Category: Ephesians

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Expectations Exceeded!

Several weeks ago one of my favorite kitchen gadgets quit working. My first inclination was to find repair instructions on YouTube but my search was fruitless. Undeterred, I began looking for a new model.

I found just what I was looking for, ordered it and awaited delivery. It never came! Disappointed…I cancelled my order and was issued a refund. Time to renew my search and order again.

Thursday, late afternoon, the UPS truck stopped at our gate and delivered my package. We were on our way out for the evening so Dave placed the box on our kitchen table, unopened.

Yesterday morning there it sat, waiting for me. I was almost as excited as a kid at Christmas!

I carefully cut the packing tape, took each item out of the box and laid it on the counter top. I was pleasantly surprised to find more than I was expecting. I removed the packaging and plugged it in.

Now to test it.

I would have been so disappointed if it hadn’t worked. I am pleased to report that not only did it work, it exceeded my expectations. All this excitement for something as simple as a FoodSaver.

I can hear you all now – “Really? That’s what she is so happy to have.” Yes, that is it. I even took a picture and sent it to my friend…

This little gadget will keep my food fresh, in the freezer, for months on end. The vacuum-seal will keep it secure.

Did you know that when we come to Christ our lives are sealed? Not a FoodSaver, something so much better, a LifeSaver.

“You too heard the word of truth in Christ, which is the good news of your salvation. You were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit because you believed in Christ.” Ephesians 1:13 CEB

The Holy Spirit seals us for our new life in Christ. We are protected, dearly loved children of the Most High God!

Our relationship with the Father is more, so much more, than we deserve and it far exceeds any of our expectations. Our loving Father has designed for us an abundant life, an everlasting life, a life that will carry on for all eternity with Him in heaven.

“Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by his power at work within us; 21 glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus for all generations, forever and always. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21 CEB

Our life in Christ is not dependent upon what we can do or what we have done. Our “works” would never make us good enough to deserve the precious gift that He freely gives. It is completely dependent on His unconditional love.

“God is strong and can keep you from falling. He can bring you before his glory without any wrong in you and give you great joy. 25 He is the only God, the one who saves us. To him be glory, greatness, power, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord for all time past, now, and forever. Amen.” Jude 24-25 ERV

Thank you Father for Your amazing love and grace that far exceeds all expectations!

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Can’t Get Enough

Do you have any foods that you could eat until you almost burst? I have two; one is sweet, a hot fudge sundae and the other is salty, chips and salsa.

If I didn’t restrain myself I would gorge on these two indulgences. I just can’t get enough!

I’m sharing this, now very public, weakness with all of you because my dreams last night were inundated with delicious images of hot fudge sundaes. When I awaken one of my first thoughts was where is the closest Dairy Queen.

I know, she says tongue in cheek, that none of the rest of you experience these types of battles but just in case you do I’ll give you this piece of advice – resist temptation!

I have one other indulgence that you need to know about. This one I don’t try to resist, this one I give in to and let it fill my thoughts constantly.

“I pray that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. I pray that your life will be strong in love and be built on love. 18 And I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide, how long, how high, and how deep that love is. 19 Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with everything God has for you.” Ephesians 3:17-19 ERV

I can’t get enough of God’s love!

Daily, I am reminded of His great love for me. It is unconditional. He loves me as much when I behaved horribly as He does when I am serving Him with all my heart. He extends His hand of mercy and grace. He will not reject me because His love never fails.

I will repeat, I can’t get enough of God’s love!

“Very few people will die to save the life of someone else, even if it is for a good person. Someone might be willing to die for an especially good person. 8 But Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and by this God showed how much he loves us.

9 We have been made right with God by the blood sacrifice of Christ. So through Christ we will surely be saved from God’s anger. 10 I mean that while we were God’s enemies, he made friends with us through his Son’s death. And the fact that we are now God’s friends makes it even more certain that he will save us through his Son’s life.” Romans 7-10 ERV

God’s love is deeper than we can comprehend, wider than the vast Milky Way but it is personal to each and everyone of us.

