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April 12 The Blame GameWassup World,
Here is today's Devotional Reading:
No tempataion (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), (no matter how it comes or where it leads) has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man, (that is, no temptaion or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistence and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as a man can bear). But God is faithful (to His Word and to His compassionate nature), and He (can be trusted) not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your abiliy and strength of resistence and power to endure, but with the tempation He will (always) also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently. -1 Corinthians 10:13
Years ago, a comedian's favorite punch line was, "The devil made me do it" The audience roared. Why did people laugh so hard? Was it because they wanted it to be true? Did they want to absolve themselves of responsibility fo their actions by pointing to an outside force?
It's always easy to blame someone else or outside forces for our actions. We hear people all the time who tell us, "My father never said a kind word to me." "My cousin abused me." "People in our neighborhood shunned me because I wore old and patched clothes." "I never had money when I was growing up, so now as soon as my paycheck comes, it's gone."
Those statements are probably true, and they my explain why we suffer. Those are terrible situations, and it's sad that people should have to go through such pain in their lives.
Yet we don't have the right to blame other people or circumstances for our behavior. We can't use them as an excuse to stay in bondage. Christ came to set us free. In the opening verse, Paul makes it clear that all of us have our own set of temptations, and for each of us, the circumstances may be different. But the promise God gives if the certantity of a way to escape, regardless of our circumstances. The escape is provided, but we must make use of it.
On the morning news, the reporter showed a restaurant that had caught fire. One woman stood within sight of the back exit but she didn't move. She stood twenty feet away and screamed. A coworker rushed back inside and grabbed her. She fought him, but he finally managed to drag her out.
Isn't that sometimes how it works with God's people? We know the way of escape, but we seem paralyzed. Or we blame someone or something for our inability to move. Or we think, Here it is again. I know I should learn how to deal with these situations, but I'll give in just as I've always given in. I'm too weak to deal with this right now.
Our weakness is one of our greatest excuses. We may be weak, but God is strong, and He is willing to be our strength. If we will trust Him and take the necessary steps of faith, He will help us break free from our bondages.
What we need to understand is that Satan takes our circumstances - no matter what they are - and uses them to buld strongholds in our lives. He'll use whatever he can - our sense of weakness, our problems from childhood, or the wrong things we did when we were twelve years old. If the devil can darken our minds - make us think we can't possibly win - we've lost. We need to keep reminding ourselves that we serve a victorious God who has provided the spiritual weapons we need to tear down the devil's strongholds. One more thing: When we give in to the temptaion, aren't we subtly saying that God is not able to help us? We don't enjoy taking full responsibilty for our actions - or, in many cases, our inaction - but we need to. We need to stop feeling sorry for ourselves, shifting blame, and ignoring situations. We need to believe the pro
mise of God that declares He is faithful and will always deliver us in plenty of time. We don't need to live in fear, always feeling that our problems are too much for us to handle. We must have a "can - do" attitude. One that says, " I can do whatever I need to do whenever I need to do it." Sometimes we are even tempted to blamed God for our troubles, but we must remember the words previoulsy quoted: "...but God is faithful...and He (can be trusted) not to let yobe tempted...beyond your abilty and strength of resistence..."
That's God's promise, and He lays his reputation on the line with that promise, God never abandons us of leaves us helpless. We can be like the woman who screamed but wouldn't move. Or we can choose to say, "Look! There's the door of escape! Thanks for providing it!"
Our problems are personal and they are often internal. They involve our thoughts and our attitudes. The results - the outward behavior - flow from those thoughts and attitudes. If we keep our mind turnmed toward Jesus, and if we listen to His voice, we know there is an escape route for us - always.
PRAY
Father God, forgive me for blaming You, my circumstances, or other people for my failures. You are the Way-Maker for me in every temptation. I'm going to trust You to tear down the devil's strongholds in my mind, inJesus's name. Amen. -Joyce Meyer (Battlefield of the Mind Daily Devotional) April 10 Glory be to God
Wassup World,
WOO HOO! I just finished another workout and I am in so much pain but I am so proud of myself. I thank God that He is a faithful God and that He never leaves me. My weekend was great what about yours. Although we had car trouble God always works things out for our good. On Saturaday morning I decided to go garage selling. Well while I was at looking through some things I heard a loud explosion and to my surprise when I turn toward the noise, smoke is coming from under my hood. Talk about worried. I had classes scheduled and how was I suppose to get there now? I don't have a car. Not just that how am I supposed to get home? Well the owner of the house I was at was kind enough to take me home. I called a student of mine who doesn't live to far from me to ask her if she could come pick up my husabnd and take him to the car, cause when we called for a tow truck we were told that our cell had to be with the car (smart right?) Now get this! Her husband is away for a month and so she has an extra vehicle, she offered us the truck until we can get our car back up and running! Oh glory be to God! How wonderful is that? So we have a vehicle and the car isn't going to cost much at all (my husband can do the repair) it turned out to only be a hose blew and it will cost $12 for the part! AMEN AMEN AMEN Remember God is always there and although we don't always know why, when or how God has everything under control. I'm Out Syreeta Undercurrents
April 07 Talking about MEMO from God
Quote MEMO from God My Body for Life Challenge Day 3Wassup World,
A while back I blogged about not being happy with my weight and deciding to begin working out again. Well, I didn't exactly go thru with it . I worked out for about 2 weeks then stopped. Not being active has really made me lazy. Since then I have gained 4 lbs and I am really disappointed at myself. I was brought up not to complain about things, if I didn't plan on doing anything about them. Yet I find myself complaining constantly and being depressed yet still sitting on my big butt and not doing anything about my situation. My weight issue isn't anything that I cannot do anything about so why is it that I choose to do nothing? So I have been praying to God and asking Him to help strenghthen my mind regarding my health and lighting a fire within me to continue on with my new lifestyle.
