When Satan Attacks Your Destiny
"When the Philistines heard that David had been crowned king of Israel, they tried to capture him; but David was told that they were coming and went into the stronghold. The Philistines arrived and spread out across the valley of Rephaim. Then David asked the Lord, 'Shall I go out and fight against them? Will you defeat them for me?'" (2 Sam 5:17-19).
When you are about to enter your destiny, there is always opposition from Satan designed to prevent you from fulfilling your destiny.
When Jesus was born, Herod tried to kill him. When Jesus was baptized and fasted 40 days, Satan came to tempt Him in an effort to derail his destiny. When David had been anointed king over Israel, God?s destiny had been revealed for all to see-even Satan. So, Satan raised up the Philistines to try and kill David's destiny.
However, in response, we see David do two things. First, he retreats to his stronghold. It is a place of protection. It is a quiet place. Second, he inquires of God. It is here that he inquires of God for the strategy to defeat his enemy. God reveals it to him and he goes on to defeat the Philistines. In fact, David NEVER lost a battle because he learned to inquire of God for the strategy to defeat his enemies.
Do you know God's intended destiny for your life? Beware of Satan?s strategy to attack you in the place of your destiny. His desire is to take you off this divine path.
We must follow David's example in response to the enemy of our souls. We must retreat to our stronghold, seek the Lord, and listen for His answer. Then, we will fulfill the purpose for which God created us.
Fulfilling Your Purpose"O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD" (Ps 139:1-4).
Your purpose in life is chosen by God. It is not negotiable. It is like calling water wet-there is no changing that fact, and there's no changing God's purpose for your life. While you may not fulfill the purpose for which you were made, you still have a purpose that God intends for you to fulfill. This is your blueprint from God. In the same way that He had a specific purpose in mind for Jesus when He sent Him to the earth, He has a specific purpose in mind for your life.
This doesn't mean, however, that there is one highly specific niche for you to fill and that if you miss it, too bad. We must believe that we can achieve our purpose in many different and creative ways. This should take the pressure off. You won't throw your entire life off course by choosing the wrong college, job or mate. God is much bigger than any miscalculation or disobedience on your part. "The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me" (Ps 138:8). Isn't that comforting to know?
Defining your purpose will help you to determine the activities that you should be involved in. Like Jesus, you should not involve yourself in activities that contradict His purpose for your existence. Jesus? purpose was to do the will of the Father and become the salvation for mankind.
Each of us must ask why we are involved in an activity. Is it a God-activity, or just a good activity? Remember, Jesus only did something if He saw the Father doing it, and He was able to see what His Father was doing because of His intimate relationship with Him.
Today, take steps to insure you are aligned with your purpose.
Monday, March 3 2008
The Filter of LifeMt. 15:18 – ‘But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.’
Having a son who has a heart defect from birth gave me a real lesson of human biology. To be healthy a human body really needs a healthy heart. Not to discount all other essential organs, but the heart is the only organ that pumps in and out the very substance that gives the body life - blood. Blood carries oxygen that enables each and every organ in the body to function properly so that eventually the whole body can function properly and thus the body can be healthy. Nothing can replace a healthy heart – regardless how healthy our other organs are, but if we have a defective heart, somehow other organ can’t function as they’re supposed to be.
And here Jesus gives a stunning fact to the Pharisees and to all of us that our heart is the source of evil. The heart is the filter through which we act, think, speak, and eventually live. We can beat up, in a sense, our physical bodies with many restrictions and severe disciplines. But the body is not the problem, our heart is the problem.
And if the heart is the problem, then we need a very serious solution – because no one and nothing can touches and cure the heart, only God can; only Jesus and His cross. Friends, if our problem is real, then our solution is real. It’s a matter of acknowledging and admitting that our heart is in a real need of mending and healing. Let’s get our hearts right today.
Tuesday, March 4 2008
The Diseases of the Heart – Part 1.
Mt. 15:19 – ‘For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality…’
I’ve noticed, among other things, there’s a growing frequency on TV’s advertisement in corresponds to heart issues – such as how to lower your cholesterol. One of the reasons might be that research has shown that more people have been diagnosed for some kind of heart diseases. And they’re pinning down on some common cause that could serve as a threat to the health of a heart.
And knowing those threats could be a life saver because now we know what to do to prevent any issues for the heart. Just as knowing common threats to our physical heart can be a life saver, and so is knowing the common threats to our hearts can prove to be a life saver to our spiritual life. So what are the threats to our heart? There are at least 4 of them. And we’re going to look at 2 of them today.
One is ‘anger’. And ‘anger’ says, ‘You owe me…’ Something – an opportunity, a position, a person, etc – has been taken away from you and you demand that the other person pays you back: he or she owes you something. The only cure or prevention for this is to forgive.
Second is ‘guilt’. And ‘guilt’ says, ‘I owe you…’ You’ve wronged someone in a significant way and you knew you owe them some sort of explanations and apology. And the simple cure for this is a simple confession – you confess your sins, not only to God but to those whom you’ve wronged.
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