Protection from Bullies

Happy Sunday!

Praying that you enjoyed the week and are ready to embark on the Holidays!  I love you and I am praying for you like the Apostle Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus, "God of our Lord Jesus the Anointed, Father of Glory: I call out to You on behalf of Your people. Give them minds ready to receive wisdom and revelation so they will truly know You. Open the eyes of their hearts, and let the light of Your truth flood in. Shine Your light on the hope You are calling them to embrace. Reveal to them the glorious riches You are preparing as their inheritance. Let them see the full extent of Your power that is at work in those of us who believe, and may it be done according to Your might and power." Ephesians 1:17-19 (Voice)

Dr. Bill Winston continued the series entitled, "The Power of Love" with the subtitle, "Possessing Your Mountain".  As the old folks used to say, "It gets gooder and gooder!"  It may not be grammatically correct and the words may not be in the dictionary but it describes how relevant these messages are in my life.  I hope that they are meaningful to you, and bless you.

John 14:21 says, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." (KJV)  Don't miss that!  Keeping God's commandments proves how much you love him.  Don't tell me you love Jesus and your life shows no proof!  No, not just the length of your skirt, or the number of Thanksgiving Baskets you gave to the poor, it's obedience that reveals our true love.  When we love Jesus and keep his commandments, God get's involved and manifests himself to us.  

Scary things are happening in the world! Always remember God did not give you a spirit of fear. Matthew 10:16 says, "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."(KJV)  And Luke 10:3 says, "Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves."(KJV)  These scriptures are the words of Jesus! Would Jesus put us in danger? Good question!  The answer can be found in Luke 10:17.  When the disciples returned after this mission, this is what they said, "And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name."(KJV)  Don't miss this! They returned with JOY!  They were not ripped to pieces by the wolves, but with the power and authority of the Name of Jesus they overcame every obstacle!  John 16:33 in the Amplified Version goes right along with this.

"I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]"

The Devil is a bully! Don't let him bully you! Dr. Winston tells the story of a bully at a certain school. He carried a list of all the children he could beat up. One young man heard that his name was on the list. He approached the bully and told him to take his name off the list. He proclaimed to the bully, "You can't beat me up!" The bully quickly agreed and took the young man's name off the list. You need to command the Devil to take your name off his list! Remind him that, "For the Angel of the Lord guards and rescues all who reverence him." Psalm 34:7 (Living Bible) Make sure he knows, "Hard times may well be the plight of the righteous—they may often seem overwhelmed—but the Eternal rescues the righteous from what oppresses them." Psalm 34:19 (Voice) Don't forget to remind him of your assurance plan outlined in Psalm 91 as well!

Love and prayers, have a Happy Thanksgiving...Cynthia