"Attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes."Proverbs 4:20-21

Once you've made the Word of God final authority in your life, your first step to victory over the attacks of the enemy is to go to the Word and lay hold of God's promises concerning your situation. Notice I said, "Go to the Word." It's good to have the Word committed to memory. But don't let that substitute for getting the Word before your eyes on a daily basis.

Think about it this way. It never did a hungry person any good to think about what a potato tastes like. Not even if he can remember it perfectly. The same thing is true with the Word of God. It's important to keep it in memory, but it's also necessary to go directly to it and feed your spirit with it. There is power in keeping the Word in front of your eyes and going into your ears. That's how it gets in your heart, so you can live by it.

So don't just think about the Word today, read it. Go to the promises that cover your situation. Feed on those promises and grow strong!

READ: Deuteronomy 6:1-9

"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by theword of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."

Hebrews 11:3

God uses words to create. He used His Word to "frame" the worlds. Just look in the first chapter of Genesis and count how many times you see the phrase, "God said." "God said, Let there be light: and there was light.... God said, Let there be a firmament.... God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together.... God said, Let the earth bring forth...."

God doesn't do anything without saying it first. That's His mode of operation. And, if you're smart, you'll use that mode of operation too. You'll take His words and speak them out until they take on form and substance and become a reality in your life.

READING: Genesis 1

"Love...is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it pays no attention to a suffered wrong." 1 Corinthians 13:5

Have you ever tried to forgive someone and found you simply couldn't do it? You've cried about it and prayed about it and asked God to help you, but those old feelings of resentment just failed to go away. Put an end to those kinds of failures in the future by basing your forgiveness on faith rather than feelings.

True forgiveness doesn't have anything at all to do with how you feel. It's an act of the will. It is based on obedience to God and on faith in Him.

READ: Luke 6:27-37

"He that loves his brother abides in the light, and there is noneoccasion of stumbling in him." 1 John 2:10

Whenever you find yourself stumbling into failure or sin, check your love life. Sit down with the Lord and ask Him to show you if you're in strife with anyone or if you've taken offense. If you have, the devil can come in and trip you up.

Remember, taking offense never comes from God. He says we're to be rooted and grounded in love. So reject those feelings of offense. Give yourself to that person in love and in prayer. You'll be able to walk right on through that situation without ever stumbling at all.

READ: 1 John 2:1-11

"And now I exhort you to be of good cheer." Acts 27:22

What do you do when you're in a really perilous situation? Do you cry out to God in desperation? Don't do it. Instead, do what Paul said and be of good cheer! Cry out to God in faith and say, "Lord, I'm not going to panic. I'm not going to despair. I'm going to be of good cheer because Your Word says You'll deliver me from this
situation" (Ps. 34:19).

Then start being cheerful. It may take more determination than anything you've ever done before, but God will give you the strength to do it. He'll give you the power to be cheerful in the middle of the most ungodly darkness the devil can bring up.

READ: Philippians 4:4-9

"Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

Do you know what it's like to face a problem so big it seems downright irresponsible not to worry about it? There may not be a thing you can do about it, but you feel like you need to at least be concerned. After all, somebody needs to! And no one else seems to be volunteering for the job.

Then next time you're facing a problem, give it to God. Let Him be the one who's concerned about it. He's volunteered for the job and you can trust Him to do it well. After all, He really does care for you.

READ: Psalm 37:1-11

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7

If you've been crying and asking God to run the devil out of your life, STOP! The Bible says you're the one who's supposed to overcome the devil.

How? By resisting him. By rebelling against him when he tells you to do something and doing what God says instead! When Satan tells you some lie, contradict him with the Word of God. Oppose him. This verse says when you do that, he'll flee from you. He'll "run as in terror."

READ: Ephesians 6:10-18