Yesterday,
we began looking at how the enemy seeks to discourage us. If he can’t pollute
us or distract us from the mission of conquest Christ has given us, he will
seek to discourage us. We saw how Joshua and Caleb told the discouraged people,
that though there were giants in the land to invade, “The Lord is with us. Do
not be afraid of them.” Num.14:9. Tragically, the others didn’t place their faith in
that truth.
Remember
what the prophet said to encourage King Jehoshaphat facing a vast army? Read 2
Chron. 20:15-17.
Twice
the prophet said, “do not be afraid or discouraged.” Then he added similar words which Joshua and Caleb declared as to why the people shouldn’t be discouraged- “the
Lord will be with you.” In the Old Testament, when the Lord assured his people
that “I am with you” it guaranteed victory in battle. In the New Testament, it takes
on a new and greater meaning. As we mentioned yesterday, Jesus gave the great
commission- the great strategy for advancing the kingdom of God against the
enemy- “the Canaan forces of darkness.” Remember how the great commission ends
with an “I am with you” promise- “All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded
you. And surely I am with you always,
to the very end of the age.” Mt.28:18-20. (Our MP3 from yesterday.) In the Old Testament that kind of “I
am with you” promise meant great military victories with few if any casualties.
Yet we know that most of the
apostles (battle leaders) died horrible deaths as they forcefully advanced
God’s kingdom into the realm of enemy territory. So what encouragement was
Jesus giving them by saying, “surely I am with you” even though you will be
cruelly killed? Paul answers this by saying- “Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or
persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we
face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in
all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor
life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any
powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be
able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Rom.8:35-39.
What Satan
most wants most is to conquer us by separating our inner and eternal
relationship with God. The enemy can sever my head from my body, but he can never sever my relationship to the God who loves me so. As a matter of fact, the
enemy cannot even conquer us by killing us. We conquer or overcome him. Even
those who will be martyred by the antichrist are called the overcomers.
Revelation 12:11 declares, “They overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by
the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink
from death.” If what you value most on the battlefield is to not be separated
from the love of Christ, then this is indeed good news, worthy of praising the
Lord. This is the greater meaning of Christ's promise to us- "Surely I am with you." No attack of Satan will conquer and separate us from God and his love for us. Praise the Lord!
Speaking of
praising the Lord, we know that King Jehoshaphat put singers at the front of the
army to praise the Lord. Remember what happened? As they began to sing and
praise, the Lord set ambushes against their enemies and they were defeated (2
Chron. 20:21-22). Singing praises is not what we feel like doing when we are discouraged.
But we must conquer the enemy of discouragement with faith in the God who is
with us. And one of the greatest weapons to wield against the enemy of discouragement
is faith expressed in praise. We lift up the shield of faith with praise. If
there’s one thing the enemy can’t stand, it’s a singing soldier of God. He is
nearly invincible! Here’s
a song that has encouraged me many times. It’s an oldie but goodie!
1.-As
you think about how to encourage people who are being discouraged by the enemy,
what strikes you from this song or what we've covered in the blog today?
2.-God is our Father who loves us and loves to encourage us. He does this largely through his people. Psalm 10:17 says, "You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and listen to their cry." Let's personalize the end of this verse and put it on our MP3 cards- "You encourage me and listen to my cry."
3.-Encourage a team member. Write a note of encouragement to your brother who last posted above your comments on today's blog. Udabest!
3.-Encourage a team member. Write a note of encouragement to your brother who last posted above your comments on today's blog. Udabest!
4.-R?
5.-A?
Announcements
See you this Sunday at Jack's for our 3:00 M3 meeting.
We would ask that consider making a free will offering to help defer our costs. Thanx!
Announcements
See you this Sunday at Jack's for our 3:00 M3 meeting.
We would ask that consider making a free will offering to help defer our costs. Thanx!
