Firm in Faith

1 Peter 5:8–9

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith…

When I was a teenager, I was taught that if I wanted to resist the devil, I had to rebuke him. So whenever an evil thought came to my mind or I was tempted, I found myself saying, “I resist you, devil, in Jesus’ name! I bind you, devil! Go away from me, devil! I rebuke you in Jesus’ name!”

This went on until God showed me one day that though I had “resisted” the devil, I had spent more time talking to him than to God! I was more conscious of the devil than of God throughout the day.

I checked the Word of God and realised that we resist the devil not by focusing on resisting him, but by being established in the faith that we are made right with God through Jesus’ blood, that we are the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Yes, the devil will continue to remind you of your mistakes, failures and sins. And he will tell you that because of these things, you cannot receive your healing, that you will have to pay for your mistakes or that something bad will happen to your family. He will accuse you, condemn you and try to persuade your heart to believe that he can do bad things to you.

But the truth is that the devil cannot enforce anything in your life if he cannot persuade your heart. And your heart cannot be persuaded if it is “steadfast in the faith”, if it is established in righteousness. God says that once you are established in righteousness, “You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you”. (Isaiah 54:14)

So now that my heart is established in righteousness, I can boldly declare, “Yes, I may have these problems in my life, but I am not guilty in God’s eyes. I am justified in God’s eyes by faith because of what Christ has done. I am righteous by Jesus’ blood!” That is how you resist the devil and become undevourable!

(with thanks for the ministry of Pastor Joseph Prince)

Firm in Faith

1 Peter 5:8–9

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith…

When I was a teenager, I was taught that if I wanted to resist the devil, I had to rebuke him. So whenever an evil thought came to my mind or I was tempted, I found myself saying, “I resist you, devil, in Jesus’ name! I bind you, devil! Go away from me, devil! I rebuke you in Jesus’ name!”

This went on until God showed me one day that though I had “resisted” the devil, I had spent more time talking to him than to God! I was more conscious of the devil than of God throughout the day.

I checked the Word of God and realised that we resist the devil not by focusing on resisting him, but by being established in the faith that we are made right with God through Jesus’ blood, that we are the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Yes, the devil will continue to remind you of your mistakes, failures and sins. And he will tell you that because of these things, you cannot receive your healing, that you will have to pay for your mistakes or that something bad will happen to your family. He will accuse you, condemn you and try to persuade your heart to believe that he can do bad things to you.

But the truth is that the devil cannot enforce anything in your life if he cannot persuade your heart. And your heart cannot be persuaded if it is “steadfast in the faith”, if it is established in righteousness. God says that once you are established in righteousness, “You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you”. (Isaiah 54:14)

So now that my heart is established in righteousness, I can boldly declare, “Yes, I may have these problems in my life, but I am not guilty in God’s eyes. I am justified in God’s eyes by faith because of what Christ has done. I am righteous by Jesus’ blood!” That is how you resist the devil and become undevourable!

 (with thanks for the ministry of Pastor Joseph Prince) 

This is grace

Galatians 5:4

You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

What is the grace of God? Simply put, the grace of God is God blessing, healing and delivering you because of Jesus. The grace of God is His unearned, unmerited and undeserved favor toward you simply because of Jesus’ finished work at the cross.

Because God’s grace is based on Jesus’ work and not yours, the only way you fall from this grace is by believing that you can earn, merit and deserve it through your obedience and good works.For example, you fall from grace when you say, “God has to answer my prayer because I have prayed long enough.” You also fall from grace when you think that because you are serving in church or you have kicked a bad habit, God is pleased with you and He has to bless you.When you think that it is by your efforts and obedience that you receive God’s blessings, you become like the Pharisees. They believed that their law-keeping justified them and ensured that God would bless them. But the truth is that when you believe like them, “you have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace”. This means that you are cut off from Christ, who is your salvation, Redeemer, healer and provider. Christ has become of no effect to you!

 People to whom Christ is of effect receive from Him the miracle they need. When He is of effect to them, He is their healer and they get healed. He is their wisdom and they are wise before man. He is their good success and they experience good success in all that they do.

For Christ to always be of effect to you and to never nullify the grace of God operating in your life, just remember and believe that it is because of Christ and His finished work—His blood, His stripes, His death, His obedience—that you are justified, healed and blessed!

(with thanks to Pastor Joseph Prince) 

This is love

This is love. 

“If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love. Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.

Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us! But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:1-10, 12-13‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Daniel was a man of purpose

Hebrews 12:1 - "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."

What is your drive in life?  What is it that gets you out of bed in the morning? For Daniel, it was serving God. 

We see movies about super heroes or historical figures who did something amazing to change the world; and we often see ourselves as insignificant compared to them.  Somehow, we think, it is only the people who achieve great things who seem to be noticed and appreciated.

When you have trusted in Jesus and have become a child of God, your life is given meaning and purpose.  While many people may not notice or value you, God does.  He sees you and He has a plan for your life. We are called to live our purpose, not out of fear or religion, but out of a passionate love for the one who has redeemed us.

Daniel’s purpose was to be a voice for God in a land of idols.  Our purpose is to receive His love and to share it with others.  It is just to be yourself, with all your unique qualities - let His character grow in and be revealed through you.

Just by being you, right where you are, makes you significant and valuable.  The world may not always notice, but your Father in heaven does and he is so proud of you

Daniel received favour from God

Ephesians 1:3  “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.”

When Daniel chose to refuse the king’s food, it was God who blessed him with good health.  It was God who gave him the ability to interpret dreams.  It was God who made him look good in the eyes of the king, who them gave him a position of responsibility.  It was also God who protected him from the lions. And God who gave him a long life of influence.