So this is day 3 of my Body for Life Challenge and so far so great. I workout everyday at 9am. I am doing the Power 90 program and it is awesome. I alternate everyday by doing cardio/abs one day, then weight training the next. Power 90 is unbelievable, you only workout for about 30-40 min each day, but the way you feel, you would think you worked out for hours.
I just thank God for His word. That is what sustains me day after day. Philippians 4:13 (I can do all things through Christ that stregthens me.) I hold on to that, it just gives me so much confidence and strength.
I'm Out
Syreeta Know the Truth(Jesus said)
If you abide in My Word (hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them), you are truly My disciples. And You will know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free.
In my book Battlefield of the Mind, I also write about Mary's husband, John, a low-key type person. He was a man who had been verbally abused by his mother and taunted by playmates in childhood. He hated confrontation and couldn't stand up to Mary's strong will. In his own way, John was as much a prisoner as his wife. He blamed her; she blamed him - and here we see Satans deceptive ways again.
John was convinced that it didn't do any good to stand up to anyone; he was going to lose anyway. He thought the only way to get along was to be quiet and accept whatever happened.
John also believed another lie of the devil - that he wasn't truly loved by God. How could he be? He wasn't worth loving. Because he felt that way, he had believed the devil's lies. "I felt as if God said to the world, "Believe in Jesus and you'll be saved." I got in on some kind of package deal - but I never felt I was worth loving."
That is one of Satan's biggest lies: "You are nobody. You are not worth anything." If thr enemy of your mind can convince you that you're too bad or too worthless, he has set up a stronghold in your mind.
Although John was a Christian, his mind had been imprisoned by his enemy. John has had to learn that he is important to God. For a long time, he did not know the truth. His mother had not told him that he was good, worthwhile, and a child of God. His friends didn't encourage him, and in the first years of marriage to Mary, her criticism convinced him even futher that he was a hopeless failure.
John needs to know that he is loved, and that he is as valuable to the kngdom of God as Paul, Moses or anybody else. Jesus cares for him, and He is with him. For John to win his battle and cast down the mental strongholds sthe devil has built, he needs to know the truth. Jesus said, "If you...(hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them), you are truly My disciples. And you will know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free" (John 8:31b-32). Joh learns truth as he reads God's Word, prays and meditates on what it says to him. He also learns as he applies God's Word in his daily life and has the experience of watching it work as Jesus said it would. Experience is often the best teacher. I have learned from the Word of God and lifes experiences that God's Word is filled with power and will tear down the strongholds Satan has built in our minds.
You cannot be free unless you know that the weapons of warfare are available to you and that you can learn to use them. As you learn to resist Satan and call him a liar, your life will change dramatically for the better.
Pray
Lord God of heaven, remind me that I am important to You and that I am loved by You, even if I don't feel loved. Help me to learn that I am as important to You as any other Christian and that You love me as much as You love them. I thank You in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen .
-Joyce Meyer (Battlefield of the Mind Daily Devotional)
 (If you would like to read other daily devotionals click on Catagories on my main page and clik Daily Devotionals)
April 06 The Devil's Lies(Jesus said)
You are of your father, the devil, and it is your will to practice the lusts and gratify the desires ( which are characteristic) of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a falsehood, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar (himself) and the father of lies and of all that is false.
-John 8:44
The devil lies. In fact, the devil doesn't know how to speak the truth.
Most Christians know that,and yet they still listen to his evil words. Sometimes the lies seem to just pop into our minds for no apparent reason; sometimes Satan even speaks to us through other people. He puts something critical or hurtful into their minds about us, and they speak it out for us to hear. If we listen and accept what we hear, our enemy rejoices. If we listen long enough to the deceptive information we have taken in, we will find ourselves facing serious problems. Instead of listening and absorbing the untruths and satanic deceptions, you can look at what Jesus did and follow His example. After fasting for forty days in the wilderness, Satan tempted Him three times. Each time He defeated the devil by declaring, "It is written," and quoting the Word of God. No wonder the devil fled from Him (see Matthew 4:1-11). Learn the truth of God's Word, and every time Satan lies to you, quote a scripture back to him. Learn to talk back to the devil!
