One of my goals this year is to stand on the promises of God. How do I do that? Glad you asked. I have to actually know His promises.
WELCOME TO THE BATTLEFIELD, SAINTS.
One of the BEST ways to defeat Satan is with Scripture. In fact, that’s what Jesus did. When Satan was trying to mess with him, He—the God of the universe—quoted Scripture. <<Check it out in Matthew 4>>. He didn’t kind of know what He was talking about, He knew it by heart. He was prepared. He had it memorized! Jesus knew those promises to fire right back at Satan. And you know what? SATAN HEARD IT AND LEFT.
As children of God, we have that same POWER because Jesus lives in us! Welcome to the battlefield, saints. Let’s clothe ourselves with the one of the best weapons to defeat evil: SCRIPTURE.
YOUR ADVERSARY: THE DEVIL
When you're in battle, it's smart to know your opponent and know how he works. Satan - the evil adversary in our daily battles - loves to feed us lies. In fact, Scripture labels him as the accuser or even the father of lies. He is cunning and seeks for any way to trip us or hold us back from doing the great things God has planned for us. We are even warned that Satan roams the planet looking for someone to devour. YUCK!
Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. //1 Peter 5:8
These things are written not to scare you but to help you understand how aware you need to be. Sometimes what Satan says sounds true, but it's not. He takes things that are good and tweaks it just enough to convince you that it's so close to the original mark, you may get confused. Just like any enemy, he's smart and cunning. Don't let him fool you. One of the best ways to figure out what is Satan's voice versus what is God's voice is to really lean into what God says. What God says is truth. Those truths are found in the Bible, and we call those promises.
Like you -- I want to win this battle AND: SPOILER ALERT: WE WIN IN THE END! Join me in a journey of really diving into TRUTHS.
THE GAME PLAN:
I am currently working through Shanna Noel's book 100 Days of Promises: A Devotional Journal. I am such a visual learner and love thinking in pictures. This book encourages doodling, sketching, writing and journaling -- a perfect place to really meet Christ in the way in which you learn. I'm using it to guide my thoughts and captivate my attention.
There is no theme as the weeks progress -- the intention of each day is to grasp onto one of GOD'S TRUTHS throughout the day. I try to look at that specific promise in the morning and let it be at the forefront of my thoughts as I progress through my day. If you like journaling or reading at night, end your day with that day's promises and wake up reminding yourself of that specific truth.
FOCUS ON THE NEXT 40 DAYS. You can do anything for 40 days.
40 DAYS: Want to take your journey a step further? I don't know about you, but I want to emerge a stronger warrior after this training, so I'm aiming to memorize each promise. Immersing yourself in 100 days of Scripture is a wonderful plan, but before you jump to 100 days, let's focus on the next 40. After 40 days, a habit is formed. You'll be stronger spiritually and ready to dive deeper into the steadfast truths you need to conquer the enemy.
If you're like me, you need to see it to remember it, so I created a document that has a promise for each day for the next 40 days. You can download it for free HERE. You could print these out and put these images on a ring or flip through them like notecards. Instead of grabbing your phone at a stoplight, pull out your notecards of Scripture. Flip through them before you crawl into bed or while you sip your coffee. Seeing Scripture and declaring it out loud is a step in the right direction -- not to mention, it's a great memorization tool!
AN OUTLINE:
I am choosing to use this book as an outline. I find that each day's promises sends me on a scavenger hunt through the Bible, as I am aiming to take each truth further. Use the promise of the day to guide you. Your focus can just be focusing on the truth and doing your best to remember it throughout your day. Perhaps you want to take it further and desire to look up other Scripture that compliments that day's promise. One of the cool things about the Bible is that the same promise is said in multiple ways to multiple people throughout time. Why? It's because these promises <<and the God behind them>> are unchanging. They have stood the test of time and are repeated throughout history.
THE goal: focus on the promises of God.
Use these promises as a springboard to start a conversation with your Heavenly Father -- He wants to hear from you! Remember, this is your journey. There are no rules or restrictions -- just one goal: focus on the promises of God. For the next 40 days, I challenge you to think about these truths. GOD IS ON THE MOVE!
Your training starts now.
Father, bless the warrior that is wanting to learn from you. Let them hear you. Let them delight in Your promises. May each day be filled with your truths -- and regardless of what that person is feeling in the moment, let them push aside those feelings and focus on Your truths. Thank you that you are God! Thank you that you are the same God yesterday, today, and forever. You do not change like shifting shadows and neither do Your promises. Let me cling to your truths. When Satan whispers in my ear or tries to put my mind off you or feed me lies, counteract that with Your truth. Jesus, dress me for battle. Cover me with your shield and fill me with your weapons of truth to fire bak at my enemy. Father, guide us in this journey and remind us to put our eyes on You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
NEXT STEPS: What should I do now? Start memorizing those promises and purposefully start thinking about them throughout your day. I remember a Pastor telling me that we should ruminate over Scripture. Ruminate means to"think deeply" on something. Think about a cow chewing on cud. Did you know that cow ruminates on his meal? He keeps chewing his meal, swallows it, then brings it back up again to chew on it some more. Gross, I know -- but that is a perfect metaphor for what we should be doing with Scripture. We should be meditating on it both day and night -- thinking on it deeply, so that we can engrain it into our lives. PROMISES TO PONDER: Joshua 1:8 (NIV): Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Joshua 1:8 (NLT): Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
Psalm 1:2 (KJV): His delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate both day and night.
CHARACTER OF GOD:
I'm so glad that I serve a God who does not change. When I recount His faithfulness in my own life and even how He has proved His faithfulness over and over in the Bible, I realize that my best option is to trust Him. I need to lean into Him, for He will direct my paths. I just have to ask Him then trust Him to show up.
Satan uses feelings to sometimes discourage us or thwart our mindfulness. Remember that feelings are not truths. Just because I may feel lonely does not make me alone. If I feel unhappy, it doesn't mean that I am forgotten or unloved. Feelings do not equal truths. You have to choose to put feelings behind truths. Think of it like a train: the engine blaring full-steam ahead is truth; feelings are the caboose. Feelings can follow truths -- but truths have to lead your decision making and your mindset. Push those feelings back to the caboose where they belong. Truths will always trump feelings.
STAY STRONG, WARRIORS. YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS!