Impatience and self-pity are some of my weak points that need to be constantly put in check.  When I am waiting for something to happen in my life, I often forget about the good things that I have already been given as my mind cries out, “I want it, and I want it now!”    One example of this is when I thought that children would never come along -it was all I could think about.  I now have two grown up kinds.

It can be difficult, but I have often had to remember the little chorus that goes, “count your blessings name them one by one, then it will surprise you what The Lord has done.”  When there is one thing that I feel I am missing out on, I need to be reminded of the many blessings that I have already been given.

Ephesians 1 reminds us that we who love Jesus are chosen and loved.  Maybe like me you need to be reminded that in Christ Jesus you are truly and fully blessed.  In His Son, God has shown us the greatest favour we could ever know by being adopted and reborn into His family.

Today remember that like Daniel, we know the favour of God on our lives.  If there is something that you are waiting on, just be thankful for all that you have already been given.  That is what I am going to try and do.

Daniel remembered who he was

Romans 1:7  "I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace."

They called him Belteshazzar, but he remembered that his name was Daniel.  They called him a slave, but he remembered that he was a prince.  They took him from his home, but his home remained in his heart.  They put him in the service of an idol worshipping king, but Daniel chose to serve The Living God.

When you have blown it again and you feel overwhelmed by guilt and shame, remember who you are.  You are a beloved child of God, redeemed by the Christ's blood. Your failure does not define you.  Your troubles do not define you.  You are a child of God.

When you feel foolish, know that you have the mind of Christ; and remember God chose to use the foolish of this world to reveal His wisdom.

I can write these words because I have blown it, I have felt stupid and I have felt so burnt-out that life seemed just too much.  But I have also known the forgiveness of God’s love and the realisation that even I can get through another day.

The enemy would like me to think that my past failures disqualify me from writing to encourage you.  Instead it encourages me to call each us, just like Daniel, to remember who you are and just how much you are loved by God.

Daniel was a survivor of trauma

Psalm 46:1-2 “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.”

I have had to survive a few tough circumstances in my life. Even as I started to read through the life of Daniel, I was facing yet again another family crisis. So, it was a great source of empowerment for me. Reading how God was there for Daniel, encouraged my heart.

Daniel lost friends, home and family; he was taken from everything he knew and enslaved in the service of a foreign king. His culture and even his very name were stripped from him yet this boy decided in his heart to obey His God and to trust in His care.

Daniel survived the trauma, because he knew that God still had a plan. His comfort was in knowing that God was in control and would take care of him.

Maybe Daniel’s mum had sat him on her knee as a small child and sang to him the great Psalms of David. Maybe he heard the story of Joseph who also was taken from his home. Whatever he had been taught growing up had instilled in this young man a sense of trust in the Living God.

Daniel’s name means God is my judge. I think this kept his mind in focus. He knew that no matter what happened and while captors might have felt they were in control and stood in judgement, Daniel knew better.

When life is difficult to understand and feelings cannot be trusted; you and I can trust in the living God who is our Dad and who cares about every part of our lives. Daniel survived life’s traumas because he trusted in the living God. So can we.

Prepare to be loved deeply

Philippians 4:4-7

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God,which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

The Lord is near . Speak it over yourself and let your spirit respond! How amazing to receive this ...the Lord is near. Protection reassurance of how much our Abba Father is close and wants to pour his peace on us. Jesus has been reminding me of his intent for a supernatural relationship with us and how he is pouring out love, peace, expectation and hope over our Exchange family. Take a deep breath and let him flood your mind and ignite your spirit. He wants to show us that with Him the words of these verses are living and can actually manifest in your life... Prepare to be loved deeply.

Allow Him to minister to your spirit

1 Cor 4:20

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power”

When I was a teenager (more than a few decades ago…) our Pastor took a bunch of us to a wee gospel hall on My Lady’s Road for a praise session. At the time we were all focused on being less traditional in our praise and worship (all guitars and drums – which in the 80's was quite different!) but my goodness, what a time of praise we had. About five or six elderly ladies, equipped with an accordion or two and too many tambourines led us in praise – “there is power, power, wonder working power, in the blood, of the lamb!” Over and over again - for hours. It was the most powerful time of praise I have ever experienced. But more than that - it changed my life because I allowed the Holy Spirit to minister to my spirit with the power of the blood of the Lamb. Jesus finished the work on the cross but I needed to allow His finished work to bless me and change me.

In Exchange Church we are blessed with the most amazing teaching and preaching of the good news of the gospel of grace – we know that we are healed, saved and delivered by the power of the blood of Jesus. Today, allow the Holy Spirit to minister to your spirit, to allow that knowledge powerfully move in your body and in your spirit. You’ll not regret it!

Part of something bigger

1 Peter 2:9

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

This verse is so encouraging; it reminds us who we are together and that we are not alone but part of something that is amazing, is not insignificant and that our purpose is to declare his praises. It’s similar to the opening of the Lord’s prayer, but the emphasis here is on us as a collective body. It’s why we at Exchange love worshipping and praising together – we were chosen for it! It is in our DNA as the sons of God!

I also love that we are his royal priesthood. I often laugh with my wife and say that we have daughters who have a princess mentality - they love blessings and have high expectations from everything in life. This means that sometimes they don't deal well with disappointment and it is almost always my fault even when it’s not! The entire verse shows that God wants us to be totally convinced of who we are in Christ- we are not slaves, we are not second choice! Jesus wants us to have high expectations of his blessing and realise we are Royal sons and daughters who are known by him and are deeply loved. So today, lift your head and be confident that you are a prince or a princess of the most high!