Too many people don't know how to use the Word to defeat Satan's lies. Many people - even Christians - don't seem to realize that they can refuse to listen to that voice. Too many people don't realize that the devil attacks their minds with negative or wrong thoughts. It's his nature to lie; he is out to enslave everyone.
I encourage people to realize that they are not alone in their spiritual battles - their minds are not the only ones under attack. Satan comes against everyone. His entire goal is to kill, steal, and destroy, but Jesus came that we might have and enjoy our lives abundantly (see John 10:10). By becoming more conscious of the spiritual weapons the Lord has made available to us and learning how to use them, we can gain victory. We can break the strongholds the devil has built in our minds. The Bible tells us that when we know the truth, that truth will free us from Satan's strongholds (see John 8:32).
In the illistration of Mary, I mentioned that the devil had whispered to her for years that all men were alike and wanted to hurt women and take advantage of them. As Mary read the Bible and prayed more efficiently, she learned that it was the devil who had pushed her around. Now she knows she can be free.
As Mary develops in her relationship with God, she is equipping herself to win the battle for her mind. She's learning more about God and more about how to pray effectively.
"Jesus has become my friend," Mary said. She had known Him as her Savior and worshipped Him as God, but this was a new revelation to her. One day she read Hebrews 2:18 in a totally new light. It says of Jesus, "Because He Himself (in His humanity) has suffered in being tempted (tested and tried), He is able....to run to the cry of (assist, relieve) those who are being tempted."
That passage came alive to Mary because she saw Jesus not only as God, but as her friend - one who knows what it's like to be tempted and who knows what it is like to suffer. "I knew He died on the cross, but I had not thought of all the pain and problems was a new thought to me."
Mary also says that when negative, mean, or ugly thoughts come into her head, she is learning to stop those thoughts. "Jesus wouldn't talk that way. Jesus wouldn't be critical and judgemental, so that's that devil fighting for my mind."
Mary hasn't won all the battles, but she has learned to fight the great deciever. Every time she wins one battle, the next one becomes easier.
Pray
God of all power, thank you for giving me the weapons to defeat the lies of the devil. Help me to always make good use of them. Thank you, Jesus, for being my friend and for being with me in my difficulties and struggles. Amen.
 - Joyce Meyer (Battlefield of the Mind Devotional)(To read other Daily Devotionals just go to Catagories on my home page and click on Daily Devotionals)
March 29 The Penalty Has Been PaidWassup World,
I have been thinking a lot about the grace of God. Have you ever sinned knowing God will give grace? Do you ever sin tonight, knowing you'll confess tommorrow? Is that what grace is about? Does grace give us permission to do wrong knowing that God is always there to forgive us our sins?
There is a great book out there titled " In the Grip of Grace" by Max Lucado. That book has done a lot for my well-being. I have done a lot in my life, I grew up in the church, I was saved at the age of 13, yet I haven't always done what I know to be right. I had a problem forgiving myself and with that the devil was able to use that against me. What I mean by that is he would tell me " How many times is God suppose to forgive you?" or "Why keep repenting if you're just going to continue to sin?" I grew up being taught of the unconditional love that God has for us, however I couldn't accept that for myself. I told people all the time, that there is nothing that we can do that would ever cause God to stop lovoing us. But I didn't believe that for me. I also fell for the lie of if I were truly saved I wouldn't be doing half of the things that I do. I mean after all the Bible does say if we love the Lord we will obey His commands, right? The distance I felt between God and I was unbearable. I didn't think I would ever be able to get back to Him. Or if He ever wanted me , for that matter.
But God is a wonderful God. He is faithful ALWAYS! This is just a short chapter from " In the Grip of Grace" that changed my personal thinking and has renewed my relatinship with my Daddy. I hope this helps you.
The Penalty Has Been Paid
Think of it this way. Sin put you in prison. Sin locked you behind the bars of guilt and shame and deception and fear. Sin did nothing but shackle you to the wall of misery.
Then Jesus came and paid your bail. He served your time; he satisfied the penalty and set you free. Christ died, and when you cast your lot with him, your old self died too.
The only way to be set free from the prison of sin is to serve its penalty. In this case the penalty is death. Someone has to die, either you or a heaven-sent substitute. You cannot leave prison unless there is a death. But that death has occured at Calvary. And when Jesus died, you died to sin's claim on your life. You are free.
Near the city of Sao Jose Campos, Brazil, is a remarkable facility. Twenty years ago the Brazilian governmen turned a prison over to two Christians. The institution was renamed Humaita, and the plan was to run it on Christian principles. With the exception of two full-time staff, all the work is done by inmates. Families outside the prison adopt an inmate to work wtih during and after his term. Chuck Colson visited the prison and made this report:
Christ has taken your place. There is no need for you to remain in the cell. Ever heard of a discharged prisoner who wanted to stay? Nor have I. When the doors open, prisoners leave. The thought of a person preferring jail over freedom doesn't compute. Once the penalty is paid, why live under bondage? You are discharged from the penitentiary of sin. Why, in heaven's name, would you ever want to set foot in that prison again?
