Keep What God's Given

I was reading part of a small booklet authored by the late John Osteen, entitled "Keep What God's Given."

The three initial Scripture references really got me MAD at the devil...again.

1. Matthew 12:42-45 that says:
43 "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.
44 Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.
45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation."

2. John 10:10
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

3. I Peter 5:8
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Three things the devil does.
1. he will return
2. he will steal, kill and destroy.
3. he will devour.

None of us will ENJOY the blessings of God without being contested by our enemy.

More battles are lost and more blessings are lost on satans counter-attack than any other time in our lives, and I see that we need to know HOW TO KEEP what God's given us.

In Ephesians 4:27 we're told:
27 nor give place to the devil.

James 4:7 says:
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Hosea 4:6
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

Ephesians 2:2,3, 5
2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

We ALL, at one time belonged to satan, before any of us came to Christ.

I Corinthians 6:19, 20
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

WE ARE the house/temple of God.

While the devil is so vigilent, constant and sober, so active and some of God's people are NOT.

Many in the Body of Christ sit down and say they don't want the Word of God, and to invest the time it takes to make it part of their lives.
They say they don't want to believe the "faith message,"...when the "faith message" is what is preached all through the Word of God. We cannot please God without faith.
They say they don't want to appear extreme, or radical....geeze! I think the price Jesus paid was EXTREME and RADICAL...and He paid it so we could live OVERCOMING LIVES.
They don't want to believe the Bible.

A lot of folk just want to go rock-a-by-baby in their comfort zones that "religion" has to offer them....when the devil is SEEKING WHO HE MAY DEVOUR!?? If that be the case, our goose is cooked.

What does God say to do?

Revelation 2:25
25 But hold fast what you have till I come.

Hebrews 4:14
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

Paul told us in Romans to renew our minds to the Word of God (Romans 12:1,2)....He KNOWS it's the SWORD of the Spirit that we will be able to combat our enemy with. It's THE ONLY thing that defeats the devil.

When Jesus was taken by God's Spirit into the wilderness to fast and pray before His public ministry got underway....the enemy came to him with three propositions. he tempted Jesus in spirit, soul and body...and each time Jesus' response was "It is written." He sat a good example for each of us. Didn't He?

(Father, I thank YOU that YOU HELP US! Help us to be vigilent with Your Word. Help us to be uncompromising with our confession of FAITH in Your Word. Help us to be faithful to all that You've given us to live this life with....Your Word, the Blood of Your Son, The Name of Your Son and the HELP of YOUR MIGHTY MIGHTY Spirit! Help us to be vigilent, and sober, so the enemy, satan will not be able to "successfully RETURN", "kill, steal and destroy", and so he will not be able to "devour" any part of our lives." Help us to KEEP WHAT YOU HAVE GIVEN US! Help us to be overcomers OVER the devil with by the Blood of Jesus and the Word of our testimony, which is setting ourselves in agreement with what YOU SAY! In Jesus' Name.