Great Affirmations

Weekend Message/Devotion

February 18, 2018

Reading: Mark 1:9-15

Great Affirmations

Thank you all for the wonderful birthday wishes.

Please remember to keep the victims of the Parkland, Florida shooting and their families in your prayers. If you missed a special message and prayer that we posted, it is available here and on www.sermoncentral.com under my name among contributors.

Sometimes I get so excited reading God’s words and having a strong message emerge. This is such a time.

Straight from God in Mark 1:11 God spoke directly to Jesus saying, “You are My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Now read:

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” 1 John 3:1

The world, as such, did not then nor does now know Jesus. Yes, Jesus had a following then. Jesus has a following today.

Just as soon as Jesus – God the Son was baptized, the Spirit (That’s the Holy Spirit) drove Him into the desert/wilderness to be tempted and tested by Satan.

So many of us think that as soon as we become dedicated Christians, our lives will smooth out and we will not encounter as many trials and temptations. Wow, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Satan wanted to take Jesus down and watch Him fail. Believe me, he wants to take you and me down and watch us fail.

I wrote a little song some years back that had a phrase in there that went something like this: “Old man Satan, he’s just a waitin’, It’s gonna get hot, if he can find a weak spot.” Well truer words were never spoken. Satan knows our every weakness and he knows just what temptations to put in front of us AND he knows just when to do it.

Jesus resisted every temptation and did not fall. That in and of itself is a grand lesson to us. Jesus relied on biblical readings to resist the devil. How often, do we reach back and say, “get thee behind me Satan, man does not live by bread alone but by the Word of God.” Many times, when temptation comes my way, I think that I can handle it. It’s not that I don’t want God’s help, it’s more like my stubborn pride and ego. How about you? The times that I think I am the strongest are the times that I find myself the weakest and the times that I have fallen – mightily. How about you?

We are children of God. God loves us, each and every one of us just as much as He loves Jesus. Remember a few messages back that we saw the transfigured Jesus, Elijah and Moses on the mountain top, risen from the dead. We too shall be on that mountain top one day, because that is part of our inheritance, as Christian believers.

“and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” Romans 8:17

Joint heirs! We inherit ALL that Christ has. The problem is that we don’t know how to handle it and because we don’t, it gets squandered. If we can just hold on! Paul said that in our last message – “Hang in There!”

Resist the devil! Stand on the Word of God! Call on God the Father – God the Son and God the Holy Host, don’t squander your inheritance, live it to the fullest.

Let us pray