Have you ever heard or said the expression “Just get a grip?”

Have you ever said, “Well, I can’t seem to get a grip on this situation?”

Have you ever told someone, “You need to get a grip?”

This morning as I was meditating. . .it stirred in me that believers need to get a grip of what’s been holding them back from achieving what God created and endowed them to do. . .and from fulfilling His vision for their lives in 2021.

If you were to look up get a grip in the dictionary. . .you would find two definitions.

“to make an effort to control your emotions and behave more calmly” and “to understand how to deal with something.”

There is one person. . .only one. . .who can help you get a grip.

Many people have friends and/or family will listen to your dilemma. . .but you can’t be assured they won’t judge or talk about what they’ve heard.

 Matthew 11:28-30 in the Message Bible says:

There are 64 times in just the King James Version of the Bible that the word blessing is used.  The word bless appears 463 times.  It is obviously a word God likes to use.

A blessing is something we all enjoy receiving from God. It’s also what we are called to do and be to others. 

Yet when you look around today there is a something that touches lives everywhere even in Christian circles.   

I call it “blessing abuse” or the sin of ingratitude.

When we forget who brought us to the dance. . .when we forget who has delivered us out of trouble. . .time after time. . .who has answered our prayers and blessed us daily. . .who healed our bodies. . .lifted us up when we thought we were sinking.

We have abused the blessings that God has given us by a lack of appreciation, recognition or a forgetful memory.

Would you like to have spiritual boldness?

Developing spiritual boldness is not an outside job. . .but rather. . .an inside work.

Ephesians 3:12 in the Classic Amplified Bible says:

“In Whom, because of our faith in Him, we dare to have the boldness (courage and confidence) of free access (an unreserved approach to God with freedom and without fear).”

2 Corinthians 3:12 in the Classic Amplified Bible says:

“Since we have such [glorious] hope (such joyful and confident expectation), we speak very freely and openly and fearlessly.”

Confidence in God and His Word gives us a boldness to be about His business.

I vividly remember one morning when I was crying out for our precious partners who need deliverance from sin, fear, debt, sickness, lack, greed, addictions, anger, hurt, depression, sexual sin and hopelessness.

These twelve sins are the ones that immediately came to my mind.  As I wrote them down. . .I labeled them the Dirty Dozen.  Obviously, the list could be expanded to include others but these are the first twelve that came to my mind.

Create your own prayer and confession to be delivered from the Dirty Dozen . . . but it should be something like this.

“Heavenly Father, I’m calling out, exposing and cursing these twelve sin tactics of the enemy.  In the strong name of Jesus, I bind sin, fear, debt, sickness, lack, greed, addictions, anger, hurt, depression, sexual sin and hopelessness.  By the authority of the Word and through the blood of Jesus I’m binding these Dirty Dozen sins out of my life and the environment in which I live and operate.

When Jesus was raised from the dead …

It was the day that changed everything.

Read that sentence on more time.

It was the day that changed everything.

On that day. . .where we spend eternity. . .changed.

On that day. . .how we live our lives now. . .changed.

On that day. . .how we face adversity, tough times and attacks of the enemy. . .changed.

On that day. . .we gained the victory over sickness, disease, addiction, affliction and poverty.

But truthfully, our celebration should be daily and not just one Sunday a year.