Character Matters!
identity
Weapons Of Our Warfare
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ…(2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
Ahhhh, Brothers and Sisters! Our minds are a battlefield!! This Scripture is so powerful! It reminds us that our weapons are divine weapons…spiritual weapons…and not weapons of our flesh.
It reminds us that we are to “destroy” those thoughts that are raised up against the knowledge of God. Our knowledge of God is what we have learned through the Holy Scriptures…the revelation knowledge of His Truth that has been revealed to us by His Holy Spirit.
ANY thoughts that go against His promises…His will for us…or His Truth, should be taken captive and destroyed! Our thoughts are like fortresses. They can either imprison us in false thinking and not allow us to be free in Christ Jesus…
or they can be fortresses that protect us from the enemy because we have built a “wall of truth” of God’s Word around our minds, souls, and spirits.
Are there any “fortresses” of wrong thinking that are imprisoning you today? Please know that FREEDOM is here for you NOW!! Take God’s Truth and use it confidently and boldly to bring down all those thoughts that go against who God is and who you are in Christ Jesus!! Look in His Word for those “weapons” –words of truth and power – that WILL accomplish for you what you have been unable to do on your own.
I speak and decree FREEDOM for you today!! In the Mighty Name of Jesus, AMEN!! ~Tina K. Roach
Revelation and Relationship
“I don’t want the world to define God for me. I want the Holy Spirit to reveal God to me.” ~A.W. Tozer
As I read this quote, it reminded me of the necessity of not only learning about God…but to actually receive a personal revelation of who God is. This revelation (deep spiritual knowing) can only happen in and through the Holy Spirit.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be satisfied with only head knowledge about the Lord. I want to have an encounter with Him, to speak with Him, and to hear Him speak to me. I desire for the Holy Spirit to reveal the deep things of God. I desire to have such a hunger and thirst for the Lord, nothing else will satisfy!
I am thankful for the encounters and revelations that I have already received. Thank You, Lord!! But, I know that a relationship is ongoing and it grows over time. And our relationship with Jesus is one of the most important ones we will have in our lifetime.
I see that relationship as a rose. At the beginning, it is just a bud waiting to open up to its full potential and beauty. As we engage in worship, prayer, and study – as we seek the Lord and draw near to Him – the bud begins to open up and display the full beauty of its divine purpose. As our relationship with Almighty God grows, we are able to display His beauty to all those around us!! Hallelujah!!
Will you join me in growing in the revelation of who God is?
Lord, may we open up fully to receive a deeper spiritual understanding of who You are. May our relationship with You, O God, bloom inwardly and outwardly to display Your glory!! In Jesus’ Name, AMEN!!
~Tina K. Roach
SHIFT YOUR FOCUS!!
There are times in my life where I find myself thinking back on my life journey and having regrets. It would be so great if everything I have done and everything I have said was perfect. It would be so great to have no regrets…to not have a burden for things that highlight what an imperfect, flawed, and weak vessel that I was and continue to be.
I am not perfect. But, I know One who is! Jesus Christ, my beloved Lord and Savior, is perfect in all that He says and does!
I am so humbled and thankful that He loves me in spite of all my weaknesses and flaws. I am so humbled and thankful that He still can use me for His glory in spite of all of the things that I do wrong.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
I am comforted in knowing that He has used all of my mistakes and regrets to help mold and shape me into who He is calling me to be!
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
Brothers and Sisters, if you are going through a time of regret, don’t let it stop you from forging ahead and answering the call of God on your life! God doesn’t focus on what we lack…He focuses on who we are to become in and through Him! And we are not to focus on what we lack…but we are to focus on all that we have through His abundance!
So! Today I choose to shift my focus away from myself and all that I am not and I choose to align myself with God and shift my focus onto all that I am through His amazing grace and through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit!!
Will you join me? One, two, three…..SHIFT!!
Living Sacrifice
A living sacrifice…are we willing to sacrifice our plans, our schedule, our desires, our lives…and put them in the hands of Almighty God?
This is worship that costs something. This is truly believing that the God of the universe has a better plan for us than we have for ourselves.
Do we trust Him that much? It is a minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour, day-by-day choice.
I choose YOU to be the Master of my destiny, LORD! Your way is the best way! Your plan is the best plan! I offer myself as a living sacrifice. I am Your vessel… may You live in and through me! May You be glorified!!
Take Every Thought Captive!
“We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,”. (2 Corinthians 10:5 )
I want to be transparent with you about my weak moments. I know this scripture in 2 Corinthians and have even taught it. But, just because we know God’s truth does not mean it is easy to walk it out in our lives.
