Have you noticed that in our present culture, the word resist has taken on new meaning?  Presently, resist means, resist civility; resist forgiveness; resist discretion; resist honor; and perhaps on top of the list…resist truth.

And if perhaps if like Pilate you ask, “What is truth?”  Please read John 14:6 and you will most certainly know it.

Back to resist.  The greatest use of the word of course is in the Bible –

“Therefore submit to God, RESIST the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

When you read this scripture in context you begin to see a fuller picture.  What we learn is that by resisting the enemy we miss all the mess in the six preceding verses.  Let’s look.

Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?
You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?
But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  James 4:1-7

All these troubles will never set foot in your house if you know how to resist the devil! It’s really not too complicated.  Without going too deep, we must know that humans are never the issue.  There is just God and satan, both spiritual beings.  The battle of the ages is between them.  Humans have no dog in this fight.  Because though man is also a spirit, while on earth we simply take sides.  Whichever side we connect with will manifest itself through us while we are residents on terra firma.  It’s a battle for glory.

Here are the points we need to understand:

• satan makes Narcissus look like an amateur.
• Sin is the vehicle through which satan displays himself.
• satan does not even mind being rebuked and bound all the time; we’re still giving him attention. *** There is certainly a time to bind and rebuke!
• Wars, fighting, lusts, covetousness, immorality and pride are all manifestations of satanic glory.
• When life is all about us, it’s really all about the devil.
• God resists those who continually refuse to resist satan.
• The highest form of resistance is Ignoring!

The action plan goes like this – When you get a thought that you know is not from God, don’t obsess over it!  Is this the devil?  Is it my flesh?  Is this that burrito from yesterday? Who cares?  It Is NOT from God.  Rebel against it!  PUSH BACK!!

You hear, “You are going to have a bad day today.”  Rebel against that thought, “This is the Day My God has made. I will rejoice and be glad. I will succeed, enjoy favor, blessing and extravagant abundance in the Lord my God who has given me power to get wealth at every level of life and supplies all my need according to His riches in glory in Christ JESUS.”  Question? How many more thoughts do you think satan wants to drop on you?

When we push back on satan by ignoring his thoughts and actively rebelling against them with God’s Word he is demoralized.  We rob him of his only power; and that is to be acknowledged as a credible threat against a child of God.  Authorities do not rebuke death row inmates. Why?  They are already defeated, being held captive and awaiting their demise.  Sounds like satan to me.

Oh but pastor, the Bible says that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.  Of course it also says he’s a liar and deceiver.  But finish it…But resist him, firm in your faith…”  There it is again. RESIST.  Push back.  Rebel against him with your faith.

We DO NOT have to acknowledge every thought satan plants in our head!

Look at the scriptures above and meditate on God Gives More Grace.  Remember, where sin increased…grace superabounded…(AMP).  When you are at your weakest, you’re still stronger than the devil.

It is not about you.  It’s about your Captain, Jehovah-Sabboath, The Lord of Hosts!  Declare His Word and ignore the defeated creep.  His time is coming and he knows it.  Give him not a shred of attention, and you’ll find him where he belongs; crushed and conquered by the perfect blood of the Lamb and the Word of Your Testimony!

With God all things are possible. PRG

Christians are the world’s best sales people. OK, we ignorantly sell to the wrong audience, but I don’t mean that in a bad way (smile).  That audience of course, being God.

Don’t we?  Don’t most Christian’s prayers sound like we are either pleading with Judge Judy or negotiating with Donald Trump in the boardroom?  Here’s my question?
What exactly do we think we are going to talk Him into?

Because I can assure you, there is no greater waste of time than trying to change Dad’s mind about anything? He has laid out His will plainly, for all of us to know, sealed it with the blood of His Son, and basically “dares us” to believe it!  What else does prove me mean in Malachi 3:10? It means, “Go ahead, do it.”  “Do what I said and watch what I do…do it.”