Paul remainds us: "Our old life died with Christ on the cross so that our sinful selves would have no power over us and we would not be slaves to sin. Anyone who has died is made free from sin's control" (Rom. 6:6-7).
He is not saying that it is impossible for believers to sin; he's saying it is stupid for believers to sin. "Its not the literal impossibilty....but the moral incogruity" of the saved returning to sin.
What does the prison have that you desire? Do you miss the guilt? Are you homesick for dishonesty? Do you have fond memories of being lied to and forgotten? Was life better when you were dejected and rejected? Do you have a longing to once again see a sinner in the mirror?
It makes no sense to go back to prison.
Amen Amen Amen. Dont let the devil convince you that you've gone to far and that God won't forgive you or that you're worthless. God loves us always and His grace is sufficient.
Syreeta
 March 24 Satan's StrongholdsFor the weapons of our warfare are not physical (weapons of flesh and blood), but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds. -2 Corinthians 10:4
A stronghold is an ware in which we are held in bondage-- any part of our lives in which Satan imprisons us. He does this by causing us to think acertain way-- a way that is based on lies we have been told. As long as we believe things that are not true, we will remain imprisoned by those strongholds. To enjoy freedim, we must learn to use God's mighty weapons.
In my book Battlefield of the Mind, I referred to Mary, who had been mistreated and brainwashed by her father, and by the time she was a teen, she didn't trust men. It's no wonder that she and her husband faced many conflicts in their marriage. For years, Satan had lied to her and she believed the lies.
Mary isn't one isolated case. I know a man named Daniel, who is quite intelligent. In fact, his family used to tell him he was the smartest mani in town. God had given him a good mind, but Satan used that fact to imprisoned him. Until he met Jesus Christ, Daniel believed he was smarter thatn and superior to everyone else. Because of his pride, it was easy for him to be decieved and think more highly of himself thatn he should. He became critical and judgemental of others who he felt were not as brilliant as he believed he was.
Patricia was somewhat like mary, except taht her father constantly told her she was no good; that she was worthless and should marry the first man who would have her. That's exactly what she did, and she lived a miserable life. She felt she was never good enough for anyone.
Mary, Daniel, and Patricia had been trapped in different prisons, but Satan was the jail keeper. All three lived miserable lives until they learned what Paul meant by "the weapons of our warfare." The Word of God is the weapon that set them free. That weapon became effective through preaching, teaching, books, tapes, seminars, small Bible study groups, and their own private studies. They also learned to turn to other spiritual weapons such as praise and prayer. They learned that when we genuinely praise God from our hearts, we defeat the devil squicker than by using any other battle plan.
They didn't overcome every problem the first day- it was a slow process, but it was worth the wait. Patricia later said, "It took a lot of years for me to become imprisoned through the lies of Satan, so why not give God pleny of time to work His good plan into my life?" Our victory is not a one-time, big event- it is a process.
"The more I realized how badly Satan played with my mind," daniel said, "the more I could stand against him. The truth of Gosd's Word made me free."
Praise and prayer are great weapons taht God's people should use in overcoming the power of the evil one. Praise helps us keep our minds on God. His power, and the good things that are taking place in our lives. It is proof that we believe He can and will help us.
True prayer reflects a relationship with God and shows that we depend on Him. We are His children, and He is our Father. When we pray, we open the door for God's help. We ask Him to free our minds and give us victory over Satan's strongholds.
God answers those prayers. In fact, God is more eager to answer our prayers for help tahtn we are to ask. Think of prayer this way: when we pray in faith, tremendous power is made available to us.
As we truly understand that we are God's children, we will gain confidence to use the weapons of our warfare. The weapons are there. We just need instruction on how to use them and encouragement not to give up. Jesus has promised to be with us always (see Matthew 28:20).
We can win with our weapons because they are spiritual wepons. The devil fights a carnal, fleshly warfare, but we can win because we have the power of God on our side.
----Joyce Meyer
(To read other Devotional entries go to Catagories on my main page and choose Daily Devotionals) March 23 Well Laid PlansWassup World,
I pray that everyone is good and has the peace of God. So it's day 2 of the devotional reading so here we go.
For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood (contending only with physical opponents), but against the depotisms, against the powers, against (the master spirits who are) the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit fores of wickedness in the heavenly(supernatural) sphere. --Ephesians 6:12
"How could you?" Helen screamed. "How could you ever do such a thing?"
Tom stared helplessly at his wife. He had committed adultery, faced his sinful actions, and asked his wife to forgive him.
"But you knew it was wrong," she said. "You knew that was the ultimate betrayal of our marriage."
"I never planned for an affair to happen," Tom said with tears in his eyes.
Tom wasn't lying. He knew he was making a few bad choices, but he hadn't looked ahead at the consequences of his actions. After almost an hour of pleading, he said something that helped Helen begin to understand and eventually to forgive.
