Elevate Your Day with Andi and Brian Hale

The Great Battle

From The Triumph by James Goll on YouVersion
You were born into a war—no matter where or when you were born—and you were meant to claim victory in that war. This doesn’t sound like great news at first, but as you learn about this war, the news gets better. You have the privilege of choosing which side to fight for; and when you choose to follow Jesus, you make the decision to be on the winning side!
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, - 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 ESV
How can I be so sure of that outcome? Because of Jesus’ marvelous victory at Calvary. When our lovely Messiah hung on the cross, cursed for the sins of world, He uttered the words, “It is finished!” (John 19:30) The work of Christ on the cross was perfectly complete.Just as the kingdom of God exists, there is also the kingdom of Satan. These two kingdoms are in direct conflict with one another. Satan, the devil, is clearly described as the enemy of God throughout the entire Bible. Pride was found in the heart of this created one as he compared himself with God and aspired to be equal with, or even transcend above, the Creator Himself. The name Satan literally means “the adversary,” the one who opposes. The Bible also calls him tempter (Matthew 4:3, 1 Thessalonians 3:5), accuser (Revelation 12:10) and deceiver (Revelation 20:3). These names are synonymous with evil and are the very essence of what Satan’s kingdom stands for. He is the mortal enemy of God’s children.But Christ Jesus has authority over the enemy. God sends us forth as empowered believers, along with His Holy Spirit, to go into the darkness and shine the light of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” - John 8:12 ESV
Remember, light always overcomes darkness! We can take comfort from 1 John 4:4 (NKJV): “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”Spiritual enemies require spiritual weapons and divine power. God gives us weapons to fight our battles. Even though “we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.” 2 Corinthians 10:3–5.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. - Ephesians 6:12 ESVFather God, in the mighty name of Jesus, I come before You, knowing You have empowered me for victory. I was born to participate in spiritual warfare, which is required to advance Your will and Kingdom on earth. The devil is a liar and a thief, and all he has ever done is steal, kill, and destroy. But You, Jesus, reveal yourself in your Word as the King and the Captain of the Lord’s army, ruling over principalities and powers of darkness. You, Lord, are my Commander, and I will follow Your lead and obey Your commandments. You are victorious, and I am grateful to be on the winning side with You. Amen and amen.
 

Trust

 
From THRIVE with God on YouVersion
As we seek, know, abide in, and submit to God there is a beautiful trust that develops and matures. When we spend more time with Him, we begin to know Him better. As a result, we genuinely learn what His voice sounds like.
Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.Think about when we have spent ample amounts of time with someone. We can point out their unique laughs from across the room or we can recognize their voice even when our eyes are closed. We have spent enough time with them to be able to do so, and this is exactly what happens as we commune with God.In times of uncertainty, unexpected circumstances, and tough decision-making, we have ideally spent so much time with God that we know His voice and what He is saying. Not only do we know His voice, but we follow His voice, continually submitting to Him.
Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.Seeking, abiding, and submitting build up our faith because our God is faithful. We see how time and time again we can put our trust in Him, and He comes through! We can see how He never fails and never leaves us alone to figure out our problems. We can see how He forgives, loves, gives mercy, provides, and does so much more because He is that good.
Psalms 28:6-7 Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.We can trust that He will never lead us astray and we will certainly never perish when we are in His will. Does this mean that bad things will never happen to us? Unfortunately, it doesn’t my friend – we live in a fallen world.What it does mean is that during storms, attacks from the enemy, or consequences of our own actions, we can know that God is making all things work together for good. He will protect us. He will guide us through it. He will remain faithful. All we must do is keep our minds stayed on Him and put our trust in Him. We will truly thrive with God, and He will keep us in perfect peace.Pray it Out: Today my heart trusts in You, God and Your praises will continually be in my mouth. I choose to trust in Your Word, in Holy Spirit who lives inside of me, and in the power of the blood of Jesus. I choose to believe that there is nothing that can separate me from Your love. I will rest in Your love and in Your faithfulness today, and I release all places of doubt in the name of Jesus! AmenWrite It Out: List the time(s) you were afraid or slow to trust God, yet He came through for you. Use this list to affirm that if He did it before, He can do it again!

