You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.  They are from the world, and the world listens to them.  We are from God.  Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen to us.  From this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.  1 John 4:4-6  HCSB

One of the biggest mistakes that I make in my walk as a Christian is that I sometimes forget what I have on the inside of me.  I forget about the power that is given to me.  I forget about the protection that is provided to me.  I forget about the strength that is given to me.  Now this is nothing that I have worked for or earned.  This is something that is available to all of us as God’s children.  We like to say things like “I’m not strong enough to do this” or “I don’t have the willpower to resist that”.

You see Philippians 4:13 tells me that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  On my own, I may be weak, but with God’s power I am strong enough to do anything that He has called me to do.

Psalms 91:9-10 tells us that when we choose to make the Lord our refuge, and the Most High our dwelling place, that no harm will come to us.

And our scripture passage today tells us that the God that lives on the inside of us is greater than what is in the world.  The world is a dark place.  We see crime running rampant.  Mass shootings have become something that, unfortunately, is common place.  We see the devil destroying families.  We see substance abuse wreaking havoc on our nation.  We see the devil in the world everywhere we turn.  But that’s okay.  You see, when we accept Christ as our Savior and we invite Him to live in our hearts, we have His Holy Spirit on the inside of us.  We choose the Most High as our dwelling place.  We choose to live in His protection.  We can draw from His strength and His power.

Never forget who God is.  He is the King of Kings.  He is the Lord of Lords.  But most importantly, He is our heavenly Father.

When we feel lonely and afraid, Isaiah 41:10 tells us that we should not fear nor be dismayed for He is our God.  He will strengthen us, help us and uphold us with His righteous hand.  Psalm 91:11-12 tells us that God will instruct His angels to protect us and that they will hold us with their hands so that we will not strike our foot against a stone.

When you are confused, know that this comes from the devil.  Also, know that God gives us wisdom and discernment.  Colossians 2:8 tells us that we are to see to is that no one takes us captive by philosophy and empty deceit.  In 1 John 4:1 we are told to not believe every spirit, but to test the spirits to see whether they are from God.

Forgetting who God is can get us into trouble.  Forgetting about the power and strength that He gives us causes us to deceive ourselves.  Know that if you have God living on the inside of you that there is nothing that you can’t do through Him.

I encourage you to not forget the strength and power that is in us through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  With His power there is no temptation that can overtake us (1 Corinthians 10:13).  We no longer have an excuse to hold on to that fear.  We no longer have an excuse to hold on to the sin in our lives.  We no longer have an excuse to hold on to anger, bitterness or resentment.  We can let go of all things that stop us from being what God has called us to be.

If you are not a Christian, it’s not too late.  You can draw close to God and develop a relationship with your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  You too can experience the power and protection that comes from having God’s Holy Spirit reside in you.  If you are a Christian, then refuse to let the devil deceive you.  Don’t let the devil distract you from being all that God has called you to be.  Never forget that the God that lives inside of you is the same God that spoke the universe into existence and there is nothing He can’t do!

Have a great day!