Joshua 23:6 Knox, “But you must be resolute, and observe jealously all the terms of that law which Moses committed to writing, never swerve from them to right or to left.”

Satan’s first temptation was to deceive. It is still his greatest weapon today. Ever so subtly, he woos God’s people to his deceptive ways. They sound so nice, so plausible and so right. But they are opposite to the ways of God. I believe it is time for us to become resolute in our soul, a resoluteness that will not give in to the humanistic thinking of this world, and that will not turn to the right or the left.

Many times God reveals truth to us and we are excited to walk in it--until persecution comes, or the way gets really tough. We may then be tempted to turn back. This is where we need to be resolute. We need to teach this character to our children also. The following are 10 affirmations for you, and your children that will help you stand resolute for God and His truth.

I WILL NOT RETREAT!

Job 23:11-12, “My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandment of his lips.”

Luke 9:62, “No one, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Genesis 19:17,26)

Hebrews 10:38-39, “Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, my soul shall have no pleasure him. But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.”

I WILL NOT BE OVERTAKEN BY THIS WORLD SYSTEM!

We live in an age that is twisted out of its true pattern. It is no longer functioning the way God designed it in the very beginning. We have turned far away from His original design. We must constantly come back to the Word of God. It should be the plumb line for all we believe, rather than what society, or even the church is doing.  

1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides for ever.”

James 4:4; “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (2 Timothy 2:3-4)

I WILL NOT YIELD MY BODY TO SIN!

Romans 6:14-14, “Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you.”

I WILL NOT SUBMIT TO DECEPTION!

Romans 3:4 challenges me, “Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar.” I have to ask myself the question, “Would I be willing to walk in God’s truth even if no one else in the world was following?”

I WILL NOT BE MOVED!

Isaiah 50:7, “I have set my face like a flint, and I Know that I will not be ashamed.”

Psalm 16:8, “I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved.”

Acts 20:22-24, Paul confesses as he sets his face toward Jerusalem, “The Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me.”

1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (Psalm 15:1-5)

1 Corinthians 16:13, “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.” (Philippians 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 3:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:15)

Ephesians 6:13-14, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Lord, I ask that you will put resoluteness in my soul. Help me not to be moved from my trust in you, no matter what happens around me. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

“The braces within me shall be greater than the pressures upon me.”

E. Stanley Jones

Many women like to save these devotions. They print them out and keep them in a folder to read over and over again. Some print them out and pin them on the fridge with a magnet to read through the week.

If you know others who would be blessed by these devotions, you are welcome to forward them or let them know they can subscribe by selecting the Subscribe to Devotional link and then provide the requested information.

Proverbs 12:3, “The root of the righteous cannot be moved.” (Psalm 55:22)

Last week we read five affirmations to be resolute. Here are the other five for this week.

I WILL NOT SELL MY BIRTHRIGHT!

Proverbs 23:23, “Buy the truth, and do not sell it.”

Hebrews 12:16-17, “Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterwards, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.” (Mark 8:36-37)

Revelation 3:11, “Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.” (2:25)

I WILL NOT LOOK UPON EVIL!

Job 27:6, “My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go.”

Psalm 101:3, “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes.” This is a good Scripture to write above your TV.

Psalm 97:10, “You who love the Lord, hate evil!” (Psalm 45:7)

Amos 5:15, “Hate evil, love good.”

Ephesians 5:3-4,, “But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.”

How true are the words that one generation is a generation away from degeneration. I think back to my childhood when it was unheard of for a Christian to enter a movie theater. Now, we live in a day where many “Christians” go to most movies that come to the theaters. Even worse, they watch these movies, condoning adultery and evil, in their own homes! How can we expect the blessing of God upon our homes and upon our nation while we love evil instead of hating it?

I WILL NOT FEAR!

What do we fear most? Is it the opinions of our family, friends and church members? Or is it God Himself? Many times we fear to walk in the truth that God has revealed to us because it is different to what the majority is doing. Forget worrying about what people think. It’s what God thinks that matters! Lift your head high and walk in God’s truth.

Do people ridicule you because you are having another baby? Do not be intimidated by your adversaries. Do not be governed by the deception of those around you. You are on God’s side. You are on the side of life. You are in the perfect will of God.

Psalm 3:6, “I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.” (Psalm 112:7)

Psalm 11:1, “In the Lord I put my trust; how can you say to my soul, ‘Flee as a bird to your mountain?’”

