Episode #25: Choosing Life with Faith: Embracing God's Abundant Path

What if you could truly understand the stark differences between life and death, and how your choices could significantly impact your spiritual journey? Join me, Stephanie, in this enlightening episode of the All Is Well podcast as we explore the profound contrast between God and the devil, drawing insights from John 10:7-17 and Deuteronomy 30:15-30. We look into Jesus as the good shepherd, offering abundance and guidance, while highlighting the devil's intent to destroy. This understanding empowers you to choose a path aligned with God, filled with His grace and blessings. Through vigilance, humility, and the power of prayer, learn how to safeguard your life against spiritual threats and embrace a victorious journey in faith.

Discover the transformative power of faith as we journey further into the realms of choice and belief. By referencing scriptures from Deuteronomy, 1 Peter, and Ephesians, we delve into the necessity of standing firm in your faith and the importance of positive speech to prevent the enemy from stealing your joy and blessings. As we wrap up, I guide you through a heartfelt prayer for salvation, encouraging you to welcome Jesus into your life and connect with a spirit-filled community. This episode not only inspires but also equips you with the tools and insights to choose life over destruction and embrace the abundant path God has envisioned for you and your descendants.

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:02

Hello, my name is Stephanie. Welcome to the All Is Well podcast. My mission is to teach people the Word of God and emphasize its importance in their daily lives. I'm glad you decided to join me today. Let's get started. This is episode 25. In this episode, I'm going to discuss who God is and who the devil is, and what you need to do to live in victory. Now let's get started.

Speaker 1 0:32

Let's turn to John, chapter 10, verses 7 through 17. In John, verse 7, it reads so here is Jesus. He gives life. He laid down his life for us. That is who he is. He's a giver.

Speaker 1 1:15

And then in verse 10, it says the thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. That is what the devil does. The devil is the thief, remember. He only comes here to steal, to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly. So do you see the difference right there between God and the devil?

Speaker 1 1:33

Sometimes people put them into the same category. If something bad happens in their life, they'll say God put this in my life. God wanted me to be sick. God took this in my life. God wanted me to be sick. God took this away from me. They never mentioned the devil, but the devil has a part to play in this, because in verse 10, it reads the thief does not come except to steal. So if anything in your life is being taken away from you, that is from the devil. If anything in your life has been killed, he's killing things. You're losing people in your life, in your family. That's from the devil. And destroying. Is there anything in your life that is being destroyed again and again? That is from the devil. That is not from God. And what does Jesus do? It says I have come, that they may have life. Life gives and that they may have it more abundantly. God will give you more than enough, while the devil, the enemy, takes it away. Where you're lacking, where you don't have anything, you're always suffering. You're always in a low place. That's where the devil wants to keep you. He wants you to stay there, but God is not like that. He wants you to rise up. He wants you to have more than enough. So know the difference. Where are you? Have more than enough? So know the difference. Where are you? Who are you giving place to Read in verse 11.

Speaker 1 2:52

I am the good shepherd. Jesus says the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. And who are the sheep? We are his people. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, sheep and fleas, and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. Hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd and I know my sheep. Jesus knows us and am known by my own, as the father knows me. Even so, I am known the father and other sheep I have which are not of this fold. Them also I must bring. So he's saying, the sheep that are not with him, he's saying I must bring them with me, I must save them too, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd. Jesus wants to give his life for us, he wants to help us.

Speaker 1 3:45

Verse 17,. Therefore, my father loves me because I lay down my life that I may take it again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. This command I have received it from my father. So now do you see the difference between God and Jesus and the devil. They are not in the same category at all. They're not even on the same playing field at all, nor will they ever be. So God, so Jesus laid down his life for us. He gave us life so that we could live while the enemy.

Speaker 1 4:28

Now let's go on over to Deuteronomy, chapter 30, verses 15 through 30. Now in Deuteronomy, verse 15, it says I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. In that I command you today to love the Lord, your God, to walk in his ways and to keep his commandments, his statues and his judgments. That you may live and multiply, and the Lord, your God, will bless you in the land which you go to. Do you see anywhere in that verse when it starts in verse 16, that God wants to steal from us, to destroy our lives? Do you see any of that? No, god is giving us instruction. He is not telling us to do stuff just because no, the Bible is the book of instruction. When he's giving us this instruction, the instruction of the Bible, he's telling us for our own good. And when we follow the instruction of God, he says here he wants us to walk in his ways and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments. That's his instruction for our lives. And when we do this, he says that we may live and multiply and that the Lord, our God, will bless us. So when we abide by God's word, that's what will happen.

Speaker 1 5:46

And those people are people who say, well, I'm not going to listen to God, I'm just going to do my own thing. That's just rules. But what they don't realize, when you're not choosing God, you're choosing the devil, because you're choosing his ways, whether you believe it or not, or whether you like it or not. And so without God in your life, the enemy is able to steal and kill and to destroy from your life. Then we go in verse 17.

