Angels And Demons

The Bible tells us that angels and demons are both real.

In popular culture, demonic forces seem to get more press than angels. They’ve been a favorite focus of Hollywood and literature for decades.

Throughout history, in fact from primitive cave art modern movies – The portrayal of evil forces had invoked a strong fear response. Maybe you felt this yourself, reading a book or watching a movie.

The Bible tells of angels feel mini role in the life of a believer. They guide, comfort, and provide for the people of God in the midst of suffering and persecution and are an unseen presence that reassurance in times of fear.

You figure the unseen forces of evil? Do you Trimble of the notion of demons? Put your trust in faith in the living and sovereign God through His Son. Psalm 91:11 says, “For He will give His angels concerning you to guard you in all of your ways.” 1 John 4:4 remind us “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”

Why God Has You Going In Circles

I have asked this many times. Then I found this verse “And the Lord spoke to me saying, you have circled this mountain long en. Now turn north” in Deuteronomy 2:2-3 NASB.

The verse is referring to the Israelites refusing to follow the direction of God through the voice of Moses. God performed a multitude of miracles, He more than proved Himself to these people, and yet the still wanted to go their own way leading them to continually go in circles. They literally circled the same mountain for 40- years to make a journey that should have taken a few weeks.

So, why do we still continue to go in these same circles? Why, because we don’t really know where we are going, but we must think we do. If we continually do the same things over and over and keep getting the same results, and make the same mistakes over and over. This is due to a three pronged mistake; we think we know better than God, because we don’t always go to Him for guidance, and then we do, we don’t always listen and obey.

God gave the people of Israel guidance, but they chose to walk in circles around the mountain in a state of apprehension rather than having faith in God. Don’t we do the same thing? We may ask for guidance, doors close and new ones open, but we are too afraid of change or failure that we continue going nowhere out of fear.

God gave the Israelites many chances and He will do the same for us. God does not want to see anyone perish. But until we completely surrender, in total faith, and stop trying to control everything, can God then be free lead us towards a new path. Until we see the errors of our ways we will just keep going in circles.

Why are we so determined to run our own show? Why is control such a driving force behind everything we do? I think intellectually we know we have very little control over pretty much anything, but yet we try to force the course of the events, (our lives) in the direction we want it to go. And them we wonder why we get stuck, crash and burn.

If we would just let go of our control and let God handle things life could be so much easier, with way less stress.

But prayer is the only answer; it’s the only way out of this control life loop. We need to run to God every time we feel the desire to grab the steering wheel out of God’s hands. We need to stop-drop-pray. Pray for God to remove this desire from us; pray for Him to mend this character defect in us.

It’s hard for anyone to trust especially if people have broken our trust. It’s human nature. But God is not like man. He cannot lie, and He never breaks a promise.

Jesus tells us to become like little children and trust Him so we can learn His ways.

Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become like little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:3-4

If we aren’t willing to admit like a little kid, that we don’t know everything, we will never be open to learn, and more importantly, change. We must be humble, and willing to say, “I don’t know everything, I was wrong, teach me.” Then and only then are we open to change and free to learn.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

God has a plan; He isn’t just going along all willie-nilly. He has a great plan, and all we need to do to get inline with Him is surrender our plans for His. Sounds easy right? Well, this is by far the hardest thing we are ever going to have to do. Why? Is it so hard to truly let go?

We must pray for the ability to surrender. We must then act on this ability and do the great big let-go! We need to get it through our heads once and for all that God has a pre-planned agenda for us, and we have to do is get out of His way.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Do you know what good works is? I’ll bet it’s not what you think. It’s not going around doing good deeds or even helping people. Good works plan and simple is obeying God. It’s listening for His voice and doing whatever He says.

Stop Making Excuses

Making excuses is a natural human response – we are social animals, and we are what others think about us and we want to fit in. Rather than face uncomfortable conversations and feelings, we make excuses and avoid responsibility. There are usually one of three reasons why we make excuses: fear, uncertainty or lack of purpose.

The fact is to be successful we need to stop making excuses and become accountable. We should always strives to live according to our values. Accountability has always been a challenge for every who wants to change their lives for the better.

