“Our Daily Bread”   http://odb.org/2012/08/12/doubts-and-faith/

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie                                  http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht

Romans 8:14-15…  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”  (NKJV)

As I posted tomorrow’s “Our daily Bread” link (today for you), at the top in today’s writing, I see it ties into today’s chosen topic of conquering fear…  Christians will at times have doubts or fears that exist because of the deceptive lies Satan will constantly bombard the Christian with… And if it’s not Satan who is tempting the Christian to sin, it is our own flesh that will never cease to try and take over the Christians brain and allow the Christian to sin…

The opening scripture goes right along with what I have been writing about for some time now…  If we are Spirit filled Christians, we know  that we are God’s children… On 8/07/12, I wrote about the “Absolute Assurance” a Spirit filled Christian will have…that they are going to heaven when they die…  1 John 5:13…

On 8/08/12, I wrote “Un-Confessed Sins”; which explains how we become Christians by originally confessing and repenting of our sins…as we seek Jesus Christ to become our personal Lord, our Master, and our Savior (by obeying the gospel of Jesus Christ)…  And how the un-confessed sins a Christian harbors in their heart, will keep them from being Spirit filled (controlled by the Holy Spirit)…

I posted…Romans 8:16…in my 8/08…&…8/09 writing; and here it is again today… Romans 8:16… The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, (NKJV)   There will be absolutely no question  in the heart, the mind, and the soul of a Spirit filled Christian, that they “are children of God”…  This Helper God has given to ALL Christians, will help us, and teach us, and give us peace to overcome any trials of life; and He will direct us down the right godly path of life…IF  we get out of His way, and submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit…  The Christian that is“led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”…  If we are not led by the Holy Spirit, or walking in the Spirit as it is called…we are either sinning Christians, or not Christians at all in God’s eyes…

Our fears come from the unknown, and from Satan himself…The Christian, who allows Satan and their own flesh to infiltrate their brain…, will not remain a Spirit filled Christian…  Doubts and fears instilled by Satan and our own flesh will cause a lack of supernatural peace and joy, as our own sinful self takes control back from the Holy Spirit…

I wrote yesterday about the believers in the church in Ephesus, who had allowed false prophets and Satan’s deceptions to cause their faith to stumble… The apostle Paul gave them instruction (I believe as a command), to again be filled with (totally controlled by) the Holy Spirit, in…

Ephesians 5:18-20… And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but befilled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, (NKJV)

All Christians have to do to get back into sweet fellowship with the Lord, and again be deemed righteous in His sight…is to confess and repent of any and all sins lingering with-in their hearts… Regular readers should know this following scripture by heart, because I post it on a regular basis…

1 John 1:9… If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  (NKJV) 

Spirit filled Christians will know this scripture, because they must pray to the Lord any time they sin, asking for forgiveness as sins are confessed…to again be declared righteous in God’s eyes…

But the only solution for the Christian to cut back on having to make this prayer for their sins so often…is for the Christian to put on “The Whole Armor of God”…  The apostle Paul knew what the Ephesians needed to help them combat Satan’s attacks…  Paul was imprisoned in a Roman jail cell at the time he wrote the Book of Ephesians; and was guarded by Roman guards… This was probably his inspiration for his writing in…Ephesians 6:10-20…where Paul gives the Ephesians a list of 6 pieces of spiritual armor that they must put on, to be totally protected from Satan’s attacks… Here is the link for this most important piece of scripture…   http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=eph6:10-20&version=NKJV

Here is a key piece of this scripture…Ephesians 6:11…  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  (NKJV)  Paul doesn’t say that God’s armor will partially protect the Christian…  He tells us that we will be able “to stand” Satan’s attacks…  But we must be wearing “the whole armor of God”, all of the time…not just some of God’s spiritual armor, some of the time…

I stand today…as a Christian who does his best to put on all 6 pieces of God’s spiritual armor every day…  Satan does his best to temp me day after day… But I find that God’s Word is true…  As long as I remain wearing ALL  of God’s protective armor…and stay Spirit filled by constant prayer to confess any sins…Satan, for the most part, has not been successful in tempting me to sin…

Constant awareness of the temptations that Satan tries to use on me (1 Peter 5:8-9)…and a commitment to steer clear of situations I know will lead to temptations…has helped me remain Spirit filled… But it all boils down to the full power of the Holy Spirit, who can combat Satan’s attacks, and overcome our own weak flesh…James 4:7… Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  (NKJV)

Praise the Lord for the truth in His Word !!  …John 8:32… “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  (NKJV)  Our fears…our worries…our anxiety…attacks from Satan…can all be overcome by the full faith and power of the Holy Spirit living in all Christians… We just have to step back, and let God do what He promises He will do for His Spirit filled, obedient children…

Heavenly Father, Your Word has proven to be nothing but the truth in my life… I thank You and praise You now Father, for the protection the full power of the Holy Spirit and Your spiritual armor continues to provide me… I pray Lord that others will find this same protection from Satan, for their own lives… I also pray Lord, that these humble words will bring You the honor, the glory, and the praise that You so richly deserve…in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…

written by bruce r mills