Speaker 1 6:09

But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear and are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall perish. You shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in. So he's telling us we have life and there's death, blessing and cursing. Life comes from God, death comes from the devil. And then he's given us the answer what to choose? There's only two choices. And then he's still given us the answer. Therefore choose life. He says you can choose between life and you can choose between death. He says that both you and your descendants may live, that you may love the Lord, your God, that you may obey his voice and that you may cling to him, for he is your life and the length of your days. So do you see who God is? He wants us to have life. That is who he is. We are his children.

Speaker 1 7:05

Now let's go on over to 1 Peter, chapter 5, verses 6 through 9. So in 1 Peter, chapter 5, verse 6, it reads Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you. So let's go back here. Vigilant what does vigilant mean? He tells us to be vigilant. Vigilant means keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties. And then devour means to destroy completely. So the enemy is looking for us. Who can he devour? Who can he destroy completely? He looks for the weak ones. Who doesn't know their position with Christ? Who doesn't know what's going on? Who can I attack? Who can I consume? But God tells us be vigilant, be sober, and it says keeping careful watch for possible dangers.

Speaker 1 8:15

You're looking out, you're watching. It doesn't mean that you're doing it in a fearful way oh, I better watch it because something bad's going to happen. No, you're just aware. And when you see something, you know how to attack. You know how to go after it. Just imagine if an actual lion was after you. If you are not paying attention, that lion's going to attack you. But if you're looking out for lions let's say there's lions roaming in your neighborhood If you are watching out for those lions, you're going to be prepared, you're going to have your equipment ready, you're going to stay inside, you're gonna keep your children inside, You're gonna set a trap, whatever you need to do to prepare yourself, to protect yourself from that lion. And that's the same way here. When the enemy is trying to plant something against you and your family, you are vigilant. Then, when the enemy is trying to plant something against you and your family, you are vigilant. Then you're able to see and you're able to recognize in the spirit when the enemy is trying to attack you, when the enemy is trying to plant something against you.

Speaker 1 9:10

That's why he tells us here to be sober, to be vigilant, to watch out, because the devil, he's looking around, he's watching. Who can I get? Who can I I consume? Who's not watching me? So let's go to another verse. So in Ephesians, chapter 4, verse 28. It reads let him who stole still no longer. You can prevent the devil from stealing from your life. How can I prevent him from stealing from me, from stealing from my family? Because God has told us here in his word let him who stole still no longer don't give place to him. Verse 26 it Because God has told us here in His Word.

Speaker 1 9:44

Verse 26 reads how do we do that? How do we even start with that? Well, one thing is prayer. Be confident when you pray. Don't pray from a begging standpoint, but pray from a victory standpoint. When you do that, you'll show the confidence in the Lord. When you do that, your prayers will be answered.

Speaker 1 10:08

And also with the words that you speak. You can't pray for the victory and then speak defeat in your mouth. Five minutes later you cancel the prayer that you just prayed. You can't say things like if it's not one thing, something else is going to happen. Or my family always gets sick during the fall, or the car always breaks down when it's cold. Those things, even though they have happened before, your words are also causing them to happen. So change your words, speak life. See, even too, he told us in Deuteronomy we speak life. When we speak life into those situations because, even saying that about a vehicle, my car always breaks down in the winter, or whatever it may be you're speaking death into that situation. There's no life, so it's going to break down.

Speaker 1 10:54

Change your prayer, change the way that you speak and say thank you God that my car does not break down, thank you God that it always works, thank you God that me and my family are well, thank you God that we do not get sick. What are the things that you're saying? What are the things that you are speaking? And then follow the instructions that God has given you in the Bible. And so, now that we know the difference between God and the devil, there's no need or no reason to combine them, because they are on two different playing fields. One, god and Jesus and the Holy Spirit want to give us life, want to bless us, want to multiply us, while the devil, the enemy, wants to steal, kill and to destroy from our lives. And so, as Christians, as we need to know our authority that we have in Christ and what belongs to us, and when we do, we are able to be sober, be vigilant and to resist the devil. And it says in the Bible, and then he will flee from us.

Accepting Jesus as Savior

Speaker 1 11:57

So what I would recommend for you to do is to keep meditating on these scriptures, know who God is and be vigilant and speak the the word of God and pray over your life. Pray every day. Spend that time in the morning to pray over your day. Pray over yourself. Pray over your family, over your parents, over your neighbors, over your co-workers, anyone and everything. Pray over your health. Pray over those things. Allow God to move into your life and then, as you're going throughout your day, watch the words that you're speaking. So keep on meditating on these scriptures.

Speaker 1 12:32

Thank you for tuning in. If you have not accepted Jesus into your life, say the salvation prayer with me. Heavenly Father, I admit that I have sinned. I repent. I believe in my heart. You raised Jesus from the dead. I confess with my mouth Jesus is Lord and my Savior. Right now I receive forgiveness by the blood of Jesus. Come into my life. I am saved In Jesus name, amen. I'm glad you prayed that salvation prayer. Make sure that you plug yourself into a spirit-filled church and read the word of God. Well, I hope you enjoy the message and thank you for tuning in.