3 AREAS SATAN MOST INTENSELY ATTACKS:
· YOUR MIND
· YOUR EMOTIONS
· YOUR WILL
The Lord is my shepherd I have all that I need. Psalms 23:1
So then, surrender to God. Stand up to the devil and resist him and he will turn and run away from you. Move your heart closer and closer to God, and he will come even closer to you. But make sure you cleanse your life, you sinners, and keep your heart pure and stop doubting. James 4:7-8 TPT
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 4:23
WHAT GETS YOUR ATTENTION GETS YOUR HEART, AND THAT DETERMINES THE COURSE OF YOUR LIFE.
MISPLACED ATTENTION WILL LEAD TO A FALSE SENSE OF HAPPINESS.
HOW DO WE ALIGN OUR HEARTS?
1. PASSIONATELY PURSUE JESUS.
THE DISTANCE BETWEEN YOU & WHAT YOU LOVE DETERMINES WHETHER YOU HAVE THE CAPACITY TO ALLOW SOMETHING TO SEPARATE YOU FROM WHAT YOU LOVE.
If you love me, keep my commands. John 14:15 NIV
In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome…Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 1 John 5:3;12 NIV
TEMPTATION OR COMPROMISE DOESN'T EXPOSE OUR WEAKNESSES IN WILL POWER, BUT THE WEAKNESSES IN OUR RELATIONSHIP.
INTIMACY WITH GOD IS WHAT PRODUCES INNOCENCE IN OUR LIVES.
For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18
2. OBEDIENCE LEADS TO A THRIVING RELATIONSHIP, NOT COMPLIANCE.
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Matthew 5:17 NIV
Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. Luke 9:23-24
..and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. Matthew 6:12-13
** 1 degree of separation Slide **
3. MAKE THE COMMITMENT TO LEAVE THE PAST IN THE PAST.
But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62
I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead… Philippians 3:12-13
Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life… Deuteronomy 30:19-20
INTIMACY IS A RESULT OF CONSISTENCY.
