Monday Mercies
Happy Monday! This week’s Monday Mercies is dealing with a little bit of a sensitive topic – getting into heaven. The ULTRA LUX EXCLUSIVE CLUB that we all want to get into to – am I right? Contrary to popular believe, you can’t just live like the devil and think you’re going to get into heaven just because you say you believe in Jesus. I think we all kind of know that, right? Yes, you still have to ASK for forgiveness even though Jesus has already died for our sins. But you still have to reach out your hands and take it! We covered this a little last week if you’d like to read more about it here.
There are still rules to follow given by God that he expects us to follow, not because we owe it to him, but because we love him and it’s literally what he said would make him happy. If we keep chasing the world over God, we will not be saved from the world. It’s kind of like the saying, “you are what you eat.”
So let’s take a look at Ephesians 6:10-15 –
“10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”
Let’s make one thing clear – there IS a devil. There IS an enemy. And y’all, the spiritual struggle is REAL. For me to become more like Jesus is a spiritual matter and struggle. If you name your personal problem (drinking, drugs, anorexia, over eating, shopping additions, anger in your heart, etc.) – it’s a spiritual struggle. So we put on God’s armor so we can face our struggles and stand our ground. When we have done everything in our power to stand against our struggles and what the devil is trying to tempt us with, we can then start to stand in God’s power and put on HIS truth.
So don’t cover up your issues with lies. Take care of them with God’s truth. But guard your heart because the devil wants to hurt your heart! If he can stop your heart for Jesus, he will put an end to your relationship with Christ. We need to separate ourselves from those things that can hurt our relationship and heart for Jesus.
Once you feel strong enough to, you should tell your story. Tell people why and how you got here and how Jesus changed your life! We can not have people believing that we do nice things because we’re just nice people. We need to tell people that it’s because of Jesus and give Him the glory! He is the reason why we are changed and why we decided to take a stand from our own demons and follow his path instead.
And lastly, hold on to your faith. The devil is always shooting at you to take you down. This will NEVER stop! He is persistent and never tires. He will try to separate you from all that is good. Sometimes, faith requires faith. Sometimes, we have to choose to just BELIEVE. Sometimes, the hand of God does not make ANY sense, but we need to hold on to the faith that God is ALWAYS good.
Watch the full sermon here:
