In the last blog post, it was mentioned that believers in Christ are engaged in a war. It is not a war with physical weapons, but one of the heart and mind.

Satan and his hordes constantly seek to weaken the impact that Christians have in their lives and in the world. There are many ways he tries to do this.

Christians can become so busy with daily activities that they forget about “seeking first the kingdom of God.” The same activities can cause believers to cease being “sober” or “vigilant.”

At the same time, they can forget that Satan is seeking to “devour” you. All he wants to do is to make you ineffective in the kingdom of God and to destroy your joy and testimony. When you lose your focus on the war, you become ineffective and powerless to accomplish anything for God. You have become a casualty in Christian warfare. There is no victory for you.

If you are reading this and believe that you have become a powerless casualty, you can be restored quickly and made useful again to God in this spiritual war. Simply confess the sin to God, ask His forgiveness and He will give it. Then, start doing what you know He wants you to do as given in the Bible and ask for His help to do it. Victory in Jesus is still available to those who want it.

In the news lately, we hear much about “wars and rumours of wars” (Mt. 24:6). War can certainly – and drastically – change the way people within an area live, especially if there is action or bombs or missiles striking there. The people of Israel, Iran, Ukraine, and Russia can vouch for this.

Christians also are at war – although it is primarily a spiritual one. Paul tells us that “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal” (II Cor. 10:4) or physical. Of course, most of us prefer peace and getting along with others.

Despite the desire of peace, we are living in a world that is contrary to God. It is also at war with us to try and force us into its mold. We must always remember that the Bible tells us that “The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name” (Ex 15:3). It means that He is always in opposition to forces in this world that seek to turn people’s eyes from Him to another “idol” of some kind. Lately, that idol is the god of self.

Young Timothy, a preacher, was told to “war a good warfare.” This Scriptural admonition is not just for preachers, but for every believer. It must be remembered that Christians are only rewarded for victories against the flesh, the world, and the Devil. I John 2:15 warns believers that we must “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

Compromisers will not be applauded or rewarded for their lukewarmness and worldliness when we stand before our Captain – the Lord Jesus Christ. He is looking for faithful individuals who will take up the Christian armor (Eph. 6:10-18) and be faithful until they meet our Lord.

Are you getting victories daily over the enemies of God spiritually?

In these two verses, Paul compares the Christian life to a race. In a race, he says, everyone runs, but only one is going to receive the prize.

This fact makes the competition more interesting. If you are going to run, it is not worth it unless you are serious about trying to win. As Christians, we know that there are rewards in Heaven that will be given for faithfulness and doing our best. Potential winners have no time for being lazy or daydreaming. Instead, they need to be focused on the goal and putting forth a lot of effort to achieve it.

Paul urges every believer to run like you mean it – like you really want to win the prize from the Lord. After all, we are not running for a crown that only lasts for a little while, which was the case of Olympic runners in Paul’s day. The believer’s crown is incorruptible and eternal.

Runners who want to go for the prize will also pay a price to do it. They seek to be “temperate in all things.” It means that their running becomes the most important thing to them. They restrict their diet, get a good night’s sleep, and practice most every day.

This brings us to the question of how well are you running (serving) the Lord? Could you be doing better? or more? Are you doing the will of God for your life?

During this time of year, many churches will have meetings that are often labeled “revivals.” Although the word “revival” is not used in the Bible, the word “revive” is, and it means to be restored to health or life, be quickened, to restore to life, to grow, and to sustain life.

The very word suggests that there has been a drifting away from those things that make Christians spiritually healthy. The meetings are intended to apply means whereby those attending can be strengthened and brought back to strong spiritual health.

Because the world has a strong pull on believers that can cause them to lose their “first love” for Christ, special meetings are employed to help restore them to a right relationship with God. The desired result is to weaken the world’s grip on believers and bring them back to a close walk with God and a refilling of the Holy Spirit.

As is illustrated in Acts 4, the filling of the Spirit is to glorify God and empower witnesses for the spread of the Gospel. While some like to think the filling of the Spirit is for speaking in tongues, there is no mention of this in Acts 4. They asked for the Spirit’s fullness for boldness to speak and not be ashamed.

Although revival meetings should help believers to be what God wants them to be, they often fall short. Rarely do these meetings actually see a God-given revival. Each believer must seek to draw nigh to God, which requires personal confession of sins, time spent in prayer, surrender to the will of God, and action to start doing His will faithfully.

True revival is something that only God can do, which is why the text verse asks: “Wilt thou not revive us again?” While God must do it, believers are responsible to prepare their hearts so God can revive them. Do you need to start seeking personal revival?

Not long ago, the business world discovered that daily meditation has some benefits. Several leaders encourage others to engage in it regularly.

Christian meditation is different. It involves focusing on principles of the Word of God or on God Himself. It can mean thinking about a particular verse or doctrine, and more.

The promise of success is clear. God promises to give “good success” and prosperity in your life. It does not necessarily mean riches or fame. It will involve satisfaction in knowing that you are pleasing to God.

In order to have the success God wants to give you – you must first surrender to His will for you. Then, notice that there are two conditions in the text verse. The first is to meditate daily on His Word. The second is to be deliberate in doing all that you read in His Word. 

Along with knowing that you are doing His will, you will discover the joy He gives. You can also experience a life without regrets. Although God never promises a trouble-free life, it certainly is one worth living – and He will help and guide you all along the way!