Seizing the Anointing on Our Lives to Overcome Fear, Insecurity, Inferiority and Unbelief

Psalm 41:7
All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me.

Is the devil whispering in your ear this Easter season? He may sound something like this:

  • You are not good enough to minister to others. Let someone else do it.
  • Why are you trying this? You will fail.
  • Why would God have a place for a sinner like you? You will be embarrassed if you do that.

Be on guard. One of the Satan’s favorite tricks is to have his whispers come to us through the voices of those who we know, those who we love and those who we trust.

We must take on the full armor of God when the enemy begins whispering defeat into our lives. Our victory and our anointing in Christ has already been set. We need to seize the anointing on our lives that will break off the yokes of insecurity, inferiority, fear, and unbelief.

When Satan accused Joshua, listen to how Jesus responded, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” Zechariah 3:2 We need to respond in the same manner every time Satan accuses us. We must learn to recognize his attacks and respond immediately under the authority of Our King, Jesus Christ. Otherwise, we will become comfortable with the lies spoken against us. The victory is ours in the name of the Lord, Jesus. We must learn to claim it.

Let us close our ears to the enemy’s lies. Let us claim our victory in Christ. Let us proclaim the glory of Our King this Easter season.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the armor that You provide us. We thank You that the enemy cannot lead us astray when we take on the armor of protection that is ours through our Blessed Hope and Assurance, Jesus Christ. Thank You, Jesus, for providing our victory over all evil. Teach us how to live our lives in victory. Prepare the hearts of those around us to be drawn to the life in victory that we display. We ask all these things in the name of the One who is our stronghold in our times of trouble, Jesus Christ.

Placing Our Futures in His Hands

Isaiah 52:12
For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

As the glorious Easter celebration approaches, our thoughts are likely to turn toward a new path ahead in our lives. Let us not rush out to make decisions. Let us move forward toward our new path, not in a disorderly fashion, but under the leading hand, instruction and protection of the Holy Spirit.

Let us move on to our new path knowing that God will be with us. Through His Son, His Holy Spirit has been sent to guide us. Under submission to Our Savior, we can let loose of the things of this earth and grasp on to the things of God’s kingdom. We can shake ourselves from the dust of our doubts and our fears. Our victory was settled on the Cross. May the presence of the Lord be constantly before us and behind us.

Let us live each day knowing that the Lord Jesus reigns in our lives. Let us live in the fullness of the good tidings that came in with His birth and move ahead confidently under the promises of His death and Resurrection. Let us place our futures firmly in His hand. Let us live today in freedom, in peace and in service to His calling on our lives. Let us move forward boldly into our manifest destiny in Christ under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your constant presence in our lives. We thank You that You go before us to prepare our path forward and that You stand behind us to protect us on our journey. We bless the name of Jesus whose victory on the Cross allows us to live our lives without fears or doubts. We pray that the Holy Spirt will guide us as we seek the new lives that You have set aside for us. May those around us in the world be drawn to Your Son as they see us living our lives under His reign. We ask all these things in the name of our ever present shield, Jesus Christ.

In All These Things We Will Be More Than Conquerors

Romans 8:37
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

You just found out that your company is planning massive layoffs and your department will be hit hard. Or maybe the school called to let you know that your child is being bullied. Or perhaps you discovered that your family is being ostracized because of your Christian beliefs. How are you responding to your circumstances? Are you depressed? Are you in despair? Are you fearful?

Jesus teaches us that we should expect these types of trials in our lives. To think that we will not have challenges or trials because we are children of God is in direct opposition to what Jesus teaches us. So expect tribulation, but take courage for in all theses things we are more than conquerors through Our Savior.

Do not miss the importance of Jesus teaching us that “in all these things” we will be more than conquerors. Because Jesus Christ has paid the price in full for each of us, we can and will rise up and find joy in the midst of all of our troubles. The undaunted presence of Jesus Christ makes the world’s challenges impotent. No thing nor no power can put a wedge between us and the love of God that provides our resilience. Not only will we overcome, but our faith, our trust in God and our joy will increase through the experience.

Let us stand tall against the enemy. Let us rejoice and have faith for the victory is ours.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for liberating us from our present sufferings by providing the hope that comes from the freedom and glory that has been set aside for us through Your Son, Jesus. We exalt His precious name for making us conquerors over evil and our own flesh. We pray for the courage and the strength to face and defeat every trial that the enemy throws our way. We rejoice in knowing that the victory is ours because it was first won on the Cross. We ask all these things in the name of Our Blessed Hope and Assurance, Jesus Christ.

