Like a somersault, a flip-flopper turns direction and tumbles over in beliefs, and actions. Too many direction changes can shock and surprise others and as a result, a flip-flopper is hard to believe or trust. The dictionary describes flip-flopping as a sudden or unexpected reversal, as of direction, belief, attitude, or policy. But what does the Bible say?
What’s wrong with changing direction? Can that become a stronghold? We’re all subject to changing our opinions or attitudes when we become more informed or mature in any area, right? Yes and no. That statement is not flip-flopping. It’s a fact. There are a lot of decisions to make and paths to take. However, there are some things that cannot be changed in order to be credible. That’s where a flip-flopper fails.
If a stronghold sets in, other strongholds may be attached such as indecision, insecurity, gullibility, low self-esteem, intimidation or any number of other strongholds depending on whether or not we can stay focused and move in the right direction. Too many direction changes are made by those easily addicted to outside influences.
So, what does the word of God say about changing direction and how can we avoid taking the wrong paths? Are we doomed to leave an opening for flip-flopping, and be on the defensive throughout all our years?
Hebrews 12:15 Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look [after one another], to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God’s grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual blessing), in order that no root of resentment (rancor, bitterness, or hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment, and the many become contaminated and defiled by it—
2. Before making a decision on anything, consult with God’s word and his will.
Psalm 119:113 I hate the double-minded, but I love your law.
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
3. Add wisdom to any change you make without changing your path once you have received Christ and know that you are traveling in the right direction.
Ecclesiastes 8:1 Who is like the wise? Who knows the explanation of things? A person’s wisdom brightens their face and changes its hard appearance.
Psalm 17:5 My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not stumbled.
4. Always stay close to the vine (God and His Word–Jesus Christ). You’re in the right place at the right time, with the right decision, if what you’re doing, or planning to do, lines up with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.
1 John 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Proverbs 4:20-22 My son, pay attention to my words. Open your ears to what I say.21 Do not lose sight of these things. Keep them deep within your heart22 because they are life to those who find them and they heal the whole body.
5. Before you choose anything more, choose to believe in Christ. There is no room for turning back or flip-flopping our decisions once we made that vital decision.
Revelation 2:5 Remember how far you have fallen. Return to me and change the way you think and act, and do what you did at first. I will come to you and take your lamp stand from its place if you don’t change.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me.
Although joyful and servant seem to be an oxymoron when put together, the ideal life on earth according to Jesus Christ is of servitude. Imagine a world where we all are helping each other, where we actually enjoy serving, and where being responsible for ourselves and others, is normal. That’s a world where selfishness does not exist, love and giving take priority, no one is left out, everyone does their part, respect prevails, and peace and harmony always permeate the atmosphere.
Philippians 2:5-7 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
The joy of giving of ourselves in servitude to God and others brings heaven to the natural world. God is not surprised by our actions whether in giving, loving, sharing, and helping or in taking, hoarding, hating, or walking away from the needs of others. When we reach out in love we fulfill the command of Christ to love, our lives take on new meaning, and we walk joyfully.
Dorfkrippe von Baumkirchen Nativity
The only problems we might encounter in a world where servitude is a priority in life would come if God were not considered. In that case, our servitude would be distorted at best and subject to our control according to our own thinking, desires, needs, and opinions. Servitude without God is manipulative at best.
The unfolding sky (Photo credit: badjonni)
Isaiah 64:6 For we are all become as one that is unclean, and all our righteousness is as a polluted garment: and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
5 Biblical tips to the joy of serving:
1.Pray. Prayer is the most important service we can give our fellow man. If we pray for the needs of others and pray for God to open our hearts to know and give what is truly needed, the Holy Spirit will guide us.
1 Samuel 12:23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way.
2. Ask. Reach out to your neighbor and ask if there’s anything you can do to help them.
1 Corinthians 10:24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.
Romans 13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
3.Be receptive and grateful.When others serve us they receive a blessing from God in return.
Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
4.Love your family. God has given us a family for a good reason and a service of love toward your family, whether wife, husband, brother, sister, mother, father or family in Christ is expected and desirable.
1 Timothy 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Proverbs 11:29 Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be a servant to the wise of heart.
1 Peter 2:17 Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Have a respectful fear of God. Honor the emperor.
Romans 12:10 Love each other like the members of your family. Be the best at showing honor to each other.
5. Bless your enemies.As difficult as it may seem, another way of serving God is to forgive and love even our enemies.
Luke 6:27 “But I tell everyone who is listening: Love your enemies. Be kind to those who hate you.
