Prepare for Spiritual Attacks and Blessings

Good morning, Happy Souls!

Bill Keller wrote a wonderful devotional today
that I highly recommend to you.  He has given
me permission to copy his e-mails, and I'm sure
he would be happy if you would share this with
people you know as well.

Read on.

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL    TUESDAY JANUARY 24, 2006
(1 John 4:4, James 2:17, Ephesians 6:13-17,
Psalms 68:19)

Most people aren't prepared for major spiritual
attacks in their life, nor are they prepared for
major blessings in their life!  This is a mature
word for you today, so I suggest you take a few
moments to clear your head and open your heart to
receive what God is trying to tell you in this
message.  Every day I deal with so many people who
find themselves under tremendous attack spiritually. 
Most of them are not prepared in any way for the
onslaught of the destruction satan brings into their
lives.  When the attacks are over, their lives look
like those horrible pictures of Pearl Harbor after
the Japanese sneak attack on December 7th, 1941. 
Likewise, I deal daily with people who have been
blessed abundantly, and are just as unprepared to deal
with all of God's blessings as those who are
unprepared to deal with major spiritual attacks.

Let me give you a personal observation from dealing
with millions of people over 15 years of ministry. 
Most people CHOOSE to stay on the sidelines because
it is safe there.  The fact is, they don't really
want to be abundantly blessed and they really don't
want to suffer major spiritual attacks.  They SAY
they want to be abundantly blessed, but don't want
to pay the price to receive and be responsible for
those blessings.  They also live their lives
defensively to try and avoid any major spiritual
attacks.  So they have found the safest place is the
sidelines.  Sitting in a pew on Sunday morning,
attending a few Christian events during the year,
going to an occasional Bible study, helping out here
and there, but for the most part keeping their heads
down and just trying to be "safe."

Here is the problem with that strategy....IT DOESN'T
WORK!  Here is another problem...it goes against
God's Word!  God never expected His children to be
passive in their faith, but ACTIVE!  Many people
totally misunderstand James 2:17, "Even so faith, if
it hath not works, is dead, being alone."  This is
NOT a passage declaring you have to have good works
to be saved.  Quite the contrary.  It is a passage
written to Believers stating that good works flow
FROM your salvation.  In other words, if you have
truly accepted Christ into your heart and life by
faith, if you have been "born again," it is natural
that good works will flow from your life!  GOOD
WORKS CAN'T FLOW FROM YOUR LIFE IF YOU ARE SITTING
ON THE SIDELINES!

Over and over in the Gospels, we have the exhortation
from Jesus to "be about our Father's business."  We
are told to "go out and preach the Gospel," and to
"bring in the lost and hurting."  Many parables are
about investing our gifts and talents in serving the
Lord.  It is clear that God's Word doesn't suggest,
but COMMANDS Believers to be active in their faith
by serving God.  As a matter of fact, the general
purpose for all of us is to serve and glorify God
with our lives.  Service is an action word.  YOU
CAN'T SERVE GOD IF YOU ARE SITTING ON THE SIDELINES!

I realize that a big reason so many Believers are on
the sidelines is that they don't want to deal with
the major spiritual attacks that come from serving
the Lord.  Many have stepped out to serve the Lord
and been attacked and immediately retreated.  That
is exactly what satan wants.  He wants to scare you
into doing nothing.  The reality is, you are going to
be attacked whether you are serving the Lord or just
sitting on the sidelines.  So you might as well obey
God and serve Him and simply prepare yourself for the
attacks you know will be coming.  After a while, you
will not only get used to the attacks, but see them
coming since satan is really not very creative.
You'll get to know his entire arsenal pretty quick. 
That doesn't mean you can let your guard down, only
that you will be ready for him when he comes after
you.

Satan will attack you personally.  We ALL have weak
areas in our life.  By trial and error, satan WILL
eventually find yours.  Constantly shore up those
weak areas in your life since it is a guarantee that
he will come after you hard in those areas.  Satan
will attack you through those people you are closest
to in this life, your spouse, your children, your
parents, your siblings, other family members and
friends.  Satan will attack you through your finances. 
Trust me when I tell you, satan can attack you
through your finances whether you have just a little
money or vast amounts of resources.  Satan will
attack you through your health.  We will all die
one day, and most of our bodies will experience
breakdowns along the way. Satan will attack you
through your school, employment, and hobbies. 
Suffice it to say, there is not one area of your
life that satan will not attack you.

