Keep Your Guard Up

Here it is the New Year and there are still new things to learn to keep you in preparation for the coming of the Lord. One of those major things that I know I have fallen short of over the years is to keep a constant trust in Him (Isaiah 26:3 AMP). The falling short is when we put our trust in man for any reason. Now there are many of you that seem to have this understanding; however, if there was a circumstance that came about, would you be tempted to go with what seems to be right rather then what is actually right? What seems to be right is bandwagon thinking. What the world would encourage you to do. What actually is right is what the Word of God tells us to believe in waiting for that substance hoped for. That evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1 KJV).

Its during those times when you think you have it altogether and can finally smile when getting up in the morning. The chirp of the birds don't make you wish for a shot gun but the chirp is actually like music to you. Its when the sigh is not of anguish but relief. You have your answer and now you can continue on your journey as planned. Its happened to me right at that point, God places a test to see if you will use all that's been learned. Why? because He is a good God and would not have you destitute (keep reading it will make sense).

In pain, who do you trust? The dentist?
In labor, who do you trust? The Doctor?
About to lose your house, who do you trust? The banker?
Arrested falsely and conviction is about to stick, who do you trust? The lawyer?
Pipes burst, water is everywhere on a weekend, who do you trust? The plumber?

In boxing, the trainer tells his client to keep his guard up. It is excellent instruction if the boxer has a glass jaw or if the opponent has a favorite jab. The trainer sees what the boxer doesn't. He gives him this instruction so he can win. It would be the same for you. This is the same old enemy that has been using the same tricks for centuries. It might be different to you because you have never reached this level of maturity before, but it isn't for those that have been there. It is one of my pet peeves that Christian giants don't say anything allowing for others to go through just as they did when life could have been so much simpler. It is the same peeve when I hear a sermon that could have been more detailed for the seasoned believer. Nonetheless, I curtail that peeve by reading how Jesus spoke in parables to all that came to hear and for the disciples He spoke plainly (John16:25-31AMP). Therefore, I write this entry of this blog to those who who have been diligently reading it. Those who have stopped will miss this crucial information that can help them get from point A to point B in the faith.

Let's tackle the doctor situation. If you have an ailment, we pray. If the pain causes some anguish, you haven't prayed. If you have, you believe what God says He will do. If the pain persists, there is nothing wrong in going to the doctor. He/she will pinpoint what the pain is and will give you the information to concentrate on the prayer specifically. For instance, what scripture are you standing on for the healing process to continue to work? Believing that the prayer of a righteous man avails much, I had such an ailment. I went to the doctor and he told me the very symptoms I said to him. I had a conclusion and I was waiting for his diagnosis. He kept scribbling on his chart but would not tell me anything - not anything conclusive. He danced around of the possibility of what it could be, but never gave it a label. Most people would find it perplexing yet I gave God the glory. You see, it had just been taught in the church I was attending that everything that has a name must bow to the name that was given above every name. The name of Jesus. Depression must bow. Anxiety must bow. Diabetes must bow and so forth and so on (Philippians 2:9-11 KJV). Therefore, I was waiting for this doctor to give it a name so I can get specific and make it submit to the power of the anointing in Christ Jesus. Knowing that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, I almost laughed. I still win. If the doctor doesn't name it and his findings are inconclusive, its because God is not a man that He should lie, nor son of man that He should repent (Numbers 23:19 KJV). The Word tells me that in righteousness, no evil shall befall me, no plague come nigh my dwelling (Psalm 91:10 KJV). I could have succumb to the symptoms and spoke what I believed it could have been. That would have given the enemy place and by the time I got to the doctor, he would have found something. Nothing was there! God is good.

My first born are twins. Grown now, one of them was slightly stressed with an ailment that he could actually see. He came to me and asked what it could be. If I prayed for myself, you know I had already prayed for my children. I prayed for them as they were being formed in the womb. I don't expect for evil to be around them at all either. Nevertheless, they have their own spiritual walk and own lives to live. I spoke words of encouragement and asked if he had seen a doctor. He said he had. I asked what were his findings. Believe it or not, he said that the doctor didn't know. Again, I tried not to laugh because I saw the reaction of my son. I explained to him how the spiritual tests work. This seemed to have calmed him. The next day, after prayer and praise, I went to do some research on what the symptoms appeared to look like. I didn't know my son did the same thing. I called to tell him what he could do. He listened and said, he had found the same thing and for me not to concern myself because all of the symptoms has disappeared. The next day! God is good.

If it wasn't for the book of James, the scripture of the strong man would be one of my favorite verses. The question asks who could be stronger then the strong man (Luke 11:21-23 KJV)? The obvious answer is someone who is stronger then the strong man. Who could this be? If God tells us to put the whole armor of God on and to have our minds renewed daily, who could then overtake us? He is there with us all of the time. He will never leave us nor forsake us. Who would then ever be stupid enough to come near in opposition? Its much like the rich young ruler. If you trust in the materials more so then the One who created the material, then you can easily be overtaken. The young ruler went away grieved. Yet before he asked Jesus anything, he was a rich young ruler lacking one thing. How much more did he lack when he walked away? Something stronger had come an overtaken him (Mark 10:17-23 KJV).

The Word tells us to guard our heart for out of it comes the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23 KJV). I meditated on this scripture recently finding the word, issue to be perplexing. Issues would imply that life has its problems. Problems? When choosing life over death, I expected to have chosen the better of the two. God tells us to do so. When believing that my Lord and Savior has come to add more life to what I already have and more abundantly, we can rejoice for the mercy and grace bestowed upon us. So how then would He come to also give us issues with this gift? Does it make sense?

It is what I referred to at the beginning of this blog. The devices that the devil has to war against you are not new. He has been doing the same things over and over again. They are new to you because you have not been taught or you have not heard or you were not listening. The elders are supposed to tell the younger and there are some that have fallen short of doing this in the past. They have their own crosses to bare with the Lord; nevertheless, the Lord tells us, He has overcome the world. Those issues in life have been conquered. All we need to do is be steadfast in Him and life is as easy as He told us it would be (John 16:33 AMP).