30 for 30 RESET – Day 17

Gatheringplace   -   September 17, 2024

In yesterday’s post, we discovered that sin can be one of the reasons why some of your prayers are not being answered. God wants your repentance before He releases the blessings. Today we are going to cover a second reason.

Satan. He literally gets away with murder. We are prone to pin it all on God. But look at what Paul says.

“And don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” Ephesians 4:26-27 NLT

Often, our unrepented sin and Satan’s attacks are linked. Look at what Paul says to the Corinthian Church:

“When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, so that Satan will not outsmart us (take advantage NIV). For we are familiar with his evil schemes (we know what His plans are NCV).” 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 NLT

And then again to the Thessalonian Church:

“Therefore, we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us.” 1 Thessalonians 2:18 NLT

Paul acts as if they are all actually engaged in spiritual warfare with a real enemy. Why don’t we give this more credence?

We just discovered two doors Satan gains access into our lives through – unresolved anger and unforgiveness, and then just his obnoxious roadblocks he throws in our way as we are trying to do the will of God.

So, what can we do? Are we victims? NO! If we put on the full armor of God, we can handle anything he throws at us.

“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For 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. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.” Ephesians 6:10-13 NLT (Emphasis mine)

Paul is not playing around here because he knows Satan is real and that he is not playing around. He is trying to stop you, hurt you, and destroy your life.

Jesus said it plainly,

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10 NLT

This is not to scare you, but to inform you that when bad things happen, to pin the responsibility on Satan, not God!

Sometimes we lose battles. We read earlier that Paul wanted to go to Thessalonica but said that “Satan hindered us.”

Another time a boy had a spirit of infirmity that the early disciples could not cast out. Jesus did though, praise the Lord, and then He gave them, and us, a follow-up lesson so we could have better success moving forward, but sometimes we just do not win every battle. I hate this with every fiber of my being, but it is true.

HOWEVER, if we keep fighting, we will win many battles. But the key is what Paul said,

“Therefore, put on every piece of the God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy…” Ephesians 6:13 (Emphasis mine)

I encourage you to read the rest of Ephesians chapter six, think about every piece of the armor, and then put it on.

And know this; this is God’s armor! This tells us two things: One, it is superior to the enemy’s attacks. And two, God would not have given you His armor if you could win without it. You need God’s armor!

Let’s get dressed for battle!

John

 

QUICK TIP ON HOW TO SPEND 30 MINUTES WITH GOD (REMEMBER: This 30 for 30 is a tool to help you, not a rule to shame you. Just do your best and let God do the rest.)

“Upward, Inward, and Outward”

  1. Upward: Get quiet. Settle down. Begin to thank God for Who He is – patient, kind, merciful. A God Who forgives sins – Who has forgiven your sins. A God Who cares, Who listens to your prayers, a miracle-working God. (There are many other attributes you can thank Him for. Go HERE for a prayer guide as well as a list of God’s names that will help you thank Him for Who He is)
  2. Inward: Read a chapter in the Bible. I would suggest one Psalm per day. Start with Psalm 1 and go from there. Or read one chapter of Proverbs per day. Start with Proverbs 1 and go from there. And as you read, stop, and think about what it is saying. Take your time (even if you do not get through an entire chapter – it is okay!). Ask God to speak to you through it.

A deeper dive: For those of you who would like to read the Bible in a year, here is a fantastic way to do it. It will take more than 30 minutes per day, but it will be well worth it. It not only gives you a reading plan but each day there is a short, very well-produced video explaining what you are about to read. Go HERE for your one year through the Bible reading plan.

  1. Outward: Ask God to show you how He can use you to reach those around you. Then begin to pray specifically for individuals. Pray for your family members, your boss, co-workers, classmates, friends, your church, its members, its mission, and its leadership. Pray for our city and our nation – that God would rule and reign in every mountain of influence, raising up leaders who fear Him: Church, Family, Government, Education, Media, Entertainment/Arts, and Business. You will not be able to get to everything in 30 minutes, but that is okay, just pick an area or two per day.

PRAYER POINTS

Personal:

  • Closeness with God
  • Deeper devotion to Christ
  • Renewed vision
  • Renewed passion
  • Strength
  • Joy
  • A profound commitment to act as Jesus would during this election year.

Church:

  • And increase of God’s manifest presence.
  • To see more CHANGED LIVES!
  • An increase in Miracles
  • Salvation for those far from God (make a list and pray for them every day)
  • More young people joining the vision at GPC.
  • New building for GPC

World:

  • A mighty harvest in our city and nation.
  • That godly men and women will fill the seats of government at local, city, state, and national levels.
  • For our missionaries (Use the bookmark handed out at church, or go to our website and check out our Missions page HERE)