As 2018 began to draw to a close, like never before, I started to see how important it is to have an identity… the right identity.
Identity speaks of who we really are, not the covering we put on when we leave the house, not the mask we wear to meet demands that life serves us, not the coat our surroundings has forced on us… but who we really are.
As Christians, our identity is the very life of Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us: “…as He is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17) nonetheless, this is, most times, not what we experience in the physical realm.
Why???
You see, I’ve come to understand for myself that what we believe…really believe, has a whole lot to do with our experiences in the earthly realm, and what we believe is a result of our thoughts. The Bible is telling us the truth when it says: “As a man thinks in his heart so is he” (Proverbs 23:7) we can’t separate our beliefs from our thoughts and we can’t separate our thoughts from our words… they go hand-in-hand-in hand.
I’m pretty sure this is not the first time you’re reading about your thoughts and how to control it… if I was reading this with you, it wouldn’t be my first time. But I’m not writing this because I want to join the multitude that is saying: “control your thought” I’m writing this because I know this is what God wants me to write about. It’s life transforming, even for me, as I write about it.
The mission of this blog post is very simple. The year is still fairly new and I just want to bring three areas to focus our thoughts and beliefs on…and then make sure they step into reality, effortlessly, yet powerfully, through our words…
You have to think on God’s Love for you…believe God’s Love for you…speak God’s Love for you.
God loves us so so so so so…so much, regardless of who we are… what we’ve done… or what we’re doing. I pray this TRUTH hits your inner core so HARD, and cause a remarkable transformation in your life. His Love towards us is unconditional.
How much do you think about this God’s Love I’m talking about? Do you even believe it? Do you speak of His Love towards you? Out loud? This is not just something that doesn’t matter, or something you can just do without; this is at the center of our walk with God. The Bible tells us: “But without Faith it is impossible to please God and be satisfactory to Him” (Hebrews 11:6) now if we don’t have Faith in God’s Love for us, the devil will make us believe that we can never get anything from God, and if we don’t believe we can receive anything from God, we won’t.
Do you want to see God’s favour in your life? Yes? Then, you have to be deliberate… begin a journey towards knowing, understanding and believing God’s Love for you. It doesn’t matter what you’ve ever done, it doesn’t matter what you’re still struggling with. Again, the Bible tells us:
“But God shows and clearly proves His (own)
Love for us by the fact that while we were still
Sinners, Christ the Messiah, the Anointed one,
Died for us” Romans 5:8 (AMP) See also Ephesians 2:1-10
So you have to let go of whatsoever, let go of whomsoever and just concentrate on Jesus. Don’t let anything or anyone come in-between you and God. Go to God for yourself, by yourself…and experience His Love.
I always like to ask; if not God, who else? The devil? Well, there are no in-betweens; it’s either God or the devil. So, if you’re running away from God…from His Love, where will you be running to???
No matter your state…no matter what, spend each day, thinking, believing and speaking God’s unconditional Love towards you.
You have to go gangster…Go Street…on the devil…with your thoughts…with your words.
Take the devil on! Wash him down to where he belongs. Let him become insignificant in your head and words; see him as the defeated foe he is. Play scenarios in your head, and make sure you capture him failing. Ridicule him and make sure to do it well. Take the devil on… REBUKE him! Tell him where you want him and where you don’t want him, he’ll obey you…yes, you.
Jesus has given us authority. The One Who is at the right hand of God with all angels and authorities and powers made subservient to Him. This one has given us authority… use the authority, against the devil.
When you feel like telling yet another lie, rebuke him! When you feel like getting angry unnecessarily, rebuke him! When you feel sick, rebuke him! As a matter of fact, start telling him how he can’t access anything that affects and is connected to you anymore. You know the areas you’ve seen his handiwork, begin to call those areas out loud and tell him how he is never permitted to show up again.
Now it doesn’t matter if you still see those things, while you’ve started thinking believing and speaking. When you start at first, you may be dealing with some doubts, but don’t let the devil make you believe that your declarations don’t mean anything. THEY MEAN SO MUCH IN THE SPIRITUAL REALM, if they didn’t, the devil won’t want to make you stop. So, if he’s trying to discourage you from thinking and speaking about his defeat, that’s a sign right there that he is utterly afraid of your thoughts and words. Don’t you dare stop…keep going…keep thinking…keep believing… keep speaking!
I believe you should spend so much time feeding on the Word of God, especially scriptures that speak of our authority and identity in Christ, and of course, His Love towards us. Don’t just read them, learn to recite them offhand, meditate on them, and say them out loud.