  I’m going to give it to you the way the Holy Spirit gave it to me, ready? “Seers Plead…Knowers Feed.” Break it down? All right.

A Seer is a person who lives in the right-now and makes his assessments and decisions in light of what he senses in his present life and circumstances.  His dominant world is before him every waking hour; his faith is in knowledge, people, places, opportunities and the abilities he possesses in his seen world.

A Knower is other-worldly.  This is a person who respects his seen world, but knows that all he sees is subject to change by the unseen power which created it.  He lives in the same present as the seer, but does not live by the same rules.  The evidence on which his faith rests is far more reliable than any contrary evidence to his senses — they are eternal.  God’s Word never fails.

The other day I was in a grocery store and met a well dressed gentleman at least in his late eighties.  He began telling me about his life and his travels around the world; he was very sharp!  I asked him where he was headed next and he said South America. But then he added, “But it doesn’t matter, the doctors have only given me one year to live, maybe less.”  Without hesitation I placed my hand on his shoulder and said, “Or God could heal you and give you thirty more years.”

He didn’t miss a beat. He came right back and said, “No.” “I’ve seen the tumor, and there is nothing they can do.”  Then he added, “It is IMPOSSIBLE!”  And he made sure that he emphasized that last word.  And even though I mentioned miracles for today, it was very clear that this man had put his faith in what he saw and in what he was told; he was sold on it.  He believed he had to die and he would not have it any other way.  Healing? Impossible!

Some will say, “Yes, but I do believe that God can heal and do miracles.”  Unfortunately though, so many who believe this are pleaders.  They have received, or have seen a big negative arise in their life and they pray, “Lord, you see this terrible tragedy, Please heal…” or “Please save…” or “Please bring the finances…”

Please listen closely, the prayer of faith changes things, not God. You are not attempting to “sell or convince” God to work on your behalf; to do something for you.  He Has Already Given You The Victory in the situation!  Your Problem is PROOF that God has already supplied the answer! Romans 12:2 – Renew your mind to what the Word says about your mountain and let that be your final authority.
Pray The Answer, NOT The Problem.

God’s Word is the answer.  When anything contrary to your well being lifts its head against your life, take God’s Word and FEED on your answer until the Truth changes the Fact!  The truth you know will make you Free!  John 8:32

If you have tried to do a “work around” on God and fix it on your own strength, only to discover that it didn’t quite work out; been there.  Humble yourself, repent and thank God for His mercy and deliverance, like it never happened.  The Lord loves it when we act on His grace.  He is so faithful.

So, if you’ve been seeing and pleading, there’s a better way. Know God’s Word and speak your answer to the problem — without doubting. Remember, faith comes by the constant hearing of the Word of God, Romans 10:17.

Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. That’s God’s Word – the substance of what you are believing, manifesting itself by changing the seen reality into God’s eternal reality which has been present since before the world began.

The next time the devil comes at you, remind yourself that you are not going to believe God, but you have already believed God.

“I have stepped into the finished will of God and I’m never going back. I will not be moved from my faith in the Word. I will never quit!
It’s done in JESUS’ Name, Amen, so be it!

For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know
what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes
intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is,
because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of
God.
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love
God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.  Romans 8:24-28

We don’t have to concern ourselves with getting our prayers right as much as getting our believing right.

The Holy Spirit does all the heavy lifting as we pray.  Our job is to simply believe it is done!

You didn’t lose your house or lose your job – JESUS presented Himself; you have just been repositioned! And you are going to a better POSITION!

You may remember in the book of Genesis that Joseph’s envious brothers wanted to kill him, but instead sold him to Egypt-bound Midianite traders for a few bucks.  They had taken Joseph’s special-colored coat, dipped it in goat’s blood then sent it home to their father Jacob for his inspection.

When Jacob saw the bloody coat, he knew it belonged to his son, and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him.”  He mourned him for many days and said, “Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.”