| 1 Tim.4:15 | G=God's Word | Right Wrongs | E | A= Attack Prayers | T | (Men Recruited) | |
| For Fri.1.30.15 | |||||||
| Alpha Force | |||||||
| Fire Team 1 | |||||||
| 1 | Jack Rogers U.1 | Y | GDP done | A | Daniel & Roger | ||
| 2 | Daniel Contreras U.1 | GDP done | Vince & Antonio | ||||
| 3 | Vince Diaz | Y | GDP done | A | |||
| 4 | Roger Vinlasaca U.1 | Y | GDP done | A | |||
| Fire Team 2 | |||||||
| 1 | Israel Fuentes U.1 | Y | GDP done | A | |||
| 2 | Sam Vargas U.1 | Y | GDP done | A | Robert | ||
| 3 | Robert Roman | Y | GDP done | A | |||
| 4 | Antonio Palomar | Y | R (Our Respect) | GDP done | A | ||
| Delta Force | |||||||
| Fire Team 3 | |||||||
| 1 | Alvin James U.1 | Y | GDP done | A | |||
| 2 | Dave Heidekruger U.1 | Y | GDP done | A | |||
| 3 | Mike Pagan U.1 | Y | GDP done | A | George | ||
| 4 | George Rabiela | Y | GDP done | A | |||
| Fire Team 4 | |||||||
| 1 | Eddie Morales U.1 | Y | GDP done | A | Gary, Ismael, Kentrayle | ||
| 2 | Gary Remson U.1 | Y | GDP done | A | |||
| 3 | Ismael Andrade U.1 | Y | GDP done | A | |||
| 4 | Kentrayle Adams | Y | R (Our Respect) | GDP done | A |
1.- What a great song that declares and reminds us that victory has already been won on the cross. And that all chains of discouragement drop when we acknowledge this truth and praise HIm.
ReplyDelete2.- Did it
3.- Dave your continual faithfulness to God is of great encouragement to me, specially when you shared about times in your life when you faced discouragement but continued to follow Him. Many times I erroneously believe that the main leaders in church are exempt or immune from discouragement. But as you are teaching us in these lessons we all need to be ready to face the enemy by acknowledging the victory that Christ has won and that no matter what situation we may be in, we cannot be separated from the love of God.
5,- A
Roger, Thanks for your faithfulness and perseverance in mentoring and leading others to the Lord.
DeleteYou always lead our M3 posts with solid and direct posts that encourage us!
Roger, this morning I thank God for you and for your perseverence in the things of the Lord. Even in the face of the rigors of day to day life, you are Hungry Obedient Unstoppable Strong and Encouraging, both to your brothers and to your own self! I have also witnessed you over the last 2 years to be Mature in character, Active in mentoring, Noble in battle, Loving in relationships and Yoked to Christ. A power HOUSE MANLY man, indeed!
DeleteThanks for being faithful Roger. Unstoppable!
DeleteWow Roger, you've got some great and well deserved encouragement from some great brothers.
DeleteThanks also for the encouragement you've given me various times. Udabest!
Wow thank you very much brothers for your words of encouragement. Those words made my day, I see how important it is to encourage one another so that we may continue faithful to are calling of reaching more men for Christ. It truly is an honor and a privilege to serve our God and Savior next to all of you. Have a blessed evening.
Delete1. It must be conveyed to others, by us, that we are nothing without the Lord. He is so powerful that we cannot fathom his greatness--as
ReplyDeleteI encourage others it is so important to show them how all we are comes from my full trust in God and he is with us. It is so amazing how Jahoshaphat had his army worshipping the Lord prior to battle and that they looked to the Lord 1st for his guidance without a doubt of his assurance of victory. They knew that the Lord would not forsake them even though they were outnumbered and they put their trust fully in him; which is all he ever wanted was our hearts and faith.
2.Psalm 10:17 " You encourage me and listen to my cry." Did it.
3. did it
5.A
There is unlimited potential to what God can do with a heart that is fully committed to Him. Keep pursing after His heart. Your hunger is contagious.
DeleteThanks for being a strong man of God, Jack and for being my friend.
DeleteJack, this morning I thank God for you as well! You have truly developed into a modeling mentor, and in so many says a power HOUSE MANLY man as well! Hungry, Obedient and Unstoppable is how you occur for me on a consistent basis. Lead on brother... You are a godly mentor!
ReplyDelete1. "What Satan most wants most is to conquer us by separating our inner and eternal relationship with God. The enemy can sever my head from my body, but he can never sever my relationship to the God who loves me so". Dave, this is so encouraging this morning!
ReplyDelete2. Did it
3. Did it
4. R
5. A
Daniel, it is great to see your growth in Christ. I like your honesty and your willingness to share your testimony with others. I remember when we would gather with Mark Barlog and you had a word of encouragement for him when he needed it. I thank God for your heart.
DeleteKeep pursuing Mark you guys, that's my uncle and surely an answer to pray that Godly Manly men would come around Him to encourage him. Such a soft heart. Daniel your commitment to the Lord is something I look up to. You are acknowledging Him in all your ways, or trying your best to do so, especially in how you're leading your family. Super encouraging to a future husband and father.
DeleteVery good Daniel. And I believe it is Mark Barlog that you had just talked to me about regarding bringing him to our Sunday M3 meeting. I hope he comes.