Let me close with these song lyrics written by Leeland Mooring, “Where You Are:“

I can’t get enough
No I can’t get enough
Of Your amazing love
I can’t get enough

I can’t walk away
No I can’t walk away
For I have seen Your face
And I can’t walk away

And I just wanna be where You are
I just wanna be near Your heart
There is nothing like Your love
There is nothing like Your love

Experiencing the love of God is one indulgence that I won’t walk away from.

I just can’t get enough! How about you?

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Spring Cleaning

The last two days I have been busy cleaning baseboards. Yes, baseboards!

I have a thing about baseboards. When we check into a hotel and everything looks fresh and clean I look at baseboards. When I have company coming and I’ve changed the sheets and cleaned the floors I look at the baseboards.

Normally, I get around to doing them twice a year but in the past few years I have stretched that out to every eighteen months with spot cleaning of different rooms as I deem necessary.

There’s a life lesson to be gained here.

There’s only one good way to clean baseboards. It requires a basin of warm, soapy water, several soft clean rags and a small scrub brush. It must be done on hands and knees. They can’t be thoroughly cleaned without being on floor level and since I’m there it’s also a good time to wash the tile floors by hand.

Now, for the life lesson.

There isn’t much else I can do while scrubbing them than think. It’s a good time to take personal inventory; a time to examine heart motives, physical activities, prejudices & irritations, hurts and fears. Removing the dust and spots from the baseboards is also a great time to clean some of life’s dusty corners.

“Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.” II Corinthians 7:1 ERV

“Put out of your life these things also: anger, bad temper, bad feelings toward others, talk that hurts people, speaking against God, and dirty talk. 9 Do not lie to each other. You have put out of your life your old ways.” Colossians 3:8-9 NLV

The Lord and I had a good talk about some things I had let build up; things I had ignored. Spring cleaning is good for our homes but even better for our soul.

“…Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.” Ephesians 5:25-27 NLT

Invite the Holy Spirit to help you with those hard to reach areas in your life. Get some Spring cleaning done. I can tell you from personal experience you’ll be glad you did!

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What To Wear

Have you ever had one of those days when you got up and just didn’t know what to wear? For a soldier that’s never a question. They are issued a uniform when they are inducted into service, it’s standard issue.

The Apostle Paul says that we also have a uniform and each piece is specifically designed for our purpose and protection.

“To end my letter I tell you, be strong in the Lord and in his great power. 11 Wear the full armor of God. Wear God’s armor so that you can fight against the devil’s clever tricks. 12 Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places. 13 That is why you need to get God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil, you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing.

14 So stand strong with the belt of truth tied around your waist, and on your chest wear the protection of right living. 15 On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong. 16 And also use the shield of faith with which you can stop all the burning arrows that come from the Evil One. 17 Accept God’s salvation as your helmet. And take the sword of the Spirit—that sword is the teaching of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times. Pray with all kinds of prayers, and ask for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready. Never give up. Always pray for all of God’s people.

19 Also pray for me—that when I speak, God will give me words so that I can tell the secret truth about the Good News without fear.” Ephesians 6:10-19 ERV

The first thing I would like you to see is that this armor has been tested. This is God’s armor and it will withstand any attack launched against us. When the battle is over, we win. We are still standing – we are overcomers and more than conquerors.

Our armor belt is the belt of truth. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life”, so our waist or midsection is protected by Jesus, himself.

Our chest is protected by the righteousness that we have in Christ. Our vital organs are covered by our right standing with God.

Our feet are not vulnerable, we are wearing the shoes of the Good News of peace. We can stand and fight because we are established on the solid foundation of God’s Word. We will not run, we’ll stand firm.

We have an impenetrable shield to protect us from incoming artillery. It is the Shield of Faith. Just like the centurion who heard the words Jesus spoke and believed, we hear and believe the words Jesus speaks to us. Jesus said that heaven and earth would pass away but God’s Word would never be destroyed.

Our head is under our helmet of salvation. There is only one name given under heaven by which we can be saved, that is the name of Jesus. Jesus, who is the head of this body of Christ, has us covered.

With a shield in one hand we are free to wield a sword with the other. Our sword is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. The book of Hebrews says the Word is sharper than any other two-edged sword.

