Forgiveness, Cleansing, Blessings: Silencing the Taunts

Tozer on Leadership - Monday, November 26, 2012

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Spiritual Warfare and Sin: The Devil's Taunts

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.—Romans 8:1
God knows that sin is a terrible thing-and the devil knows it, too. So he follows us around and as long as we will permit it, he will taunt us about our past sins.
As for myself, I have learned to talk back to him on this score. I say, "Yes, Devil, sin is terrible-but I remind you that I got it from you! And I remind you, Devil, that everything good— forgiveness and cleansing and blessing-everything that is good I have freely received from Jesus Christ!"
Everything that is bad and that is against me I got from the devil—so why should he have the effrontery and the brass to argue with me about it? Yet he will do it because he is the devil, and he is committed to keeping God's children shut up in a little cage, their wings clipped so that they can never fly! I Talk Back to the Devil, 6.
"Thank You again this morning, Father, for Your marvelous 'forgiveness and cleansing and blessing.' I've often heard those taunts from the Devil; thank You for Your grace that completely silences him. Amen."

WTs - Don't dwell on past sin. It will only hold me back from God's purposes. Don't allow the devil to get a foothold. I am cleansed. I am righteous in Christ. He paid for my sin. Forgiveness, Cleansing, Blessing. Silence the taunts of the enemy... the devil.

He is Everything.

WT-
-Praise God we are free from having to be perfect to earn God's favor.
-When all else fades, GOD is everlasting. His light shines.
-We are nothing in ourselves, but as God's temple, He is everything in us.

 "From The Inside Out"

A thousand times I've failed
Still your mercy remains
Should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in your grace
Everlasting, your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, your glory goes beyond all fame

Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing you praise
Everlasting, your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, your glory goes beyond all fame

In my heart, in my soul
I give you control
Consume me from the inside out
Let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love you from the inside out

Everlasting, your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring you praise
From the inside out
Lord my soul cries out

Tozer on Leadership - Saturday, November 24, 2012

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Spiritual Warfare and Sin: Seek God's Remedy

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.—1 John 2:1
I wish it were possible to anoint the head of every Christian preacher so that he would never sin again while the world stands. Perhaps some would consider that a happy way to deal with the subject. But, in fact, if any person can be removed from the possibility of sin, he or she can only be some kind of a robot run by pulleys, wheels and push-buttons. A person morally incapable of doing evil would be, by the same token, morally incapable of doing good. A free human will is necessary to the concept of morality. I repeat: If our wills are not free to do evil, neither are they free to do good....
But what was the sinning priest to do? Should he give up to discouragement? Should he resign himself to failure? No! There was a remedy. And what about ministers and all of God's servants today? In a time of temptation and failure, should they simply quit? Should they write a letter of resignation and walk out, saying, " I am not an Augustine or a Wesley; therefore, I give up"? No, if they are aware of what the Word of God says, they will seek God's remedy. Tragedy in the Church: The Missing Gifts, 75-76.
"Thank You, God, for Your glorious remedy! Thank You for Your love; thank You for Your grace; thank You for constant forgiveness in Jesus Christ. Amen."

Eternal Pleasures...only in Him

Psalm 16:11

New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

John 17:20-23

New King James Version (NKJV)

Jesus Prays for All Believers

²⁰ “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will^[a] believe in Me through their word; ²¹ that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ²² And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³ I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

WTs-

1. Pray God makes known to me His path and walk in it.

2. He will fill me with joy in His presence.

3. Eternal pleasures are at His right hand. Eternal (not temporary).

4. Be one with the body of Christ.

5. Christ in me. God has loved me as he loved Jesus.

6. Your Love Never Fails... never gives up, never runs out on me.

"Your Love Never Fails" by Jesus Culture

Higher than the mountains that I face
Stronger than the power of the grave
Constant through the trial and the change
One thing remains
One thing remains

Your love never fails it never gives up it never runs out on me x3
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsty.com/jesus-culture-one-thing-remains-lyrics.html ]
On and one and on and on it goes
It overwhelms and satisfies my soul
And I never ever have to be afraid
One thing remains

In death and in life I'm confident and covered by the power of your great love
My debt is paid there's nothing that can separate my heart from your great love 

Sweet Graces of Meekness and Humility

WTs: Do not be a "she-bear" watching over any slights wrongly committed. Pray for the sweet graces of meekness and humility. Do not "grow every day harder and more acrimonious as you defend your reputation, your rights, and your ministry against imagined foes." Sweet graces of meekness and humility... a good word from Tozer. Convicting.

Spiritual Warfare and Sin: Resentment

Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled. —Hebrews 12:15

In the course of scores of conferences and hundreds of conversations I have many times heard people say, "I resent that." But I repeat: I have never heard the words used by a victorious man. Resentment simply cannot dwell in a loving heart. Before resentfulness can enter, love must take its flight and bitterness take over. The bitter soul will compile a list of slights at which it takes offense and will watch over itself like a mother bear over her cubs. And the figure is apt, for the resentful heart is always surly and suspicious like a she-bear.

Few sights are more depressing than that of a professed Christian defending his supposed rights and bitterly resisting any attempt to violate them. Such a Christian has never accepted the way of the cross. The sweet graces of meekness and humility are unknown to him. He grows every day harder and more acrimonious as he defends his reputation, his rights, his ministry, against his imagined foes.

The only cure for this sort of thing is to die to self and rise with Christ into newness of life.Of God and Men, 105-106.

"Lord, I have all too often seen the destruction caused by resentment that has turned into bitterness—or bitterness turned into resentment. Keep me, I pray, in the way of the cross, the way of meekness and humility. Amen."

"Self" Sins - Convicting!

Tozer on Leadership - Thursday, November 15, 2012

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Spiritual Warfare and Sin: Self-sins

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.—Galatians 2:20
To be specific, the self-sins are self-righteousness, self-pity, self-confidence, self-sufficiency, self-admiration, self-love and a host of others like them. They dwell too deep within us and are too much a part of our natures to come to our attention till the light of God is focused upon them. The grosser manifestations of these sins—egotism, exhibitionism, self-promotion—are strangely tolerated in Christian leaders, even in circles of impeccable orthodoxy. They are so much in evidence as actually, for many people, to become identified with the gospel. I trust it is not a cynical observation to say that they appear these days to be a requisite for popularity in some sections of the church visible. Promoting self under the guise of promoting Christ is currently so common as to exite little notice....
Self is the opaque veil that hides the face of God from us. It can be removed only in spiritual experience, never by mere instruction. We may as well try to instruct leprosy out of our system. There must be a work of God in destruction before we are free. We must invite the cross to do its deadly work within us. We must bring our self-sins to the cross for judgment. The Pursuit of God, 43-44.
"Oh Lord, do that 'work of God in destruction' within me today. I am indeed 'crucified with Christ.' I pray this morning that the cross would obliterate the self-sins in my life and let me live only for Jesus Christ and His glory. Amen."