What was the problem?  Well, to begin with, he was weeping and mourning over a LIE!  Joseph was not dead.  Jacob’s life wasn’t over.  It just appeared that way.  Dad had simply jumped to the wrong conclusion and assumed the worst based on the evidence provided.  His rush to judgment paralyzed his faith and crippled his future for many years to come.   Jacob acted as if God’s word of promise to him (Gen. 35:10-12) had no effect on his life.

This same attitude is rampant in America today!  Have you put it together?  People are fixated on the economy, the price of gas, turmoil in the middle east, Afghanistan, their bills, and on and on; the list of bloody coats is long.  Yet JESUS said, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” John 7:24.

Of course, the evidence of the day is compelling.  It always is.  But we will never have the victory if we stay focused on the problem.  Our focus must be on the Word, more sure than Jacob’s.  The Word from JESUS Himself, bought by His blood (better covenant) and based on better promises (Heb. 8:6).

You may have some bloody coats in your life right now and they are screaming, “Lack, Pain, Addiction. Loss, Grief, Sorrow, etc…”  Please hear me, “Things Are Not As They Appear.”  Do not be hasty in your speech or your actions. Speak The Word ONLY, no matter how compelling the natural circumstances seem to be.   You have a Covenant of Peace with God and He is bound to it and will never come out of it!

We must train ourselves to know that neither you, me, nor anybody else, not even the situation itself knows all there is to know about it.  Only God sees and understands completely.  And you owe it to yourself and to your future to keep quiet for a while and give God some time to help you understand it from His perspective.  God is not nervous nor anxious.  As you worship Him, He will reveal your next step.

Yes, Jacob ended up all right, and of course so did Joseph and his entire family.  But I believe he could have missed some major pain in his life had he given God the time to process the bloody coat.  I pray for you and for me, that we learn this lesson well and refuse to cave in to the mindset of our current culture.         

“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”  2 Corinthians 4:18

It’s time to shine the Light!

I Call You A Champion,

Pastor Ralph D. Gerard

In This New Year –

The most thoughtful goals, intelligent plans and noble purposes of men can never replace the principle in this message –

Who’s On First?  Walking In God’s Abundance Every Day Of 2012!

When God talks, His words manifest what He says.  Whether He says, “Let there be light,” or “Take up you bed and walk,” to the cripple or “Arise,” to a young, dead teenage girl, His Words contain the power to bring themselves to pass.  So when He calls you blessed, you are. When He said to Isaac “Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham,” that was a great day.  Why?  Because just like Isaac, we are the seed of Abraham, which means God’s Word to Isaac that day was spoken to us as if we had been right there with him!

Frankly, the Bible says that JESUS set us free from the curse so that the blessing of Abraham might come upon us.  And of course that blessing goes like this:

“…And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

God’s Word marked Abraham for the rest of His life.  Today, you and I are marked by that same  Word as well as the blood of JESUS.  God looked at you and called those things which were not as though they were.  And neither you nor I can change that.  We are exactly who God says we are!  The only power we have is the power of choice; to accept it or deny it. I know what I’ve done.  How about you?  PRG

God is a master builder and he has built you.  He has already connected all the dots in your life and is just waiting for you to pursue Him to find where to start. Forever, His Word,  all of his plans are settled in the heavens.

Your life has a beginning, middle and end.  It is up to us to unwrap the package God has given us and discover the daily joys He has purposed for us.

Eye has not seen, ear has not heard nor has entered into the heart of man all the THINGS which God has prepared for those who love Him.  Those who love Him are those who pursue Him and daily discover His love, mercy, strength and supernatural provision in every area of life.

No matter what you do, make certain He is doing it through you.  Don’t be caught alone doing your own thing outside of God’s master plan.  It is futile and exhausting.  Go to Him for what He has already supplied today and enjoy the feeling that is foreign to so many, the feeling, of peace.

Be blessed today.  PRG