on June 23, 2010
"Something happens when we pray: Powers of evil lose their sway
We gain strength and fear gives way- Therefore, let us pray." (from ODB)
Satan wants to keep unbelievers blind by keeping believers defeated! Let's do everything we can to live victoriously, so as to make unbelievers wonder and long for what we have- that calm assurance that God is in control @ ALL times- good and bad.
Read Galatians 5:16-19 and 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.
Prayer Focus:
How DO we walk(action word) in the Spirit, so as not to carry out(another action word!) the desires of the flesh? What exactly IS the flesh anyway?? The flesh is 1)a way of thinking. Our minds control our physical bodies just like a pilot directs an airplane. The flesh is 2)an un-renewed mindset. In summary, the flesh is any way of thinking that goes against God's Word. The flesh is not bad behavior but bad thinking. It's the unconquered mindset that defeats us. Bad behavior is the manifestation of bad thinking. The devil has no power over the believer except to make a suggestion. What we DO with that suggestion is up to us!
If we do choose to "walk in the flesh" strongholds may result. A stronghold is a house of thought that resides in the mind. Uncontested thoughts that do not line up with God's Word can lead to strongholds. If we have a sinful or defeating thought, we should speak out loud a scripture that counteracts this thought. Let's try a simple example. Start counting to 10 in your mind.
About half-way through, SPEAK your name out loud. The counting process was interrupted by saying your name. Let's interrupt wrong thoughts by speaking God's truths. It's been said, "We can't stop a bird from flying over our heads, but we can stop a bird from building a nest in our hair! We must know God's word well, to be effective in this war!
Satan starts with our minds. He starts with a mental attack. Is Satan in the cockpit of our minds or is God in the cockpit? Ask, "Who's the pilot of my body?" We need to be a custodian over our thought lives. We must not allow Satan's lies to be the building material of our houses of thought, which can turn into strongholds to defeat our ability to live victoriously!
Yes, we are free to do whatever we want; but whatever we want to do may not bring us freedom. Let's remember God's law of sowing and reaping. Sooner or later the crop's coming in. There are no crop failures concerning a life of sin!
All sinful actions or defeating thoughts/attitudes come from a wrong way of thinking. Life is hard enough from external troubles. We don't need to create an internal war! Satan would have us be "conformed to the world's way of thinking." We must be "transformed by the renewing of our minds." Rom. 12:2 If we don't change our mindset, our behavior WON'T change. "Do we want to be well?" Jesus asked the man @ the pool this question. Why do Christians sin? Because they WANT to or they don't know HOW to renew their minds. Why do Christians entertain defeating thoughts? I believe they don't counteract those thoughts with God's Word.
To fulfill the lust of the flesh is to ACT ON that wrong(contradictory to God's Word) way of thinking. The deeds of the flesh (Gal. 5:19) all start in the mind and then become actions. To stay defeated in our minds is to BELIEVE Satan's lies, to allow a wrong way of thinking to be a stronghold.
May we "walk in the Spirit", that is, live with a mindset that lines up with God's Word. May we see everything from God's point of view. Not the media's point of view, not the talk shows' points of view, not the President's point of view!
It's not a matter of trying harder or using will-power. It's a matter of getting to know God better, to lean on Him more, to trust Him more! God doesn't want sacrifice, He wants obedience!
Submitted by ~Bonnie Bitetti
Thursday:
- Praise God for the victory He gives us in Christ Jesus..
- Join our 6:00pm Thursday night prayer team (in prayer if not in person).
Friday:
- Praise God for the gift of His Spirit who is working to transform us by renewing our mind – changing our thinking!.
- Pray for the Good News families of the week: Matt & Megan George ( ), Pete & Laurel George (Annabeth, ?), Pastor Dave & Cindy George
Saturday:
- Confess the ways that you have allowed Satan to influence your thoughts, that in turn influence your actions and attitudes.
Sunday:
- Ask God to help you create a mindset and thought life that is influenced by His point of view.
- Join in with our Sunday prayer services to pray for God’s presence and blessing.
Monday:
- Pray that others will see God’s influence at work in you and will also choose His opinion over popular opinion.
- Attend “In Touch” Prayer meeting at GNCC at 10:30am or join in prayer at that time.
Tuesday:
- Pray that our church will be led by the Spirit to live victoriously over thinking that is contradictory to God’s Word.
Wednesday:
- Pray that we all will come to know God’s Word well enough to keep the Devil from nesting in our hair.
Prayer Challenge: Join with our Thursday night prayer team in desiring victorious joyful living for believers and salvation for unbelievers.