Living Today

As we live life, we need to understand that we have an adversary in this world, who wants us to fail, or to fall short of what God wants for our lives.


John 10:10

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to
kill and to destroy: I am come that they might
have life and that they might have it more
abundantly.


In John 10:10 it says that the thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. That thief is the devil and he will do what ever it takes to stop us from living the more abundant life. He will steal away our peace, our joy or anything that would be a blessing. He would like to see us dead, and if he can’t kill us he will work at destroying our life so that we fall short of what Jesus Christ made available.



                   I Peter 5:8

                   Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary
                   the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about,
                   seeking whom he may devour.



The devil is like a roaring lion. The lion roars so that what it is hunting will stop with fear, pausing long enough so that the lion can catch and devour its prey. The devil is like this too. He wants us to be afraid of him. So that he can stop us. I would like to talk about two ways that he tries to get us to fall short of what God has promised us in his word.


The first way is regret. The dictionary defines regret as distress of mind, to be keenly sorry for, or an expression of sorrow. Sorrow is defined as a cause of grief or sadness. So when we live with regret, we live in sorrow. God has not called us to live in sorrow or with distress of mind. He has called us to live in peace, with joy in our hearts.



                   II Corinthians 7:9,10

                   Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but
                   that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made
                   sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive
                   damage by us in nothing

                   
                                For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation
                   not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the
                   world worketh death.



There are two types of sorrow or regret. The first is from God as after a godly manner. It helps us to have regret so that we change and live the way God would want us to live. The second is sorrow of the world and comes from the adversary who wants us to live with regret and sorrow so that we live in the past without hope. We cannot change the past so we should not allow the devil to keep us there. When we live in the past we have a hard time believing the promises of God and living the more abundant life.



                   Proverbs 15:13

                   A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance;
                   But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken



The word broken means stricken or wounded. When we have sorrow in our heart, our spirit is wounded  or stricken. When we live with regret from things in our past, we can find ourselves in bondage because of the sorrow we feel.



                   Psalms 13:2,3

                   How long shall I take council in my soul,
                   having sorrow in my heart daily? How long
                   shall mine enemy be exalted over me?

                   Consider and hear me, O Lord my God:
                   lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;



What this is saying is, how long will I let sorrow dwell in my soul? For that sorrow is in my heart daily. How long do I allow the adversary to have the power over me so that I live in sorrow. Help me so that I can see the deliverance lest I continue in sorrow and wish I would die. I know what this is like. Before I got into the word and I found God,  my life had so many regrets and so much sorrow that I had gotten to the place that I wished that I would die. The day that I found God was the day that I had decided that life was not worth living. The devil had gotten me to the place that l had so much sorrow in my life that I was going to kill myself. But I gave God one last chance to help get rid of the sorrow and pain and he did. He gave me the answers I needed to overcome the attacks. I found great joy and peace that day and have never looked back.. I will always keep God first in my life.


The second way that the devil tries to stop us is with dread. Dread is to feel extreme reluctance to meet or face. To be apprehensive or fearful, causing great fear or anxiety.



                   Deuteronomy 1:29,30

                   Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither
                   be afraid of them.

                   The Lord your God which goeth before you;
                   he shall fight for you, according to all that he
                   did for you in Egypt before your eyes



Don’t let yourself have great fear or anxiety. That is what the devil wants you to have. So that you are worried about the future and live with fear of something that has not happened yet. If we have dread, then we don’t believing the word of God. Fear will bind us so that we cannot receive the promises of God.



                   I Chronicles 22:13

                   Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to
                   fulfill the statutes and judgments which the
                   Lord charged Moses with concerning Israel:
                   be strong and of good courage; dread not, nor
                   be dismayed.



Dread is the fear of the future. We will prosper when we believe the truth of the word and live it. We need to overcome that fear. From the dread that we have in our lives we learn to procrastinate, to put things off in our lives and deal with them later. We need to believe the word and take care of things today. Don’t wait until it is convenient for you or just don’t face it at all. That is not what God wants us to do. We need to overcome the fear.



                   Psalms 34:19

                   Many are the afflictions of the righteous:
                   but the Lord delivereth him out of them all



If we want to get rid of the regret and dread that is in our lives, we need to go to God. For he is the one that will deliver us from all our afflictions. We just need to believe and trust in him always.



