Perfect

​Love you all, praying for you.  
 
I just love God’s Word – it sets you free.  Have you ever noticed how many things the devil tries to bind you with?  Secret here… tries to.  The devil has no power over you.  Even what he tries against you he needs permission if you have given your life to Christ, and are walking with God.  If you’re not, if you choose darkness, that’s the devil’s dominion, his legal jurisdiction, and he’s free to do whatever.  Stuff happens.  But stuff happens more if you allow it.  Praise God, in Christ we have victory over the schemes, traps, and chains of the devil.  God gives us grace to say “No,” it’s just up to you to say it.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you!  Don’t resist him, and he’ll hang around.  And if you are hanging around his crowd, you’ll be swept along with them...  just a caution God gives us.  Don’t go near the path of the wicked, stay far from it, go on your way, take level paths for your feet, only ways that are firm, and you’ll leave devil’s schemes, traps, and chains behind.  Have you ever noticed a sneaky one?  There are some things that the devil tries to trap you with, that are not obvious, they’re sneaky.  They seem right and honorable, but can be misused, or misunderstood... he loves those things.  Someone said, the greatest enemy of progress is perfection.  There may be some truth to that.  The self-imposed standard of perfection, can keep you from even trying.  If you’re not perfect, why bother trying, you’ll never make it, you’ll just screw up again…  that’s page six, right out of the devils playbook.  Praise God, His Word of Truth, is the sword that you use to break free from bondage.  It’s what Jesus did, “It is written.”  “It is written.”  “It is written.”  The only One perfect is Jesus.  That’s why He could die for your sins, so you could live forever with God in heaven.  But perfection is never a standard that God called us to.   What about – “Be perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect.”  That word in Matthew 5:48 – Telios means complete, not flawless.  It means “start out on a course with a target in mind,” it doesn’t mean you have to be there already, the definition is - ‘start out on” – you’re obviously not there yet.  And the target is being complete – fully hearing, fully obeying, fully trusting, fully committed, not flawless.  If you were perfect you wouldn’t need Jesus, you’d qualify for heaven on your own.  But since you never were, you need Jesus to help you make progress, not be perfect.  That train has already left the station.  Diligence is different from perfectionism.  Some people don’t even try because they can’t be perfect.  But God said we are to be diligent, the precious possession of a man or woman is diligence.  Paul exhorted Timothy to continue doing these things… so everyone can see your progress.  Praying that you’ll review the PRISM Topic – Progress.  What God’s Word says.  Some people use perfectionism as an excuse for laziness, or giving up.  God wants you to overcome – not so you will be perfect, but so you will make progress.  He wants to take you from Glory to Glory.  Where you are right now, to where He wants you next!   Praying that you will do the big three today.  PiVAT to get His plans for you (just ask him right now if you missed PiVAT before dinner last night).  Be sure you’re doing what He has assigned you to do today, not the long list of PiVAT Maybe’s that you think you gotta do.  Then Chose PRISM time, over leisure time.  Those five thing you can do in His Word – it will give you strength, healing, encouragement, vision, hope and joy.  And then, overcome with your testimony.  If you don’t have a Daily Call Partner right now, just call a friend and ask them those four PIVAT Questions, so God can reveal what they need most from God, what He told them to do, and when, and remember their testimony – that God is doing for them – so they can overcome with it.  You could help someone walk in victory today – that wouldn’t have unless you called.   Praying that perfection is never your goal, just humble obedience.  So your progress will be seen by everyone!  And your life will be a huge encouragement to others! 
 
Love you all,
dad