Too often people try to justify their failure or shortcomings through some kind of excuse, such as laziness, lack of motivation, fear of failure or sometimes too much pressure from friends or family.

Being able to take accountability for our behaviors is essential if we want to achieve success in life, improve ourselves, become happier, healthier, so even wealthier,

I struggle with this as much as the next person. I have been trying to lose weight for 3 months now. I am going to a weight loss clinic so I can be held accountable for not losing the weight. I still find myself making excuses for why I eat what I eat or don’t eat. I’m writing this for me just as anyone else.

Accountability is something we should practice every single day. When we don’t take responsibility for my actions, habits and behaviors, we tend to get into a vicious cycle where good things turn bad and we fail to reach our goals.

Too often we engage in self-defeating behavior such as criticizing or complaining about other people. Maybe your like this you tell yourself “I know I need to stop indulging in fatting food and that my behavior is destructive because they affect my self-esteem and how I behave towards others.”

I ask myself “what will happen if I don’t take responsibility for my actions? I know how much damage I am causing myself. Yet I still refuse to change.

In our busy lives, we often forget to carry out even simple tasks. This leads us to blame other people or circumstances without realizing that we are the ones carrying them out,

It’s time to stop making excuses. There’s nothing worse than someone who makes excuses instead of taking accountability. I tend to use my husband as an excuse for not eating right. I tell myself “I have to cook for him so I’ll just eat what I’m making for him.” But I can just as easily eat a salad or a healthier choice,

What happens next time we mess up or fail at whatever task we have set out for ourselves to accomplish?

If we really want to change our lives for good, we need to take ownership over our decisions and there outcomes.

My goal is to stop making excuses and start being responsible for my weight loss.

I know that my using excuses are the way I’m avoiding my responsibility. And all the negative thoughts and bad habits hold me back from achieving my goals.

We tend to make excuses and then beat ourselves up for the results we get. Here are a few steps I am working on to change this:

  • Accept the truth about myself. Stop lying to myself.
  • Get rid of negative thoughts that hold me back. Stop saying to myself things that are nice when I feel guilty or ashamed.
  • Develop an interest in what I do as part of my responsibility. Such as getting interested in exercising, instead of telling myself I don’t want to do it all day.
  • Stop comparing myself to others. WoW this is a big one. I compare myself with all the skinny younger people and then tell myself a lie that I can still look like this.
  • Start taking responsibility for everything I do. Instead of blaming everyone around me for my problem. Find out why I’m acting the way I do. And then learn how to correct it.
  • Learn to say no. This is a big one. I cannot say no, if someone asks me if I want a piece of cake. I cannot say no. Or I’ll say no and get tempted to have one because everyone else is eating cake. I need to say no and stick to it. Even if it means leaving the room while others eat cake.
  • Set realistic goals. I tend to set impossible goals for myself. I say I’m going to lose 10 pounds this week. Which is impossible but then I feel guilty because I didn’t meet that impossible goal.
  • Follow through with promises. If you tell people your going to do something do it. I struggle with drinking water (mostly because I don’t like the taste) I’d rather have coffee or a soda, its another temptation for me.

I hope this will help someone else. I wrote this emphasizing losing weight. But these steps can be used in every excuse we make.

We must stop making excuses and take charge of our life if we’re going to change.

Rolling Away The Stone

You know what it feels like. You feel like you’re in the dark. You sort of know how things should be, and where you ought to be in life, but something keeps holding you back.

Even when you see a speck of light in your darkness, it seems like there’s always a hindrance, a blockade that hinders you from stepping out and going forward.

It’s like we need the Spirit of God to come and roll away a stone that seems to be sealing off our life and the future. We need to see all the light instead of just a glimmer of it every now and again.

God’s Word says “Ask and you will receive.” But too many people have gotten in the habit of not asking, and thinking they can do it on their own. Sometimes the stone is too hard to be rolled away by ourselves. And we need God’s problem solving abilities.

