Overcome the Obstacles

Praise the Lord! I am so excited about our mantra this year: Understanding the Kingdom of Heaven in 2011. God has been faithful to meet us as we have trusted Him. I believe a key element in understanding the Kingdom of Heaven is to focus. It is necessary as I shared on the "f" of focus to fix our eyes on Jesus. He needs to be the focal point that our heart mind and soul is fixed upon in order to see His kingdom purposes fulfilled here on earth. Fixing our eyes on Jesus is the impetus that enables us through the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome the obstacles.

The Bible declares in 1 John 5:4-5, "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" Look at it in the New Living Translation, "For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. 5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

Keep these verses in mind as you think about being focused. God has told us in His Word that we have already overcome or defeated this evil world by faith. We overcome because we have a firm, reliant trust in what Jesus already accomplished on the Cross. We are not fighting to overcome. We have already overcome by the blood of the Lamb, the Word of our testimony and loving not our lives even unto death.

This is good news! I know you may be in a hard place right now, but declare in the midst of that hard place, "This I know that God is for me! I am an overcomer! I am more than a conqueror through Christ who loves me! I have the victory in every situation because it is the Lord who fights for me."

When you process the challenges of live through the above exhortations from the Word and any other victory promising scripture, you will be able to remain fixed on God's kingdom purposes. Remember, the enemy is trying to trick you into giving up. Don't give up now! You have the stuff to stick. Besides, how will you ever find out that you are an overcomer unless God puts you in a situation where you have to trust Him to overcome?

I am so excited about what the Lord has in store for you. As you go throughout the rest of your day, call to mind these simple truths. You are not to love, belong to, or yield to the world. You are an overcomer, overcoming the world, the flesh and the devil by faith in the Word of God! Hallelujah!

Understanding the Kingdom of Heaven in 2011,

Pastor Sheila

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