Psalm 56:4,11, “In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6)

Acts 4:19, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.”

Acts 5:29, “We ought to obey God rather than men.”

I WILL NOT CONFESS NEGATIVE THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS!

Proverbs 13:3, “He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.”

Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”

Proverbs 21:23, “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles.”

2 Corinthians 10:4-5, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

When negative thoughts come to your mind, as they invariably will, resist them in the name of Jesus. Never confess them. When you speak them out, they will take root in your life. Instead of confessing your negative thoughts, confess who you are in Christ. If you have received Christ Jesus into your life, He lives in you. All that He is is in you! What wonderful blessings to confess. 

I WILL NOT TEMPT THE LORD WITH UNBELIEF!

The children of Israel tempted God in the wilderness by complaining about their difficult circumstances and not believing that God could provide for them. We are no better today. How often do we complain? Every day? How often do we fail to trust God? There are many who cannot even trust God to provide for another baby in their home. Do we tempt God with our unbelief?

Exodus 17:1-7, “There was not water for the people to drink. Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, ‘Give us water, that we may drink.’ And Moses said to them, ‘Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the Lord?” …So he called the name of the place Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’” Read also Numbers 14:22-24, Deuteronomy 6:16; Matthew 4:7 and 1 Corinthians 10:8-10.

May God help us to be unyielding in our stand for righteousness and truth.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Lord, help to stand strong against all evil and deception. Help me to be unmoved by the opinions and dictates of this society. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION: 

I will stand—and keep standing! Ephesians 6:13

P.S. We have affirmed I WILL NOT regarding being resolute for God.  In the next two weeks I will send you 10 affirmations of I WILL!

Nehemiah 7:5 Knox, “God putting such a resolve into my heart…”

I recently sent out two devotions about being Resolute for God. I listed 10 affirmations of “I will not!” In the next two devotions we will look at 10 affirmations of “I will!” There are many “I wills” in the Word of God. David the Psalmist constantly affirmed his commitment to the Lord. It is a good thing to do. It is important to affirm what we believe. It is even more important to confess it out loud! I love the Scripture in 2 Corinthians 4:13, “I believe, therefore have I spoken.”

I think it could be good to recite the Apostles’ Creed as they do in traditional churches. We miss this in our modern churches today. Here is this wonderful affirmation of your faith in case you don’t have a copy. You may like to learn it and teach it to your children.

“I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hell, the third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit; I believe in the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”

Now for our affirmations about being resolute for God.

I WILL OVERCOME IN JESUS’ NAME!

Revelation 12:11, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

Revelation 2:7, “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life.”

Revelation 2:17, “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saying he that receiveth it.”

Revelation 23:17, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.”

Are you going through obstacles and difficulties? Don’t despair! You are given these to overcome in the name of Jesus Christ. God’s rewards are to the overcomers. If you have nothing to overcome, how can you receive a reward?

I WILL RESIST THE DEVIL!

James 4:7, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

1 Peter 5:8-9, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith.”

Instead of giving in to the temptations of the enemy, be on the offensive. Resist him.

I WILL TRUST IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!

Psalm 55:23, “I will trust in you.” (Psalm 9:10; 18:2; 143:8)

David was going through many troubles—enemies coming against him, violence and strife all around him and even his closest friends maligning him. His heart was “severely pained within him”, but what was his response. “I will trust in the Lord.” It is very easy to let pressures and difficulties of life overwhelm you. But you do not have to be swamped by them. Put your trust in the Lord. Confess your trust in the Lord. Take the example of David and confess out loud, “I will trust the Lord!”

Psalm 56:3, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you.”

Do you have concerns and fears? Fear will debilitate you. It will strangle you. But you do not have to fear. Put your trust in the Lord. Instead of dwelling on your concerns and fears, say, “I will trust you, Lord.”

Psalm 61:4, “I will trust in the shelter of your wings.”

Psalm 62:8, “Trust in him at all times.”

Psalm 125:1, “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides for ever.”

Isaiah 50:10, “Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God.”

Are you walking through a dark time in your life? You can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel? You know what to do, don’t you? Trust in the Lord. He is faithful. He will never forsake you. The blind person implicitly trusts his dog to lead him. You have the Almighty God leading you. The God who is light! He sees the way clearly even when you can’t. Trust him to lead you.