Submit

From THRIVE with God on YouVersion
Have you ever seen the picture floating around of Jesus, the little girl, and the teddy bears? Jesus and a young girl are facing one another while she tightly holds a small teddy bear in both arms. Jesus has one hand out for her to give Him her teddy bear, and the words “Just trust me” are above His head. Above the little girl’s head are the words, “But I love it, God.”Unfortunately, there is something the little girl cannot see. Jesus has His other hand behind His back and in it, He holds a teddy bear at least 3 times as big as the one she holds!Imagine that we are the little child in this scenario. The teddy bears we hold are our plans, desires, attitudes, and control. Our teddy bears may not be the best for us, are failing us, are leading us down the wrong path, or look good in theory but simply are not of God. As we discuss the idea of submitting to God, think of it as releasing our own teddy bears to Him and accepting the ones He has for us.
James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.Submission requires a childlike nature that chronological age, the woes of life, and our upbringing can make difficult to do. For some of us, the idea of submission can be cringey because we fought so hard to gain control over our lives. Releasing to God can feel like defeat.
1 Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.For others, the idea of submission can feel suffocating because we are used to doing whatever we want without restraint. Submitting to God can feel like a prison. Wherever you may fall on this spectrum, know that the enemy wants us to feel these negative feelings because if they are strong enough, we may never submit to God and release our “teddy bears” to Him.
John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.Over these past two days, we have sought God’s face and learned how to abide in His presence. As we truly and wholeheartedly abide in Him, we will naturally release what isn’t under submission. Our desires, plans, and ways will begin to shift simply because that is what His presence does. We will want to do what He desires and live how He commands because we love Him that much. Releasing and submitting won’t feel like defeat or a prison, they will feel like victory and freedom!Pray It Out: Lord, thank You for Your all-knowing nature. While I may not understand all that You do or desire for me to do, I thank You that Your ways and Your thoughts are far higher than mine. I’m asking for help, strength, and courage to release to You. Thank You for being patient with me, having grace, and pouring out mercy. In Jesus’ Name, AmenWrite It Out: What area(s) of your life do you need to fully submit to God?
 

Abide

 
From THRIVE with God on YouVersion
One of the best times of the year (in my humble opinion) is when it’s not too hot, certainly not cold, and the sun is shining bright. The sun rays warm our bodies, we can relax outside without melting, and we may even find ourselves saying, “This weather is so perfect.” It is pure bliss!When we think of abiding in God, it is a similar experience. Every moment feels like that perfect, blissful day. He fills our souls, He gives us rest, and He provides a gentle, soothing comfort that words cannot do justice to describe. But what exactly does abiding in God actually mean?Abiding in God means that we are living, remaining, or continually dwelling in His presence. It means that after we have eagerly sought His face, our heart posture stays towards Him. It means that each and every day we make an intentional effort to acknowledge our God. Lastly, it means being filled to the brim with comfort, joy, peace, love, and so much more because we are connected to the true vine.
John 15:1-8 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.The one thing about abiding is that it requires something our society typically does not like to do – slow down. It may sound contradictory to us; we seek God with eagerness and urgency just to immediately slow down.
Psalms 23:1-3 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.However, we seek God with so much urgency because we are getting back in right standing with Him. The urgency is needed because when we are apart from Him our lives are frankly not quite the same. Once we are back in His presence, we can slow down because when we are with Him we have everything that we need. Abiding is not something we strive to do every once in a while, but it is a lifestyle that we aim to live every day of our lives.
2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.Pray it Out: Lord, I admit there were times that I allowed life to get the best of me, and I strayed from dwelling with You. As a result, I bore fruit that did not look like You – the fruit of jealousy, sexual immorality, doubt, anger, fear, and so much more. I turn back to abiding in You, remembering that Your yoke is easy and burden is light. Thank You for the ability to abide in You! In Jesus’ Name, AmenWrite it Out: What does your life schedule look like these days? Are you able to spend time abiding in God? If not, how can you make room for Him in your life?

Seek God

From THRIVE with God on YouVersion
As we begin on our journey of thriving with God, take a twirl with me down memory lane. Imagine you are outside on a playground. Yes, a playground! Imagine you’re standing on pine needles as a soft breeze blows gently across your face. The air is filled with a symphony of laughter, screams, and the “clink, clink” of beads in little girls’ hair. You can smell the freshly cut grass that has so effortlessly made its light green stains on your jeans. You can taste your own salty sweat, slowly dripping from your forehead over your lips.
You cover your eyes with your hands and laugh as you begin to count to 10. Your heart beats faster, your ears perk up, and you can barely contain your eagerness to uncover your eyes and start running. You finally finish counting, shout “Ready or not, here I come!” and excitedly seek all who are hiding.
Whew, what a time! Hide-and-seek as a child was filled with lots of excitement, awareness, passion, and joy. When the Word says to seek God with all our hearts, that is the kind of seeking we want to do.
We want to seek Him with zeal, with longing, and with all of our attention. Can you guess what the best part about seeking God is?
He isn’t even hiding from us!
Jeremiah 29:12-13 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. [13] You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
We don’t have to jump through hoops, sweat, bleed, trip, or run like crazy to find Him. He is always there – He is just waiting for us to turn our hearts and minds towards Him.
Let’s go back to our playground example. Imagine that after counting to 10 you opened your eyes and the person you were seeking was directly in front of you! All you had to do was take one step.
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
My friend, that one step is all God is asking for. Whether it be praying, opening our Word, watching a sermon, attending an event, or cracking open a devotional like this one – trust that when we take that step He is right there, waiting for us with open arms.
Psalms 63:1 You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.
Pray it Out: Father God, I’m so grateful You do not hide from me and that as I draw near to You, You draw near to me. I admit there were times my flesh got the best of me and I strayed away from You. I confess there were times I engaged with You out of routine instead of out of love.
Today, I ask that You will create in me a clean heart oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Reveal to me anything that is keeping me from being diligent in my time with You, and Holy Spirit help me to navigate in the wisest way possible. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
Write it Out: What would it look like for you to seek God with all of your heart? Get specific and personal!