Our last piece of armor is prayer. When we pray in the Spirit we are edified, built up and strengthened in our faith.

Every piece of armor that we are issued comes with instruction from God’s Word. This armor is not just given to the elite forces, but it comes as standard issue to every believer. The Commander-in-Chief has made us all victorious in Christ.

It’s time to get dressed – put on the full armor of God!

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Strong and Healthy

Today I want to share a few more thoughts with you on being a part of the body of Christ…

Although, we are all the body of Christ, we do not all have the same function. Some are fingers, toes, arms, and legs but we are all necessary for the proper functioning of the body. We are all needed to make the body complete. By working in harmony, we bring glory to the One who has placed His name on this body.

“A body is made up of many parts, and each of them has its own use. 5 That’s how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another.” Romans 12:4-5 CEV

“All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.” I Corinthians 12:27 NLT

If our little finger gets smashed or our arm gets broken the rest of our body works together to protect the part that’s hurting. When disease strikes, the blood cells work overtime to produce what it needs and then fights to remove the infection. In the physical body strife and stress weaken our immunity and make us susceptible to physical illness.

Sad to say, but the same thing happens in the body of Christ. Criticism, gossip, selfishness, greed, and pride are germs that infect the body of Christ and weaken our effectiveness. We need to protect and nurture the parts of this body, not amputate them, so that the message of Christ doesn’t lose its effectiveness.

We are mutually dependent on one another. I need you and you need me. We might not agree on everything but without each other neither of us will operate fully and the whole body will suffer.

“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” Ephesians 4:11-16 NLT

If we pull away from each other, criticizing and condemning one another, we’ll be tossed around like a cork in the ocean. But when we receive good teaching we will grow to be more like Christ with each passing day. We’ll take on a maturity that brings glory to Him.

Let’s all work together to help the broken and hurting parts “so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” Christ wants us all functioning together in love!

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Brand New

For the next couple of days we’ll be looking at the “new creation” that God has designed us to be. I have been asked a number of times “How can God love me and want to have a relationship with me after all I’ve done?”. The answer is simple. God sees us as new. He has chosen to forget our past and has given us a brand new life.

The Apostle Paul knew this was a hard truth to comprehend so he made it the central message in his writings. We are brand new – part of the body of Christ – and even if we are the skin on the bottom of the little toe we are still part of the body and that gives us relationship and authority…

“Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.” Ephesians 1:21-23 NLT

The head is the authority, the decision making or ruling part of the body. The power manifested through the decisions made by the head are valid for the whole body. Jesus took authority over principalities and powers and placed them under His feet. He defeated them when he died and rose again. If we are in the body, His body, then those powers are placed under our feet.

“Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead.  So, he is first in everything.19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20 and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.” Colossians 1:18-20 NLT

Christ, as the head, rules or directs the members of the body. The head makes the decisions that protect and provide for its wellbeing. Wisdom, spiritual insight, knowledge, and understanding come from the head.

“I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!” Ephesians 1:17-19 MSG

Take time to look at the example of Jesus’ life on earth.

How did He act; what did He do? It was all done through His body. The attributes that made Jesus, who He was, are available to us. He had victory over sin, sickness, emotional distress, and spiritual attacks. He moved in total obedience to God’s word; as His body we should be striving for this same commitment of pleasing the Father.

Our life in Christ is not about us doing something good enough to measure up, it’s about us allowing Him to lead, guide and gives us the strength! Christ invested His life to make us Brand New!

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Made in Heaven

The last couple of days I have taken our morning thoughts from Ephesians, chapter 5. This is the Apostle Paul’s teaching on marriage. The marriage union is God’s idea; He wanted each of us to experience the joy of companionshipship and sacrifical love.

However, we find that Paul is using our earthly marriage as an example of the relationship that Christ desires to have with us.

A match made in heaven!

“In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. 29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares* for it, just as Christ cares for the church. 30 And we are members of his body.” Ephesians 5:28-30 NLT (*cherishes)

Christ loves for us is deeper than we can imagine!

It’s amazing when we realize that Jesus took on our sin to give us His righteousness. He made us completely new creatures; we are given a new life because He was willing to die for us.

