Strengthen Yourself in the Lord – Week 2

Points to Ponder:

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Hi friends, here are some points to meditate on this coming week. Please don’t rush through them. Partner with Holy Spirit as you honestly answer each question. Maybe consider only answering 1 or 2 questions a day. This is where non-judgemental self-awareness is crucial. To be honest with yourself and God about what your thoughts, feelings and beliefs really are, is an incredibly empowering step to becoming the strong, courageous, powerful, loving and free person you were designed to be:

1. “What we do in stewarding this one place determines the outcome of our lives.” I’m not sure if I can emphasise enough how true I believe this to be. I am very convinced that the way we steward our hearts determines the outcome of our lives; that our internal reality often defines the nature of our external reality; that if we prosper in our hearts, our lives will prosper; that our success in watching over our hearts determines the measure of Kingdom breakthrough we will experience in life. I have seen the manifestation of this in my own life. I have seen it over and over and over again as I’ve ministered to people. I have seen what it looks like when people steward their hearts well, and what it looks like when they don’t.

Stop for a moment and think about this – how do you think your ability to steward your heart is impacting what your life looks like?

2. So many of us have warning lights flashing in our hearts. We know things aren’t right internally. What we believe, think and feel about life, ourselves and God, is taking us places we don’t want to go. The outcome of how we’re choosing to live our lives is nowhere near what we want it to look like. But we keep ignoring the warning lights. We hope like crazy that a miracle will happen and something will just change without us having to do the hard work. But it doesn’t happen that way.

What warning lights is your heart sending you? Is what you believe, think and feel about life, yourself and God taking you places in your thought life that you don’t want to go? What calculated responses do you think God would like you to make to the warning lights in your heart?

3. Do you feel you have established correct foundational truths about the nature of reality, who God is and who He has made you to be in every area of your life? Ask Holy Spirit to highlight for you anything that you believe that is hindering your ability to walk in the truth He speaks over you and your destiny.

4. If what we come into agreement with, what we actually believe to be true, is what we empower in our lives; if what we come into agreement with inevitably becomes our lived-out reality; if what we really think about our life, and who we are, and what the future looks like, ultimately reflects what we actually believe to be true about God, and filters into every thought, action, decision we make and relationship we have, is there any area of our lives where we are not coming into agreement with the reality of God’s kingdom, but have rather agreed, even unintentionally, with the reality of the enemy’s kingdom, and allowed that reality to flow into the issues of our lives?

5. Are you finding it true of yourself that the enemy uses lies of intimidation and accusation to make the problems and conflicts in your life appear bigger than the solutions you carry? If yes, what do you need to pay attention to regarding what you really are coming into agreement with, what you really believe?

6. King David “was tested by coming into circumstances that directly contradicted God’s word over his life. His job was to ignore the enemy’s agenda and develop the strength of character that God was after… Will you be a king with my heart when the man currently in your position is attacking you, chasing you, and doing everything to keep you from your destiny? Will you be that king when the Jews you are supposed to rule intend to turn you over to the enemy? Will you be that king when your army consists of a bunch of losers? Will you be that king when your palace is a cave in the wilderness? And will you be that king when your closest friends disown you and threaten your life?” What words over your destiny are being challenged right now? What is God speaking over you in this area?

7. It’s easy for us to be blindsided by events we did not expect, but nothing takes God by surprise. Remembering that He has seen ahead and has prepared us is a simple enough truth, but not always so easy to believe when the takkie hits the turf. However, what we believe about THIS makes a huge difference in our response to difficulty. How easy is it for you to remember this? Do you feel God challenging you in any way about this?

8. Our discernment regarding the voice of the enemy is never to give him undue attention. “Its mainly designed to recognise which channel the enemy’s voice is speaking on so we can push the ‘mute’ button.” Our job is to hear what is God saying about the circumstance we’re facing? We then align ourselves with God’s truth and ignore the lies the enemy is trying to get us to come into agreement with. How well do you think you do this? What do you feel God is saying to you?

Scriptures for Reflection:

  • Proverbs 4:23
  • Proverbs 23:7
  • Hebrews 12:2
  • Lamentations 1:9
  • Mark 6:52
  • Genesis 50:20