Keeping Christ in Christmas by Samuel H Johnson

In December, we are celebrating the birth of Christ. However, Christians are celebrating more than Christmas; Why? Because Christmas has both spiritual and social connotations. Similarly, we do not celebrate Easter, we celebrate the resurrection of Christ. However, we see that society, the world out there, is always interfering and trying to redefine what Christians should believe and celebrate. In our society, today, the world has problems with the word Christmas. 

Why? Because they have a problem with the Christ is in Christmas. First, they changed Christmas to Xmas and now Christ is completely out and we now have “Season’s’ Greetings and “Happy Holidays” and the general greeting. Some people may say that “it makes no difference – Christmas or Xmas” But this matters to Christians. Christ is not an “X”. He is incomparable, indescribable, and immutable. Christ is God. There is no Christmas without Christ. 

What we must understand is that satan’s agenda is strategic and long term. His plan is to remove Christ from everything and he uses people to implement his aim. We must always nip every anti-Christ idea as soon as it appears and not let it slide. Why? Because false ideas will grow into monsters which will becomes more difficult to stop or expelled. Christians must be vigilant to ensure that our celebrations must be consistent with scriptures because we believe in the authority of the Bible. This requires that we know which traditions are inconsistent with Christmas.

2 Timothy 2:15 reminds us “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”. 

Rightly dividing the scriptures and not giving traditions more authority helps us keep Christ in Christmas.

Christ is the reason for Christmas because his birth was prophesied 4,000 years before it occurred, he was born of a virgin, his deity and humanity was prophesied and he was recognized as a king at his birth. 

This first prophesy of Christ’s coming to restore the kingdom lost by Adam is in the Bible.

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” 

That Seed is Jesus. We know that women do not have a seed - the seed comes from the man and the egg from the woman. We know that the seed will not come from the man but from the Holy Spirit. 

Now per the medical profession, the mother's blood does not normally mix with the baby's blood during the pregnancy, unless there has been a medical invasive procedure (such as amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling) or bleeding. During delivery, however, there is a good chance that some of the baby's blood cells may enter the mother's bloodstream. God’s design the human anatomy is just fantastic and this could never happen by evolution. Why is this important? Because humanity’s original parents Adam and Eve had the sin nature, (they were tempted by satan and disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden by eating the fruit of the tree of good and evil), which is passed on to all humans. 

It is important to understand the role of blood. The blood contains life. Both Adam and Eve had the sin nature and if Jesus was born of Joseph and Mary, then Jesus would also have the sin nature. Jesus had to be pure to die for the sins of humanity. Isn’t God great? The more you study the Bible the more you can find science and biology. Christ is the reason for Christmas.

Prophesy of the virgin birth found in:

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Why was Jesus born of a woman? God made Adam fully grown and He could have done the same. The reason is that Jesus can be completely identified with humanity and fulfill all prophecies.

Christ deity, humanity and kingship were prophesied in:

Isaiah 9: 6-7 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

A child is born identifies His humanity; A Son is given identifies His divinity, Titles emphasizes the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit)

We find the confirmation of the prophecies concerning the birth of Christ in the early chapters of the books of Matthew and Luke. These accounts of the birth and childhood of Jesus show us where some of our traditions do not line up with scriptures. We must be aware of them to keep Jesus in Christmas. When we look at Christmas cards, nativity scenes, even Christmas pageants, we will see whether they line up with scriptures. While the world may do what they want, we Christians must be consistent with the Bible because it is the foundation for truth. 

Matthew confirms that:

• Mary was a virgin (Matt 1:18 - 21)
• Wise men came from the East in recognition of the birth of a king. The Bible does not indicate how many wise men were in the group (Matt 2: 1)
• The wise men were looking for a young child and not a babe (Matt 2:8-11, 16 - 18)
• The wise men saw Jesus in the house and not in the manger (Matt 2:11)
• The wise men gave three types of gifts – Gold (a symbol of royalty), Frankincense (a symbol of worship and sacrifice), and Myrrh (a symbol of embalming, bitterness, suffering, and affliction)

Luke confirms that:

• Jesus was a real historical person in the time of Roman leader Caesar Augustus and Syrian governor Cyrenius (Luke 2: 1 - 2)
• Jesus was the babe in a manger (Luke 2:12)
• Shepherds came and saw the babe in the manger (Luke 2:16)

So, we know many things:

• The birth of Jesus was prophesied in the first book of the Bible, Genesis 3
• We know that all the prophecies made by the Old Testament prophets concerning the birth of Christ were fulfilled
• We know that Jesus was born in a manger. We know shepherds and animals saw Jesus as a baby in the manger
• We know that the wise men saw Jesus as a young child about 2 years old in a house. 
• The shepherds and the wise men did not see each other.

