As expected, on a day when we, as the Ring, are praying as a Body against the enemy of God – specifically his attacks on our identity, he ramps it WAY up. I read the Scripture and devotional for today and my Spirit prepared for battle:
Luke 4:1-13 - 1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
3The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."
4Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'[a]"
5The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7So if you worship me, it will all be yours."
8Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'[b]"
9The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. 10For it is written: " 'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'[c]"
12Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'[d]"
13When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
The devotional from the 30 days: if you are who you say you are… prove it. that is essentially what satan is telling Jesus, and it is a blatant attack on his identity. but Jesus knew his identity, and knew that he did not have to prove it. our identity is attacked by satan as well. one reason satan attacks us in this area is because we don’t have a solid biblical understanding of who we are in Christ. when we are unsure, satan comes in and feeds us lies… which we sometimes believe. then we are confused, frustrated, and discouraged, unable to pray, minister, and worship. but God has set our identity firmly in place, and we have a way to fight this battle. Jesus quoted scripture in the face of temptation. God has given us many scriptures related to our identity. when satan attacks in this area, fight by quoting truth.
The Truth:
Galatians 5:24-25 - 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 5:17 - 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
Ezekiel 36:26 - 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
Colossians 2:13-14 - 13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature,[b] God made you[c] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.
Romans 8:1-2 - 1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,[a] 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
Jeremiah 24:7 - 7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.
2 Peter 1:3 - 3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
1 Peter 2:9 - 9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
My intention here is not to rip off Josh, but rather to have the Truth in front of me, written down right in front of my eyes, so that as I process all that happened today, His Word can continue to minister to and strengthen me. Not to make a big deal out of it, but today is my birthday. It’s meant to be a light-hearted day full of love and well-wishes (even flowers!) from loved ones. So, I’m armed to the teeth, ready to enjoy this day and stop to moaning - ready just to glorify Him.
As the day unfolded, I definitely figured out why my Spirit bowed up this morning. The enemy has had a great deal of success in attacking my identity. Too old, too strong, too aggressive, too abrasive, too intimidating (I mean, really…), too unapproachable… whew.
I was definitely told, in 2 separate conversations today with my boss and my mom, that I am intimidating and unapproachable. Yay flaming arrows reigning down…
I will pray tonight as I did the other day – Father, my heart is willing. I raise my shield high against the flaming arrows of the enemy aimed at the Ring, and I turn and offer them to you with praise on my lips. I know who I am. I am Yours.
No comments:
Post a Comment