No More Wandering Part 2

Submit:

This is why Jesus tells us that we must born again. John 3:3

John3:3 “Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.””

God desires to give mankind a new heart, and He has made it possible through faith in Christ. Christ is the mediator of the new covenant. A mediator one who intervenes between two, either in order to make or restore peace and friendship, or form a compact, or for ratifying a covenant. Hebrews 8:10 reveals the nature of the new covenant.

Hebrews 8:10 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; (the result) and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

The word of God active in the mind and evident in lifestyle reveals the power of the kingdom of God. The Word activated changes our lives by moving us from death to life.

This reality gives us the capacity to live differently in the midst of an evil world. The key to victory is in Christ. God through Jesus has given us the potential to change our minds so that we can live in victory. John 1:14

Jesus is the Word of God John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Victory or defeat lies simply in our ability to honor the truth. If we allow God to imprint His truth in our minds through reading and studying His word, He will then establish it by writing it on our hearts. The word imprinted and established will be evidenced in our actions because where the mind goes the man follows.

Until a person submits to the truth a veil remains on their heart. 2 Corinthians 3:14-15 “But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.”

Walking in the fear of the Lord, receiving instruction by meditating on the word of God will remove the veil from our heart, and it will give us the ability to see. Proverbs 1:7

Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

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Apply:

The potential of the word will always be contested by satan. His attacks come in many different ways.

He attacks our confidence in the word. The original question used to attack Eve in the Garden was this Did God say? Genesis 3:1

Genesis 3:1 “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?””

Like Eve will we will find ourselves in situations where satan will present the same question. Did God say? The bible says that when we are born again old things pass away and behold all becomes new. There will be moments in our life when our actions won’t line up with what we desire.

Paul the apostle experienced this. Romans 7:15-17 (NLT) “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.”

Satan will try to make you think that a moment of failure means you are not really free, you have not actually changed, your not really saved because a saved person wouldn’t act like that, or say that.

Yet in the midst of these battles we have an answer. Romans 7:24-25 “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”

Satan also attacks our identity: Jesus experienced this in Matthew 4. Satan repeatedly said to Jesus, If you are the son of God? do this or do that. Our identity comes from God’s voice. It is revealed to us through the Word as we spend time with Him.

Satan brings up our past. A major tool that satan uses is guilt and shame. His purpose in this is to keep our focus off the freedom we have in Christ. If he can keep us looking backwards he can effectively rob us of what God wants to do in and through our life.

He wants us to look back at our failures. He wants us to focus on our problems. He wants us to find our identity in the abuse or mistreatment we suffered. If he is successful in capturing our focus we will miss out on the blessing of what God wants to do with our life.

We have to be mindful of our focus because it will affect our attitude. If we end up with a bad attitude we will begin to grumble and complain against God. This will affect our faith. Hebrews 11:6

Hebrews 11:6 says “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

We want to live a life pleasing to God. This means that we will have to take responsibility for our lives.

It doesn’t matter what someone else did to me in my past. It doesn’t matter how many wrong things I have done. I am responsible to apprehend today. I must choose to honor the truth and fight for victory in my life no matter how hard it may seem.

Don’t run away from hard things. God lead the Israelites through the hard way on purpose. Why? It was intended to be a revealing process. It was to be a maturing process. Difficulties always reveal the real us. When the pressure is on we always find out what is on the inside. Don’t run from it. Mature from it.

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Closing

As we understand the tactics of the enemy we can rest assured that God has given us the needed weapons to be victorious.

The first weapon is where we place our focus. Romans 8:5-7

Romans 8:5-7 illustrates this, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.”

When carnal thoughts come we take authority over them through the word. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”

The second weapon is to put on the new man. Ephesians 4:20-31.

Ephesians 4:20-24 “But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

Ephesians 4:25-31 “Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.”

We are to walk in the love of God. Ephesians 5:1-2

Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”

We are to walk in the light. Ephesians 5:8-9

Ephesians 5:8-9 “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),”

We are to walk in Wisdom. Ephesians 5:15-16

Ephesians 5:15-16 “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

We are to put on the whole armor of God. Ephesians 6:10-18

Ephesians 6:10-18 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--”

God has certainly given us all things that we need. 2 Peter 1:3

2 Peter 1:3 “as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,”

If we will trust in His Word and honor it with out actions we will win on the battlefield of the mind.

Let’s Pray!

1) Salvation (remove the veil)

2) For the courage to fight, a fresh hunger for the word,