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Showing posts with the label Evil

Stay Alert!

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“When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.” — Luke 4:13 (NASB1995) Remember, we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. (See Ephesians 6:12) Our adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. He is always looking for an opportune time to steal, to kill, and to destroy. Stay alert!  (See 1 Peter 5:8 & John 10:10) When confronted with the lies of the enemy, follow the example of King Yeshua in Luke 4:4, 4:8 & 4:12, and speak what is written in the Holy Scriptures. 

Do Good

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Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. — Psalms 34:12-14 (NLT) May we bind the deeds of darkness (See Matthew 8:18) Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words. (Proverbs 18:21 AMP) Speak words of life to build up versus beat down. Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. (Psalms 37:3 NASB1995) 

Our First Love

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“I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” — Revelation 2:2-4 (NKJV) Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. (Ephesians 1:4 NLT) See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! Never abandon your first love. No one has the capacity to love you like our Heavenly Father. Every second of life we breathe on this earth we owe to Yahweh, our Creator. May we truly and deeply love Him because He first loved us. (See 1 John 4:19)

A Long & Prosperous Life

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“Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.” — Psalms 34:12-14 (NLT) “Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.” (Psalms 37:3 NLT) “Look at those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.” (Psalms 37:37 NLT) Blessed [happy and sheltered by God’s favor] is everyone who fears the LORD [and worships Him with obedience], who walks in His ways and lives according to His commandments. For you shall eat the fruit of [the labor of] your hands, you will be happy and blessed and it will be well with you. (Psalms 128:1-2 AMP)  Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along th...

Love the Light

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“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” — John‬ ‭3‬:‭19-20‬ ‭(NASB1995‬‬) God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. (See 1 John 1:5 NKJV) No matter how dark the world gets, the darkness can never extinguish it. (See John ‭1:5‬ ‭NLT‬‬) …Jesus said, “I am light to the world, and those who embrace me will experience life-giving light, and they will never walk in darkness.” (John‬ ‭8‬:‭12‬ ‭TPT‬‬) May we love the light and live in the light.

Open Arms

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The LORD says, “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’ to a nation that did not call on my name. All day long I opened my arms to a rebellious people. But they follow their own evil paths and their own crooked schemes.” — Isaiah 65:1-2 (NLT) Yahweh is always ready to respond. He never sleeps, nor slumbers. His arms are open wide to welcome the lost into His family and into the glorious Kingdom of God. He draws us to Himself with lovingkindness. When you call on Him, He will answer. When you seek Him with all of your heart, He will be found by you. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (See 2 Corinthians 6:2) Ask for His help, today. “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who...

Don’t Get Sidetracked

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“Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.” — Proverbs 4:25-27 (NLT) Giving attention to sideshow distractions often lead to delays and detours that will leave us in dark ditches and on dead end roads. “…With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life’s distractions.” (See Proverbs 4:25 TPT)  The distractions of this world will hinder you from moving forward on the path Yahweh has marked out for you. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.” (Proverbs 3:5-7 NASB1995) “The guilty walk a crooked path; the innocent travel a straight road.” (Proverbs 21:8 NLT)  “Walk straight—live well and be saved; a devious life is a doomed life.” — Proverbs 28:1...

Keeping Watch

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The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. — Proverbs 15:3 (NKJV) The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. From the place of His dwelling He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth; (Psalms 33:13-14) He is El Roi, The-God-Who-Sees. (See Genesis 16:13) Even the darkness is not dark to Him, and the night is as bright as the day. (See Psalms 139:12) ...the LORD sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. (Proverbs 5:21-22 NLT) …the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. (See 2 Chronicles 16:9 NASB1995) For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. (See 1 Samuel 16:7)  Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from deat...

Follow His Counsel

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The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. — Psalm 33:10-11 (NKJV) In Jeremiah 18:12 (NLT), the people rejected the Word of the LORD given through Jeremiah. They replied, “Don’t waste your breath. We will continue to live as we want to, stubbornly following our own evil desires.” Each and every moment of the day, that the good LORD gives us breath, we can choose to follow Him, or follow our own desires. Know that eventually, each person will bear the consequences of their choices, so choose wisely. Stay on the path that leads to life and peace. “Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the LORD, “who execute a plan, but not Mine, and make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, in order to add sin to sin; (Isaiah 30:1 NASB1995) You adulteresses [disloyal sinners—flirting with the world and breaking your vow to God]! Do you not know that being the wo...

