Peggy Joyce Ruth

Do the latest reports about cancer, terrorism and natural disasters send a chill of fear down your spine? This teaching goes straight through Psalm 91, God's covenant of protection for His children, and shows that the secret place is literal, but it is also conditional. Our part comes first, in verses 1 and 2: we choose to dwell in His shelter, and we say out loud, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Like baby chicks running under the mother hen's wings when the hawk's shadow passes overhead, we have to run to Him, and then the enemy would have to go through God to get to us! Listen in, and let Psalm 91 become more than a comfort to you: a covenant you can sink your teeth into.

You are what you think spiritually, emotionally, physically, and in every other way. The thoughts you hold in your mind will eventually become who you are in every area of life. That is why it is so important to watch over your thought life. The Word says to be renewed in the spirit of your mind. We cannot let our thought life run out of control and do nothing about it. We must first make a decision to seek God until we receive answers.  

Rejection is one of the deepest wounds a person can endure, and rejection is the root of many of the other issues we face. 

Today we will be looking at:
1. What is rejection? 
2. What part does the mind play in rejection? 
3. What are some of the causes of rejection? 
4. What are the ways in which rejection manifests?

There is a great difference between soulish love and God's love. Operating in agape love is what causes the spiritual gifts to work as God intends. Many people walk in a soulish or intellectual faith or in a soulish or intellectual love, but according to 1 Corinthians 13, the love we must walk in is the agape kind of love that comes only from God. Otherwise, we become a noisy gong and a clanging cymbal, and nothing works as intended. When we choose to walk in agape love, everything begins to flow as the Holy Spirit intends. 

Don't fall into the pit of depression. Psalm 34:19 tells us, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all." The Lord has a plan to deliver us from all the afflictions of the enemy. But first, we must train our senses to know what is coming from God and what is coming from the enemy. When we take in the thoughts of the enemy, even subconsciously, we begin to sink lower and lower. God wants us to walk in the truth of His Word every day. When we do that, we will truly become more than conquerors in Christ. 

Symptoms are rarely the problem. The true root of the issue is hiding behind the symptoms. If we want true freedom, we are going to have to deal with the root of the issue, not just the symptoms. Many times, in medical science and psychology, they do not know the root cause. So they endlessly treat the symptoms. But God, being a God of mercy, wants to get to the root cause and uproot it from our lives. 

Fear hides and takes on different forms to remain hidden, but we must recognize its consequences. When we see the results of the thoughts we are taking in, we won't continue to fall for the traps of the enemy. Fear is the number one enemy of our faith, and its main fruit is that we forget how big our God is. 

Fear hides and takes on different forms to remain hidden, but we must recognize its consequences. When we see the results of the thoughts we are taking in, we won't continue to fall for the traps of the enemy. Fear is the number one enemy of our faith, and its main fruit is that we forget how big our God is. 

Blessings come as a result of obedience. The world chases after material blessings, prestige, and fame, which keep us in a state of strife. But God's blessings don't come from pursuing the blessing. They come from pursuing and believing God. It is better to believe God first and then receive the blessing. If we need the blessing before we believe, our faith will be inconsistent and scattered. But if we learn to believe and obey God, the blessings will come from behind us and overtake us. 

It's not how we start that counts; it's how we run and finish the race that matters. God has a proper time for everything, and our faithfulness to God matters even when it looks like God is not answering our prayers. God has created a time for everything under the sun. Certain things will never work in life until we seek God and get in His timing.