"I was unfaithful to you in hundreds of ways before I ever committed adultery." He spoke of their being too busy to spend quality time together, his critical attitude, her occasional lack of emotional response,her not listening to him when he talked about problems at the office. "Just little things, always little things," he said. "At least in the beginning they seemed that way."
That's exactly how Satan works in human lives. He begins by bombarding our mnds with cleverly devised patterns of irritation, disatisfaction, nagging thoughts, doubts, fears, and reasonings. He moves slowly and cautiously (after all, well-laid plans takle time).
Tom said he began to doubt that Helen truly loved him. She didn't listen, and she didn't always respond to his amorous moods. He dwelt on those thoughts. Whenever she did anything he didn't like, he kept track. He kept track by remembering and adding that to his list of disatisfacations.
One of his coworkers listened, and she offered him sympathy. One time she said, "Helen doesn't deserve a warm, caring man like you." (Satan also worked in her) Each time Tom took a tiny step off the right path, he justified his actions in his mind: If Helen won't listen to me, there are other people that will. Although he said the word people to himself, he really meant the woman in the next cubicle.
The coworker listened. Weeks later, he hugged her and as he did so, he wished he could feel that caring reponse from his wife. It was a harmless embrace-or so it seemed. Tom didn't grasp that Satan is never in a hurry. He takes time to work out his plans. He doesn't immediately overwhelm people with powerful desires. Instead, the enemy of our minds start with little things-little disatisfactions, small desires- and builds from there.
Tom's story sounds much like that of a 42 year old bookeeper who was indicted for stealing nearly 3 million dollars from her organization. She said, "The first time I took only $12. I needed that much to pay the minimum amount on my credit card. I planned to pay it back." No one caught her, and 2 months later, she "borrowed" again.
By the time they caught her, the company teetered on the brink of bancruptcy. "I never meant to hurt anybody or do anything wrong." she said. She never intended to do anything big-just to take small amounts. The prosecutor said she had been stealing from the company for almost 20 years.
That's how Satan works--slowly, diligently, and in small ways. Rarely does he approach us through direct assault or frontal attacks. All Satan needs is an opening-an opportunity to inject unholy, self-centered thoughts into our heads. If we don't kick them back out, they stay inside. And he can continue his evil, destructive plan.
We don't have to allow those wrong thoughts to take up residence in our heads. The apostle Paul wrote, "For the weapons of our warfare.....mighty before God.......(We) refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every [proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the (true) knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ...." (2 Corinthianms 10:4-5) -Joyce Meyer
(To read other Daily Devotionals just click on Catagories on my main page and choose Daily Devotionals) March 22 The InvitationWassup World,
I recently bought the book Battlefeild of the Mind Devotional so I will be entering daily the topics being read that day so feel free to comment on the subjects.
Todays reading is titled The Invitation:
What I have forgiven.... has been for your sakes..... to keep Satan from getting the advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his wiles and intentions.
-2 Corinthians 2:10-11
Suppose we recieve a package from an overnight carrier. After, we open it, we stare at a beautiful, oversized envelope, with our name written on it in exquisite calligraphy. Inside, the invitation starts with these words:
Which one of us would say yes to such an outrageous invitation? Don't we seek the kind of life that keeps us free from such pain and distractions? Yet many of us choose such a life. Not that we blatantly make that choice, but we sometimes surrender-even temporarily-to Satan's invitation. His attcak is ongoing and relentless-the devil is persistent! Our enemy bombards our minds with every weapon at his disposal everyday of our lives.
We are engaged in a warfare-a warfare that rages and never stops. We can put on the whole armor of God, halt the evil one's advances, and stand fast on the Word of God, but we won't put a complete end to the war. As long as we are alive, our minds remain Satan's battlefield. Most of our problems are rooted in thinking patterns that produce the problems we experience. This is where satan triumphs-he offers wrong thinking to all of us. This isn't a new trick devised for our generation; he began his deceptive ways in the Garden of Eden. The serpent asked the woman," Can it really be that God has said, you shall not eat from every tree of the garden?"(Gen. 3:1a). That was the first attack on the human mind. Eve could have rebuked the tempter; instead, she told him God would let them eat from the trees, but not from one particular tree. They couldn't even touch that tree, because if they did, they would die.
"But the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die, For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing the difference between good and evil and blessings and calamity." (vs.4-5)
This was the first attack, and it resulted in Satan's first victory. What we often miss about temptation and the battle our enemy levels against us is that it comes to us deceptively. Suppose he had said to the woman, "Eat of the fruit. You'll bring misery, anger, hatred, bloodshed, poverty, and injustice into the world."
Eve would have recoiled and run away. He tricked her because he lied and told her what would appeal to her.
Satan promised, "You will be like God. You'll know good and evil." What a marvelous appeal to the woman. He wasn't tempting Eve to do something bad-or at least he phrased it in such a way that what she heard sounded good.
That's always the appeal of sin or satanic enticement. The temptation is not to do evil or to cause harm or bring injustice. The lure is that we will gain something.