Supernatural Assistance to Overcome Adversity

2 Corinthians 6:4
In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind.

Jesus prepared his disciples for what was to come. He forewarned them to expect tribulation in their lives. He then inspired them by letting them know that in the face of every adversity that He had already secured the victory for them. And so it was. As they endured all that came against them, the world noticed and their ministries grew. As it was with them, so it will be with us.

In every element of our lives, we are certain to experience resistance. Whether our activity is on the physical, emotional or spiritual level, we cannot avoid being challenged. This is simply a fact of life. Our ability to cope will be determined not by our own strength but by the strength we gain through the Holy Spirit.

As we learn to heed the urgings of the Holy Spirit, we will become more capable of overcoming the trials and challenges in our lives. Constant successful response to what the world throws at us will build up our proficiency in each area. The more times that exercise is chosen over idleness, the stronger we will be. The more times patience is chosen over anger, the more peaceful we will be. The more times righteousness is chosen over sin, the closer we will come to reaching the holiness that Jesus has set aside for us. The more times we make the good choices that we are shown by the Holy Spirit, the more proficient we will become in producing positive results in all areas of our lives.

As we endure, those around us will notice. We will become living testimonies of Jesus Christ to the world. Our personal ministries will become fruitful.

Let us learn to rely on Our Lord to endure all that the world throws at us. Let us seek to make all of our choices and meet all of our challenges under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Let us live daily under submission to Our Savior who stands by us. Let us rejoice in knowing that our endurance will bear fruit for the kingdom of God.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that we may have peace in our lives no matter what is coming against us. We bless the name of Jesus who died on the Cross so that we may have victory over all evil. We rejoice in knowing that we can have comfort when the world is trying to steal it from us. We pray that our pride will not lead us to believe in our own ability to overcome the world. We ask, Father, for the wisdom to lean on Our Savior in our times of tribulation. May we be built up in every area of our lives through our submission to Your Son. As we endure, may others be drawn to the One who strengthens us. We ask all these things in the name of Our Victorious King, the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.

Allowing the Grace of God to be Manifested in Our Lives

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

The apostle Paul knew what it was to receive God’s grace. Through his great faith he delighted in his weaknesses, he delighted in the insults that were tossed his way, he delighted in his hardships and he delighted in his persecutions. Paul knew the secret. He rested on God’s promises to perfect His strength in Paul’s weaknesses, in Paul’s trials and in Paul’s tribulations.

Our God in heaven is ready to do the same for us. Our Heavenly Father promises to provide all that we need to overcome every hard thing that we face and to provide all that we need to gain victory over the evil that surrounds us. He does not promise to take us out of the battle. Just as He used Paul’s thorn to keep him mindful of his needs in Christ, He will allow things in our lives to keep us mindful of how needy we are.

We will find victory when we learn to surrender like Paul did. We will find peace in all circumstances when we recognize God’s grace is sufficient. We will become stronger than we ever imagined when we allow the grace of God to be manifested and magnified in our lives.

Let us cast all of our cares upon the Lord. Let us trust in Him completely. Let us exalt His name as we confidently wait on our victory.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the all-sufficient grace that You promise us. We bless the name of Jesus who insured our victory on the Cross. We rejoice in the presence of the Holy Spirit, who guides us, instructs us and strengthens us through our trials. We pray, Father, that we will learn to have faith in You as Paul had faith in You. We ask for the courage to surrender to Your Holy Spirit through all the trials that we face. We pray that world will see and be drawn to the manifestation and magnification of Your grace in our lives. We ask all these things in the name of the Lord Mighty in Battle, Jesus Christ.

Coming Into Communion with Christ

Luke 18:34
But they understood none of these things.

In the Gospel of Luke, we read how the apostles were told in advance about all the suffering that their Master was about to endure. They were told the details concerning His coming crucifixion and they were told about His glorious rising from the grave on the third day. Yet they understood none of these things.

The apostles did not understand because they could only see failure in Jesus’ destiny. They could only feel the heartbreak of losing their teacher. They could only visualize their promised King. They could not visualize their suffering Savior. They could not see that God considered it all a tremendous triumph. They could not see that they would soon show the world the way, the truth and the life that Jesus had come to show them.