I have to admit that the isolation and social distancing during COVID-19 has been hard for me. There are some days that I wake up and I can feel the heavy blanket of depression trying to take over my thoughts. And that is not a good place to be! Not only does it affect me but it affects those closest to me.
Brothers and Sisters! We all have times when we may feel despair, doubt, fear, frustration, anger, and hopelessness. But, we need to make sure that we have the right response when and if it happens.
We are told in God’s word that we are to TAKE EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE to the obedience of Jesus! We are to DESTROY speculations and every lofty thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God.
In other words, are our thoughts in alignment with our knowledge of who God is and in alignment with who God says we are?
We don’t have to act upon every thought! We don’t have to allow our thoughts to dictate how we feel about ourselves or others. We don’t have to allow our thoughts to be the “rudder” of our lives!
WE are in control of what thoughts we allow to take hold in our lives! If the thoughts we are having are causing us to fear, to hate, to be judgmental, or to feel depressed and unworthy —then we are to TAKE AUTHORITY over our thoughts and replace them with GOD’S TRUTH!!
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
LORD, thank You for being the Giver of Truth! Thank You for empowering us through Your Holy Spirit to control our thoughts and to not be ruled by them. We bring our thoughts into obedience to YOU!! Thank You, Jesus, for being the way, and the truth, and the life! It is in Your Name that we pray. AMEN!!
~Tina K. Roach
FOLLOW ME!
I hear the Lord saying:
“I am looking for people who will put aside everything and follow Me. I am looking for people who will wholeheartedly seek after Me. I am looking for people who are willing to lay aside their plans for their lives and seek My plans. I am looking for people who will lay aside their insecurities and step out in faith into their calling and purpose.”
Are you one of those people?
“Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” (John 12:26 NIV)
Lord, we know that Your plan for our lives is better than our own. Help us to let go of what WE think is best and step out in faith and follow You and Your will. We desire Your spiritual gifts to be manifested in and through us for Your glory! We desire to walk in Your calling! We put aside those things that would hold us back from being all that You are calling us to be! We love You, Lord!
Following after Him, Tina Roach
Thanksgiving & Prayer
“I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:15-23 NRSV
What powerful scriptures of thanksgiving and prayer! Do you ever think about using scripture as a basis for your prayers? As I read this today, I wanted to use it not only as a groundwork for writing my devotional, but to use it to pray for you.
Brothers & Sisters, I love hearing about your faith in Jesus and your love towards others as we continue on this life journey through the covid-19 season. I am indeed thankful for all you do!
I pray that as you draw closer to the Lord:
- a spirit of wisdom and revelation will enlighten the eyes of your heart.
- You may know what is the hope to which He has called you.
- You may know what are the riches of His glorious inheritance.
- You may know what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe.
Father God has put this great power to work in Jesus when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in heavenly places. This is the immeasurable power that is at work for us!
Jesus is far above all rule and authority and power and dominion. He is above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.
Father God has put all things under Jesus’ feet and has made Him the head over all things for the church.
We, the church, are the body of Christ. And as His body, we have His fullness – His presence, His power, His wisdom, His revelation, and the riches of His glorious inheritance. HALLELUJAH!!
DURING THESE DAYS OF LACK…MAY WE REMIND OURSELVES OF ALL THAT WE POSSESS!!! AMEN!
WHO YOU ARE!
During these challenging times remember WHO YOU ARE!!
DRAW NEAR!
“…let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16 NASB
I would say that we are definitely in a time of need! God loves us so much. He doesn’t expect us to make this journey alone. He tells us exactly what we are to do during these challenging times.
We are to DRAW NEAR! As we faithfully follow the social-distancing guidelines, it is imperative that we remember that it is not a time to distance ourselves from the Lord. He invites us into His “personal space!” He won’t back off and say, “Whoa! Too close!” No, as we begin to step closer and closer – I see Him smile, and with a soft, loving look He whispers, “Closer…”
We are to draw near with CONFIDENCE! Some translations say with BOLDNESS. We are to come before the throne with the assurance of who we are in Christ Jesus and who God is. We are “dressed for the occasion!”
“I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” Isaiah 61:10 NASB
Ahhh, Brothers & Sisters! He is inviting us to His throne to receive mercy and grace during our time of need. Are you ready to join me there?
Dearest LORD, such love You have for us! Even as we struggle daily with new boundaries of quarantine and social-distancing…YOU are with us every moment of every day. May we take this time of forced separation and see the blessing in it – more time with You…more time with family…more time to evaluate our priorities. We aren’t happy in the circumstances that we face, LORD. But we do rejoice because YOU are with us!! We exalt and honor You each day – in quarantine or out. Blessed be Your most holy name!
~Tina K. Roach
Reflection of Glory! 