Satan's temptation worked on Eve. "And when the woman saw that the tree was good (suitable, pleasant) for food and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she gave some also to her husband, and he ate" (3:6).
Eve lost the first battle for the mind, and we have continued to fight for it since that time. But because we have the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we can win-and we can keep on winning. -----Joyce Meyer
Amen to that. We have to remeber that we already know the ending of the story and who wins. It's a done deal. The devil can only suggest something to us he can't make us do anything. The battle is in our minds its his playground. Thats why we have to abide in God. Know what His Word says so that we know how to act when things arise. The devil is persistent and patient, however he doesn't have a new game plan he attacks everyone that same way, in our minds. So suit up and remember guard your mind.
I'm Out,
Syreeta
 March 10 People of Faith Don't Just Happen It's not easy to walk by faith. If it were easy, more people would be doing it. However, for anyone who is willing to pay the price, walking by faith is doable- and well worth the price. Walking in faith means believing what God has said in His word, and acting on it before you see any evidence of that promise coming to pass. You must also believe the Word enough to make your words agree with what it says (Romans 10:8). Know what God says about your situation and say what God says. Romans 10:17 says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. The Word is required for you to have faith and to grow in faith. Hebrews 11:6 says God "is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him". The Hebrew word for seek also means "research". That is the best word I know to describe what it takes to walk with God, to walk in faith, and to walk in the blessing and the will of God. Today, you are a picture of what you spoke from your heart in the past.
---Gloria Copeland
I'm Out
Syreeta  Life Nuggets
Wassup World,
Just wanted to share with you some Life Nuggets that have helped me.
I hope these help you like they have me. Syreeta
March 06 ForgivenessWassup World,
Forgiveness. That is something that many of us struggle with. Yet it is something that God offers so freely. An eye for an eye is the life that many of us live. However with God if we just repent we are guaranteed forgiveness. At times that still boggles my mind. I don't know about you but there have been some things that I have done that I would prefer going to the grave with that no one knows. Yet through it ALL God still calls me His child. I have learned along the way to be careful about saying what I would never do. I thank God for Peter because I have learned so much from his life. There is no doubt that he loved the Lord as a matter of fact he was one of the 3 closest disciples to the Lord. Yet Jesus told Peter that he would deny him 3 times before the rooster crowed. Isn't that amazing how God knows that were going to mess up even before we do. After Jesus was crucified and rose He told Mary to go tell the disciples even Peter. He called him by name. Even though Peter denied Jesus, Jesus had not given up on him. I believe that is something to shout about. There is nothing that we can do that the Lord doesnt already know about yet He loves and forgives us anyways. I thank the Lord for His unconditional love. Think about it.
I'm Out
Syreeta
 February 28 Thank YouWassup world,
How is everyone out there in cyber world? Well first off God is SOOO GOOOOD! Hey always blows me away. If you dont know He has a wasy of making things so simple. Nothing is really complex when it comes to God. It is us who makes things so hard and complicated. Tahnk you so much for all of your prayers. Lord knows I really needed to be covered during this time. The Devil was really doing a number on my family these past 2 weeks. He was trying to use my 7 year old but I already gave her over to God. It was just one thing after another. First she wrote a note to one of her friends asking a few unappropriate questions such as Are u gay? and Have you ever had sex with a boy? Can u believe that? Shes 7. She heard the other kids on her bus talking about these things and thought she would pass it on. Well think again. Anyways the little girls parents found the note and turned it in to the principal. How embarrassing is that! All I could think was that people are going ot think that this girl is just running loose and that we dont care. I was so upset that my husband and I went to the school to have a talk with our child. So we thought we handled it she was whooped and put on punishment. Oh lets not forget that on the bottom of the note she wrote please dont tell anyone I wrote this so she knew she was wrong. Well a day later we get another call from the school saying that she is suspended. Fun right? well my husband And I go back to the school and this time during class she singing a song wanna hear it hear it goes (I have the power to pee in the shower for a hour) Bad but not so bad right? Well added on to what she did the other day the school said she is suspended. So as you can imagine Im LIVID! All the while Im asking God whats the deal? This is not my Kyree. Yes she has a mouth every now and again but I can handle that but all this NOOOO! I couldnt believe it. so if that wasnt bad enough on Tuesday I wake up and get her ready for school and I get ready to head out to go to get my tire fixed. Well I look in my wallet and there is money missing. Now I am the first to admit that I have an anger problem and I am working really hard with that. But now my anger is off the charts. Im ready to hurt someone. So I ask my husband did he take any money from me and he says yes $20 well that still leaves $60 missing. So I call her school and ask her teacher when she gets to class to check her for a large amount of $ long story short my daughter has MY (let me say it again) MY $. Three 20's like I wasnt going to know it was missing. Claiming she didnt take it she just found it in her wallet that morning. SO as you all can see I have had a lot to deal with and that is why I havent been online. Taht was a priority for me. I wasnt going to let the devil use my child. I went and oiled down her room and bed then I did the whole house. And just prayed that this is holy ground and anything that isnt holy has to leave. So I thank all of you who prayed for me and my family I know pryaer works cause the way I felt I wanted to hurt her. so continue to keep us all in your prayers.