The most difficult thing about understanding the purpose that God has for our lives is that we are quick to seek God’s blessings, but we are slow to realize that God is in sovereign control. We are baffled by our trials. We allow them to hold off our calling in Christ, because we only see our own pain in our trials and we do not see Almighty God who is working out all things for His purposes.

Let us come into communion with Our Savior and recognize the He is preparing us for a life according to His will and His purposes. Let us find the understanding that we need through the things that He reveals to us. Let us move forward in our calling by building on what we learn.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that You have a perfect plan for our lives. We bless the name of Jesus Christ, who made it possible for us to fulfill the plans that You have set aside for us. We pray, Lord, that You will open our eyes so that we may see past the sorrows in our lives. We pray that You will open our hearts in communion with You so that we may see the triumph that You have planned for us. May we live our lives without fear, knowing that we are in Your hands, living according to Your purposes. May it all be for Your glory, the glory of Jesus and the glory of the Holy Spirit. We ask all these things in the name of the Strength of Our Lives, Jesus Christ.

Jesus Overcame Satan Himself for Us

John 16:33
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

Jesus spoke directly to the apostles before He left the earth. He wanted the apostles to know that even though He would be leaving them in the flesh that He would still be with them in spirit. He wanted them to understand that He would be with them always as He is with the Father always. He wanted them go forward in peace, without fear, having faith that the victory was theirs through Him. He wanted them to be empowered by knowing that He had already overcome all the tribulation that the world and Satan himself had to offer. Through His indwelling with them, they would have the power that they needed to endure all things.

And so it is with us. When we accept Jesus as Our Savior, His Spirit indwells with us. We become one with Him as He is one with the Father. We receive all that the apostles were told that they would receive.

Unfortunately, one facet of the things to come for us is the fact that we will face tribulation. We will encounter the fierce opposition of the evil one and of those who represent him. And we will certainly face the persistent opposition of our own flesh. But Jesus wants us to be of good courage and hope for He promises to provide all that we need to overcome anything that is thrown at us. When we surrender to Jesus, we have all that we need to overcome the temptations of Satan, the infirmities of our own flesh and the carnal offerings of the world.

Let us allow our faith to override our fears as we are swamped by trying circumstances. Let us face every trial in life with the peace, the comfort and the confident hope that Jesus has promised us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we humbly come before You in thanksgiving for the power that You have granted us through Your Son, Jesus. We pray that You teach us how to develop and enjoy our relationship with Jesus. May we find our strength in Jesus, just as Jesus found His strength in You when He was in the flesh. May our victories over our tribulations bring honor and glory to You, to Your Son and to the Holy Spirit. We pray that our victories become living testimonies that will draw others to Jesus. We ask all these things in the name of the Upholder of All Things, Jesus Christ.

Comforting Presence of Jesus

Psalm 139:7
Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?

There is no place that we can go to get away from God. He chases us no matter where we go because He loves us so much. He pursues us with an undeniable and unlimited fervor because He has so much invested in us. He created us. He gave up His Son on our behalf, so that He could derive value from us not only here on earth but in heaven for all eternity.

When we are at our lowest point and it seems that Satan is winning, God just smiles confidently. He is there with us. He gives us the strength for another breath and another step. He sets an unquenchable fire in us for Him. He knows that the victory is His and ours through Jesus Christ.

Yet He weeps at the same time because He sees us falling short of our potential of who we are in Christ. He weeps because He sees us allowing our flesh to pull us and tug us in the wrong direction. All along though, He can smile because He knows His steadfast grasp on our lives will soon enough lead to our surrender to Him. He is ready to build something enormous in us, something within the depths of our souls that will cause us to rise up and say, “I am not going there anymore for I am a new man in Christ.”

Thus through His constant presence and never ending love for us, we will reach a place where we seek Him and Him alone. The world will become but a distant memory as we settle into our place of eternal comfort in the hands of Our Heavenly Father who has always been there for us.

Let us be inspired by the Holy Spirit to walk in the fullness of our new lives in Christ. Let us seek the comforting presence of Our Savior at all times in everything we do. Let us show the world how He changed us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your relentless pursuit of our affection. We thank You for loving us first so that we could love You. We bless the name of Your Son, Jesus, who made it possible for us to live in the comfort of Your presence for all eternity. We pray, Father, that You set the fire in our souls that sends us running to You in full and immediate surrender. May every breath we take be used to turn our faces toward You and away from the world. May the world around us know us by Your presence in our lives. We ask all these things in the name of Our Omni-Present Lord, Jesus Christ.