Written by Christian author, Pola Muzyka.
The gift of Christ's birth. Remember, a religious spirit does not glorify God. It attempts to oppress, distress, depress, suppress, and otherwise harm God’s people. This stronghold of religion is found in many different types of religious groups. We should not allow it place in our lives. If we do, it will permanently give Christmas and other Christ-centered holidays over to a pagan spirit. A spirit of darkness will replace a time of joyfully celebrating Christ.
Although Jesus was not born on December 25th, the day of his birth celebration shouldn’t matter. What should matter is that he is the reason for the celebration.
Technically, Jesus was born during the time of taxing. The Jews were to be taxed in on the New Year in the old calendar. If we give this day to Satan it will be distorted and twisted to take glory away from the one and only savior and light of the world.
God gave us this life. In the very least, the day of our birth, and particularly that of the birth of Christ, should be a day of praise, re-dedication, and retrospect of this great gift of life we’ve all been given.
Matthew 28:8-10 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, Who loved us and gave us everlasting consolation and encouragement and well-founded hope through [His] grace (unmerited favor), 17Comfort and encourage your hearts and strengthen them [make them steadfast and keep them unswerving] in every good work and word.
2. Keep Christ in Christmas. Take your stand.
John 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the world’s Light.
John 12:46 I have come as a Light into the world so that whoever believes in Me [whoever cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me] may not continue to live in darkness.
John 6:32-33 Jesus then said to them, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Moses did not give you the Bread from heaven [what Moses gave you was not the Bread from heaven], but it is My Father Who gives you the true heavenly Bread. 33For the Bread of God is He Who comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.
John 6:35 Jesus told them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never become hungry, and whoever believes in me will never become thirsty.
3. Move. A church that won’t allow a time to celebrate Jesus, his birth, resurrection, or his goodness, could be an anti-Christ church, false religion, or a church filled with a religious spirit. Some religions actually believe that Jesus is an angel.
John 1:1 In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Acts 26:18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
Matthew 4:10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ ”
Matthew 2:11 And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense, and myrrh.
Hebrews 1:8 But of the Son he [God] says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
Colossians 2:18 Let no one defraud you by acting as an umpire and declaring you unworthy and disqualifying you for the prize, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, taking his stand on visions [he claims] he has seen, vainly puffed up by his sensuous notions and inflated by his unspiritual thoughts and fleshly conceit,
4. Don’t put the focus [of celebrating] on your gift to someone else or from someone else. The gift of Christ is the reason for the season. The gift(s) you give are symbolic of the greatest gift. Never teach your children to focus on what they get but instead to focus on what Jesus gave.
2 Corinthians 5:18 But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself [received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself] and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with
Him].
5. By all means, decorate. But decorate with celebrating Christ in mind.
Psalm 118:27 The Lord is God, Who has shown and given us light [He has illuminated us with grace, freedom, and joy]. Decorate the festival with leafy boughs and bind the sacrifices to be offered with thick cords [all over the priest’s court, right up] to the horns of the altar.
Colossians 2:16-17 Therefore let no one sit in judgment on you in matters of food and drink, or with regard to a feast day or a New Moon or a Sabbath. 17Such [things] are only the shadow of things that are to come, and they have only a symbolic value. But the reality (the substance, the solid fact of what is foreshadowed, the body of it) belongs to Christ.
Luke 2:11 For to you is born this day in the town of David a Savior, Who is Christ (the Messiah) the Lord!
Matthew 2:16 When Herod saw that the wise men had tricked him, he became furious. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys two years old and younger in or near Bethlehem. This matched the exact time he had learned from the wise men.
Luke 2:8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
It’s amazing how much of what our accusers say about us seems to hit us dead on. There is a hint of reality in every accusation, but only a hint and it is never justified when we are in Christ. Since the great accuser is Satan, his tactic is to take some of what is true and twist it into a false accusation.
From the editorial Free from the Stronghold of Accusation written by Christian author, Pola Muzyka. This editorial is meant to be a stepping stone in uncovering the demonic strongholds that keep us captive and prevent us from receiving God’s best. Explore the website to see how strongholds may be trying to surround you and strip your life of God’s blessings.
The spirit of accusation stands ready to point a finger when it is challenged. Why? What is this spirit of accusation and how can we rid ourselves of it permanently?
