The Work of Christ; April 19, 2022

Posted on April 22, 2022 by jgarrott

Acts 1:1-2 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.

I’m not sure how many years ago it was when I first realized that Luke was talking about this book of Acts being the continuing work of Jesus Christ Himself by the Holy Spirit. That one word began is of extreme importance! Luke himself came to salvation through that ministry, and of course he was the one who recorded the events of Pentecost, researching it after the fact. I personally think that a major reason God allowed Paul to be imprisoned in Caesarea for two years was to give Luke the time and opportunity to do the research involved in writing the Gospel that bears his name. How soon after that he started on Acts is open to conjecture, but there’s no question the whole world has been greatly blessed by the result of his labors. The point here, though, is that it was actually a work of Christ, by His Spirit operating in and through Luke. And the wonderful news is that Jesus is still working by His Spirit through His children across the world. We get caught up in the human instruments because they are visible, but the power and the glory belong to Jesus. When we realize that, it is much easier to relax and let Him use us, too. We may well be surprised at all the things He does through us, but we should never try to take credit. That won’t change what’s been done, but it will deprive us personally of whatever benefit God intended for us. As Paul said much later, “By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them – yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” (1 Corinthians 15:10) We aren’t to be personally proud of things God does through us, but rather grateful. At the same time, drawing back because we don’t want to be in the spotlight can make us unavailable for Him to use. It can get complicated! I think the thing we need to remember is that Jesus is still working and teaching, and if we are submitted to His Spirit then He will use us in that process, for His glory alone.

This naturally applies to me, as it does to everyone. I have had problems with personal pride, failing to realize how little I had to do with whatever good results were produced. The longer I live the less pride I have left, because I mess up with remarkable frequency! At the same time, I have seen God use me to bless others and draw them to Him, and I am grateful even as at times I am amazed. As a pastor I desire that every believer come to the awareness that God can and will use them, too. Particularly in Japanese society people are taught not to “put themselves forward,” not to volunteer, essentially. That is a lie of the devil. I need to speak the truth in love so that the believers may be set free from that trap and flow with the Holy Spirit as God intends. He wants to do magnificent things in and through this church, and I need to be available to help people believe it.

Father, thank You for making it clear what I’m to speak on Sunday! Thank You for the good turnout for the children’s program on the 17th, and that the children and their parents all seemed to have such a good time. I think some of the believers were amazed! May we all genuinely get our eyes off of ourselves and onto Jesus Christ our Lord, (Hebrews 12:2) so that we will be fully available to You all the time, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Understanding the Bible; April 18, 2022

Posted on April 22, 2022 by jgarrott

Luke 24:44-45 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

Two things here. The first is that the Messiah is thoroughly pro­phe­­­sied in the Old Testament. It was literally hundreds of years before the New Testament canon was settled, and the believers actively used the Old Testament as they shared the Good News of Jesus with both Jews and Gentiles. Churches and Christians who ignore the Old Testament do so to their great loss. The second thing is that our hearts have to be opened to receive the truth of Scripture. I know someone who has read through the whole Bible and still stubbornly refuses to commit to Jesus Christ as Lord. There are many who treat the Bible strictly as literature. It is that, and magnificent literature indeed, but if it is taken just as that it does us very little good. I’m sure the disciples were totally blown out of the water by all this, first that Jesus had risen from the dead and then to realize that everything had been prophesied long before. Even today we need to pray that God would open our hearts to understand the Word, not only as we read it but as we think of it through the day. The Bible can be very simple, and it can be extremely deep – sometimes in the same verse! Like the Ethiopian eunuch, we need someone to explain it to us. (Acts 8:26 ff) Who better than the Holy Spirit, who caused it to be written? John picked up on that very well in his first letter. “As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit–just as it has taught you, remain in him.” (1 John 2:27)

Of course this applies to me as much as it does to anyone else. I have slipped up by thinking otherwise! I have been familiar with the Bible since childhood and I have a high IQ, so at times I have trusted in that instead of asking God what He was saying, to me and to the particular situation. Sometimes He has surprised me! Reading the Bible is a joy and a privilege, and doing so in different translations and languages has been very enriching. However, I’ve always got to remember that it’s not just an academic exercise, it’s an opportunity to open my heart to hear what God is saying to me, and perhaps wants to say through me. If I can be used to open someone else’ heart, that is a high privilege indeed.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the blessed Resurrection Sunday yesterday. Thank You for all the children and their parents who came to the afternoon program. I pray that Your truth that they heard would remain in their hearts and minds and bear fruit for eternal life in the future, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Commission; April 17, 2022