Im Out,
Syreeta February 22 Pray For MeWassup World.
How is everyone out there in cyber world? It's been a while since I have been on so I know I have alot of catching up to do. I do need your prayers though I am really goin thru some things right now and I just need you to be in agreement with me to guard my heart and my mind.
Thanks and Im Out
Syreeta
February 16 Being A BelieverWassup World,
I think it is a great responsiblity to be a believer. I can't see not being one. I love the Lord, and I cherish my relationship with him. I do believe however that many of us (believers) and I have been guilty of this, make being a Christian a negative thing. The mission of the church (and thats what belivers are) is to seek the lost. However many of us look down on those who arent saved or maybe are saved and messed up and we judge them. I think that many people are lead to believe that once you have accepted Christ that your life is going to be perfect. Well thats a lie! Hello people one of the biggest injustices that we can to as the body of Christ is to act as though our lives are full of bliss. The fact is that when you accept Christ you run in to more chaos cause the Devil is mad! That there is a testimony in itself! I believe that it is our responsibility to let others know about our trials and tribulations so that they can see that God is faithful and that they too can survive their storms. Im not saying that we need to walk around and look defeated but we shouldnt act as though we havent gone through anything either. How is that giving God the glory? So many of us have had the chance to restore someones faith when they have come to us in confidence. Rather than taking the opportunity to show compassion we take the position as judge. Why not just tell them ok you messed up now lets get up and move on? Before you can even say Amen you're on the phone with Sister So and So telling them of their issues. Then you have everyone talking about them behind their back. Christ himself said that He did not come to condemn the world but that the world may be saved through Him. So if Christ doesnt (He is the only one who could or has any reason to) judge who are we to? If you messed up and God ignored you would that keep you near to Him? I don't know about you but I was drawn to His love, forgiveness, mercy, grace,and faithfulness. Its funny how we are so quick to judge and forget that just this morning we had an attitude toward someone and needed Gods forgiveness ourselves. I know that there are some SECRET sins( sins that God hasn't revealed publicly because of His GRACE) that we would like to go to the grave with , and with his mercy we may. With that said the same God that we need and want is the same God that the World needs. Like I said before the mission of the church is to seek the lost Luke 15:1-7 and the method that we are suppose to go by is the goodness of God. Romans 2:3-4 It is Gods goodness that leads people to repentance not our jugdging them. We are suppose to be the image of God here on earth. What kind of God are you representing?
Im Out,
Syreeta
February 14 Happy Valentines Wassup World,
Happy Valentines to all. To those who doesnt have a Valentines or even if you do I know someone who wants to be yours. He's always here and He is LOVE. His name is God. For those who don't feeled loved run to Him thats all He knows how to do. He will never let you down He gave His only Son up to be crucified so that you and I can have life and have it more abundantly. He wants us to cast all of our cares (burdens,worries) on Him so that He can carry them for us. He tells us to abide in Him and to let
His words abide in us and whatever we wish it will be done for us. God loved us first before anything, He loved cause thats what He is. He knew you in your mothers womb. Psalms 139 says "O Lord
You have searched me and You know me. You know when I sit down and when I rise, You know my thoughts from afar, You scrutinize my path and my lying down and are intimately aquainted with ALL my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold Lord You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before and laid Your hand on me." And through it all He loves us anyway. Could you love someone unconditionally who contiued to ignore you, or continued to act as though you didnt exist or continued to hurt you and act like whatever you did for that person it was due them or it wasnt a big deal? Well despite that and more He continues to love us and just want us to turn to Him. What do we have to lose? The way I see it we have everything to gain. God says For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. How profound is that? We have ALL fallen short of His glory and we are justified by His grace thruough redemption that came by Christ Jesus so dont let your guilt or lack of self worth stop you from turning to the One who loves us regardless of our past and present. He is the only One who can right our wrongs and take away our sins. He doesnt show favoritism. Gods favor to forgive and His kindness will override anyones sin. Turn it over to God, your hurt, your anger,your dissappointment, pride whatever it is give it to Him. Remember that the wages of sin is death but the GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus . Happy Valentines this is the greatest love you could ever recieve I hope you accept to be His Valentine.