“But if you join yourself to the Lord, you are one with Him in spirit.” I Corinthians 6:17 NLV

Cherish is a word that means to hold dear, to protect, to cling to. Jesus cherishes us, we are His wife. This truth can and will dispel every feeling of depression and inferiority that we encounter.

We are the chosen wife of Jesus Christ.

“As the Scriptures say, ‘A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ 32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.” Verses 31-32 NLT

Marriage is a two-way street.

Jesus left His Father to come to earth and oversee all the marriage arrangements. His number one priority was to see that his new wife would be abundantly provided for in every area of her life. We, as His wife, give up any past attachments that would distract us and keep us from being completely committed to Him.

This is God’s plan concerning Christ and the church.

Jesus is our loving husband. He has done all to fill our lives with His love. He desires to provide the absolute best for us, He will overlook our short comings, and forgive us when we fail. He won’t remind us of our past but instead provides us with a glorious future. He sees us as His bride.

“Bride of the king, listen carefully to me. Forget your own people and your father’s family. 11 The king is your husband, so do what he desires…Your bride, my king, has inward beauty, and her wedding gown is woven with threads of gold. 14 Wearing the finest garments, she is brought to you, followed by her young friends, the bridesmaids. 15 Everyone is excited, as they follow you to the royal palace.”  Psalm 45:10-15 CEV

Christ came to earth to declare His love for us. He gave His all to provide us with a new and better life. His love is unconditional and eternal. Our part is to accept His proposal of new life and be joined to Him.

Truly, a match made in heaven!

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Me & Jesus

Years back there was a song, “Me & Jesus Got A Good Thing Going”, that drew attention to just how much Jesus wants to have a personal, one-on-one relationship with us. We need that because sometimes we read the Bible (or don’t read it) thinking that it was written for people who lived a long time ago and it doesn’t have a relevance for us today.

This thinking is so far from the truth. The Bible is practical; filled with wisdom and good instruction for daily life and relationships. There’s no better teaching on marriage and true love than the Bible. Let’s pick up where we left off yesterday…

“For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:22 NLT

The word submit means to be subject or to adapt. It is a life style of loving expression.

Ladies, remember when we first realized that our husband was the one for us. We wanted to know all his likes and dislikes. It was our goal to know his favorites. We wanted to make him happy. That’s what love does – it wants the best for the other person!

We need to be just as diligent in learning what pleases our Heavenly Husband.

This submission or adapting is valid for men also. It should be your desire toward Jesus. He has provided us with a glorious love letter; we need to read it constantly so we are aware of what brings Him pleasure and what causes Him sadness or heartache.

“For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. 24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.” Verse 23-24 NLT

These two verses explain the importance of having someone as the head of the home. Paul says Christ is our head. He is the one Who should lead our lives. All too often we, as the wife of Christ, try to tell Him what to do. This can cause confusion and unhappiness. We can always trust that Christ has our best interest at heart.

Marriage isn’t a dictatorship but someone needs to lead. Wives, let’s be submissive to Jesus, our Husband, and follow His guidance and instruction. After all, He’s never made a mistake, none of the rest of us can make that claim.  

We can trust His judgement!

“For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.” Verses 25-27 NLT

Christ loves us so much He gave Himself for us. He was willing to die for us so we could be reconciled with the Father. It should never be hard for us to be submissive to a husband who is willing to give all He has for us, to protect us with His life.

To some marriage has become cliche, old-fashioned, out of style. There is nothing so wonderful as a life-time, unconditional, selfless love! It’s available to all of us through our relationship with Jesus.

Me and Jesus got a good thing going!

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True Love

With Valentine’s Day only two weeks away I want to share with you some of God’s thoughts about husbands and wives. This is great advice for the waiting-to-get marrieds, the newlyweds, the middle weds and also for those of us “golden” weds.

When I was a girl, I dreamed of my life as a wife and mother. I don’t think I ever wanted to do anything else. It was a “Cinderella” fairy tale dream; Prince Charming, lovely dress, horse-drawn carriage, and flowers, lots of flowers.

I was eight years old when I met my husband. We attended the same church and he was the same age as my older brother. It did not take long for them to become friends. With their friendship came invitations for Dave to come to our house and hang out.

