Stench of disobedience

   The smell at an overflowing garbage landfill site became a growing public concern. So workers installed high-pressured deodorant guns to counteract the smell. The cannons could spray several gallons of fragrance a minute over a distance of up to 50 yards across the mounds of putrefying garbage. However, no matter how many gallons of deodorant are sprayed to mask the odorous rubbish, the fragrance will serve only as a coverup until the source of the stench is removed.

King David tried a coverup as well. After his adultery with Bathsheba, he attempted to use silence, deceit, and piety to mask his moral failures (2 Sam. 11–12). In Psalm 32 he talks about experiencing the intense convicting hand of God when he remained silent (vv.3-4). Unable to withstand the conviction any longer, David uncovered his sin by acknowledging, confessing, and repenting of it (v.5). He no longer needed to cover it because God forgave him.

It’s futile to try to hide our sin. The stench of our disobedience will seep through whatever we use to try to cover it. Let’s acknowledge to God the rubbish in our hearts and experience the fresh cleansing of His grace and forgiveness.

Father, I know that I cannot hide my sins from You
for You know what’s in my heart. I confess them
now to You. Cleanse me, forgive me, and help
me to make a brand-new start. Amen.

Don't let yourself be fooled

 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.

– John 10:10

Considering how much the devil hates people and how dead set he is on destroying them, it's no wonder we see so much tragedy and disaster in the world. In fact, it's amazing that we don't see more!

I asked the Lord about that one time and He told me it takes the realm of darkness a long time to set up major disasters. Take the aviation industry, for example. It's highly regulated and works hard at policing itself because safety is its product. You take a highly regulated system like that and the devil has to work terribly hard to cause disasters.

He can't just come roaring in and rip things up any time he wants to. If he could, he'd knock every plane out of the sky tonight. But he can't do it.

Why? Because he's bound. The Bible says he's bound to things that are common to man. He has to line up certain things in this natural, human realm before he can lay a finger on you. He has to use people to get his work done.

But, bless God, we're not bound to what's common to man. We're free to use what's common to God! We fight our warfare with uncommon weapons. What does that mean? It means you ought to have the devil wrapped up and sewed up. You ought to put him in a sack with a ribbon on top.

The devil can't cause disaster in your life unless he has been given place. He can't come in and start destroying and stealing from you unless he can get you into a place of sin, doubt, ignorance, or disobedience. So if he's been giving you trouble, ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you've let those things in. Then repent and get rid of them.

Once you've done that, pull out the weapons God has given you and fire away with both barrels. Pull out the Word. Pull out prayer. Pull out faith and use it to tie the devil in knots. Use the uncommon power of God to keep him bound and he won't be able to put anything over on you.

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 6:10-18

Let the peace of Jesus rule your heart

 And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from the Christ rule(act as umpire continually) in your hearts--deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds.... And be thankful--appreciative, giving praise to God always.

– Colossians 3:15

Have you been praying that God will let you know whether a certain action you want to take is agreeable to His will or not? Let this peace of Christ be your guide. Let it help you settle the issue. If you start to take that action and you realize you don't have peace about it, don't do it.

Remember, though, that this inner leading of the Holy Spirit, this subtle sense of uneasiness or peace He gives you, is something you have to watch and listen for carefully. He generally won't just come up and knock you out of bed one morning and tell you what you need to do. The primary way He speaks to you is by what the Bible calls an inward witness.

So, you have to listen. You can't just stay busy about the things of the world all the time. You have to give Him time and attention.

Also, watch out for strife. If you're irritated and upset about things in your life, it will be very hard to receive that quiet guidance from the Holy Spirit. So take heed to the instructions at the end of this scripture and "be thankful... appreciative, giving praise to God always." Maintain a thankful, grateful heart. You'll find it much easier to hear the "umpire of peace" when He makes a call.

Scripture Reading: Psalm 95:1-7

Praise the Lord

Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.

– Psalm 150:6

We're created to praise God. Some people don't know that. When the praise service starts, they sit back and say, "I'm not comfortable with all that singing and shouting. I guess praise is just not my thing."

Yes it is! According to the Bible, if you breathe, you were meant to praise.

And don't try to slip by with saying, "Well, I have praise in my heart." That's not enough. The Word says you need to have it in your mouth as well! (Ps. 34:1) Psalm 132:9 says, "Let thy saints shout for joy." You can't shout and be quiet at the same time.

When you first begin to truly praise, it may seem awkward to you, but if you'll keep it up, it will become a way of life. Why? Because praise causes the glory of God to manifest in your life. It causes you to walk in the light of His countenance (Ps. 89:15). It will start a revival inside of you!

"But, Gloria, if I start to praise like that, people will think I'm some kind of fanatic."

Well, good! Did you know that every revival in history has been started by people the world considered absolute fanatics? God does things differently than the world. So when you set aside your inhibitions and start letting His Spirit operate through you, you're going to look strange to those who are strangers to His ways...but you're going to look wonderful to the Lord!

And, by the way, don't just think of praising Him in the congregation. Praise Him in your own private prayer time and throughout your day. Learn to maintain an attitude of praise and thanksgiving. When praise becomes natural to you in your own private life, it won't be difficult to praise Him in the midst of the congregation.

Are you longing for a revival of God's presence in your life? Are you tired of just hearing about the glorious manifestations of His power in the past? Then open your mouth and your heart and do what God has created you to do. Praise!