Talents
There seems to be one area where the Devil attacks believers under the age of 25. When a person commits to serve God with all they have and to love Him as the supreme Lord and Master of their lives; the devil knows he can not undo that relationship or commitment so he begins the process of distracting and discouraging. After all if he can distract, discourage or deceive and the believer will stop their service to the Lord, then Satan knows he has accomplished the same goal as if the person never made the commitment to God.
To be effective we must do 2 things. It really boils down to a simple formula.
- we must make a commitment
- we must follow the commitment we have made.
Making the commitment is usually a big struggle, can we succeed, will we flop and fall on our faces, will others think us weird. Have you found that God will take us to a point where He can get our undivided attention and in the quietness of some moment or the sweetness of a worship service where His Holy Spirit is all around. In some moment where He (God) can get us to listen and be aware of His direction, will burn in our heart 'His vision for our life.' It is in that moment, we think the clearest, we comprehend the greatest and we know without a doubt our desires have been swallowed up with a goal of being and doing what our Lord desires of us
and we commit.
Now the battle starts, oh not at that very instant usually. But within a short amount of time, the enemy comes and begins a slow and deliberate attempt to deceive. He will say things like ..
You can't do that
What will your family think, what will your friends say, who do you think you are, that was just an emotional moment (snap out of it)
Or he will try to convince you that you don't have the skills. He will direct your attention to some who have mastered and suceeded in the same or similar areas and try to convince you that you are no where near as good as those people.
If the enemy can lie and/or discourage us, he knows we will pursue the 'vision' with a half hearted approach or abandon it all together. If these tactics won't work, he will attempt to distract us with other things. Other plans which may even be more glamorous, more profitable.
God is not about drifting and changing. He does not change His mind as often as we say He does.
How many of our friends say.. God has told me to do this or that and in 6 months God changed His mind and He told me to do this.
- 2 Cor 1:20 For every one of God's promises is "Yes" in Him. Therefore the "Amen" is also through Him for God's glory through us.
It is ok and a sign of maturity to be able to say.. I don't know for sure what God wants but at the moment He is leading me in this direction. or if we know without a doubt God is leading us in a certain direction, be affirmative. Commit and tell others and live in that commitment.
I have found the key to be this.. When God directs He makes no mistakes. Sure He may eventually lead us in new paths, better and brighter and different than the ones we are on today, but God will always be clear. God is not about confusion.
I think God gets stoked when we as His children set our faces and our faith with an affirmation and live victoriously for Him.
| James 1 Read This Chapter |
- 1:22
- But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
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- 1:23
- Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror;
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- 1:24
- for he looks at himself, goes away, and right away forgets what kind of man he was.
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- 1:25
- But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who acts--this person will be blessed in what he does.
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One Word of caution .... If difficult times come while we are pursuing the plan and will of God, does NOT mean that we are on the wrong path. To believe that logic one would have to believe that God's will never has any difficulties associated with it.But in fact there will be opportunities for us to grow and mature as we follow God and one of many tools used to help us grow will be difficult times. If difficult times come, be firm. Do not waver.
God will see you through and following Him will be the sweetest time of your life.
- Heb 6:10
- For God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you showed for His name when you served the saints--and you continue to serve them.
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- 6:18
- so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us.
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Psalm 117:2 For great is His faithful love to us; the Lord's faithfulness endures forever. Hallelujah!
We serve an awesome God.
Love Him
Follow Him
Let Him prove Himself in and through your life.
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