So, when we have our Christmas cards, nativity scenes and pageants we must convey the truth. Santa and the reindeers were not in the manger but they have their place in the social aspect of the Christmas season. Some people will object that a Christian may use Santa in their Christmas decorations.

But consider all the  pagan things we use in everyday life – clothes made by pagans and unbelievers, food produced by unbelievers, Saturday is named after the pagan god Saturn etc. We know the truth and must put things in perspective. But the real reason for Christmas was, is and will always be Jesus Christ.

The real Christmas story is the event of God becoming a human being in the Person of Jesus Christ. Why would God do this thing? Because He loves us! Why was the birth of Jesus necessary? Because we needed a Savior! Why does God love us so much? Because He is love Himself (1 John 4:8). Why do we celebrate Christmas each year? Out of gratitude for what God did for us, we remember His birth by giving each other gifts, worshipping Him, and being especially conscious of the poor and less fortunate.

The true meaning of Christmas is God loved His own and provided the only Way for us to spend eternity with Him. He gave His only Son to take our punishment for our sins. He paid the price in full, and we are free from condemnation when we accept that gift of love.

"But God demonstrated His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)

America is in the Empire Trap by Samuel H Johnson

America is falling apart like the great empires of history. One of the contributing factors is an overabundance of poor and prideful leadership.

In Job 12; 24-25, God spoke through Job about disobedient leaders - "He takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth, And makes them wander in a pathless wilderness. They grope in the dark without light, And He makes them stagger like a drunken man"

This is America in 2016. Too many of our leaders have a blindness over them that they cannot seem to be honorable statesmen putting the needs of the country above their lust for money and power. They justify and defend lies and wrongdoing of mostly the rich, the influential and the powerful but toss the poor and lowly into bondage or prison for the smallest offences. They toss aside integrity and principles for the sake of power and influence. These are leaders in every area of society - politics, business, entertainment even the church.

This message is to those who fit this category and to warn others to expose, stay away from or find better replacement for them. So

To politicians - it is God who give you the authority to enforce true justice because you are His ministers (Romans 13:1-4)

To business leaders - it is God who gave you life and the talent to conduct business, so do it with integrity (John 2:14-16; 1 Timothy 6:9-10)

To church leaders - it is God who gave you the ministry gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors/teachers to equip and edify the saints for ministering to people and conforming to Christ character. Stop compromising the scriptures for worldly desires and giving Christianity and the name of Christ a bad name among the society. (Ephesians 4:11-13) 

Satan and the kingdom of darkness has has indeed  blinded too many of our leaders. When a nation abandons God and makes sin and idolatry normal, the consequences are what we see around us. It is indeed the time for more principled leaders to stand up and be counted worthy of truth, honesty and integrity. Principled and honest leaders be encouraged and stand firm. God loves the world and He wants the world to repent and turn to Jesus Christ.

John 3:16 (NKJV) "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

God also loves America but He is looking for America to repent and return to Him.

Corrupt Speech by Samuel H Johnson

This excerpt from the Bible Expositor and Illuminator is such a powerful piece on corrupt speech that I felt the urge to share it. It servis a warning to Christians and unbelievers alike.

Corrupt Speech (Romans 3:13-14) As Thomas Schreiner notes, "The universal dimension of sin is nowhere more evident than [in] human speech." The evil in a person's heart inevitably comes out in a person's speech. Here Paul, (the writer of the book of Romans), drew upon Psalms 5:9, 140:3 and 10:7 to picture this aspect of human depravity. The comparison of people's throats to an open sepulchre or grave, likens their speech to the stench of decay. Although it may not always be evident, their speech flows from an unclean heart and has a corrupting effect on others.

The tongues of sinners are purposely used to deceive others. Flattery and lies are crafted to lead people astray and promote self-interest. Their speech is pictured as the deadly venom of asps or vipers, spiritually poisoning people with their words.

Finally borrowing from Psalms 10:7, Paul describes their mouths as "full of cursing and bitterness." (Romans 3:14). It is not just on rare occasions that they spew forth curses and evil words; their mouths are filled with such speech.

