confess, or better yes “profess” that you are a born again believer and you are saved by faith in Jesus Christ.  Begin to realize that God has translated you out of darkness into His marvelous light in Jesus, and that satan has no more power over you. Renewing the mind is not a ”one time” event. It takes constant meditation and study and spoken affirmations over a long period of time, in other words, in is process that takes focus and God’s Holy Spirit.

Then you take a stand.  Stand up for Jesus and refuse to be conquered by fearful thoughts, and thoughts of doubt and unbelief. (they come to all of us). Say “no” to tyrants who uses their wiles against you with seducing thoughts of advertising, or promises of fortune and fame. Joy and peace comes sometimes when you have stood your ground and have seen the power of God move… when you know in your spirit that God is with you every moment of the day… He is for you in every endeavor, in your work, in your family. Know that He is in you through the Holy Spirit who brings to you His divine nature (God’s creativity, wisdom, knowledge, understanding).  Once you “know” this, satan will have no opening in you that you and God cannot close and seal forever.

Be blessed!!