At eight, I was not infatuated with him. He was just another one of the guys but at thirteen, he was a hunk! Dave was a high school athlete, an outdoorsman and a horseman. What more could a girl ask for? (At this point, Dave is probably blushing and asking me to delete some of this.)

He was my Prince Charming, the man of my dreams. When he proposed my dreams came true. I was nineteen when we married. It was not a big wedding, just a simple ceremony in my parents living room. I had my gown, my prince and my horse-drawn 1973 Blue Chevy Silverado 4×4.

April 14, 1973, I became the beloved wife of David Wilson. However, long before this Christ shared His love with me and called me His wife.

“In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. 29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. 30 And we are members of his body.

31 As the Scriptures say, ‘A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ 32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.” Ephesians 5:28-32 NLV

…The relationship of husband and wife has been held in high regard by God, the Father, since He established the first union of Adam and Eve in the Garden. This is a relationship of both separation and union. The husband and wife both give up things they felt were important to be joined in a new relationship.

Men, as well as women, will need to see themselves in the role of the wife in these verses. We need to see what Paul was really teaching; he was giving an example of the relationship between Christ and the Church.

We will study Ephesians 5:21-32 verse by verse and in those verses we will find the depth of Christ’s love for us.

“And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Verse 21 NLT

A successful, life-long relationship starts with submitting to one another. There will always be areas of putting someone else’s desires ahead of your own and doing it without complaining. Love is about honoring the other person by giving them priority – wanting their happiness and well being. It is a mutual submission.

Christ gave us this example of true love – He gave all. He gave His life to show us His love!

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Stand Guard

The last couple of days we have seen how David defeated Goliath and how God gave Gideon victory over the enemies of his land…Each of these examples, and there are many more, deal with physical enemies and victories but God’s Word also promises victory in spiritual things.

“Every child of God can defeat the world, and our faith is what gives us this victory.” I John 5:4 CEV

“Children, you belong to God, and you have defeated these enemies. God’s Spirit is in you and is more powerful than the one that is in the world.” I John 4:4 CEV

In both these verses the old King James language says that we are overcomers. With God’s power working through us we have been promised victory. Even if we are relatively young or new to spiritual matters, we can have victory over wickedness. The victory isn’t ours because we are spiritual giants; it all comes from having Christ live in us.

It’s part of our inheritance.

“To end my letter I tell you, be strong in the Lord and in his great power. 11 Wear the full armor of God. Wear God’s armor so that you can fight against the devil’s clever tricks. 12 Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places. 13 That is why you need to get God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil, you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing.

14 So stand strong with the belt of truth tied around your waist, and on your chest wear the protection of right living. 15 On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong. 16 And also use the shield of faith with which you can stop all the burning arrows that come from the Evil One. 17 Accept God’s salvation as your helmet. And take the sword of the Spirit—that sword is the teaching of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times. Pray with all kinds of prayers and ask for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready. Never give up. Always pray for all of God’s people.” Ephesians 6:10-18 ERV

The armor we put on isn’t of our own making. It’s given to us by God. I remember hearing a man recall his time in Germany after World War II. He was part of the US occupational forces. He was a seventeen-year-old kid and it was his duty to patrol the streets, making sure that nothing illegal was going on. He remarked that he was small in stature and did not command any respect by his appearance. However, when he put on his Army uniform and had that US patch on his shoulder, he represented the US Army and that commanded respect from the forces that had been defeated.

On our own we will fall short but when we are dressed in the armor of God Satan and all his demons tremble.

If we are not winning the battles in our life, we need to check a few vital issues. 1) Do we have our armor on? 2) Are we being obedient to God’s leading or are we trying to fight using our own rules? And 3) Do we know our rights or is Satan cheating us?

Satan tries to trick us into thinking that God’s power will not work for us. He makes a lot of noise to scare us, tells us lies to deceive us and manipulates circumstances to make us think that we are defeated. He wants us to give up. It is at times like that we need to remember the instruction we received from the Apostle Paul to stand. And when we have done that, keep standing.

When we stand we are a representative for God Almighty. We have His authority and power to overcome the enemy!

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