Luke 16:14-16 NKJV
“Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. “The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.”
There are pressing matters that are literally pressing on our lives, on our children, our families… these pressing matters ultimately make an impression on us.
The enemy desires to bring division to our lives, our families, into our workplace, into our country, into our nation, into our church!
Tools the enemy uses to bring Division to our lives…
1. DISTRACTION
Judges 16:20
And she said, “The Philistines are upon
you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.
Samson became so distraction with self pleasure and did not even realize that the Lord had left Him…
2. DELUSION
Zechariah 10:2
For the idols speak delusion; The diviners envision lies, And tell false dreams;
They comfort in vain.
Therefore the people wend their way like sheep; They are in trouble because there is no shepherd.
Idols: comes from a root word that represents comfort… household idols.
We can easily find ourselves in a state of delusion because of the self made idols we use to bring temporary comfort to our lives… when in reality they can’t answer our prayers when we are truly in need.
3. DEFAMATION
Another word for defamation is slander… by definition it means to damage the good reputation of someone
{Ephesians 4:25-32}
Ephesians 4:31-32
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
4. DECEPTION
– Especially in these last days… multiple scriptures remind us that deception will be a huge part of the end times and no one is except from its attacks…
Mark 13:22 NKJV
“For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
These are strategic tactics of the enemy on our lives…
We are in a real war and our souls are in the balance!
II Corinthians 4:18 NKJV
“while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
We are living in a time where what we press into for God matters more than anything else!
Luke 16:16 NKJV
“The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.”
What are we pressing into??
We have a responsibility to press into the right matters of life… we have a responsibility to press in and press against the matters of this world that are trying to overtake us…
PRESSING (into it): comes from a Greek word that means to apply force, to inflict violence…. Agonize into it (Agonize means to wrestle with one’s self)
– pressing into the gospel is not something to be
taken lightly
We need to press into becoming unified with God… What is the opposite of division… UNITY!
UNITY WITH GOD…
- Through PRAYER (intimacy with God)
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
2. Through the right PEOPLE
Mark 2 – four friends brought him through the roof to make sure he was close enough to Jesus to get what he needed… to receive his miracle…
When we have the right people in our lives they will help us by bringing us closer to Christ…
Philippians 2:4
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
There is true strength when we are unified with one another… in one mind, one accord
“Stronger Together” was the Springboks slogan throughout the world cup. If the Springboks could win a world cup by being unified, imagine what we could achieve together by being unified in the things of God.
Unity with God also comes through…
3. The POWER of God
- We must become familiar with His presence
- We have to press into His presence to receive more of His power
When we are in unity with God and each other we can press into the what truly matters in life and overcome anything the enemy tries to use to cause division.
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