Lena's Discipleship Journalin for Today with Acts 9

The spirit of “Saul”, the persecuting murderer of those who have faith and of their faith is the spirit of satan, who comes against any image of God being formed.
BUT God is so much greater than any circumstance, situation or demonic attack! There are literally more God-spirits available to believers than those who come against and attack the work we do in Christ. Don’t be deceived into thinking the enemy is oh so big and powerful. God is Master of the whole universe and most of satan’s power is illusionary and an abuse of God’s.
Really his power is limited by those who allow him to remain in focus. God gave man the rule over the earth realm. Satan lies to man, appears as an illusionary, and man applies his faith (in the form of fear) to whatever the offer of the day is and it, becomes beiger than the offer ever was. God is bigger than any “boogie-man”! Much greater. Just say NO to the offer. NO.
He does come to steal (lie), kill and destroy, BUT Jesus CAME, to give life and in it much more abundance of that God life in and through us.
The persecution and persecutors do not just disappear when we choose to ignore them or not give them the time of day, they persist, they are on an outright assignment and know how to stick with their cause forever, do we? Or do we faint at the least bit of trouble or pain?
When Saul got arrested by God, God said, ok now tell him, he’s gonna suffer a lot! How many people do you know that’d take a hold of that package offered and run with it wholeheartedly?
Suffer? For Jesus? Aren’t we supposed to be blessed by the Lord, and didn’t He save us to show us how much He loves us and wants to give us good things? Didn’t we come to Him to see more of His goodness?
He gave us all things that pertain to life and godliness, eternity now lies in the palms of our hands for the giving. What happens in order to give that precious priceless gift is of no matter. The ideal is to give what was given at any cost, as He did. Saul would see the high price of freedom and liberation in the spirit. God is not mocked, what men sow they shall also reap. Dow eternity, reap eternity!
The way to victory is obedience. Obedience brings victory. If Saul never ever had a physical blessing from God, he’d be blessed in obedience. Eternally blessed, and that is enough to sustain any eternal creature who can see beyond the here and now. The victory over our enemies is found inside of our personal obedience to God.
That’s how strongholds are taken down.
I heard this preached and I’ll ask people what they heard in it. They’ll say things like, “Yeah, people should do whatever God says to do”. They’ll say they are submitted and willing to obey Him. Then it comes time for the challenge, the test the living proof of their words, and they did not understand the materials so they do not pass. The very worst part is they think they do!
It’s like I hear people say they are committed to the faith, so a disciple leads them, says they should read a chapter in their Bible’s each day, even gives them a specific one. When asked if they read it, they say, “Oh no, I didn’t have time”. THAT was the test of your commitment level of faith. I see people say, “Yes Lord, I’ll follow You wherever you go and do whatever You say to do”. So He leads and guides and invites them to come under the Eklesiastic command and rule of their local church. The leaders there ask for the people, all of those who say they are a part here, to do such and such and so and so. Yet the people begin to exempt themselves. THAT was the test of obedience. When it came to act specifically they didn’t and wouldn’t. Now if it was a spiritual activity they choose to initiate themselves, like listening to church on the radio or watching it on TV, rather than being in their local church, or being at a conference while their own assembly has called special services, they are all in, the point is they wiggle out of authority and won’t submit to the suggestion of another’s lead. If their own idea, ok, if someone else tells them when and where and how to meet, not a big priority.
That’s called rebellion.
That opposes obedience.
Obedience, even in the smallest matter, is blessed.
Disobedience, even in the smallest matter, is cursed.
Saul had to obey God no matter what. It was his call out of darkness into light and so it is also ours.
Saul had scales fall off of His eyes. What is on mine, yours, ours, that needs to fall off?
Do we see through a glass darkly? If we think we are ok, while we never obey any man or woman in our lives, we’re far from being ok; we’re cursed in willful, possibly blind disobedience. We perish for what we do not know or will not see.
When one sees, their life changes. If you were physically blind, but could see, would you? Of course you would. Let’s do that. See.
Others will begin to see another man arise within you. The Saul in you will get saved and become a Paul through obedient action. Our simple obedience’s are the keys to our freedoms and liberties in the spirit. The last thing God told us to do is awaiting the key in the lock of that door of blessing and release. If we do not obey His voice (and it constantly shows up in the form of people and relationships on earth), we are bound in the chains and power of our own sins. Obedience unlocks the doors.
So what is the last thing God said to do? Read a book, read His word? Pray? Be a part of a prayer meeting? Come to another kind of meeting at your church? Commit where others can count on you? Yes, I can guarantee He’s said at least one of these things recently. Your obedience and willingness to make work what someone else initiated is the key to your freedom. Amen!
Persecution? Yes, it should arise for the word’s sake. The enemy hates the preaching of the word of God, hates Christians who are obedient.
When we obey God we disobey him and nullify his power over us, because we no longer serve him or ourselves, as he’d like. He’s screaming- “anything but God, let them serve anything but God!”
When we serve God, enemies are unleashed to stop us. They’ll make it harder to commit to that Bible study group and go to church regularly. Seriously, we are engaged in warfare, they hate who looks like God. BUT God and His power and the power released through our obedience’s to His words through His messengers, is greater than any threat of any enemy. The biggie, he no longer has my soul or spirit man, and even if my body was killed off, I’m alive unto God, and the words I’ve spoken that are the same as His, are eternal, even when I die, they live on!
The most suffering present day American believers experience is the suffering of the rebellion within. It is the battle of wills. His or yours.
Saying you love God with minimal corresponding action or growth causes suffering within. Your spirit is crying out Abba-Father ( please father me)Please lead me, rule me, help me come under someone I can physically follow after and align myself with, and not one of my own choosing, but I trust you to choose for me who should lead me. That’s the cry within, to be covered under command in the alignment of His will and plan, which shows up in the following of men.
The persecution is the war within the soul, where the spirit man who is renewed in Christ Jesus is trying to reign as Lord, but the body and mind are saying we want to stay on the throne. The suffering is when I protest to stay on the throne, but I have to get off, because God wants someone else on and He wants me to serve that someone, submit to that someone. and I don’t deem them worthy of my service! So I suffer further. That’s real the suffering of our day Psuche Soufflé’. It ought not to be so. WOW, it ought not to be so!