Peggy Joyce Ruth

There is a creative power in your words. Our words partner with God's Word or the enemy's chatter. Our words not only impact our own lives but also the lives of our family and friends around us. We must learn the authority our words carry so God can use them to change people's lives for the better. 

Don't get into fear when you hear the word predestination in the Bible. Everything God has planned for our lives is good, but we do reap what we sow. There is good news: God has not "sovereignly" willed bad or evil for our lives. He is always working to bring good, but our own choices dictate whether we partner with God's plan for our lives.  

What falls under God's sovereignty? And what falls under man's free will? This is a question worth answering. There is so much confusion in the body of Christ around this subject, but the Word clearly has the answer. 

Many churches only teach about salvation and going to heaven, but that leaves us ill-prepared for the battle we face here on earth. God is training us in the same way parents train their children to prepare them for life. If we listen, we will realize God is preparing us for what we will face next. He is giving us the power to overcome the battles against the enemy. God is preparing us to overcome in the end days.

The biggest step in walking out of manipulation is recognizing when we do it. And the best way to not be manipulated is to recognize when we are being manipulated. Both come from places we don't see God as our source, and places we do not fully have our identity worked out. Manipulation never happens when there a trust in God. 

Everyone has been through the pain of being used and manipulated. The places we manipulate are the places we don't see God as our source, places where fear and unbelief are still being allowed to operate. We must not be the ones operating in manipulation, nor can we allow others to manipulate us. 

We are all in a spiritual battle. It is vital to remember that God has set us up to win every battle, but we must receive and operate in God's resurrection power and walk in His spiritual armor. In our own strength, we cannot defeat the enemy's principalities and powers. We will have victory when we learn to walk in the strength of God's might with His armor. 

Understanding the Old Covenant is the foundation for the New Covenant we have with God. The Bible can seem overwhelmingly complicated and hard to grasp, but truly, there is an order to how the different books have been laid out. This teaching will give you a general overview and understanding of the Old Testament.

The scary thing about deception is that when you are deceived, you don't know you are deceived. If we want to know the truth badly enough, God will pull us out of the lies step by step. Deception says, "I'm right!" With no heart to hear or learn anything. Deception is the blind spot, but truth is the spot remover. We all need truth from God's Word and truth spoken by close friends who can see our blind spots.

Joy is the Lord's strength for these chaotic times. Joy is not an emotion; it is a character trait of God. Learn how to stay in the joy God has given you.