The hours preceding a final exam are stressful for many students. This fact is particularly true for those who wait until the last minute to study. In contrast, students who work faithfully throughout the semester, completing their assignments and preparing for quizzes, usually experience less anxiety and perform better. Abraham was one of those “students.”

For many years, Abraham faithfully undertook the assignments and quizzes given to him by God. Though not a straight A student, he gained a deep level of faith in God. By the time Abraham’s “big test” came – a command from God to sacrifice His son Isaac – he was prepared. He acted without delay. Then, with Isaac upon the altar and a knife lifted in Abraham’s hand, God spoke, “Do not lay a hand on the boy…Now I know that you fear God because you have not withheld from Me your son, your only son” (Genesis 22:12).

Abraham exemplifies faith and actions working together. The command to sacrifice Isaac must have been incomprehensible. God had promised to build a great nation through this long-awaited son. Yet Abraham trusted God, a fact made evident by his obedience. True belief always results in obedience. That’s why Scripture says, “Faith, by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17).

While Satan tempts us, seeking to cause us to sin, God tests us to deliver us from sin by revealing any unbelief.  Through testing Abraham, God blessed him, for “his faith was made complete by what he did…it was credited to him as righteousness” (James 2:22-23). This can be true for us as well.

The tests and trials of life, which may feel overwhelming and stressful, are opportunities for God to bring great blessings. God, in His abundant grace, will enable you to move from unbelief to faith. As you walk with God daily, allowing His Word to renew your thoughts, govern your emotions and direct your actions, your faith and trust in Him will grow. You will then receive the reward of faith, a life of ever-increasing righteousness.

Military strongholds are fortifications designed for the defense of territories in warfare. During World War II, Hitler designated certain European cities as “fortresses.” These fortresses were intended to support Nazi domination of Europe. Hitler’s armies were commanded to defend these strategic cities at all cost. Allied forces fought crucial battles against these German strongholds, securing freedom from Hitler’s evil power.

As Christ-followers, we are engaged in constant warfare that takes place in our minds. The battle is between truth and the continual onslaught of lies that we are bombarded with. Satan’s goal is to establish strongholds of lie-based beliefs in every believer’s mind, causing faith in Christ’s truthful words to be eroded. God’s Word tells us that it is our faith in Christ’s words that secures victory over sin. If we have little faith, we will have little power over sin, causing us to live in defeat to Satan’s destructive lies.

What is the key to defending our minds against lies? We learn and obey the truthful words of Christ. Satan has no power over us unless we give it to him by believing his lies. It is critical to guard our minds with the truth of God’s Word. Jesus said that when we know the truth, we shall be set free from lies and their ruinous effects. We will walk in victory over sin.

Will you evaluate every thought, emotion, burden and concern of your life through the lens of God’s truth? As you come to Jesus and learn His words, you will be able to recognize and cast out Satan’s lies from your mind. You will experience joyful emancipation from entrenched strongholds of sin, expanding your victory land of holy conduct.

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

2 Corinthians 10:5

An array of food filled the long buffet table. Intricately crafted pastries and savory treats delighted my eyes and enticed my taste buds. I longed to taste each one. Like that buffet table, our world is filled with temptations that entice us from living connected and obedient to God.       1 John 2:16 describes the scope of these enticements:

“For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of the eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world.”  

Jesus understands our struggle with temptation. God’s Word says He was tempted in every way we are, yet He never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). Satan challenged Jesus while He was on a forty day fast in the desert: “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread” (Matthew 4:3). Jesus was tempted. He was hungry. He had the power to turn the stones into bread, but He did not succumb to the temptation because He knew doing so was not God’s will. Jesus lived by the Word of God:

“It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4).

God’s Word is our way out of temptation. For it to affect, protect and direct our lives we have to “eat” it. We must chew on it, savor it and swallow it – ingesting it into the deepest core of our being. Ultimately, we must believe it. Believing God releases His Spirit to work in our lives. To a group of followers offended by His words, Jesus said:

“The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe” (John 6:63-64).

When we believe and act on God’s Word, His Spirit, His life, rises in our spirit, empowering us to resist temptation.

Is there a temptation in your life for which you need to “eat” the word of God? We encourage you to ingest it deep into your mind and heart.

Destinations are determined by the roads we travel. Trusting in wrong directions will delay or block our ability to reach our desired location. Good intentions are not enough to secure intended outcomes. Direction, not intention, determines our destination.

Faith in Jesus’ atoning work upon the cross accomplishes new realities. We become brand new creatures in Christ, adopted into God’s family as His holy, beloved children. The holy life of Christ resides in us through the person of the Holy Spirit.

Yet, we struggle with believing who God says we are and finding the way to our appointed destination of holy character. Our behaviors often do not display the reality of our new holy identity. Why? We wander off the Highway of Holiness that God placed us on when we try to overcome entrenched patterns of sin without God’s wisdom and power. Decisions made independently of God steer us the wrong way.

As we come in dependent faith to Jesus, He redirects us from the road of struggle and failure to His paths of truth and love. He is our eternal rest station, filling us with His words and Spirit. These are the directions and fuel we need to persevere on the Highway of Holiness. The more time we spend with Jesus, following His instructions, the more we are empowered to navigate through the most dangerous road conditions. He delivers us through blinding rains of trouble and temptation into the glorious light of holy conduct and character.

Where are you heading in life? What road map are you following? Is your gas tank on empty? Come to Jesus, who is your way, your truth and your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you afresh with His power. He will keep you strong, infusing you with life-giving fuel and direction, delivering you safely to His heavenly kingdom.

“Thus says the LORD: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.”

Jeremiah 6:16

Do we really believe what we say we believe? Used as a litmus test, this question reveals what we truly believe by comparing what we profess with how we think and behave.

A politician may claim to believe in certain rights and promise to support specific legislation. Their voting record, however, is the most accurate indicator of what they truly believe and are, therefore, willing to fight for. What they claim to believe is not always reflected in how they vote. In repeated cycles of disobedience, the nation of Israel professed to believe God and promised to obey Him, only to rebel against Him again and again.

If our actions don’t match our words, we do not truly believe what we say we do. If you believe that placing your hand on a hot stove will burn you, causing great pain and harm to your body, your actions will reflect it. The same is true in our walk with God. Allow us to share an example from our lives:

We profess that living in agape love, having the unconditional and pure love of God for Him and others, is to be the primary goal of our lives. We also profess that, apart from the life of Christ flowing through us, we cannot do it.

Here’s the litmus test: If we really believe what we say we believe, our faith will be combined with actions. We will fight to believe. We will make time with Jesus our greatest priority. We will repent of our loveless thoughts and behaviors. We will ask Him to refine us so His love can flow through us. Coming to Jesus in this manner, we will believe:

“Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you” (Psalm 9:10).

As we believe God, we will receive:

“God pours out His Spirit and works miracles among you because you believe” (paraphrased from Galatians 3:5).

Do you really believe what you say you believe? We encourage you to take the litmus test.