Walk Carefully

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Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil], not as the unwise, but as wise [sensible, intelligent, discerning people], making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil. — Ephesians 5:15-16 (AMP) Listen to the Word of God and align your life to it. The Bible is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path. He who gives attention to the word will find good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD. (Proverbs 16:20 NASB) Truth’s shining light guides me in my choices and decisions; the revelation of your word makes my pathway clear. (Psalm 119:105 TPT)

Listen to Wisdom

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Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding; — Proverbs 2:2 (NASB) Proverbs 1:20 says, Wisdom shouts in the street. There are many voices clogging the air waves, but let us incline our ears to listen to Wisdom.   “…he who listens to wisdom shall live securely and will be at ease from the dread of evil.” (Proverbs 1:33) For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. (Proverbs 2:6 NASB) He becomes your personal bodyguard as you follow his ways, protecting and guarding you as you choose what is right. (Proverbs 2:8 TPT) …the one who always listens to wisdom will live undisturbed in a heavenly peace. Free from fear, confident and courageous, you will rest unafraid and sheltered from the storms of life. — Proverbs 1:33 (TPT)

The LORD is my Shepherd

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The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. — Psalm 23:1-4 (NASB) No matter how dark the valley you may walk through, remember the Shepherd is with you. The Amplified Bible says: The LORD is my Shepherd to feed, to guide and to shield me… (Psalm 23:1a). I will say to the LORD, “ My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust! ” For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence. (Psalm 91:2-3 NASB)

All for Good

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You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. — Genesis 50:20 (NLT) “For I hold you by your right hand— I, the LORD your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.” (Isaiah 41:13 NLT) People may plan evil against you but God will use those same plans for your good. When you endure hardship, the great and glorious outcome, is that the lives of countless people may be preserved. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. — Psalm 23:4 (NLT)

Confidently Trust the LORD

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Such people will not be overcome by evil. Those who are righteous will be long remembered. They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the LORD to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly . — Psalm 112:6-8 (NLT) We were designed to need the LORD, each moment of the day. If you are overwhelmed with life events, you are probably trying to do it on your own. Cast all your cares on the LORD, because He cares for you. And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19 NASB) ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ — Isaiah 41:10 (NASB)

Awake & Arise

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For this reason He says, “Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine [as dawn] upon you and give you light.” Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil], not as the unwise, but as wise [sensible, intelligent, discerning people], making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil. — Ephesians 5:14-16 (AMP) In Luke 22:45-46, when Jesus rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, and said to them, “ Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation .” As believers, do not let us be found sleeping. May we stay awake, arise and live with honor, purpose and courage. And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first...

Live Well & Healed

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But he took our suffering on him and felt our pain for us. We saw his suffering and thought God was punishing him.  But he was wounded for the wrong we did; he was crushed for the evil we did. The punishment, which made us well, was given to him, and we are healed because of his wounds. — Isaiah 53:4-5 (NCV) Jesus carried our pains. He was crushed for our sins and wrongdoing. He was pierced for our rebellion. Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. (Galatians 3:13a NLT) There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:1 NKJV) We have been rescued from sin and death. Let us walk according to the Spirit and live well and healed.

Be Spirit Led

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So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. — Galatians 5:16-17 (NLT) The ways of this world and the feelings of our flesh go against God’s ways. The flesh is selfish and wants what it wants, when it wants it, but as children of God, we are not to live our lives in subjection to the world or our flesh. God’s ways are higher than our ways. Let us choose to be led by the Holy Spirit of God. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. (Romans 8:14 NLT) Going against the Spirit is like trying to walk against the wind. It's hard to go in the direction you want to go. When we walk in the direction of the wind, we find the ...

Seek His Will

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Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. — Proverbs 3:6 (NLT) Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! (Proverbs 3:5-8 MSG) Listen for God's voice and trust Him to successfully navigate you through the challenges and mountains that stand before you.

Lavish Forgiveness

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“Seek GOD while he’s here to be found, pray to him while he’s close at hand. Let the wicked abandon their way of life and the evil their way of thinking. Let them come back to GOD, who is merciful, come back to our God, who is lavish with forgiveness.” — Isaiah 55:6-7 (MSG) If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) He removes our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. (Psalms 103:12) Instead beating yourself up over past mistakes, decide to seek the wisdom of God at this present moment. Seek our merciful God while He may be found. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16 NASB)

He will Restore

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“Yet even now,” declares the LORD,  “Return to Me with all your heart,  and with fasting, weeping and mourning; And rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil. — Joel 2:12-13  (NASB) Instead of coming to our heavenly Father with external signs or customs, come to Him with a sincere and humble heart. Open your heart to Him, so His grace, mercy, and love can infiltrate it and transform your life. He will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten. “ You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; and My people shall never be put to shame. ” (Joel 2:26 NKJV)