COMBATING SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS
If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked from Him (1 John 5:14,15)
Daily Devotional:
If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked from Him (1 John 5:14,15)
Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105).
We live in a world where the flip of a switch instantly lightens or darkens a room. The lamps in biblical times, on the other hand, burned brightly but required proper tending. If not cared for, they would become a dwindling flame. God's Word uses the metaphor of a lamp to teach us about guidance for our lives. And it provides the opportunity for some graphic applications of this teaching.
The accuser of our brethren who accuses them before our God day and night (Revelation 12:10)
Cast all your anxiety on Him [God] because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7 NIV)
Let's assume you have sought God's will for a certain direction, and you believe that He has led you to make specific plans. The problem is you are still worried about whether your plans will come about as you have hoped. When I'm facing such situations, I try to follow the six steps described below to limit my anxious feelings.
If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law (Galatians 5:18)
He [Jesus] called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons, and to heal diseases. And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God, and to perform healing (Luke 9:1,2).
Notice how Jesus equipped His disciples for ministry. He knew that when they began preaching the kingdom of God and healing the sick, demonic powers would bring opposition. So He specifically gave them power and authority over demons.
I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with loving kindness (Jeremiah 31:3).
One night I came home from work and my wife Joanne met me at the door. "You better go talk to Karl," she said solemnly. "I think Karl threw his hamster, Johnny, this afternoon."
New wine must be put into fresh wineskins (Luke 5:38).
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything (1 Corinthians 6:12).
I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate (Romans 7:15).
Perhaps the most vivid description of the contest with sin which goes on in the life of the believer is found in Romans 7:15-25. In verses 15 and 16, Paul describes the problem: "For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good."