Posted on April 21, 2022 by jgarrott

John 20:21-22 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

The whole Easter story is so glorious that every verse of the record is worthy of deep meditation. However, in some ways this passage takes the cake. I find it so meaningful I’ve even written a small book on it! This was the moment of the disciples’ commission­ing and empowering, whether they realized it or not. Some scholars have called it the “Johannine Pentecost,” because of Jesus breathing His Spirit onto the disciples, but it is clear from the record that they weren’t aware of the impartation and all it meant until after the actual day of Pentecost. The commission, however, I’m sure they thought about a great deal, from soon after the shock of Jesus’ appearing to them wore off a little. These men had been with Jesus for over three years, and they knew well what sort of lifestyle He kept. They had seen His expressions of love and of power, and realized He was sending them to do the same. What they didn’t realize, in all probability, was that He was empowering them for the task by the impartation of His Spirit. God never tells us to do anything that He doesn’t enable us to do. We often have trouble grasping or really believing that. We tend to think, this task is too big, or too hard, but that can’t be the case, because nothing is too big or too hard for God, and He is in us by His Spirit. A case in point is that of William Carey, whom a friend has been studying for seminary. William Carey was a cobbler, and neither a scholar nor a rich man, but God used him to spark what is called “the modern missionary movement” (though it was hundreds of years ago), imparting awesome intellect and wisdom and providing sufficient resources. Had he looked at himself and what he had, he never would have launched out and accom­plished all he did, but instead he looked at God who commissioned him, and the rest is history. We too need to receive and believe our commission, trusting not ourselves but the One who sends us, so that His will may be accomplished for His glory.

This is personal to me in many ways. In terms of William Carey, my mother’s sister-in-law, Saxon Rowe Carver, wrote a children’s book about Carey, called The Shoeleather Globe. She and her husband, not to mention my parents, were foreign missionaries from before WWII. Missions is very much in my blood! For myself, I have been given the vision of the city of Omura again becoming the foremost Christ­ian city in Japan, as it was 450 years ago. Humanly speaking that is clearly impossible, which is all the more reason I am convinced the vision is from God. After 40 years in Omura I see little if any movement in that direction, but again, I am to keep my eyes on my Lord and not on myself or my circumstances. I am to realize that here and in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) Jesus is imparting His authority, His power, and that is greater than anything that could stand against me – including my own weakness! I am to remember that the God who raised Jesus from the dead lives in me by His Spirit, and allow Him to do through me all that He desires, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this powerful reminder. Help me not slough it off, but indeed fulfill the commission You have for me personally, for the salvation of this nation and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Completion; April 16, 2022

Posted on April 20, 2022 by jgarrott

John 19:30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

We can imagine the incredible degree of relief Jesus must have felt in making this statement. The Japanese does a little better than the English in making it clear this isn’t just “over,” but “completed.” Jesus had fulfilled His commission, and He had done it perfectly. Less than 24 hours earlier He had literally been sweating blood over the anticipation of the events to follow, but He hadn’t faltered, and had done it all. What an absolutely magnificent example! We tend to back out of difficult circumstances, but Jesus went right on through, for our sake. Too often we are satisfied with an “almost,” but Jesus held absolutely nothing back. He is the ultimate example of the faithful servant in the parable He Himself told, who made full use of the things he had been provided. (Matthew 25:21) In thinking of that parable, however, we must remember that two servants received the same accolade, even though they had been given different amounts. No two people have exactly the same commission, so it is very dangerous to compare one person with another. The question is always whether we have done what God wanted us to do, and as I said, that is different for every person on earth, however many things we might have in common. We all need to aim to be able to say with Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteous­ness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day–and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

This of course applies to me, as it does to everyone. I’ve already outlived my father by over nine years, and I have no idea how much longer my Lord will keep me here – but then, no one does. My task is to be faithful each moment, for however many moments my Lord wants me here. I want to be able to join Paul in his affirmation! Tomorrow is Resurrection Sunday, and I will have multiple opportunities to share the Gospel in different ways with different groups. I am to rejoice in the occasion and the opportunity, not relying on my own ability but at the same time not holding anything back from whatever my Lord wants to do with it through me. The point is never my glory or satisfaction, but that of my Lord. I too desire to hear those words: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Wayne Cordeiro’s honest testimony the other day in the Zoom call. May I not set false goals for myself, but rather recognize what You have for me to do and do it with everything I have and am, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Forgiveness; April 15, 2022

