In This Hour Especially, the Lord is After Your Communion with Him" by John Belt

[Ron McGatlin]

 

In This Hour Especially, the Lord is After Your Communion with Him” by John Belt And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the garden; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You will not eat of it, nor will you touch it, or else you will die.'” (Genesis 3:2-3) In this passage we see how deception is the enemy’s middle name. Jesus wasn’t kidding when He said, “The devil is a liar and the father of it.” “Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” (John 8:43-44) Focus on the Things Above Our primary focus is to be on the Lord and the things of Heaven. At the same time we are not to be “ignorant” of satan’s devices. We see that through the initial question the serpent gives to Eve, and he is trying to lure her into conversation. It is bait when he says, “Did God really say?” He is trying to put Eve on defense, which he does successfully. The enemy wants to draw her “off-sides” onto his ground where she can be penalized and proved guilty. This is where our communication is very important to God. The Lord is after our communion. If He has our communion then He has us. In the same way, the enemy knows this so he will try to draw people into a communion with himself. This is why Paul says, “What fellowship or communion has this with that?” What Communion Has Light With Darkness? “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? What communion has light with darkness? What agreement has Christ with Belial? (Belial, as an epithet of satan.) Or what part has he who believes with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. “As God has said: ‘I will live in them and walk in them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’ Therefore, ‘Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.'” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18) Paul is saying that the two are not able to co-exist. Have you seen the “co-exist” bumper sticker yet? It does not work in the Kingdom of God. We have to choose sides. Jesus said, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad” (Matthew 12:30). In other words, by not choosing, you have already chosen your side. The devil’s goal was to draw Eve into communion (through conversation and agreement). Eve could have just ignored the serpent and went the other way. We are not called to communicate with devils but to cast them out. We submit ourselves to God and resist the devil, not converse. In that context we need to bring our thoughts before the Lord. Every futile, foolish thought that is contradictory to the counsel of God (and through His written Word) we cast down. Let Your Communion with God Be Strong and Your Weapons Mighty “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5) Eve bought into the hook, the question that the serpent asked her. By doing this she walked onto his territory through argument and defense operating on his terms independent of the Lord. In this she had essentially already eaten of the forbidden tree through conversation with the enemy. What does this teach us? It shows us the reason we need our conversation to be of Heaven in the Holy Spirit. As Believers in Jesus Christ we converse and commune with God who dwells inside of us through the person of the Holy Spirit. By doing this we focus our attention upward, on things above. How many times do thoughts come, attempting to take you down a path that you know is the wrong path? It could be as simple as complaining, grumbling or faultfinding. Resist the Devil and He Will Flee From You Usually people think of temptation as some big dark sin rather than the subtle luring to a different direction. For those who don’t know God, these thoughts are normal life; but for those who have given their lives to God these kinds of thoughts shouldn’t be a way of life but something attempting to come from the outside in. We want thoughts that are inspired by the Holy Spirit because we are abiding in His Presence. There is only one voice that ultimately we are called to follow, obey and give our hearts over to for inspiration and motivation. As we have our conversation, our meditation and devotion with God—by His Word and truth—then He has the authority over our lives. Our time is valuable and we want to use that time as an opportunity to increase our spiritual momentum to dive deeper into the heart and purposes of God. (To Subscribe to the Elijah List go here.) John and Brandi Belt Overflow Global Ministries Email: office@overflowglobal.com Website: http://www.overflowglobal.com Overflow Global Ministries is the ministry of John and Brandi Belt. The heart of their message is that God’s greatest desire is to indwell His people with His presence. They believe that man was created to be inhabited by God through His Spirit. With a sincere devotion to God through the Holy Spirit, people can live in a place of overflow in His presence. This overflow translates into touching the lives of others through living encounters with God. When John and Brandi minister, the intimate presence of God is manifest – being accompanied with demonstrations of God’s power to heal, revive, and restore. textonly Elijah List Publications http://www.elijahlist.com email: info@elijahlist.net

• This topic was modified 7 years ago by Ron McGatlin.

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