A fault finder, or host of accusation, looks for perfection. The accuser spirit becomes a stronghold when a host is seeking an assurance of security and self-justification. Accusing is a way to sanction personal inadequacies while blaming others, thereby taking the attention off the real problem, which could be in something the host is harboring. Like other strongholds, an accuser stronghold invites reinforcement to sanction it’s right to the host–blame, defensiveness, false religion, and any number of other spirits can follow or proceed this demonic stronghold.
If a stronghold of accusation is built, the host of accusation will forever be unhappy, forever be left unsatisfied, and forever search for that justification that only is found in a right relationship with God.
The woman taken in adultery
5 Biblical tips to overcome a stronghold of accusation.
1. Ask God to help you see things from His point of view. A worldly POV would only keep us accusing even those made righteous. When we see the beauty around us we spend less time looking at the faults of others.
Romans 3:23-24 Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives. [All] are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption which is [provided] in Christ Jesus,
2 Corinthians 6:8 Amid honor and dishonor; in defaming and evil report and in praise and good report. [We are branded] as deceivers (impostors), and [yet vindicated as] truthful and honest.
2. Be cautious and wise before you judge. There are very few righteous accusers. Even our Creator will not judge the world until the judgment time comes.
John: 8:6-1010 When Jesus raised Himself up, He said to her, Woman, where are your accusers? Has no man condemned you?
3. Put your trust in the salvation of Jesus Christ and don’t be overwrought by the accusation of others for anything you did in the past before you came to Christ and turned from sin
Hebrews 2:14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
Luke 15:7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
4. Once you come into the kingdom by receiving Christ Jesus and turning from sin, don’t go back to a life lived in sin. Your past is forgiven, your accusers cannot destroy your future. A religious spirit cannot take you down.
Ephesians 2:1-2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
5. Never fear false accusations or accusations from sins of your past. The accuser that tries to infiltrate our thoughts, lives, and those around us is an enemy. He was an accuser from the beginning. Do not join him.
Revelation 12:10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.
Related articles
New Creatures in Christ (savedbygraceblogdotcom.wordpress.com)
Like a somersault, a flip-flopper
turns direction and tumbles over in beliefs, and actions. This double-mindedness can shock and surprise others and as a result, a person who changes directives is hard to believe or trust. The dictionary describes
flip-flopping or double-mindedness as a sudden or unexpected reversal, as of direction,
belief, attitude, or policy. It comes from the Greek word, dipsuchos, meaning “a person with two minds or souls.” But what does the Bible say?
What’s
wrong with changing direction? How can that become a stronghold? We’re
all subject to changing our opinions or attitudes when we become more
informed or mature in any area, right?
There are a lot of decisions to make and
paths to take. However, there are some things that cannot be changed in
order to be credible. That’s where a double-minded person fails.
If a
stronghold sets in, other strongholds may be attached
such as indecision, insecurity, gullibility, low self-esteem,
intimidation or any number of other strongholds depending on the
original cause of the flip-flopping. They say, "A person who doesn't stand for something, falls for anything."
So, what does the word
of God say about flip-flopping and how can we avoid this stronghold in
our own lives? Are we doomed to leave an opening for indecision and
be on the defensive throughout all our years?
1. Exercise foresight. Once you make a decision after careful consideration, don’t be tempted to change and turn back too quickly.
Hebrews 12:15 Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look [after one another], to see that no one falls back from and
fails to secure God’s grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual
blessing), in order that no root of resentment (rancor, bitterness, or
hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment, and the many become contaminated and defiled by it—
2. Before making a decision on anything, consult with God’s word and his will. Keeping focused on the word of God will guide us throughout our life and since God never changes, if we follow His Word we will be able to make the right decisions in any type of situation.
Psalm 119:113 I hate the double-minded, but I love your law.
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
3. Add wisdom to any change you make without changing your path once you have received Christ and know that you have the right direction.
Ecclesiastes 8:1 Who is like the wise? Who knows the explanation of things? A person’s wisdom brightens their face and changes its hard appearance.
Psalm 17:5 My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not stumbled.
4. Always stay close to the vine
(God and His Word–Jesus Christ). You’re in the right place at the right
time with the right decision if what you’re doing or planning to do,
lines up with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.
1 John 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Proverbs 4:20-22 My son, pay attention to my words. Open your ears to what I say.21 Do not lose sight of these things. Keep them deep within your heart22 because they are life to those who find them and they heal the whole body.
5. Before you choose anything more, choose to believe in Christ. There is no room for turning back or changing our decisions once we make that vital decision.
Revelation 2:5 Remember how far you have fallen. Return to me and change the way you think and act, and do what you did at first. I will come to you and take your lamp stand from its place if you don’t change.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me.