People who don’t have Jesus in their life are upset by every bump in the road and every crack in the sidewalk. My mother used to say “Don’t step on that crack you’ll break my back.” Sometimes people feel the weight of there back breaking from every crack in their life. That person without Jesus freaks out as soon as they find something wrong with another person, or their job, or even in their church. So, they cop out, jump ship, bail out, and call it quits.

If you’re walking in a carnal mindset, when trouble comes around they enter into a danger zone. Doubt and unbelief will cause them to be part of the problem instead part of the solution. Fear can cause us to become self-sabotaging. We talk and act in a ways that are self-defeating and can get caught in a emotional tailspin that we have caused ourselves.

I have spent most of my life in self sabotaging, self defeating mode that had me always in a emotional tailspin. Most the time I would create my own problems.

But then I realized that I had to start living my life with a little faith that everything would work itself out. Stressing and worrying about everything was only causing me pain and suffering and above all I was physically and mentally at my wits end. I decided I couldn’t live that way anymore. I was not only destroying myself but the others around me. So, instead a began trying to find solutions instead of causing problems.

When we are being challenged by obstacles and opposition, the first thing to remember is what Romans 8:28 says “All things work together for good to those who love the Lord…” Today I still have this scripture written on an index card, taped to the mirror in my bathroom. So, that I can see it every morning.

If there’s a problem or challenge in your life, you can be sure that there is something good in it so you. It’s a guarantee! It’s just a matter of looking for it.

Once you’ve decided to believe God that there’s some Good somewhere in your situation, you’re ready to divide and conquer your problems.

And that stone, that hard situation holding you back, isn’t a mountain it’s simply a stone – a piece of a mountain. And God can help you roll it away so you can begin to see the light more and more. That rock that stone – that piece of the mountain that you are experiencing is a obstruction. And odds are there is Gold in the rock, it that problem.

When we keep on hammering on the stone and God begins to roll it out of our way. We begin to see the light shining bright. When we walk in faith that there is light behind the rock. God begins showing us more and more.

When things appear to be natural, we become our own source of mental, emotional and spiritual poverty. The darkness and hopelessness can invade and fill up the treasured room in our hearts. It’s in those moments when we surrender to our doubts and fears that open up ourselves to be robbed by the enemy and he begins to push the stone in front of us in an effort to close us off to remain in the darkness.

God gives us the power to choose. That means You and Only You can decide what to let in, welcome, or receive into your heart.

God tells us to “Stay alert! Pay attention! Whatever you allow to come into your heart will flow out of it, affecting you life!’

Rebellion

God described Jerusalem and its people at rebels who engage in habits that corrupt their lives morally and spiritually choose a prophet Zephaniah.

What sorrow awaits rebellious, polluted Jerusalem. It does not trust in the Lord. If leaders are like roaring lion hunting for their victims. It’s judges are like ravenous wolves. It’s profits are arrogant liars. It’s pretty defile the temple.

Zephaniah 3:1-4

They were determined to go their own way and we’re not interested in the things of God. They did not trust or seek Him.

Its leaders were particularly guilty. The political leaders were determined to take advantage of the people for their own benefit. They were like roaring lions hunting for victims. Doesn’t that sound like America today? Even it’s spiritual leaders were like “arrogant liars seeking their own gain.”

God continue to focus on moral behavior, fairness, honesty, righteousness, and the commitment to truth. Why? For He was “still there in the city and He does no wrong. He hands down justice.“ God is consistent, for “He does not fail,’ (Zephaniah 1:5).

But these principles did not matter to some people. God tried to get their attention, but they refuse to listen or change. God was concerned. He warned about the horrible consequences of rebellion and what happens when there is no commitment key purity and godliness but a willingness to embrace self-centered behavior.

The Bible makes it clear that there are destructive consequences for rebellion, rejecting God’s Word, and going our own way. Ask God to show you if you are guilty of rebellion. Seek the clarity of His Word. Be sensitive to the leading of His Spirit. 

The Bible speaks of “birthing pains” before the tribulation. Many don’t recognize it, but we are experiencing “birthing pains.”

Matthew 24:6-8 tells us, “See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. Or nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All of these are the beginning of the birth pains.”