Listen my friend, God knew that when you chose to
follow and serve Him that the enemy would come after
you.  That is why He has given us that great promise
in 1 John 4:4 that "greater is He that is in me,
than he that is in the world."  That simply means
that the power of the Holy Spirit that indwells
every Believer, is greater than the power of satan
who is attacking you.  We also have the "armor of
God" found in Ephesians chapter 6.  Again, God knew
that those who served Him would come under attack,
and has given His children all they would need to
withstand the attacks from satan and press forward
in their service to Him.  It is not a matter of if
satan will attack, only when, in what area, and how
hard.

Just like most people aren't prepared for the major
attacks from satan, believe it or not, most people
aren't prepared for the major blessings from God in
their life!  Blessings require accountability and
responsibility.  God will hold us accountable for our
blessings, meaning we are responsible for how we
appropriate those blessings.  Do we simply hoard our
blessings like some miser holding onto his first
dollar?  Or do we share our blessings, knowing that
God has blessed us so that we can be a blessing to
others?  Just like we can't escape the attacks from
satan, we can't escape the rich blessings from God. 
Let me say that once more since I know that went
right by most.  Just like we can't escape the
attacks from satan, we can't escape the blessings
from God!!!

God LOVES to bless His children.  God blesses us
despite ourselves, even though we don't deserve them! 
When we are faithful, when we are obedient, when we
are honoring God with our lives, God will bless us
above and beyond anything we ever could imagine. 
Those blessings require us to take an even bigger
stand for the Lord.  Those blessings force us to an
even greater level of commitment in serving Christ. 
Whatever we may have done yesterday for the Lord
isn't enough any longer.  Because of God's abundant
blessings, we have to do more.  My friend, no matter
what you have done for the Lord in the past, no
matter what you are doing for the Lord today, YOU CAN
ALWAYS DO MORE TOMORROW!  GOD'S BLESSINGS ON OUR LIFE
REQUIRE US TO DO MORE!

I love you and care about you so much.  Here is my
word for you today, please hear me.  If you have
accepted Jesus Christ into your heart and life
by faith, you are COMMANDED and REQUIRED to serve
Him with your life.  Your life is no longer your own,
it belongs to Him.  Sitting on the sidelines is NOT
an option.  That means you will come under attack. 
Be prepared for it.  God has given you all you need
to withstand the attacks of satan.  Just know going
in that he is going to come after you, but that God
is watching over you and will protect you.  That is
why staying close to the Lord through His Word,
through prayer is so important each day.  That is
why following God's Word in how we live our lives
each day is critical.  Satan is already going to
come after you, so don't help him by opening the
door through sin.

By following the Lord in your life, that also means
you are going to be blessed, above and beyond what
you ever imagined.  Be prepared for it.  Know that
with God's blessings comes a responsibility to be a
good steward over those blessings.  God blesses us
so that we can be a blessing to others.  As we walk
in obedience to the Lord, faithfully serving Him, God
will bless us so that we are able to serve Him in
greater ways.  The more we serve the more blessings we
will receive, the more blessings we receive the more
we must serve.  There is no limit to God's blessings
and there is no limit to our ability to serve Him.

I will be praying for you today.  Praying that you
will not be afraid of satan's attacks in your life,
but be prepared for them.  They are a sign that you
are a threat to the enemy.  God will protect you! 
I will also be praying that you will be prepared for
God's richest blessings in your life as you faithfully
serve and follow Him.  Receive His blessings as an
encouragement to press in deeper into your own daily
walk with the Lord as well as your service to Him. 
Blessings are a gift from God and His way of saying
"well done thou good and faithful servant" even now
during this life as you honor Him with your service.

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

***If I can help you in any way you can contact me
through my personal email at bkeller@liveprayer.com

***ARE YOU 100% CERTAIN WHERE YOU WILL SPEND
ETERNITY?  The fact is you will die one day.  At
that moment, you will either spend eternity with
the Lord or be cast into everlasting darkness
forever separated from God your creator.  To know
for certain you will be forever with Jesus, go to:
http://www.liveprayer.com/bdy_salvatn.html

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(C) Copyright 2006, Bill Keller Ministries.
All rights reserved

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May God bless you as you learn from this message!

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2006 Donald W. Mitchell