Theinnermaninme

And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ  be  with you. Amen. (Romans 16 : 20) The apostle Peter warns us to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). And Jesus uses strong language to let us know that this thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). Jesus contended with him when He walked this earth. After forty days of fasting, the tempter came to divert Jesus from His mission. In each circumstance, Jesus defeated him with the Word of God (Matthew 4:1-11). Little did Satan know that this battle was only an indication of things to come! Satan thought that he was victorious at Calvary. When Jesus breathed His last and His body went into that cold, dark tomb, Satan believed that he had won. But he only struck His heel. Because three days later, Jesus crushed his head in defeat! We are not ignorant of Satan’s device...

So I answered them, and said to them, ‘The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem.’ (Nehemiah 2 : 20) In our husband-wife relationships, we are responsible for maintaining the border of marriage. Nehemiah demonstrates a principle for us as we consider those who might discourage us in our endeavors. In complete confidence, Nehemiah declared to the triple threat: “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us.” He put his enemies on alert. No matter what they said or how they attempted to thwart him, they had no bearing on his outcome. His outcome was determined by God alone. He was the One Who would protect and prosper them. In fact, he went on to say: “…you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem.” He reminded them that the land on which they stood was covenant land. It was given to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all of the generations following. Outsiders had no role in tha...

"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", (Ephesians 5 : 1 - 2) With great freedom comes great responsibility. And we have received the deepest and widest of freedoms through Christ. We are free indeed! We are free from the law of sin and death to live in the righteousness of God (Romans 8:2). We are responsible to be imitators of God and to be examples “in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12). That may seem like a tall order, but once again, Jesus equips us with all that we need. When we spend time with Jesus, we become more like Him. When we spend time in His Word, we begin to see things His way. When we spend time communicating with Him, our prayers become powerful and effective. We begin to speak His heart into situations. When we follow Him and step in His footprints, we begin to look a lot...

" And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven". (Matthew 16 : 19) The person who holds the keys has the power to lock and unlock. He has the access and the authority. He can enter and exit freely. In Matthew 16, Jesus has a heart-to-heart with the twelve disciples. He asks them this question: “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” In essence, He asked, “What do the curious say about Me?” The disciples tossed out some answers that they had overheard in the chatter surrounding Jesus. Some thought that maybe He was Elijah, perhaps John the Baptist, just a prophet like other prophets. Jesus pressed a little harder: “But who do you say I am?” He had done enough; were they convinced? Impetuous Peter passionately blurted out, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Not only was he convinced, but he was committed. Jesus rewarded him in the sa...

" Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He shall bring  it  to pass". (Psalm 37 - 5) In every congregation or conversation with Jesus recorded in the Bible, three types of individuals emerge. The curious came to hear what this preacher had to say. The convinced believed, through their experience and observation, that He had the power to change their lives. The third group of individuals moved beyond the curious and the convinced to a faith that changed the world – they were the committed. One day, five thousand people came to hear Jesus – some walking great distances. He had compassion on them, and He healed the sick and hurting that came seeking His help. When evening arrived, the disciples urged Him to send them off to nearby villages in search of supper. He said, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” The twelve were convinced that Jesus was Who He claimed to be, that He had the ability to help, but they approached Him only to point ...

And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. (Matthew 20 : 27 - 28) Social scientists have a name for the tendency to watch from the sidelines: The Bystander Effect. It’s a social psychological phenomenon that refers to cases in which individuals do not offer any means of help to a victim when other people are present. The greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that any of them will help. Everyone thinks that someone else will do something or step in to rescue the victim. It is easy, in the middle of our busy, fast-paced lives, to think that someone else will do what God is actually calling us to do. Someone else will witness to a neighbor or volunteer at our church or pray with a co-worker. We often think that throwing money at a need relieves us of the responsibility of wading in and getting our hands dirty. If we are all honest, God is prom...

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’ (Isaiah 6 : 8) The Church today is not so much guilty of the sin of commission or omission, but of no mission. We hang back and wait for the lost to enter our world when we need to enter their world with God’s love and His heart. We have been rescued, saved, delivered, healed, showered with blessings, and highly favored. This good news should be so uncontainable that we are sharing it with every person we encounter. Instead, we often hoard it, hide it, and hope nobody asks. We stall while we wait for the grand gesture to speak to thousands, to touch the masses, to travel to a foreign land. But can we walk across the street and talk to our neighbors? Jesus’ example for us was often the opposite of the grand gesture. He held a child. He ate fish with his friends around a campfire. He touched a leper when no one else would. He discussed the Scriptures in the temple...

And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. (John 10 : 28) How reassuring is this beautiful promise from Jesus! No matter what chaos swirls, we can rest confidently in His commitment to us. Jesus declared Himself to be the Good Shepherd. He knows each one of His sheep. He calls us by name, and He leads us in and out of the sheepfold to find green pastures. We are so familiar with the sound of His voice that we will not wander off to follow a stranger. He loves us so much that He lays down His life for us. Nothing and no one can pluck us, His precious sheep, from His hand. Centuries before this promise was penned in the New Testament, the Psalmist declared that He is our God, that we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand (Psalm 95). Safe in His hand, we can be certain that nothing reaches us that is not filtered through the loving fingers of our heavenly Father first. He promises to strengthen us, to he...

".....w hen he came, and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all, that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord" .(Acts 11 : 23) Every warrior needs a battle plan. Every warrior who goes into combat without a plan becomes a casualty. As David prepared to fight Goliath, he went to the brook, found five smooth stones, placed them in a pouch, and grasped his slingshot in his hand. Most importantly, he went out to fight the giant in the “name of the Lord of hosts.” Proverbs reminds us that a person can make many plans, but the Lord’s will always prevails. We purpose in our hearts to seek His direction and allow God to plot the journey. We may chart our courses, but He will guide our feet. To be certain that we are in step with Him, we await our marching orders. We do not drift aimlessly into success. His Word is our guidebook that instructs how to respond in battlefield situations. Prayer keeps us in constant contact with our Commander-...