I SURRENDER ALL - GET BEHIND ME SATAN!

MEDITATION MONDAY

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Please stay! Don't go! I know you've read the title of today's post and are hearing the words to this week's theme song. Satan really does not want you to focus on Jesus. Please don't let him distract or detract you.

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This past week, my husband Steve was offered a condo get-away for a long deserved R & R. I won't go into all the reasons he really really needed this time...just suffice it to say "he did!" Steve calls these his "mountain top times". He goes away for deep reflective time of meditation, prayer, journaling, Bible Study, prayer, more prayer.... He returns refreshed, renewed, re-energized, revived, rededicated...you get the picture.

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He got off later than expected which is very usual for anyone who is more than waist deep in ministry. After his first night, he awoke, showered, fixed some breakfast and sat down with his Bible and notebook open. BANG! BANG! BLAM! VROOOOOOM! WHACK! RIP! VROOOOOOM! BANG! BLAM! All this noise began right above his head. He soon found out that the entire condo unit was scheduled for re-roofing for the next few days...the days that he would be there for his R & R.

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I'll save the rest of the story for a later time. What I want to emphasize is this. Steve has known for several months now that he really needed some extra time with the LORD. We've prayed for an opportunity and we believe that God worked it so that a fellow christian's condo became available "out of the blue" to answer our prayer. Really? Yes!

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Steve is a man of God who understands how important it is to live this BLESSED LIFE as described in the Beattitudes. He knows that in order for him to remain focused on God's kingdom, his kingdoms must continually be surrendered. He gets so deep into ministry that he can identify with Jesus and the need to just get away and pray. Pray for strength! Pray for guidance! Pray for focus! Pray to not be led into tempation! Pray for all those who he ministers with and to! Satan wants none of that! His timing to distract and detract are planned and orchestrated with precision. He did not win this battle with Steve Sikes. Because of JESUS CHRIST, he will not win the war!

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Yesterday morning, Dan's lesson from Nehemiah 1 gave me some things about this topic that I want to share with you:

1. NEHEMIAH WAS POOR IN SPIRIT. Nehemiah was a humble and prayerful man. He honored God as the Great I AM and knew what God's Kingdom was about. Although he had been with his people in captivity, he had heard that more horrible things were happening back in his homeland. Those who were back in Jerusalem were in great distress and the wall of of the city was broken down and it's gates were burning with fire. Nehemiah said, "Now it came about when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven..."
2. NEHEMIAH MOURNED. He was so poor in spirit that he continued crying out to God for his people...for himself...read carefully what he says, "...I beseech Thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, let Thine ear now be attentive and Thine eyes open to hear the prayer of Thy servant which I am praying before Thee now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Thy servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against Thee; I and my father's house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against Thee and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which Thou didst command Thy servant Moses."

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Our scriptures this week are powerful:

Matthew 5:3-4

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are those who mourn,

for they shall be comforted."

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Sin hurts!

Seperating ourselves from our own kingdoms hurts!

Part of this week's song powerfully states

that surrendering costs...it is a sacrifice!

Confessing our sins like Nehemiah did takes bravery!

Satan does not want you to do it!

He does not want you to live

the BLESSED LIFE!

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"I have wrestled in the darkness of this lonely pilgrim land
Raising strong and mighty fortresses that I alone command
But these castles I've constructed by the strength of my own hand
Are just temporary kingdoms on foundations made of sand
In the middle of the battle I believe I've finally found
I'll never know the thrill of victory 'til I'm willing to lay down
All my weapons of defense and earthly strategies of war
So I'm laying down my arms and running helplessly to Yours
I surrender all my silent hopes and dreams
Though the price to follow costs me everything
I surrender all my human soul desires
If sacrifice requires
That all my kingdoms fall
I surrender all."
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