Don’t wait still you feel like it, before you begin to hush the devil in different areas of your life. If you wait until you feel like it, you’re probably never going to feel like it. According to Hebrews 4:12: the Word of God is alive, full of power, active, true, operative, energizing, effective, sharper than any two-edged sword… whether we believe it or not, whether we feel like it or not. So, go on…keep saying it, until you feel like it, until you really believe it for yourself.
Don’t say things like:
“God I don’t want the devil in my health again”
Or
“Jesus I’m tired of seeing the hand of the devil in my family”
No! Address the devil yourself. Tell him:
“devil I don’t want you in my health no more. Leave, in Jesus’ name!”
“devil your handiwork are no longer welcomed in my family!”
Let this year be the year you rebuke the devil and you watch him flee. Let this year be the year you’ll stand, with the authority you have in Jesus, and make hell have one more major worry… this way your confidence in Jesus’ goodness, power and wisdom will be strong like never before.
You have to understand God’s principles.
God has given us His Love and authority through Jesus, but they (HIS LOVE AND AUTHORITY) will only work within His template, His already laid down principles…and we can’t change this. It is wisdom therefore, to study God’s word for ourselves and ask the Holy Spirit to help us know God’s principles, so we can work accordingly, because even when we live in ignorance, God CANNOT change His principles.
For example; if you try to earn His Love you will only make it ineffective in your life. We can’t earn God’s Love; we just receive it. If you’re not a Christian you don’t have any authority against the devil, and you can’t rebuke no devil. It is what it is.
Now, as a Christian that has been given authority over the devil and one who understands that God’s Love is solely by Grace…God’s Grace, there are other principles in the Bible we must be acquainted with and must practice. I really can’t mention all now and here even if I try to, but I’ll just mention the few that the Holy Spirit is laying in my heart as I write this.
So;
Seed time and harvest: what are you sowing? You need to know because that’s exactly what you will reap…only our harvest is always way more than our seeds. For the career you want, for the marriage you desire, for the BIG future God is showing you, what are you sowing? You have to be intentional about your seeds. Make sure to have good seeds, and make sure to sow them in good and fertile soils. If you want a good career, prayerfully, look for the things that will make your career and begin to do them…sow seeds. What’s the easiest thing to do regarding the future God is showing you? Do it! It is more blessed to give than to receive: join the league. Let’s look for places to give…and give to the best of our abilities. I mean, wake up each day with a strong desire to give. Give your knowledge, give your wisdom, give your strength, give your service…to something healthy, something positive, to something you’re sure the kingdom approves of…give to someone in need, not in need…just give! More important, are you sowing to your spirit or are you sowing to your flesh? We have to deny our flesh a whole lot. Our flesh is a very strong ally of our greatest enemy—the devil, and together they fight our spirit, our very being that is one and the same with Christ. So, we can’t keep sowing to the flesh. Pray. Read the word. Surround yourself with Godly friends. Etc. (READ: Galatians 6:7, Genesis 8:22, 2 Corinthians 9:6-10, Acts 20:35, Luke 6:38)
You have to grow: growth is God’s way. For what you believe is your portion…are you matured enough for it? Are you matured enough to own your own business? Are you matured enough to be someone’s spouse? Are you matured enough to handle money… I mean checks with a whole lot of zeros? Are you? Are you passing your life tests and trials? Are you advancing? It is because God Loves you so so so much that he withholds things you’re not matured for, from you. No responsible parent gives a child a car to drive, and God is the creator of all responsible parents. You really have to grow up. (READ: Colossians 1:9-10, Hebrews 5:12-14, 2 Peter 1:5-8 Galatians 5:22-24)
God CANNOT bless your selfishness: so, it is only wisdom that you begin to think about being a true blessing to your world, because, dear one, if you want it for the fame, for the glamour, for yourself…count God out! His Love will remain in FULL, but He CAN’T bless your selfishness. (READ: Philippians 2:3-8, Galatians 5:19-20, James 4:1-3)
You cannot, at any time, put confidence in the flesh: “Lean on, trust and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind, and do not rely on your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths” Proverbs 3:5-6 (AMP)
My heart is FULL. My mind is renewing. I’m just super excited about yet another new year with Jesus. We serve the God that never changes, yet changes everything. He’s always coming to us with new wine. He’s always trying to make new wine out of us… but Jesus tells us:
“…no one pours new wine into old wineskins;
If he does, the fresh wine will burst the skins
And it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined…
But new wine must be put in fresh wineskins”
Luke 5:37-38 (AMP)
Bring your new heart, new mind…new you, and let’s believe God for a new wine. Best part is: more than we’re willing to receive from Him, He wants to give to us.
It’s already a Blessed Year.
Get in the gym,
Stay Spiritually Fit.