Delete1.) It is obvious now to me that we praise God when we are discouraged. Knowing that He is strong for us when we are weak. It is great to know that God is always with us.
ReplyDelete2)did it.
3) Continue to press on Daniel.
4) I have a tough one. I almost always go play basketball on Mondays and my wife prefers for me to stay and spend time with her. She is okay with it most of the time.Yesterday she was hinting for me to stay and I went anyways. She is upset with me know. I apologized because I knew she wanted me to stay. She does not get upset like this over other things I spent time on. She knows that I really enjoy playing basketball and that I get good exercise out of it. Pray for me today.
5)A
Sam praying for you brother. I don't know the full situation or may not understand completely, but your wife and your family have been entrusted to you. Continue your great work with leading them and guiding them, setting an example for them, as you follow Christ's lead.
DeleteYou are a good man Sam, married to a good woman. It's good that she wants you around. I'm confident you both will R Restore things. You also have my prayers and R respect. (PS- I used to play basketball a lot. My knees are not up to it anymore.)
Delete1. I woke up from a nightmare, uneasy, disturbed, heart pounding, but I woke up crying out to Jesus. And I just started praising Him and worshipping at 230am. Have had a few of these occurrences over the last few weeks and each time I just cry out to Jesus. So this was very timely. Praising is the exact opposite of what the enemy wants us to do. He wants us to be stunned and still and stuck. I refuse to let the father of lies try to creep in and try to cut me down. In Jesus name! I will praise first.
ReplyDelete2.Done.
3. Done did it.
5. A
You are a conqueror Eddie! God's "dream" for you will prevail.
DeleteThanks Eddie, it is a pleasure to be with you side by side fighting the good fight. The closer you get to God, the more the evil one attacks. Keep praying and praising Him.God bless.
DeleteYour dedication to praise in moment of attack is deeply wise and inspireing. keep a wide base brother.
Delete1. Listened to the song, you're right Dave, it's an oldie but sooo good :-)
ReplyDeleteFear is a feeling/emotion! We can't always help how we feel but we don't have to succumb to it's paralyzing affects.
Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the determination to proceed in spite of fear (Author unknown). Matthew 10:28 "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."
2. Did it :-)
3. Brothers, thank you for sharing your heartfelt experiences and struggles. Colossians 2:5 "For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is."
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5. A
Robert you are a rock! Your life is certainly built upon the Rock.
DeleteThanks brother Dave, I'm still a work in progress ;-)
Delete1.praising the Lord helps us win the victory. The battle is the Lord all we have to do is our part. The King had to March out to face the battle.he put singers in the front to praise the Lord.
ReplyDelete2 "You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; "You encourage me and listen to my cry."
3.Robert you are one of the best teachers that I've run across at New Life Community Church. Thank you my brother for all the encouragement that you gave to me and to all the young brothers in the Lord.
4.
5.
Very good George! We are very blessed to have you on the team. As more of the men get to know you, they will realize that too.
DeleteBrother George, I'm tremendously humbled by your kind and encouraging words. I was taking my lunch walk when I read them and my eyes welled up with tears. I'm honored to do battle with you brother, it was such a blessing sharing with you in small groups, and I'm confident that we'll continue to build on our relationship and with our fellow brethren. Amos 3:3 "Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?" Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up."
DeleteGeorge I pray that all gets better for you in life. Your a great man of God. He will use you in many ways. When you feel like life is hard remember God is always with you. Also I am just a phone call away.
Deletethanks Mike.and thank you for letting me know about this great m3 group
Delete1) The fact that discouragement is a weapon, that the way we feel and the things we think can harm us, wound us, and remove us from the battle. That discouragement should be seen as an assult from the front lines of hell, rather then simply a natural occurance in the cycle of life. That what extinguishes the fire of discouragement is praise, worship, The rekindleing passion of our deep love for God and what He has done for us, through us, and with us.
ReplyDelete2) Did it.
3) Did it.
4)
5) Attack prayer
Great words Antonio. Great to have a brother on fire for GOD. I pray the Lord uses you to encourage more people. GOD BLESS
DeleteGreat word this is not an attack but a pat of the daily walk and the growing of a real relationship.
Delete1) When I get discouraged I go to the bible to get encouragement. When people have come to me for encouragement or advise I tend to throw a verse in the conversation. The best part is that the people get encouraged not by my words but by GODS word. I know GODS word never comes back void. In my life praise and worship is important. Many times during praise and worship I get my spirit encouraged. A thing I've learned when I was a kid was to run to GOD not away from him.
