Trying to wrap up the past confession and move on to the next one (which has been difficult in the midst of all these other confirmations of the additional themes God’s been emphasizing).
Hope you remember our last confession (#4):
“God’s Word IS SEED that I plant in my heart in any area I have a need in order to receive the promised harvest. As I faithfully plant God’s Word in my heart, it continually grows in me, whether I’m asleep or awake. I RELENTLESSLY hold on to God’s Word and REFUSE to let the devil steal it through unbelief, uproot it through attacks that try to disprove God’s Word, or choke it out through distractions with other things! I continue diligently and consistently in the Word with FAITH and PATIENCE and receive the desired harvest in my life. I WILL NOT STOP when I see only some results! I do not settle for partial victory, for only the 30 fold or 60 fold return ~ only the stalk, or the head. I PERSEVERE and receive the full kernel in the ear ~ the 100 fold return, the COMPLETE MANIFESTATION!” (Luke 8:1-15, Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, 26-29, Hebrews 6:11-12)
Some of the confirmations for this confession which I haven’t sent yet are:
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“Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.” Luke 8:13 NIV
- Often we are excited and moved by the Holy Ghost when we receive the Word and thank God for it.
- But it is essential to have root, which means to have depth in our hearts and souls and seriousness about God and eternity.
- Because there is to be for sure testing that will try to steal the seed of life away from us unless we have depth and roots – testing is inevitable.
Prayer: Lord help me to have depth and roots that run deep so that I will not fall away or be moved by testing and trials. I praise you for all you have done for me through the years because your grace has been more than enough. Amen. ~ Ed Traut (© Prophetic Life Ministries)
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Through this, the Lord re-emphasized to me how the temptation to want to GIVE UP or QUIT regarding what God told us is just the age-old tactic of the enemy trying to UPROOT God’s Word/promises from our hearts. Jesus exposed this for us in His Christianity 101 course (the Parable of the Sower). There have been times when it seemed I could literally feel this uprooting trying to take place. Of course, we should desire and pray for GOD to uproot everything out of us that was not truly planted by Him (Matthew 15:13), so when we’re feeling this uprooting beginning to take place, we need His divine discernment to know when to surrender (to any uprooting occurring by His hand) and when to RESIST (any uprooting occurring by the hand of the enemy)! The enemy typically seeks to uproot the Word through overt attacks against us (attacks in our health, finances, through persecution, etc.), and to choke out the Word through covert (more subtle) attacks (such as distractions that pull us away from our time with the Lord and His Word).
Also, in these past few weeks while we’ve been on this confession about enduring with the Word, God also gave us Heb 10:32-39 (view verse here) and MULTIPLE words from Rick Renner’s Sparkling Gems that were ALL based on this same passage from Hebrews 10 ~ stressing not giving up, not casting away our confidence, and continuing to endure and stand on God’s promises until we see them come to pass. If you have Gems, you can read Jan 26, June 22, and May 16, May 17. (I’ve included links to those available on Rick’s website.) I’ll include January 26 below:
(Will send confirmations for other past themes and our new confession in separate messages) Blessings and Prayers!
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A Fight Always Follows Illumination
But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions…. — Hebrews 10:32
Have you ever received a word from the Lord that gave you the exact direction you needed? If so, let me guess what happened next. Suddenly — BOOM! It seemed like all hell broke loose! The craziest circumstances erupted, seeming to directly challenge and assault that word you had just received from God! If I’ve just described what you’ve gone through or what you are going through right now, be encouraged! You must be right on track! A spiritual fight usually does occur when you’ve been specially illuminated to the plan God has for your life.
In Hebrews 10:32, the Bible says, “But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions.…” Today I want us to look at three key words in this verse: “great,” “fight,” and “afflictions.” These words describe what you and I might experience after the Lord has given us a word of instruction to illuminate us regarding His plan for our lives.
First, let’s look at the word “great.” In Greek, it’s the word polus, and it means a huge number or to an enormous degree. By using this word polus, the writer of Hebrews tells us that sometimes spiritual conflicts accompany a word of divine direction, and they are normally not challenges of little consequence that can be easily overcome with minimal effort. In fact, the enemy’s attacks are usually polus! In other words, they’re significant attacks — the kind of trials that require all of your determination to hold fast and not give up! The second word I want you to see is the word “fight.” It comes from the Greek word athlesis and refers to a committed athlete. This undoubtedly tells you that when you receive a word from the Lord, it may throw you into one of the greatest challenges of your entire life! You’ll feel like you’ve just entered the ring and are competing for the prize! Finally, we come to the third word, “afflictions.” It is the Greek word pathema and usually refers to mental pressure or to suffering that affects the mind. This isn’t talking about mental sickness; rather, it points to a war in your soul or an attack on your mind.
Hebrews 10:32 could thus be taken to mean:
“After you were illuminated, you endured an enormous ordeal that threw you into the biggest fight you ever faced in your life. But the most critical part of the struggle resulted from the unremitting assaults that literally battered your mind….”
You can be sure that if you take a stance of faith in response to a word you received from God, every possible negative thought will come against your mind. Not only will the devil try to use people and circumstances to thwart the plan, but he will also affect your mind with all kinds of negative thoughts and accusations. He’ll do everything he can to talk you out of doing what God has called you to do.
Don’t be surprised by this! You must remember that Jesus experienced this type of attack as He hung on the Cross. As He selflessly laid down His own life on the Cross, the soldiers and other criminals hurled their horrible, slanderous statements at Him. But Jesus pushed aside all the assaults that came against His soul and endured, committing His life and destiny into the Father’s hands.
So if you have received a word from God for your life, let me ask you:
- Did you go through a huge ordeal yourself after you were illuminated to God’s plan?
- Did you feel you were thrown into a fight that came to challenge what God had told you?
- Did you find that the devil tried to assault your mind and emotions with lies, accusations, and fears?
If you have been in this place I’m talking about — or if this is exactly where you are right now — then be encouraged! This is probably your clearest signal that you’ve received a real word from the Lord. You must be right on track, because the devil is terribly concerned about what will happen if you act on what God has revealed to you. Don’t back down. Don’t surrender to the enemy’s vicious lies in your mind, his attacks against your body, his challenges to your finances, or his assaults on your relationships. Regardless of how much resistance he tries to bring against you, don’t you dare back up on that word God gave you! If you hadn’t received a true word from the Lord, there would be nothing for the devil to challenge! The fight you face is the greatest evidence you’re right on track! Just hang on, and don’t give up! You’re clearly headed in the right direction!
My Prayer for Today
Lord, as I take a stand of faith in response to that word I have received from You for my life, I realize that Satan may try to use negative thoughts to war against my mind. Thank You for alerting me to the fact that the devil may even try to use people and circumstances to thwart Your plan for my life. But I also thank You that Satan cannot stop Your plan from coming to pass! With Your Spirit illuminating my mind, I know I will be able to discern the attacks of the enemy and successfully resist each and every attack! I pray this in Jesus’ name!
My Confession for Today
I boldly declare that I won’t back down! I won’t surrender to Satan’s vicious lies — his attacks against my body, his challenges to my finances, and his assaults against my relationships. Regardless of how much resistance he tries to bring against me, I will not back up on the word that God gave me. I will stand fast, holding tightly to what God has promised, and the devil will be the one to throw in the towel and surrender! I will resist him until he flees and leaves me! I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!
Rick Renner (© Renner Ministries)