Posted on April 20, 2022 by jgarrott

Luke 23:34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Of all the things Jesus said from the point He was arrested until His death, this is perhaps the most earthshaking. There is a very remarkable line in Psalm 130 that came up in the readings not long ago: “But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.” (Psalm 130:4) Other religions postulate gods of retribution and/or indulgence, but only the God of the Bible, while being perfectly holy and just, is big enough to forgive. That Jesus could ask the Father to forgive those who had literally nailed Him to a cross is absolutely monumental. We have trouble forgiving someone who cuts us off in traffic! The thing is, unforgiveness binds us, and Jesus was the freest person who ever lived, even while nailed to the cross. Jesus had nothing for which He needed to be forgiven, but He took our sins on Himself and died for them, so that we might be forgiven. That changed the entire course of history. It is no accident, and not inappropriate, that we base our calendar on Jesus’ birth. (Even though Pope Gregory had faulty data, so we’re probably a few years off.) The thing is, everything about Jesus’ life, from His conception by the Holy Spirit on throughout His ministry, led up to this moment. You could say that He was sent to earth to utter this prayer. It is when we receive the forgiveness He asked for here, recognizing fully that we need it, that we are set free from the chains of sin and death and are born again as children of God. (John 1:12-13)

This is certainly as true for me as it is for anyone else. People who know me now tend to think I’m some sort of saint, and indeed, the Bible speaks of all believers as saints, but that is entirely by the grace of God. As long as I thought I had earned or deserved any sort of “sainthood,” I was separated from God. My head knowledge of the Bible didn’t save me. It was only when I recognized my sinfulness and repented before God that I was able to receive His forgiveness. It would be nice if that were indeed a “once and done” transaction, and in a sense it is, but at the same time I have got to recognize that my flesh is in constant rebellion against God, and so walk in humble repentance. At the same time, I’ve got to remember that I indeed am forgiven, so that I may walk in the benefits of that forgiveness. (2 Peter 1:9) Knowing God’s forgiveness for myself, I must extend that forgiveness to others, just as Jesus said. (Matthew 6:14-15)

Father, thank You for Your forgiveness. Lord Jesus, thank You for extending that forgiveness even from the cross. Holy Spirit, thank You for working that forgiveness in and through me, for the salvation of all who will receive it, for the glory of God. Hallelujah!

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Truth; April 14, 2022

Posted on April 18, 2022 by jgarrott

John 18:37-38 “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
“What is truth?” Pilate asked.

Pilate was very much a man of the 21st Century, despite having lived so long ago. In recent decades the devil has been remarkably successful in tearing down the very idea of absolute truth, so that people speak of “my truth” and “your truth.” That’s a good way to destroy not only individuals but society itself. In this passage the Japanese brings out something that I feel is very important. It says, “Those who belong to the truth listen to me and obey.” That “listen and obey” is a fairly standard expression in Japanese, but it couldn’t be more appropriate to what Jesus says here. As James pointed out, if we just hear and fail to obey we are deceiving ourselves. (James 1:22) Also, the Japanese care a lot about belonging, being part of a group, so it is very meaningful that Jesus says, “belong to the truth.” Far too many church members give God’s truth lip service, but really belong to the world. Their decisions aren’t predicated on what God says, but on what the world approves. That is sad indeed. Passion Week is an excellent time to examine ourselves to see if we really belong to the truth. Do we really love Jesus, that is, do what He tells us? (John 14:21, 23) Do we stand firm in what He has said, regardless of what the world around us is saying? Do we recognize the lies of the devil, despite people’s claims that they are truth? God is faithful, and He will indeed lead us into His truth if that is our commitment, our heart. (John 14:26)

It really tears me up to hear people I care deeply about say things like “his truth” or “their truth.” We belong to the truth; the truth doesn’t belong to us! The world insists that it is conceit to claim that we know an absolute truth and someone else doesn’t, but that is the devil’s attempt to destroy the Gospel and enslave people to him. Jesus’ promise is, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) I cannot be an instrument of setting people free if I fail to speak the truth to them in love. That isn’t pride, it’s a heartfelt desire to get people out of the devil’s chain gang that is headed for hell. My life is to be an example of truth. I am to deceive no one, even if the truth isn’t “politically correct.” “White lies” aren’t white! My lifestyle is to be such that people know that if I say something it’s true. Of course humor and jokes are a separate category, but they are never to be for the purpose of deception. People should know that I belong to the truth, because I listen to Jesus and obey Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the many opportunities You give me to speak truth to people. May it indeed always be in Your love, drawing them to You and not repelling them, so that they too may repent and believe, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Repentance; April 13, 2022

