— Eastgate Church

Wednesday

1 Peter 5:5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for

“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

You measure your humility by how you are towards other people. That’s how God sees your level of humility. Humility is a correct evaluation of oneself. We are all equal in the eyes of God.

1 Peter 5:6-7 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

This explains how. You have to do it yourself. The way up in the kingdom of God, is down. If you humble yourself, He will be the one to exalt you.

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

What makes us devour-able is when we take cares. We all have responsibilities. God knows that! Its right to work and provide for your family. But the enemy knows that too. He comes in and begins to place more weight on these areas. In dealing with our responsibilities, things don’t always go perfect. This can obviously be frustrating. But the enemy is right there watching. He will throw every circumstance on it, to make your responsibilities heavier. He is piling cares on top of your responsibilities. These cares resemble anxiety and worry. The devil can’t read your mind. He is limited. He does not speak to you audibly. But that does not mean he isn’t speaking. Those thoughts can become empowered with emotions and imaginations. It is not the will of God that we carry around these worries and anxieties. We can go about our lives taking care of our responsibilities, but when it reaches a point of worry or anxiety, we are in the wrong. Don’t allow yourself to become weighed down with the cares. If you find yourself asking, “when is it going to get better?”, “when will this be over?” etc. That is the enemy weighing you down with cares of this world. The first level of attack is oppression. He comes at you from the outside with circumstances. If you let yourself dwell on that too much, it enters your thinking and you become obsessed with it. It pushes all the hope and truth out of your mind. Your cares become bigger than your answer and what God says about you. This can even affect your physical health! We are not built to carry these cares. You have to rest and position yourself in a way that the Lord can restore your soul! He can remove those burdens if you get quiet in His presence.

The enemy is smarter than you. He has been around longer than you. And he has studied humans for a very long time. Around 6000 years or more. How long have you been on earth? Nowhere near 6000 years. In dealing with people, and studying them, if you think he is not smarter than you, you are wrong. His number one tool is deception. His ideal position is to get into your life in such a way that you do not recognize it as him. God never designed a life for you that is oppressed day and night. It is not normal. If you are feeling that you are dealing with the devil. If you are moving towards God in any way, there is going to be an adversary. There is going to be opposition. But, when you recognize his tactics, and respond correctly, he has no choice but to back off. He devours you through the cares that you take on! The Word tells us not to worry about anything! Everyone must deal with this. He will make you feel all alone! They are lies that he is shouting at you in the spirit. Don’t accept it! Don’t accept thoughts of uselessness or hopelessness. You will feel despair and fatigue even in your physical body! He hurls these thoughts at you then stands back and watches for your response. Your response is everything! The word says, “Rejoice in the Lord, ALWAYS.” Why do you think it says that? When trouble comes, the enemy is looking for a response. When your countenance goes down, he will only attack stronger. But if you respond in joy and praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, the enemy will back off to get you to stop! At that point, you have effectively defended the attack. Don’t stop! Your countenance is the mirror to the inward man. Smile! Laugh! Laughter is medicine! Be thankful! You cannot be thankful and depressed at the same time!

Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

Worries and anxieties will put you in an early grave! It’s good to laugh! It lifts the burdens! Don’t speak out your mouth the cares! The adversary is watching! Just because you feel it does not mean you should say it! Watch your mouth! Life and death are in the power of the tongue. You future or your funeral is on the tip of your tongue. Humble yourself before God! Spend time in His presence and turn the burdens over to Him! Do it DAILY! You can’t do it without Him. The only way to combat the enemy is with the wisdom of God! It’s the only way you will outsmart him. If you don’t have the wisdom of God, he will take advantage of you! He has studied your life and knows what trips you up. The wisdom of God is the only effective counterattack. Without it, you are limited to a natural man’s defenses.

Jesus came to give us the God kind of life. With joy and peace! We have been promised life! God can’t do His part until we do ours and refuse to take the cares! You can do ALL THINGS through Christ. You CAN win!

James 1:2-3 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces [patience.

There is a difference between natural human patience and God’s patience. He tells us to count it all joy because it is not the natural human response. Remember, the enemy is looking for your response! When you purposefully respond in joy and thankfulness, He must back off. Thank Him and be joyful! Even if it feels fake in the beginning, it’s better than crying and sharing your problems to everyone around you!

Cheer up! Brighten up! Smile & laugh! The devil don’t know what to do with someone who laughs at him!