Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he…” When I was young I had a rebellious heart (covert sin). I obeyed on the outside, but my inside thoughts were rebelliously opposed. Can you relate?

In order to emulate the Lord through Christlikeness, our message and messenger have to match. Our thoughts dictate our actions, attitude, and habits. Matthew 18:35 says that we are to forgive from the heart. That means that our thoughts towards the person who hurt us reflect the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23.

Is the fruit of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control evident in your life? We cannot bear fruit on our own. John 15:4 says, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”

Until the Holy Spirit gave me this title, I had never connected covert sin with James 4:17 before. It says, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” All “good”and “bad” actions come from our thoughts.

Psalm 66:18 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” Unforgiveness is covert sin that can lead to open sin. Our words can crush or heal. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Spewing verbal death words come from harboring sin in our heart against that person we just slimed. We are called to edify or build up others. Since we know that is God’s way (doing good) and we don’t do it ~ that is sin.

Galatians 3:2 says, “This only I want to learn from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” Verse 5 says, “Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”

Obedience is rooted in faith. Hebrews 11:8 says, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place where he would receive an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”

The devil hates our faith and will use temptations to get us to doubt God’s word. James 1:6-8 says that a doubter is likened to a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. Doubting makes us unstable. Steadfast faith does not dialogue with even one of satan’s suggestions.

Mark 11:23 says, “…does not doubt in his heart, but believes…” Faith believes and stands in God’s word, in the face of each impossibility, hardship, trial, and adversity. 

We strengthen our bodies through exercise. How do we exercise our faith? We believe God’s word and act on it. Romans 10:17 says that we increase our faith by proclaiming God’s word out loud. Our ears hear it, and it goes down into our heart.

Trials add resistance to our faith to make it stronger. We can compare trials to high intensity exercises that put pressure on our bones, increasing their density. After the age of 50 our bone density decreases. FYI: if you go to americanbonehealth.com you can download a pdf called, “Do it right and prevent fractures.”

Faith is the structural backbone of our walk with the Lord. Hebrews 11 is called the faith chapter. Each account starts out with, “By faith…” Verse 6 says that without faith we cannot please the Lord. Colossians 2:7 says, “Rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith…” The deeper our faith is rooted in God’s word, the more consistent our faith’s testimony will be to those around us.

Daniel purposed in his heart long before he was ever tempted. Daniel 1:8. Job made a covenant with his eyes. Job 31:1. What are you doing to resist temptations? Predators look for a weak link in a herd. 

Therefore we shore up our weak areas by hiding God’s word in our heart. The devil’s preplanned temptations are geared to entrap us in our weak area. For instance, in my case, he would not use something that has no hook in me. Yet, he would use a temptation that I used to be ensnared in. 

John 14:30 says, “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.” Unlike us, Jesus had no unresolved issues. The things that we bury give the devil inroads or hooks.

We are to guard our hearts. Proverbs 4:23. Process things as they come up, instead of burying the emotional pain. Forgive when we are offended, instead of allowing it to become a burr in our saddle.

We are tested through trials, adversities, and hardships. 1 Peter 1:7 that our faith may be purified. Every temptation is designed to derail us, with the evil intention that our faith would fail.

I love what Jesus said to Peter. He had told him that satan wanted to sift him. Luke 22:32 says, “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” Did you catch it? Jesus knew that Peter would come through the sifting, because He prayed for him.

Jesus intercedes for us as well. Hebrews 7:25 says that as our High Priest He lives to make intercession for us. He also made provision through His word to help us fight each temptation. They will come again and again. Luke 4:13 says, “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.”

Matthew 4:1 says that Jesus was led by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil. How did He resist every temptation? He preceded His answer with ‘It is written…’ then quoted Scripture.  Hebrews 4:15 says that He was tempted in all points as we are.

We take our example of resisting temptations from Jesus. That means that the Scriptures we need have to be hidden first in our hearts. Psalm 119:11 says, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”

Jesus was led into temptation. However, James 1:13 is a foundational understanding that we need. It says, “…God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.” Never will we be led by the Spirit into a temptation.

That verse defeats any lying spirit that whispers to us to engage with tempting thoughts. Verse 14 says, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.”

Praying Scripture unites hearts with God’s purpose. 2 Peter 1:20-21 says, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”

Here is one Scripture we can pray. We know from 2 Peter 3:9 that God is not willing that any should perish. We can stand on that verse as we fulfill His command to pray for our nation’s leaders.

Paul included prayer without ceasing as a strategic piece of God’s armor. Ephesians 6:18 says, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”

Agreeing with Scripture in prayer is so powerful. It keeps us from inserting our own personal agenda. Colossians 1:10 is a verse that I often use to pray for someone struggling with sin, overcome with circumstances, waning in faith, or veering off the path of righteousness. 

Acts 2:1 says, “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” Strong’s definition for with one accord is being unanimous, having mutual consent, being in agreement, having group unity, and having one mind and purpose. 

Everyone is on the same page. That is not how we could describe the churches in our nation right now. Some have veered off track. We must intercede for a united front based on the truth of God’s word. 

When Peter wrote his second letter, he warned against false teachers. James 3:1 says, “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.”

In Ephesians 4:1-6, Paul was calling the church to unity. In verse 12 he wrote that the teachers were, “For the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” Edify means to build up.

Revelation 8:5 says, “Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.” The prayers of the saints were stored up, to be used in this cataclysmic event.

Years ago Reinhardt Bonnke, a German evangelist, held crusades in Africa. He built a high platform that he would preach from. Under the platform were intercessors. They prayed the whole time he was preaching. He called them, “Fire under my feet.”

We are living in unprecedented times in our nation and in the world. It is a call to intercede. As in Ezekiel 22:30, the Lord is looking for those who will stand in the gap. We need to be fire under the feet of our nation. Let’s fill the bowls of incense, so that the unquenchable fires of revival can be poured out!