Posted on April 18, 2022 by jgarrott

Luke 22:61-63 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

This is of course a very famous incident in Scripture. There are several important lessons to be gained from it. The first is that none of us are immune to temptation. Paul cautioned against that himself, saying, “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (1 Corinthians 10:12) Conceit is a great weakness indeed. Peter had boldly said, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death,” (Luke 22:33) but when the moment came presenting that danger, he weaseled out. When it was a question of being “manly” and fighting, he drew his sword and struck out, but he was a pretty lousy swordsman, only managing to cut off an ear. That was what resulted from trying to stand for Jesus in his own strength. Here, simply in conversation, he failed completely. The second lesson is that God knows our sins even before we commit them, because He sees all of time. The Father knew Peter would do this at the point He told Jesus to include Peter with the Apostles, and Jesus knew it too, by the time they were in Gethsemane together. Nothing we ever do shocks God. In a very real sense we need to get over ourselves and know that God is greater than all of our weaknesses, as well as all of our problems. He can fix our problems, and He can fix us! The third major lesson from this is that genuine repentance is enough. When Judas was confronted with the sin of what he had done, he hung onto his pride and tried to “fix” the situation by killing himself, rather than surrendering fully to God for Him to mete out justice. Peter, on the other hand, wept bitterly and didn’t think he could redeem himself. He was right, we can’t redeem ourselves, but we do have a Redeemer who has already paid the price. However, we have to let go of our pride and repent, if we are going to receive that redemption. We may do something even on a par with Peter’s denial of Jesus, but if our repentance is as real as his was, we can still be as useful to God after the fact as Peter was.

This is another of those truths that I can’t just acknowledge in my mind; I have to apply it and live it out. I couldn’t begin to tally up all my sins, because I don’t even remember them all. The wonderful thing is, neither does God! When I repent in truth, those sins are washed from me by the blood of Jesus my Lord, and I am as clean as He is. I devoutly wish that I would never add to my tally of sins, but the simple reality of life as a weak human being in a fallen world precludes that. That’s one of many reasons I look forward to heaven! I am to be wise and avoid temptation, but not condemn myself just because I am tempted. It’s the devil who tries to get me to do that! I need to remember the truth in the hymn, “Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin.” It’s not the being tempted, it’s the yielding that is sinful. At the same time, I recognize my fleshly enjoyment of the temptation itself, and I’m to stand against that. I’m very grateful that repentance is accepted, but I want to need it as little as possible!

Father, thank You for the example of Peter. His example speaks to me in many ways. Help me indeed be as humble as he became after this, to be as available to You as he was, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Exercising Authority; April 12, 2022

Posted on April 17, 2022 by jgarrott

Luke 22:25-26 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.”

It says so much about Jesus that even as He was directly facing unspeakable suffering and death, he was carefully and gently teaching His disciples. He was certainly modeling what He was teaching! Under those circumstances, we would be nervous wrecks, totally focused on what was to come, but He was aware of the immediate circumstances and the people around Him, and He indeed made full use of every opportunity the Father gave Him. (Ephesians 5:16) As in everything else, Jesus is our ultimate example. The more we abide in Him and are filled with His Spirit, the more we will think, speak, and act like Him, serving in all humility just as He says here. We are so prone to crave position and authority, to be jealous of titles and perks. How foolish! None of us is anything at all, compared to the Lord we serve, so as His servants we are to be serving one another, allowing Him to use us no matter how menial the task. That was exactly the lesson of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet, as was in yesterday’s reading. It is ironic, and so very human, that this subject came up among the disciples immediately after Jesus gave them that clear lesson, and He had to clarify it in this way. We aren’t to run from exercising authority when God gives it to us, but it must always be in humility and gentleness, even when it has to be strong.

I have always had an ambivalent relationship with authority. I am as tempted by it as anyone, I think, but at the same time I have always recognized that authority is inseparable from responsibility, and I have wanted to avoid that. As I have aged I have been increasingly in positions of authority, particularly since Japan still tends to venerate age, and there is the temptation to sit back and enjoy the perks. That would be ignoring what Jesus says here. As a teacher, I am the authority in the classroom, both in terms of subject matter and in discipline. Shirking that would be irresponsible. However, I am to exercise that authority for the benefit of my students, serving them rather than lording it over them. I have some students with very poor attitudes. I am to be both firm and encouraging to them, not to make me look good but for their benefit, so that they may learn not only the subject matter but also the life lessons God allows me to communicate, for their blessing and God’s glory.