A clean heart is the key to clean speech (Matthew 12:34-35). Yet even believers find it hard to break sinful habits; and unwholesome and evil communication can come out in an instant. Our tongue is perhaps the most deadly weapon any of us will ever wield. Undoubtedly, this is why the Bible has so much to say about controlling our speech. By so doing, we become a source of blessing rather than destruction, and we save ourselves much grief.



Source: Bible Expositor and Illuminator, Summer Quarter 2016, Published by Union Gospel Press, Cleveland, Ohio. page 77

GOD DOES NOT NEED US by Samuel H Johnson

Why do men give in to compromise when their reputation, position or personal gain is threatened  by truth and integrity? Why is it so difficult in these days to find leaders of good character? We see this lack in politics, business, entertainment and even religion in society today. It is an indication that people are willing to do anything to gain power and success. It may explain what has happened in the 2016 Presidential elections in America and the moral decline in our nation. Too many leaders find it hard to condemn  politicians who use hatred and bigotry to advance their political ambition. Some leaders sit quietly when others promote abominable behavior as the norm in our society. Even some Christian leaders are unwilling to speak boldly and publicly against the legalization of sinful practice - for fear of losing their 501 (3)c status? When morality declines in any society - economic and social decline follows. The decline in the character of leadership is indeed a warning sign. While many leaders are standing firm, we need more leaders to stand up for truth and integrity, because the true leaders are under severe attacks.

What is going on? I believe a key reason is that too many leaders trust themselves more than they trust God. They trust their education and experience more than they trust God. Even Christians leaders in this category trust their own experience more than trusting the Holy Spirit. It is time for people to demand more integrity from their leaders. Leaders who fear truth and lack integrity are actually saying that they don't need God. But God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. In other words, God is all-powerful, all-knowing and is everywhere at the same time. As the prophet Isaiah says "God knows the end of a thing at its beginning" (Isa 46:9-10). And God is not a respecter of persons. He will bypass our education, our experience, our money, our knowledge to get what he wants done on earth. God does not need us.

Did not Paul say in I Corinthians 1 that God confounds the wise and the strong of this world by using the simple and weak? God does not need you or me to get things done. I know it is hard on our pride to hear that God does not need us. He has no needs because HE is God. He can use anybody when he wants, where He wants and how He wants. He does not ask our permission to get things done. He does not have to consult with any type of leader to use an individual to complete a task. God does not need you and I, we need God. So it is high time that leaders humble themselves before God, seek His face and do whatever He shows them regardless of the consequences. He knows the end so we must put our trust in Him and not in our own strength, position, title or experience.

Without God we can't breathe a breath of oxygen; without Him we can't walk or sleep, Without Him we can't read or sing; without Him we can't truly love our family, our enemies or feed the dog. We need Him and we need Him all the time. So every leader and every person must stop boasting about their education and money, their experience and charisma, their social connections or position. We could not get any of it if God did not keep us alive and brought some of us through some mind blowing dangers and situations which should have caused us to go crazy, put us in the mental institution or even killed us. We need God. I heard some preachers say that God needs a man to get anything done on the earth. That's not what my Bible says. I read in the Book of Acts 12 where God sent sent the angel of the Lord to destroy King Herod who blasphemed the name of God. He did not use a man. So never feel that God needs you and I. He does not need us. So let us humble ourselves because we need God.

MEN: CONFRONTING & OVERCOMING THE GIANTS OF YOUR LIFE by Samuel H Johnson

Men face many challenges that can stop or delay their  advancement in life and the Kingdom of God. Sometimes the things we love are (or can) become the challenges in our lives. In other words, these challenges are your giants and every man must confront his giants. Our challenges are both external and internal - at work, school,  church, the community – all external but I believe it’s the challenges of the inner man that is most central to how we overcome our challenges and issues.

Your giants could be personal (physical, emotional, psychological), social or spiritual. Each of us must identify our giants first before we can defeat them. The Apostle identified the root cause of these giants in the scriptures:

1 John 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things of the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him. For all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. 

This scripture identifies every source, the root cause of every challenge, trials, test you will face in life. Also the Apostle John gives us the answer to our challenge  - He who does the will of the Father will endure. The will of God is the Word of God. The Bible has the solution to defeat every giant in your life.

There are great men in our country have faced and defeated their personal or social giants. The Bible is full of examples of how great men managed their challenges, their giants and defeated them. A look at their lives would be a lesson for every man alive.  

