Pursuit Of His Presence

1 John 5:1-4 

1 EVERYONE WHO believes (adheres to, trusts, and relies on the fact) that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah) is a born-again child of God; and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of Him (His offspring).

2 By this we come to know (recognize and understand) that we love the children of God: when we love God and obey His commands (orders, charges)–[when we keep His ordinances and are mindful of His precepts and His teaching].

3 For the [true] love of God is this: that we do His commands [keep His ordinances and are mindful of His precepts and teaching]. And these orders of His are not irksome (burdensome, oppressive, or grievous).

4 For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith.

 

 

Devotional

Surviving the Counterattack

by Kenneth Copeland

“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7
It’s the moment we love more than any other—the moment of victory. It’s the moment when our healing manifests and the symptoms of sickness finally disappear. It’s the moment when Satan’s attack against our finances or our family is defeated and the breakthrough comes at last.
What do you do when that moment comes?
I’ll tell you what most Christians do. They kick up their heels in celebration. Then, breathing a sigh of relief, they put away their Bible, turn on the television and say, “Thank heavens, that battle’s over! Now I can relax.”
Big mistake.
You see, while they’re taking a spiritual vacation, Satan is planning his counterattack, plotting to snatch the victory from under their very nose.
I first began to notice the effectiveness of such counterattacks years ago. Someone I knew, who had been studying a well-known healing evangelist, came to me and said, “I believe the Lord has taken His hand off Brother So-and-So.”
“Really?” I asked in surprise.
“Oh, yes,” he answered. “People are truly healed in his meetings, but when I follow up with them later, many of them aren’t healed anymore.”
Although I couldn’t agree with his conclusions, I knew something was wrong.
People came to this minister’s meetings, heard the Word of God, and experienced God’s presence. In that atmosphere of faith, it was easy for them to receive their healing.
But when they left the meeting, they didn’t take that atmosphere with them. They stepped back into their old, unbelieving lifestyle that had made them vulnerable to sickness in the first place. So when the devil launched his counterattack with a few symptoms, these people just yielded to him. They said, “Oh my, I thought I was healed, but I guess I wasn’t.”
“What’s wrong with that?” you ask. “What else could they say?”
I’ll tell you what! They could have said, “Look here, Devil. According to the Word, I am healed by the stripes of Jesus. I received that healing at the meeting, and I don’t intend for you to steal it. So pack up your symptoms and go!”
If those people had spoken words like that in faith, and refused to give in to the devil, they could have kept their healing. If they had resisted the devil as it says to in James 4:7, they could have defeated the counterattack.
Stop being surprised by the counterattacks—and start being prepared for them. Lay a foundation of faith in your life, so when the devil comes like an old windbag and blows some lies, pains and adverse circumstances your way, your victory will not come tumbling down.
Speak the Word
“I resist the devil and he flees from me.” —James 4:7
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