Stand Firm
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I had the rare opportunity to sit under the tutelage of one great professor and former Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, and those few hours with him left me with deep impressions.
He came to talk to us on the topic:
“Pastoral Approach to African Spirit World.”
He said,
“Africans believe in the existence of a supreme being, and believe there are other spirits and other powers too.”
And he added
“Sometimes, our stress on the other spirits go off-board to the extent that we seem to respond to those spirits more than God.”
He quoted Deuteronomy 32:39 where God stressed His sovereignty by saying,
Look now; I myself am he!
There is no other god but me!
I am the one who kills and gives life;
I am the one who wounds and heals;
no one can be rescued from my powerful hand! (NLT)
Dealing with the African’s belief in all kinds of spirits that are always pursuing people to harm them, he said all those spirits have no power to harm the child of God, unless God allows it.
He quoted Job 1:10, in which Satan himself confessed that God had put a “fence of protection” around Job. He emphasized that Satan needed God’s permission to touch Job, or anything he had, as illustrated in Job 1:12.
Quoting Ephesians 6: 10-17, he said the armour of God referred to was not to fight, but meant to make the Christian stand firm. So we see expressions like “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” “stand firm” “resist the enemy” “you will still be standing firm.” and “Stand your ground”
He said the evil forces have lost their power to attack us, but they come with tricks (like what happened to Eve in Genesis 3); and that is what necessitates our need to stand firm.
He said the truth (belt of), righteousness (breastplate of), peace (sandals of), faith (shield of), salvation (helmet of) and the Spirit (sword of); are all in Christ.
He concluded that the main aim of the devil is to get us out of the will of God by tricking us to live contrary to God’s word.
Therefore, as long as we remain fully and completely in Christ, we have no need to fear any evil forces; including ancestral spirits, witchcraft, spells and many others.
In Colossians 3:1-3 Paul wrote:
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
Our lives are already hidden with Christ in God. What we need is to stand firm.
MEMORY VERSE
“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
(Colossians 3:3)
QUESTIONS
Are you a child of God, but still in fear of evil spirits?
Do you know that no evil spirit can harm you?
PRAYER TIP
Father, please open our eyes
to see the power we have in
You; so that we can walk
in faith, instead of fear.
In Jesus' name.
URGENT CALL
Every soul is valuable to God, far more than the entire world! But by nature, we are all sinful, and alienated from God, and we ultimately face his wrath!
God in His mercy and love made a way for us to remedy this. He gives us a chance to reverse this downward spiral to destruction, join His family, be part of His household, and become His children.
The first step to becoming a member of God’s household is for us to be saved.
Salvation comes through accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Personal Savior.
It is a very personal decision. No one can make that decision for you.
If you make that decision today, there will be great singing and rejoicing in heaven; because one new member has joined the family and household of God! A soul, much, much more valuable than the world, has been saved from destruction!
Do you want to make that decision today?
Please visit “The Believer’s Prayer” for guidance if you want to make that decision.
Then develop your new relationship with God through your Quiet Time.
Then find a Bible-Believing Church where you can Fellowship with like minded people.
We will be happy to hear from you through the contact information on that page, or the ones at the top of this page. Don’t delay. Make this very personal decision today!
God richly bless you
SPECIAL GRATITUDE
Thank you for visiting the Testimony Devotional Website.
We would not have gotten here without your prayers, goodwill and overall support. We are grateful, and humbled.
We thank God for counting us worthy to share in His Great Commission; and we thank you for sticking with us through this journey.
God richly bless you.
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