God’s discipline II
Greetings, dear friends! Welcome to „Daily Word for Spiritual Edification”! May God’s grace accompany you through this day! I thank God for the opportunity to share with you the word of revelation God has placed in my heart. Today we will finish our discourse on spiritual warfare and God’s discipline.
If you are dealing with spiritual warfare, you should do the following things :
- Use the spiritual weapons God has given you:
«Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God» (Ephesians, 6:10-17).
- Be filled with the Holy Spirit and wage the war in the power of the Holy Spirit:
«And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit» (Ephesians, 5:18).
- Strive to live in full obedience to God and His Word:
« But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: „We ought to obey God rather than men”» (Acts, 5:29).
If you are being disciplined by God, you should do the following things:
- Repent of your sins:
« Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place – unless you repent » (Revelation, 2:5).
- Seek to restore your fellowship with God:
« Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight – that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me » (Psalm, 51:1-10).
- Seek to restore relationships with the people that were touched by your sin: «Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift» (Mathew, 5:23-24)
In conclusion I would like to say that we can only advance in our life and our walk with God when we reject the worldly values and strive to live in accordance with God’s principles and His values. Repentance is the only way to salvation for a man who is walking in the wrong direction. Imagine a person who has set a goal for himself to go east, yet is going west. He understands his mistake, but does not want to turn around and go in the right direction. This person will end his journey in the wrong place. He can be sorry, blame others or get mad at them, but it won’t do any good, because it is his choice… The lack of repentance will lead him where he does not want to be. Repentance is a turning around, and it must be done by a person himself!
«…unless you repent you will all likewise perish» (Luke, 13:3).
Repent and choose life and God’s blessing!
May God abundantly bless every one of you!
Pastor Rufus Ajiboye
