When we are weak and doubting, He is STRONG.
~ Lisa Blair
God is ever present in our lives, yet often we feel defeated and lost. Why? It seems we often attempt to travel unprepared to succeed. We enter the battleground without our armor. Rest in this meditation. Seek Him first.
It’s important to learn the Word so your relationship becomes more vivid. God speaks to us in many ways, but I find it most comforting when He teaches me through the Word. Memorize a daily devotional scripture each day and watch it strengthen your faith and emotional stamina.
We are stronger when we stand together. Corporate prayer is powerful. So often we hear others are going through and dismiss it after we hear they are in need of support. As Christian’s, it is our responsibility to care for one another, which means keeping them in prayer. We often do not know what they need, but God does, and He hears our cries. I have met several people who have chronic illnesses through WordPress. I encourage everyone to pray for a miracle for everyone, especially Mackenzie Cartwright, Life With An Illness, and Fiona, Don’t Dismiss ME.
When we pray we should pray with the understanding that praying for a miracle is broad, it can cover healing, for surrender (for those who haven’t), for reconciliation, for peace, whatever the person needs.
Add all those who are suffering from emotional and chronic illnesses to your daily prayers. We are all God’s children and members of one family.
Thank you!
We sharpen each other through conversation and prayer. Accountability is a cherished tool. Two minds can provide mutual counsel and strengthen each other’s judgement. It builds our countenance in the Lord. What better gift can one bestow on the other than helping one another mature in the Word and to do good in their sphere of influence?
God gave us the power and authority to pray for ourselves and others.
Jude 1:20 reads, build each other up in prayer. It is our responsibility as Christians to cover our friends and family in prayer every day. It is also our responsibility to stand with them in times of need. God created a family to support one another. The family can be blood relatives or extended members of your circle of friends.
God does not discriminate, nor should we. If He discriminated, the Gentiles would not have been adopted into the family, and we would not be given the opportunity to be part of the Christian Faith through adoption. 
How do we become strong? We build ourselves up internally with the Holy Spirit who dwells in us and makes us strong. Our strength then translates into how we perceive and react to the world. Our doctrine of faith is the foundation to build our faith, increase our knowledge, and improve our relationships with others in and out of the faith. Our internal knowledge unleashes how we build up one another.
The scripture continues and teaches us how to pray. It informs us to pray through the Holy Spirit. Praying gives the Holy Spirit the ability to guide our prayers to accomplish the fullness of their intent. The Holy Spirit directs our petitions. The only effective way to pray is in the Spirit. Some believe we must pray in tongues; others believe that it ended when they crucified Christ, ending the Old Testament dispensation. Regardless, for those who pray in tongues, praying in the Holy Spirit bypasses Satan’s listening ears. For those who do not, pray for the intervention of the Holy Spirit in praying to God, the Father. There is an expression that indicates our intent, ‘Prayers go up, and blessings come down.’
Our role of Christians is to abide by God’s Word. Jude 1:20 calls us to build each other up in faith, not to tear them down, demean them, or ostracize them in any way. We are to pray for them in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Re-Blog – https://wp.me/p98Coa-Br
Scripture – Biblegateway.com
Images – Bible.com, YouVersion; Google Images
Resources/References – Bible.com: Barnes Notes, Ellicott’s Commentary, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown’s Bible Commentary; BibleStudyTools.com: John Gills Exposition of the Bible
James 1:13 speaks for itself. God is ALL TRUTH, therefore He cannot tempt us. We allow ourselves to be tempted/used by the evil one. I know I’ve been tempted.
Tempted and failed:
1) My parents taught me the difference between right and wrong. I attended Sunday School and was taught about temptation, but yet and still I had a friend who stole candy from the corner store every day on the way home from school. He would always try to entice the rest of us to join him. I held out for the longest, we were around nine years old. Finally, I gave in to the temptation. When I arrived home my Dad asked me where I had gotten the candy. He knew I had no money and teachers did not give candy to students for behaving back then. I already felt guilty and thought I was going to jail for stealing. He told me he was taking back me to the store (the owner was his friend) to report that I had stolen candy from him and he would decide my fate. I knew it was wrong. I was tempted and instead if standing in faith (like I did for weeks) I gave in to the devils evil ways and forsook the Word of God, ‘thou shall not steal’. I knew God could not tempt me, it had to be the evil one.
2) It was my first week on the job and we had a three/day weekend. I requested a few extra vacation days but had not yet earned the time off and the request was denied. Friends and I sailed to Catalina. Everyone else had five days vacation time, I had three. I knew I should not have gone, but it was a trip of a lifetime. I was tempted and failed. I took the trip. During the trip, I contacted my boss via Western Union, (this was long before email and cell phones) and told him there was no wind and the engine had broken, sharing that it would take a few days for repairs or according to the weatherman for the wind to pick up. This could have cost me my job, but I was young (this was a long time ago.) I felt guilty throughout the vacation, but by the grace of God, I did not lose my job. Some would have said God tempted them, but I knew it was Satan and took the bait anyway.
Tempted and stood fast:
I worked for a management company that turned out to be unscrupulous. They wanted me to sign over a rather large check to them and threatened to tell the board president to fire me if I didn’t, but if I did they would promote me.
They thought they could persuade me. I knew this was the evil one trying to bind me. I reported the incident to the president and she fired the management company.
Temptation comes in all forms, from taking gifts from donors to cheating on tests and significant others, to major white crimes. God would never tempt us to do things outside of His Will. However, Satan tempts us every day. We know it is him because we can sense it in our spirit. The key is to acknowledge the temptation and walk away from it as fast and we can. I knew it was Satan and walked away.
Fact – God does not tempt. Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy and will use every trick available to do so.
God saves. Satan Kills. God is All Truth. Satan is All lies. God gives life. Satan takes life away. All truth cannot lie. Temptation is not of God. Temptation is of Satan.
I am certain that everyone reading this has temptation experiences, some that we don’t mind sharing and others we will never reveal to another. The ones that are too hurtful or embarrassing to share can be handed over to God. Ask for forgiveness, He will never forsake you.
Images – YouVersion.Bible.com; google.com
Scriptures – Biblegateway.com
Thank you for visiting my Young Christian Warriors site and dailyinspiration-lisasthoughts.com, at the moment there is some duplication. I am working on merging the two to create one great site. Please bear with me through this process.
Lisa’s Daily Inspirations 