Father, thank You for the classes I’ll be teaching this morning. I pray that I would indeed be Your agent to my students, drawing them to repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Applying Truth; April 11, 2022

Posted on April 17, 2022 by jgarrott

John 13:17 “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”

Every time we hit this verse in our readings I feel compelled to write on it, because it is so vitally important. This is the positive side of the same truth Jesus’ brother James wrote about in his letter: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22) Human beings have always had the tendency to hear things and then forget them. That’s not just a physical memory issue, though that happens too, but rather a failure to value and appropriate the truth we are given. In this particular instance Jesus taught His disciples through His actions, and then explained those actions with words. That’s very effective teaching! I doubt any of those present ever forgot it, and the evidence is that all but Judas indeed carried through and put it into practice. We all have things we never forget, and sometimes they have a clear influence on our actions, either for good or for bad. On the negative side, PTSD is a form of that. It can take a lot of good experiences and joyful truth to overcome that. On the positive side, if our home environment is as God intended it to be, we learn that we are loved and cared for, whe­ther we deserve it or not. Just yesterday I was watching a discussion of faith by Bill Whittle and Alfonzo Rachel, and Bill was saying that he didn’t have that kind of home environment, and that left him open to later addictions that took a great deal to escape, and that right now faith has to be a conscious choice for him. However, he makes that choice pretty consistently now, and his openness about his struggle is an encouragement to many. We all need to lay hold of the truths God has taught us and put them into practice, to receive the blessings God intends for us.

As I comment frequently, I feel like James 1:22 was written expressly for me. I’m very adept at deceiving myself! I have an enormous store of truth in my mind, but the question is always, how much of that am I putting into practice? The flip side of that is, as much as I would like to share God’s truth with others, am I living it out enough that my words will have traction? Just like Jesus washed His disciples’ feet before He pointed out that the Lord and Teacher was humble, acting as a servant, I need to demonstrate God’s truth before I lecture on it. Hypocrisy needs to be the furthest thing from my lifestyle. I need to be completely open so that my failures may be seen as my own, and in no way reflect negatively on the Lord I serve. I am to live out the reality of Christ in me, the hope of glory, (Colossians 1:27) so that all who see me may be drawn to Him.

Father, thank You for Your incredible grace. I couldn’t begin to calculate how many times I have failed to live out the truth I know, yet You have not abandoned me but continue to love and use me. I owe You everything for that! Thank You for Your presence in the business meeting yesterday, and for the way You are growing this church. Thank You for the suggestions that were made, and for how people really seemed to own what was going on. May we indeed absorb and apply all that You are saying to us, so that we may be and do all that You intend, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Praise; April 10, 2022

Posted on April 15, 2022 by jgarrott

Matthew 21:16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.
“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,
“‘From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise’ ?”

This is a verse that was used extensively in the early days of the Charismatic Movement to justify and promote energetic praise music, which seemed “unseemly” to many traditional Christians. Today such music is found in probably the majority of churches, including some that seemingly pay no attention to what they are singing! Like­wise, there are “praise” songs that are man-centered, rather than God-centered, and thus are largely a waste of time, unless they actively encourage believers to be more obedient to Christ. Psalm 8:2, which Jesus quotes here, can also be translated “you have ordained strength.” It is undeniable that actively praising God strengthens believers, but it’s much deeper than that. Genuine praise and worship not only proclaim but establish the rule and reign, that is the kingdom, of God. Worship in spirit and in truth is powerful spiritual warfare! It isn’t a cure-all – Jesus went through scourging and crucifixion after this – but it is more powerful than most people realize. Today many are trying to deny the authority of Christ and the Bible, just as the priests and the teachers of the law were here, but genuine believers need to stand strong and praise God, even when we can’t see how He’s going to resolve whatever situation we’re in. The recent court victory in Finland is a good case in point, where a bishop and a national politician were attacked for stating the truth of Scripture in relation to sex and gender, and were in danger of prison terms for it. That was just a skirmish in the battle that is currently raging. We have got to keep our eyes on Jesus and use all of the armor and weapons He provides, to see His victory in His time for His glory.

This certainly applies to me! All the time, but particularly when I recognize I am under attack, I need to be intentional and heartfelt in praising God. Even when my emotions are in the dumps, I need to choose to praise God. That’s not hypocrisy, it’s faith. I need to remember that God is infinitely greater than my circumstances, however those circumstances might appear to me, and praise Him for His greatness and His love. If I will do that, I will experience His victory that He has provided for me, for His glory.

Father, keep me from just saying the right things and failing to put them into practice. Help me live out Your truth that You have placed in me, so that the lies of the enemy may be destroyed and many be set free, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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