ReplyDelete2)DID IT
5)A
Great words there Vince- A thing I've learned when I was a kid was to run to GOD not away from him.
DeleteWhat strikes me about the song is the truth that it speaks. Satan is always trying to steal soul from God. There has been many of times I had been discouraged and turned from God. What keep me in the faith was one brother or another. I try to live by the truth that God is inn charge in of our life's. All we have to do is seek him in the good times and the bad times, specifically seek Him in the good times. It is normal for people to seek God in the bad times but people usually forget God in the good times. With that said Men of God praise Him always.
ReplyDeleteDid it
A
Gary Remson I see you as a brother in Christ. You have great wisdom in your young age. I am glad I was able to meet you and now getting to know you through this blog and when we speak in person. Keep up the good fight.
We praise God for you Mike, for His working in your life, for your testimony to your family and those around you and for your desire to mentor manly men for the Kingdom of God.
DeleteGood words of truth Mike!
Delete“Singing praises is not what we feel like doing when we are discouraged. But we must conquer the enemy of discouragement with faith in the God who is with us.
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I have been through a few rough times in our life journey together. The toughest was years ago when we were told that the last child my wife had been carrying in her womb for 5 months no longer had a heart beat and had died. It was on a Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. We were so saddened, heavy hearted and disappointed. Within a day or two we were in the hospital and my wife had to deliver the dead child through induced labor. It wasn't easy hearing the cries of the other babies being born in the rooms around us and knowing we would never hear the cry of our child. But God was there with us. (Probably through the prayers of the small Church we attended.) We acknowledged that God was in control of all that was happening and He had a purpose for it all. We started praying to God for those babies as we heard the cry announcing their birth into the world. We prayed that they would come to know their God and be saved. We prayed for their parents to love their child and be given wisdom from above in raising their child. By God's amazing grace, in our pain we were able to bless others and then praise God for being able to do it.
2) Did it
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Wow David, I'm sorry to hear of your loss yet I'm happy to hear that your trial was used to be a blessing to others. Thank you for being so open with us and may God continue to allow you to see the greater plan he has as well as may he bless your marriage continuously.
Delete1. I loved listening to the song as it reminds me of one of my favorite songs called " Praise Is What I Do," by Shekinah Glory Ministry. I love the message of the key to overcoming discouragement and set backs is to worship God. Particularly when others may see it as a time to be ungrateful, bitter, or angry. I would like to develop this mindset much more in my own life than what I have.
Delete2. Did it
3. Done
4. R
5. A
Yes. We do not let the strongholds that we are in the middle of, bring defeat. I pray that God will always more stand in the defense of poisonous thoughts. And then and only then cause you and enable you to stand up for as He does.
Delete1
ReplyDeletePraises are the spiritual weaponry from God to and the major effort that God enables us with that can conquer the strongholds of the enemy. We can indeed be led by doubts illusions and fear into totally inconceivable thoughts and actions. I especially pay special attention to Joshua chapter 1. DO not be afraid as God says this three times. Then to the very end of Matt 28:20; I am with you to the end of the age. This time we have on earth is all that time that Christ is with us. As a soldier for Christ I do not want be recognized to be misaligned from Christ in other words with "Conduct Unbecoming."
2
Did it
5
A
It was great seeing you at bible study earlier :) Yes, you are right, praising and singing are spiritual weapons :) Let's both continue to use them my brother :)
DeleteYes, Gary, may we finish well. As you said, not with "Conduct Unbecoming."
Delete1. In 2 Chronicles 2:20+ this verse reminds me of the verse in Exodus 14:13-14 that states, "Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”" Many times, we must confront the enemy, as a prayerful opponent, and NOT as a combatant! I Love the fact that the Lord fights the battle for us! We just need to pray more :)
ReplyDelete2. did it
3 did it
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Good cross reference Israel. You know the word!
ReplyDeleteFrom the time we started M3 till now, I've seeyou in a different character... character that God is and has been molding you to be A STRONG PRAYFUL WARRIOR, THAT BLEEDS JESUS!! Continue the battle.
Delete1. All praise comes out from everywhere in this blog and song. Let our hearts always rejoice for victory is won in Jesus Christ so the enemy does not have a foothold on us. Be always thankful for the blood of the Lord was shed for us and our transgressions..
Delete1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 NIV
pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
3. Did it.
5. A.
Study to show thyself approved! Brother you seem to the stamp of the Spirit's approval on you! Excellent word!
Delete1.The reminder that "God is with us" is extremely encouraging. We are not alone, but in the presence of God!
ReplyDelete2. Did it!
3.Did it!
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