“Trust Him when dark days assail thee,

Trust Him when thy faith is small,

Trust Him when to simply trust Him

Is the hardest thing of all.”

I WILL PRAY AND SEEK THE LORD!

Psalm 27:8, “When you said, ‘Seek my face’, my heart said to you, ‘Your face, Lord, I will seek.’” (Psalm 5:2-3; 18:3; 28:1; 61:2, 86:3; 141:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; 1 Timothy 2:8)

Psalm 5: 2-3, “Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for to you I will pray. My voice you shall  hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to you, and I will look up.”

Psalm 55:17, “Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and he shall hear my voice.”

Psalm 57:2, “I will cry out to God Most High, to God who performs all things for me.”

This is an affirmation that we must become resolute about. God’s people should be known as the people who cry unto the Lord. Our children should know us as people of prayer. Our homes should be known in our neighborhoods as homes of prayer. Do the people in your street know you as people of prayer? Do they ask you to pray for them because they see the power of prayer in your lives? Let’s be resolute for prayer. Let’s be resolute for praying for our nation, for our coming elections and for those in authority. Without earnest prayer, our nation is on a downward slide. And it is a command. Read 1 Timothy 2:1-2.

I WILL GLORY IN TRIBULATION!

Oh no! It’s pretty had to accept this one, isn’t it? We would rather run from tribulation. I know I would. But the apostle Paul constantly affirmed the blessing and joy of tribulations. May the Lord help us to experience this truth in our lives.

Matthew 5:11-12, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.”

2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

1 Peter 4:12-14, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when his glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.”

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL 

PRAYER:

“Lord, please put resolve in my heart that nothing will move me from my commitment to your truth. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION: 

I am resolved to follow God’s ways.

1 Chronicles 28:10, 20, “Solomon my son… Take heed now; for the Lord hath chosen thee to build a house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it... Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work…”

It was not enough for David to encourage Solomon to build a house for the Lord, but he also inspired him to do it! We can get great ideas and dreams of what we want to do, but it is another thing to do them. We must not only be hearers of the Word, but doers!

There is more yet. David exhorted Solomon, not only to do it, but to finish it! Not only do we have to get stuck in and do what we have to do, but also finish the task. But there is even more yet! David said, “I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God…”  It is not enough to do the job. It is not enough to finish it. We have to do it with all our might! Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, “Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with thy might.” And Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatsoever you do, do it heartily.”

These are three important principles that we need to implement into our daily lives in the home. There are many tasks that need attending to—laundry, dishes, cleaning up the kitchen and other tasks on our “to do” list. You want to do them, you plan to do them, but you just have to do them. That’s all there is to it. You have to get up off your seat and start tackling the job. I have made this a habit in my life—not to look at something and think about doing it, but to get up and do it! It’s the only way things get done! Many times I don’t feel like doing it, but I make myself get up and do it.

We need to teach these principles to our children too. They are God-like principles. God lives by this principle. He states, “I have purposed it, I will also do it.” (Isaiah 46:11)

Even Jesus Himself put this principle into action. He exclaims in Psalm 40:7-8, “Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart.” Jesus didn’t come to study God’s will or to meditate upon it, but to do it! None of us will ever understand how hard it must have been for Him to fulfill the plan of the ages to come and suffer and die for our sin. He asked God to take the cup from him, but He faced it and did it.

During the time of Ezra’s ministry, he discovered that the Israelites had not separated themselves from the people round about and were doing according to their abominations. He repented before God on the behalf of the people. But that was not enough. He needed to exhort the people to repent and separate from the evil. In Ezra 10:4 Shechaniah encouraged Ezra, “Be of good courage, and do it.” They did.

Exodus 19:8 says, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” Is this our response? (Exodus 24:3)

Genesis 31:16, “Whatsoever God has said unto thee, do.”

Proverbs 3:27, “Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.”

James 4:17, “To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

Are there necessary things waiting to do in your home? Is there some task that you have been putting off? Don’t think about it any longer. Just do it!

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Lord, please help me to do what I need to do. Please give me your strength. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I am not just a hearer, but a doer!

Many women like to save these devotions. They print them out and keep them in a folder to read over and over again. Some print them out and pin them on the fridge with a magnet to read through the week.

If you know others who would be blessed by these devotions, you are also  encouraged to forward them by clicking on the email icon at the top right of this window. Just fill in the required information and this article will be sent to your friends.