Date:
Saturday,
June 20, 2015
Chapters: Psalms 64-67
Message Title: Getting Rid Of Inner Demons
Hello My Friend,
As Christians, we are often taught how to handle affliction coming from others, but what about the affliction we bring upon ourselves. I am not talking about affliction caused by sin, but of that caused by the inner demons, the guilt and shame we live with over our past. We have all done things that we are not proud of, but sometimes it can take a toll on us, so much so that we devalue ourselves as nothing. God wants us to know that even though we are sinners, we are His, He made us, He loves us dearly, and we are of value to Him. “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!” - Psalms 139:14-17.
Perhaps the biggest enemy we have sometimes is ourselves, the devil is good at making us feel like our past can never be forgotten. And although we never completely forget our past we can learn to use it as a testimony of just how merciful and graceful God was to us, even though we didn't deserve it. When the only one defeating us is us, that is when we need to seek God's help in setting us free from ourselves. “Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy. Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity: Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words: But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded. So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away. And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing. The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.” - Psalms 64:1-3,7-10.
Depression, anxiety, and panic attacks are all arrows pointed at ourselves, and they will destroy us. I have been there and still have issues today, but God gives us the will and strength we need to overcome those demons in our heads. We need to trust Him and let Him mend our broken hearts, minds, and spirits. “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” - James 4:8-10.
The key to overcoming ourselves is getting close to God and trusting Him, we cannot overcome ourselves by ourselves, we need the hand of God in this. As we draw closer to God, He will remove those demons in our heads. “Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed. O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come. Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple. By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:” - Psalms 65:1-5.
We can put our confidence in God to set us free from the burdens that are deep within us. Let's face it, there are times in our lives when we have no confidence in ourselves, let alone God, but the more we praise Him even when we do not feel like it, the more confidence we have in Him. Not all of our burdens can disappear from our past, but we can learn to enjoy life through all of them. “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” - Philippians 4:11-13.
The burdens we face, even self afflicted, do not have to control us, and by the way, we can endure them, and we can see them come to pass. We must remember that we if we have accepted the Lord, Jesus Christ as our Saviour we are saved to the uttermost. That means, nothing we do, past, present, or future will take away our salvation. Unfortunately, knowing we are saved does not get rid of those demons inside us, but it can if we keep reminding ourselves that there is an expected end to all this. “O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard: Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved. For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.” - Psalms 66:8-11,16-20.
The truth is, as long as we keep beating ourselves up and living in a depressed state of worthlessness, God is not going to hear our pleas to overcome ourselves. Let me tell you, once we receive Christ, we are forgiven of all that we have done, past, present, and future. Of course, when we sin in the present, God wants us to confess it so we can move on from it, but when we keep dwelling on the past sins it angers Him. We only do ourselves a disservice by holding on to them, God has already forgotten them, it's time we do too. “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.” - Hebrews 6:4-6,9.
Today's Prayer: God, It is a constant struggle to keep trusting You and putting my confidence in You when I have these demons from my past haunting me. You are the only one who can give me the will and strength to not only defeat them, but put them away for good. Lord, give me Your power to overcome these demons, give me Your strength to praise You and remain faithful to You even when I want to give up on myself. Remind me that You have fearfully and wonderfully made me exactly the way You want me and I can be a help and hope that others need who are struggling. I love You and ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Chapters: Psalms 64-67
Message Title: Getting Rid Of Inner Demons
Hello My Friend,
As Christians, we are often taught how to handle affliction coming from others, but what about the affliction we bring upon ourselves. I am not talking about affliction caused by sin, but of that caused by the inner demons, the guilt and shame we live with over our past. We have all done things that we are not proud of, but sometimes it can take a toll on us, so much so that we devalue ourselves as nothing. God wants us to know that even though we are sinners, we are His, He made us, He loves us dearly, and we are of value to Him. “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!” - Psalms 139:14-17.
Perhaps the biggest enemy we have sometimes is ourselves, the devil is good at making us feel like our past can never be forgotten. And although we never completely forget our past we can learn to use it as a testimony of just how merciful and graceful God was to us, even though we didn't deserve it. When the only one defeating us is us, that is when we need to seek God's help in setting us free from ourselves. “Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy. Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity: Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words: But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded. So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away. And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing. The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.” - Psalms 64:1-3,7-10.
Depression, anxiety, and panic attacks are all arrows pointed at ourselves, and they will destroy us. I have been there and still have issues today, but God gives us the will and strength we need to overcome those demons in our heads. We need to trust Him and let Him mend our broken hearts, minds, and spirits. “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” - James 4:8-10.
The key to overcoming ourselves is getting close to God and trusting Him, we cannot overcome ourselves by ourselves, we need the hand of God in this. As we draw closer to God, He will remove those demons in our heads. “Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed. O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come. Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple. By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:” - Psalms 65:1-5.
We can put our confidence in God to set us free from the burdens that are deep within us. Let's face it, there are times in our lives when we have no confidence in ourselves, let alone God, but the more we praise Him even when we do not feel like it, the more confidence we have in Him. Not all of our burdens can disappear from our past, but we can learn to enjoy life through all of them. “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” - Philippians 4:11-13.
The burdens we face, even self afflicted, do not have to control us, and by the way, we can endure them, and we can see them come to pass. We must remember that we if we have accepted the Lord, Jesus Christ as our Saviour we are saved to the uttermost. That means, nothing we do, past, present, or future will take away our salvation. Unfortunately, knowing we are saved does not get rid of those demons inside us, but it can if we keep reminding ourselves that there is an expected end to all this. “O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard: Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved. For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.” - Psalms 66:8-11,16-20.
The truth is, as long as we keep beating ourselves up and living in a depressed state of worthlessness, God is not going to hear our pleas to overcome ourselves. Let me tell you, once we receive Christ, we are forgiven of all that we have done, past, present, and future. Of course, when we sin in the present, God wants us to confess it so we can move on from it, but when we keep dwelling on the past sins it angers Him. We only do ourselves a disservice by holding on to them, God has already forgotten them, it's time we do too. “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.” - Hebrews 6:4-6,9.
Today's Prayer: God, It is a constant struggle to keep trusting You and putting my confidence in You when I have these demons from my past haunting me. You are the only one who can give me the will and strength to not only defeat them, but put them away for good. Lord, give me Your power to overcome these demons, give me Your strength to praise You and remain faithful to You even when I want to give up on myself. Remind me that You have fearfully and wonderfully made me exactly the way You want me and I can be a help and hope that others need who are struggling. I love You and ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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