Im Out,
Syreeta
February 09 Stereo-typingWassup World,
How are you today? Well I am great, God is a good God, an on time God so I can't really complain. I do have a few things I want to talk about though. Today I was venturing through a site I sort of frequent alot and everytime I do I get upset and my heart breaks. The site is The Sad Reality of Pitbulls (if you want u can link on thru my site above-in the Dog Pound). I know that alot of people do not like pits or are afraid of them but I absolutely LOOOOVVEE them. I get so upset when people categorize them as vicious dogs. It's not the dog, its the two legged person behind the dog. There are so many stereotypes that people have about this wonderful breed and half of them have no clue about the dog. Whats the difference between judging a whole breed and judging a whole race? I've had pitbulls for as long as I can remember, grew up with them and I have never EVER been attacked, hurt, bitten or anything by one. I myself own 2 at the time I am a dog trainer (yes I own my own business) and even when I was a dog trainer for PETSMART I brought my dogs with me to work as my demonstration dog (now if they are what people claim why would they allow them to come). We recently had to put one down due a sickness she had that kept producing seizures. When something happens regarding the breed why are we so quick to judge the dog and not hold the owner responsible? What sense does that make? Then people want to just get rid of the breed, some places have already outlawed them like they're enemy #1. You can't get homeowners insurance if you own one, you can't rent certain apartments, it's ridiculous. What about all of us responsible owners who just adore the the breed. Why are we getting punished for irresponsible ownership? I am the first to say that not everyone DESERVES to own a pitbull. There are really some horrible people out there who want to own the breed for all the wrong reasons. What it all boils down to is that people suck. If people only took the time to get to know the breed I am sure that your attitude toward them would change. The breed is so loyal and caring that it is unbelievable. Like I always say punish the deed not the breed.
I'm Out,
Syreeta February 08 The S WordWassup World, Let's talk about the S word. SUBMISSION. I know that alot of women have issues with doing so and I know a alot of men try to put more wieght on it than it needs. Since this subject can turn out to be so vast let's narrow it down to the most contreversial submission of all as stated in Ephesians 5:22-23. "Wives, submit to your own husband and to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He himself being the Savior of the body." So what exactly is submissission? Well the Websters Dictionary says 1. to yeild oneself to the will or authority of another. 2.To commit (something) to the consideration of another. 3.To offer as a propostition or contention. 4. To allow oneself to be subjected. Ok with that said what does this mean that we (women) are to just bow down to our husbands and go along with whatever they say even if we see that it's not going to be a good turn out. Or just allow him to treat us like slaves, can he dictate our comings and goings? Where we go, when we go, who we go with? Is that what God intended when this was written? Well like alot of women I pride myself on having my own mind and using it. I mean we live in America right? (Home of the brave land of the FREE) I mean before I got married I was thinking for myself and now because I get married I am no longer capable of that anymore? So what does it mean to submit or put yourself under subjection to? So I prayed for revelation on the subject cause I want to do right and I do want to have an annointed marriage. So this is my take on this whole thing. For so long man has put his own spin or interpertation on the Word of God but haw many people have actually prayed and asked God what He meant. Well I get it!, at least for me. God wants peace. (point blank)and how can we have peace if all we ever do is argue over who is right? Truth be old in every aspect of life there is a chain of command so why not in the home? In this verse submit doesn't refer to "obey" cause if it did He would have simply said it as He did for children to do inEph.6:1. All submit means is to yeild oneself. but thats not the end, submission is a hard thing to do which is why women we are instructed-(key word there) to do so. It's not natural for us and God knows this. So we are told to "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness" Matt.6:33 and also " Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exhalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." 1Peter 5:6-7. This doesn't put our husbands in the place of the Lord, but shows rather that we ought to submit to him as an act of submission to the Lord. According to the Bible men are the spiritual head of the family. This is not to say that we have no say, our husbands should hear us out but in the end it is his desicion but remember that it is also him that is accountable to God for this desicion. Now if we clearly see that this is not the right thing to do or not even clearly but are just not sure, don't argue about it or throw a fit just go to God. Cast your cares on Him He will take care of it. If we learned to just shut up sometimes and RUN to God we wouldn't go thru as much as we do. Stop trying to Play God when it comes to our husbands submit(duck) thats basically what submit means DUCK! Bow down to God tell him your concerns ask Him to give your husband wisdom about whatever it is. God knows our ins and outs, He made us did He not? " For you created my inmost being you knit me together in my mothers womb." Psalm 139:13 So why choose to fight and have your peace gone rather than just turning to God? Wouldn't it be easier to just tell God your concerns then watch Him do His thing? Even if your husband doesn't change his position on the thing don't loose your peace, God knows your heart and will make a way out of no way. God showed me an example that I would like to share: Think of you standing in front of your husband and God standing behind you. (remember God has your back) So now you guys are having it out, shouting back and forth and your words are just hitting a brick wall, so your anger level is just climbing. All the while God is standing right behind you. Now see this, if you would just DUCK, God (who is behind you) can now work in your husband. His work was going nowhere cause youre blocking His path. Now if that isn't a light bulb moment I don't know what is! Stop trying to be God and have YOUR will be done. It's all about Gods will. The fact that a teaching isn't popular is no reason to discard it. The Word is full of things that don't come natural to us but we are told to do it anyway. So whats the differnce? Since this revelation I am now accountable for this area of my life. I can't say I didn't know. I have also come to understand that submitting isn't when you agree and go along with it, submission is when you don't agree but go along anyway.(Ponder on that) I do however want to hear back from you on your perspective on this. I will leave you with this " Ask and it will be given you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you." Matt. 7:7 Do those things and God has to do it He promised. Im Out Syreeta |
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