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Talofa! This forum is here to encourage all of you who are in active pursuit of this Freedom we call Holiness, through the Love and Life of Christ Jesus; to those of you who hunger and thirst for Jehovah, and have come to know that God is your Only Hope, that His Holy Spirit is the key to your Salvation: Do not grow weary against Satan and all of his schemes! Be strong in the LORD!
This forum is for you who call yourselves Christian, and share in the Salvation of our Lord, because you will face trials and temptations like never before! And you will learn to exercise your faith on a daily basis and trust in God with all of your heart: Know that our trust of God, and our faith in Him, is in direct correspondence to the Warfare of the Lord; Paul writes in Ephesians 6:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
I have been attending my church for a year now, and have become a lay pastor here at the age of 22. Still young spiritually, although I was brought up in the Church. Only now has my faith been so thoroughly tested and supremely uplifted by God's Hand. I am experiencing the Love of Christ, and realizing that all my fantasies of love fall short of the Real Thing found in Jesus. Also I am realizing that as a growing Child of God, I am a target of what Paul specifically calls "the Devil's schemes."
Satan is no stranger to People of God! He had the nerve to tempt Jesus, the Messiah Himself (Matthew 4)! You are no different in your nature than any other human being ever created in God's Beautiful Image (Genesis 1). That is why Paul writes again in 1st Corinthians 10:13:
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Be on guard. That doesn't mean that you live frigidly. As John writes in John 10:10, Jesus has come so that we might have life, life in all its fullness! Know that God is the Guardian of imperfect creatures, and works in all things for the good of those who love Him, of those who have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). We, as Children of God, are to enjoy life empassioned with Jesus Christ -- never forgetting all the while that we are honoured with the responsibility of deflecting all the Enemy's blows, through Christ Alone.
(More from Ephesians 6...) Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Jesus will come and end this universal struggle once and for all. But until that day, we have been commissioned, and we have been called to the battle lines. Honestly, we don't have much to do, because Christ will fight on our behalf. But the little that we put our hands to will edify the Body of Christ here on earth and show the Enemy what God's People are truly made of, and will be a testimony to all else -- to God, to the Believer, to the non-Believer alike. Today, tomorrow, next week, the week after, you will see sin face to face; you will see temptation, dressed more beautifully than ever. You are stronger, because God is stronger! God is greater than our hearts (1 John 3:20). Yield to Him. Really, truly yield to Him.
Psalm 62:7 God is my salvation and my glory:
the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
This forum is for you who call yourselves Christian, and share in the Salvation of our Lord, because you will face trials and temptations like never before! And you will learn to exercise your faith on a daily basis and trust in God with all of your heart: Know that our trust of God, and our faith in Him, is in direct correspondence to the Warfare of the Lord; Paul writes in Ephesians 6:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
I have been attending my church for a year now, and have become a lay pastor here at the age of 22. Still young spiritually, although I was brought up in the Church. Only now has my faith been so thoroughly tested and supremely uplifted by God's Hand. I am experiencing the Love of Christ, and realizing that all my fantasies of love fall short of the Real Thing found in Jesus. Also I am realizing that as a growing Child of God, I am a target of what Paul specifically calls "the Devil's schemes."
Satan is no stranger to People of God! He had the nerve to tempt Jesus, the Messiah Himself (Matthew 4)! You are no different in your nature than any other human being ever created in God's Beautiful Image (Genesis 1). That is why Paul writes again in 1st Corinthians 10:13:
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Be on guard. That doesn't mean that you live frigidly. As John writes in John 10:10, Jesus has come so that we might have life, life in all its fullness! Know that God is the Guardian of imperfect creatures, and works in all things for the good of those who love Him, of those who have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). We, as Children of God, are to enjoy life empassioned with Jesus Christ -- never forgetting all the while that we are honoured with the responsibility of deflecting all the Enemy's blows, through Christ Alone.
(More from Ephesians 6...) Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Jesus will come and end this universal struggle once and for all. But until that day, we have been commissioned, and we have been called to the battle lines. Honestly, we don't have much to do, because Christ will fight on our behalf. But the little that we put our hands to will edify the Body of Christ here on earth and show the Enemy what God's People are truly made of, and will be a testimony to all else -- to God, to the Believer, to the non-Believer alike. Today, tomorrow, next week, the week after, you will see sin face to face; you will see temptation, dressed more beautifully than ever. You are stronger, because God is stronger! God is greater than our hearts (1 John 3:20). Yield to Him. Really, truly yield to Him.
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