Here are some examples of giants men faced in the Bible:

#	Men	Giant	Scripture	Notes
1	Adam	Disobedience,  Lust for Power	Genesis 3	Expelled from the Garden of Eden
2	Lucifer	Pride	Isa 14; Ezek 28	Expelled from heaven and became satan
3	Moses	Frustration lead to Disobedience	Num 20:8-12	Had a murmuring and complaining congregation who did not see the promised land
4	Joshua, Caleb (12 spies)	Fear vs. trusting in God’s word	Numbers 13	Follow God rather than popular opinion
5	Gideon	Low self esteem	Judges 6	Called to lead but lived in doubt and low self esteem
6	Samson	Fornication, sexual immorality	Judges 13 thru 16	Lust of the flesh, died while fulfilling his destiny
7	King Saul	Disobedience,  Lust for Power	1 Samuel 15	Lost the anointing of God and the kingdom; rebellion - witchcraft and stubbornness is iniquity and idolatry
8	King David of Israel	Pride, Adultery, Murder	2 Sam 24; Acts 13	Numbered the people to show his power and the result was 70,000 died; Adultery and murder However David was always quick to repent; A man after God's heart.
9	Solomon (wisdom & wealth)	Sexual immorality, Idolatry	1 Kings 11:3	Womanizer, fornication lead to Idolatry
10	Naaman, captain of the King of Syria's army	Arrogance, Pride	2 Kings 5:1 – 11	Expected the prophet Elisha to do a public show to heal him instead of obeying instructions
11	Gehazhi, Elisha’s servant	Greed	2 Kings 5:20 - 27	Because of greed he got the leprosy of Naaman.
12	Daniel	Position and title	Daniel 6: 10-28	Sent to the lion’s den because of his belief in God. Faith in God in the face of death
13	Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego (3 Hebrew young men)	Position and title	Daniel 3: 13-30	Thrown into the fiery furnace because they stood on the Word of God. Trust and Faith in God in the face of death
14	Hosea	Unfaithful wife	Hosea 1	Obeyed God rather than leaving his wife
15	John the Baptist	Doubt, unbelief and offence due to being imprisoned by Herod.	Matt 11:2 - 6	Are you the one or should we look for another? Blind, lame, deaf, dead, poor (gospel) blessed who not offended.
16	Apostle Paul	Beatings, shipwreck, assassination, prison and death, Thorn in the flesh	Acts  10 to 26	Faithful to God and the call on his life. Humility – open every epistle – servant or slave of Christ
17	Apostle Peter	Racism, Prejudice	Gal 2: 11-21	Ate with the Gentiles but separated himself when the other Jewish Christians appeared
18	Apostle John	Persecution and prison	Revelation 1	Exiled to prison for preaching the Gospel
19	Fredrick Douglas	Fight racism in the church to help the anti-slavery movement; Was born a slave but still stood on Christian principles of truth, love and integrity		Regarded as a great man, an abolitionist against slavery
20	Martin Luther King Jr.	Racial discrimination		Walk in love at the risk of his life

The giant list: pride, disobedience, frustration, fear, persecution, sexual immorality, greed, lust for power and influence, pleasing man rather than God, doubt, unbelief, prejudice, racism and discrimination.

 What about you man? Do you know what are the giants in your life? Can you look into your soul to identify your weak areas? Can you track your life history to identify your past giants and how you handled them? Do you have a strategy to defeat them?

Jesus did – he faced every test and trial.  Jesus Christ faced and defeated the ultimate giants of sin and death by giving His life for all mankind so we can be victorious over our giants.

The question for you and I is – Do you have a strategy to defeat your giants?

Enemies of Your Faith by Samuel H Johnson

Romans 1: 16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

If we are to be faithful we must understand what faith is, what it takes to be faithful and what are the enemies to our faith. It is the nature of God to be faithful because everything in the kingdom of God system operates by faith and motivated by love.

The scripture says that just shall live by faith. Who is the just? The just then are Christians. We are justified because of our right-standing with God through Christ. The just are believers. We know that going to church does not make you a believer. You must be saved to be a believer. If you are not saved you are not justified. But you have an opportunity every day to accept and follow Jesus as Lord and Saviour of your life and to conform your life to His image.

2 Cor 5:7 We walk by faith and not by sight. We live by faith in God not in circumstances and situations nor by our 5 senses. We use our 5 senses to confirm the result of our faith. We have more confidence in the Word of God than what we see with our natural eyes or hear with our natural ears. That’s living by faith. We do not live by what is popular in society, not by what is the latest trend in society, not by the statements of talk-show hosts or even by our own intelligence. We live by faith.

