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Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26)
Over the past few months, I have become more aware of the intense spiritual tug of warthat is not only occurring all over the world, but within my own being. I have been challenged and pressured to continue to operate in the spirit when the flesh wants to do the opposite and this is reminding me of the importance to continue to die to self each day, to forfeit what the world says or thinks and continue to follow Him. But this is not easy, especially when there are so many out there whose intent is to hurt others and if I am not careful to resist the tactics of the enemy, I would speak out of a place that is not aligned with God, which will cause me to operate out of His will, which for me, especially in this season, is not a place that I want to be.
Can you relate? Are you under pressure and pruning, which is testing you and overwhelming you? If you are and you begin to succumb, think about your walk with Him, where that is headed versus where the flesh is trying to lure you into. Resist it. Resist the urge to walk in the flesh. No matter what someone says or thinks, it’s not about them, it’s about God and most importantly, your relationship with your Maker and what you believe. We have our own cross that we must bear. We have our own trial and tribulations that we must wear, but in the midst of this season of stress, stress what’s important: where will you go from here?
The deeper in God you go, the harder the enemy will try you. As you walk with God in mind, dead weight is left behind. As the wickedness becomes heavier and heavier and as you may be called to become more resolute in your beliefs, take up your cross, forfeit the flesh and walk with God, standing strong to resist what the devil is trying to place in your face in order to keep you from operating out of grace. Over the next week, focus on your spiritual walk. Strengthen your relationship with Him. Follow Him intently; WE HAVE A FIGHT TO WIN!
Stay Encouraged and Stay in Christ!