                   Hebrews 4:2

                   For unto us was the gospel preached, as well
                   as unto them: but the word preached did not
                   profit them, not being mixed with faith in them
                   that heard it.



When we hear the word taught, we need to believe that it is the word of God, That it is not just words that someone wrote down to sound good to us.  If we do not, then the word has no profit, and we continue to live with that regret or dread that we have in our lives. We have no way to overcome the attacks of the adversary and we will live defeated lives.



                   Hebrews 4:7

                   Again, he limited a certain day, saying in David
                   Today, after so long a time; as it is said, today if
                   ye will hear his voice; harden not your hearts.



The amplified bible gives a better translation of this verse.



                   Hebrews 4:7

                   Again he sets a definite day. [a new] today,[and
                   gives another opportunity of securing that rest] saying
                   through David after so long a time in the words
                   already quoted. Today, if you will hear his voice
                   and when you hear it, do not harden your hearts.



Today we can find peace and rest with God, for we don’t need to live in the past or the future. God wants us to live for him, today, he wants us to hear his voice, his word so that we can be free of the bondage that regret and dread can bring to our lives.



                   James 1:21

                   Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity
                   of naughtiness and receive with meekness the
                   engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.



If we want the deliverance from the bondage of regret and dread, we need to receive the word with meekness. We need to stay meek to what God’s word says to us and how we are to live



                   Colossians 1:9,10

                   For this cause we also, since the day we heard
                   it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire
                   that ye might be filled with the knowledge of
                   his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

                   That ye might walk worth of the Lord unto all
                   pleasing, being fruitful in every good work,
                   and increasing in the knowledge of God.



God wants us to be fruitful in everything that we do. He wants us to increase in knowledge of his will, which is the bible, his word. If we know God’s word, we can be ready for the attacks that the devil will throw at us.



                   Colossians 1:11-14

                   Strengthened with all might, according to his
                   glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering
                   with joyfulness

                   Giving thanks unto the father, which hath made
                   us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of
                   the saints in light:

                   Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness,
                   and hath translated us into the kingdom of
                   his dear son

                   In whom we have redemption through his
                   blood, even the forgiveness of sins



         We have been strengthened with the power of God. We can overcome and win because of what Jesus Christ done for us. The literal translation  of Colossians 1:13 says who has rescued us out of the exercised power of darkness and has given us citizenship by his dear son. God has rescued us so that the devil doesn’t have power over us. So we don’t have to live with regret or dread. The devil doesn’t have control of our lives, we do, because of what Jesus Christ did for us. So are you going to believe the lie that the devil tells you or the truth of God’s word?



                   Proverbs 3:1-8

                   My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart
                   keep my commandments:

                   For length of days, and long life, and peace,
                   shall they add to thee

                   Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind
                   them about thy neck; write them upon the
                   table of thine heart:

                   So shalt thou find favour and good
                   understanding in the sight of God and man.

                   Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and
                   lean not unto thine own understanding.
                   In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall
                   direct thy paths

                   Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord,
                   and depart from evil

                   It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow
                   to thy bones.



God is the one that will heal our heart and keep us from the attacks that comes our way. We need to make the word a part of our heart, for when we know the word we know God’s will for our lives and the devil can not get us to fear or have sorrow.



                   Proverbs 3: 23-26

                   Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and
                   thy foot shall not stumble

                   When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid;
                   yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep
                   shall be sweet

                   Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the
                   desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.

                   For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and
                   shall keep thy foot from being taken



God is our protector. We can walk in safety, every moment of the day, even as we sleep. So we don’t have to live with the sorrow or fear. We are confident that what he, God has promised, he will also do for us.



                   Philippians 4:6,7

                   Be careful for nothing; but in everything by
                   prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
                   your requests be known unto God

                   And the peace of God, which passeth all
                   understanding, shall keep your hearts and
                   minds through Christ Jesus



         It says to be careful or anxious for nothing. So don’t worry about things, just talk with God in prayer, share your heart with him.  Then you too will find peace, the peace of God, which will keep you heart so that you will not have sorrow or fear.  For God loves you.