Faith is not natural, faith is spiritual. Faith is a spiritual gift from God. You get this gift when you receive Jesus as Lord of your life, as the Commander-in-Chief of your life. Unsaved people have natural faith – faith in Wall Street, faith in their material possessions, faith in their friends, their employer, and their government. But Wall Street fails, Material possessions lose their value, Friends disappoint, employers go bankrupt and government fails. Why because all natural faith have their foundation on natural, fallen humankind. God is beyond man, outside of man. The triune God has all knowledge, is all powerful and is everywhere at the same time. God never fails. So the foundation of your faith must be in God through Christ by the Holy Spirit.

Now faith is not wishful thinking, a pie-in-the-sky feeling that everything will be all right. Some people think of "faith" as either a feeling or a collection of ideas that represent their convictions. That is not faith. It is God who backs up your faith and guarantees results when it's consistent with the Word of God (the Bible).

We know how the Bible defines faith. Hebrews 11: 1 The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith is substance and evidence. The healing or deliverance you pray for may already exist although you have not seen it yet. It exists in the spiritual realm. Then, faith is perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the human senses yet. In other words we receive our healing by faith.

A word about belief and faith. As the apostle James noted: (James 2:19). "You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons [fallen angels] believe—and tremble!" We must go beyond the level of the faith exhibited by demons.

Faith is not belief but belief is a part of faith. To believe in God is only the starting point of faith. But believing in God does not necessarily involve conviction or commitment to Jesus Christ and God the Father. Belief in God is good, but is incomplete.

Example of belief: I live in the country and have a job interview in the city. I believe that I will get the job if I travel to the city. But if I do not act on my belief I definitely will not get the job. So you have to act to demonstrate your faith.

Heb 11: 6. "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” Diligently seeking is an action.

Definition: Faith is belief and corresponding action consistent with the Word of God. To believe God, is to have faith that God will do whatever He has promised to do in the scriptures. He expects us to act on that belief. He requires that we have living faith in His existence, power, and promises.

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think,  but to think soberly; as God has dealt to each on the measure of faith.

So we are all given the measure of faith we need to navigate this Christian life. But our faith must be developed the same way you develop your muscles. Your muscles develop by resistance to the machines in the gym or by pushing against gravity. Your faith is developed by fighting against temptations, trials, and tests as you walk the life of Christ. So you and I must look at trials as the exercise machine for our faith. Troubles come to test you and to develop your faith. So we must stop complaining, and worrying about troubles. The is nothing positive about complaining, murmuring and worrying. Give God praise and thanks while you are in a trial, facing temptations and tests. You are not thanking God for the trial but thank Him for the victory you expect while you are in the trial. That’s how you develop your faith. That’s what James says in James 1: 2-4 Count it joy when you fall into trials, temptations and tests, because it is trying or developing your faith which will develop you to be more like Jesus.

There are many types or levels of faith – faithlessness, lack, weak, little, wavering, radical, strong, and great, overcoming faith. Jesus encountered them all in the Gospels. The three Hebrew boys in the Book of Daniel had radical faith because they placed their lives on the line for the Word of God. Jesus demonstrated overcoming faith while he was on earth. Overcoming faith is where you win against trials, temptations, and tests, every time. That’s the kind of faith you and I must aspire to have but it can only happen through Christ for we can do nothing worthy without Him.

 1 Timothy 4: 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

2 Timothy 4: 7-8 I have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith:  

Paul is stating that we are in a faith fight. Why? Because we Christians represent the Body of Christ on the earth, then satan and the kingdom of darkness is fighting against us through trials, temptations, and tests. Also it is a good fight for those with strong faith.

The fight is good because we win. You can’t win a faith fight with weak faith, or little faith or wavering faith. You need to develop strong faith to win that faith fight against the kingdom of darkness. The challenge is that you develop strong faith through temptations, trials and tests. The Christian life cannot avoid these challenges and it is a life of cross-bearing.

But there are many enemies to your faith – fear, worry, doubt, and unbelief, the love of money and dependence on material possessions, pleasing people instead of pleasing God, love of title or position, believing in your own intellect, accepting the practices of secular society and human reasoning without spiritual understanding. I want to identify three enemies to your faith – fear, worry, and doubt.

Fear

I believe that the greatest enemy to your faith is fear. Because fear comes by hearing the word of the devil. Fear is the opposite of faith. The source of fear is satan. Fear leads to worry, doubt, and unbelief

The greatest challenge to our faith is fear. This is where the devil lives. The greatest fear of the devil is for you and I to believe that the Word of God would always come to pass and that the promises of God would not fail. If we live like that we will defeat fear.

Fear paralyzes you, intimidates you, and makes you inactive and ineffective. It leads to depression, sickness, and even death. The devil and his kingdom of darkness does not want you to act on the Word. He does not mind if you only believe and stay inactive. The Bible says we must be doers of the Word and not hearers only. The foundation of fear is unbelief that what God promises in his Word will not happen.

While on a boat in the middle of a storm, the disciples awoke Jesus and pleaded that He saved them from drowning. He answered, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then He rebuked the sea and it immediately grew calm (Matthew 8:23-26). That was overcoming faith.

How do you handle fear? You have to speak to it by reminding yourself of what the Bible says about fear. You speak what the Word says to fear. Remember 2 Tim 1:7 God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind.

Worry

Worry is negative meditation. Worry is negative forecasting about things that you do not have control over. Worry means that you are depending on your own strength and intellect; and that is neither wise nor healthy. When you worry you dig up the fears of your past, let them disturb your present and contaminate your future. You forget that God is (omnipresent) in your past, your present, and your future all at the same time. You have to trust God who is already ahead of you.

Worry changes nothing positively. It is wasted energy that undermines your faith. It makes you sick, miserable, and not a nice person to be around. People don’t like to be around worriers because worry is like the flu. It contaminates if you stay around it. Worry is a silent killer of your faith.

I believe that worry is a decision. Some people think that worry is normal or natural. Jesus tells us differently. Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

“Take no thought” means “do not worry”. Jesus would not tell us this if he knew we could not do it. Obey Him. Make a decision

not to worry. Instead do what he says in verse 33 - But seek first the kingdom of God"

The apostle Paul gives the same instructions in Phil 4:6-7. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. He says be careful for nothing or be anxious for nothing – in other words “Don’t worry about anything”

So don’t worry - pray! Don’t worry – give God praise. Don’t worry – give God thanks that He is bringing you out of your trouble, sickness, depression, strongholds. Don’t worry but make a decision to praise and thank God in the middle of your trial, temptation, or test. It may not make human sense but we are not interested in making human sense when we are about pleasing God. Why? Because in Isaiah 55:11-12 He says the His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways are higher than our ways. So don’t worry about making human sense, focus on pleasing God. This is what will defeat the enemy of worry and increase your faith.

Doubt (and Unbelief) 

Few attitudes are more disheartening and destructive to your faith than the notion that God doesn't hear our prayers, doesn't answer, or doesn't care. It is easy to come to such conclusions when God doesn't respond when we want or how we want. Too many times we look want satisfy our senses when we pray. But the Bible says in 2 Cor. 5:7 “We walk by faith and not by our physical senses)

Doubt is deadly to your prayer of faith (or petition prayer). 

This is one reason why we pray for the same thing over and over and over. It's a lack of confidence in our prayers. When you order something on the Internet or by phone today, you don’t go back and order the same thing tomorrow. You have confidence that what you ordered will be delivered to your house. It is the same type of confidence we must develop in our prayer. I am not saying it’s wrong to pray for something over and over. Developing the faith to believe and receive takes time, it’s a process. You have confidence that you will get what you ordered. You must develop the confidence that God has answered your prayer by faith and begin to thank Him. You also must now behave like you already have the answer. This is what the word says – believe and receive. And even if you don't receive what you pray for, still thank God because He knows what you need more than you and I.

Mark 11:22-23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them

Remember your prayer request must be consistent with the Word of God. Believe you receive – thank God that your prayer is answered.  But you must continue to pursue a life of holiness and sanctification. Your prayer must also be in line with the scriptures. Believe you receive by faith and thank Him until you see the answer to your prayers. He may even answer in a way you may not like but we trust Him because he loves us and knows what's best for us.

Do you have confidence in your employers because they promise to pay you at the end of the week but doubt when it comes to God? God is greater than your employer, so we must believe and receive the promises that God makes in the Bible and eliminate your doubt.

Conclusion:

So we understand that to win the faith fight we need strong faith, overcoming faith. That type of faith is developed by resisting temptations, trials, and tests of the kingdom of darkness. They are enemies of our faith that must be defeated. We must speak and practice the Word of God to our doubts and fears.

• Don’t worry, pray. Don’t worry give God thanks. Give God praise and glory
• By faith in God we expect victory every time. Victory over fear, doubt and worry.
• It’s by our faith in God that we please Him. 
• Let us be “Be faithful as He is faithful”