Courtnaye Richard

                                      www.insideoutwithcourtnaye.org

If you are a Christian woman, then I know that you are well aware that we have a great enemy out there who is ready to devour us, any chance he can get. Right? Right. But here’s the thing, sis. When he presents his strategies and schemes as the Bible warns, how good are you at telling him, “No!”

Remember, Satan is the father of lies, a deceiver, and he’s an enemy of God and all who love and serve Him. His schemes are tailor-made to try to get us to lose faith/give up (I would say that’s his biggest goal), diminish our witness for the cause of Christ, make us feel defeated whenever we mess up, or tempt us to do something that is sinful or contrary to God’s will.

But here’s the reality. We have more power against his schemes, tactics, and temptations. We have the power to speak the Word, the power of prayer, the ultimate power of the Holy Spirit, and the power and authority to unleash our mouths to shout an unwavering, “No!”

The Bible tells us in James 4:7, “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” The word resist means to fight against, oppose something or someone, repel, combat, refuse, or to stop yourself from doing something. In the Greek, it means to set against or withstand. So, in other words, we need to get in the habit of resisting him by saying,“No! Not today, Satan!”

In this post, I’m going to be sharing with you an array of tips on how to tell him a very powerful word, “No!” And it will be demonstrated in very real and actionable ways. So, here goes…

When Satan tries to…

-      Tempt you with impure thoughts say, “No!”

-      Distract you from an important task at hand say, “No!”

-      Disrespect your husband say, “No!”

-      Lie say, “No!”

-      Entertain sexual advances at work or church from men other than your husband say, “No!”

-      Commit adultery say, “No!”

-      Suggest homosexual thoughts or activity say, “No!”

-      Get you to abort your unborn child say, “No!”

-      Watch or listen to something that will displease God say, “No!”

-      Press pass God’s will say, “No!”

-      Cause strife say, “No!”

-      Stay bitter say, “No!”

-      Get you to gossip or slander someone or defame someone’s character say, “No!”

-      Remain unforgiving say, “No!”

-      Commit suicide say, “No!”

-      Do drugs say, “No!”

-      Drink unto drunkenness say, “No!”

-      Stay depressed and anxious say, “No!”

-      Covet what your neighbor has or be jealous of others’ possessions say, “No!”

-      Get you to be discontent say, “No!”

-      To give up on your kids say, “No!”

-      To throw in the towel say, "No!"

-      And the list can go on…

I hope you’re getting the point, sis. In other words, when the enemy tempts you in any way, you have to choose to say, “No!” You can say it out loud or quietly (depending on where you are). But just know that when you tell him no, which is really all about resisting him– you have to stand firm on your answer and move forward by doing the right thing according to Scripture and a good conscience. That’s when he will flee. He has no other choice but to walk away with his tail between his legs.

I’ve totally been there before, sis. I’ve been tempted in a variety of ways in my Christian walk. So, I know from experience. I actually learned this life-changing method from a Christian counselor. He told me, “You’re going to have to learn to tell the devil no when he brings you suggestions and notions that are contrary to God’s Word.” I had to learn how to actively and immediately resist him.

Well, I tried it and oh my goodness sis, it WORKED! So, I know that he flees when we say, “No!” It shuts him down, especially when we add the written Word to it and stand firm on our answer. And then when we call on Jesus, that name alone is strong enough to send him running.

So, do it, sis! Now that you know how to apply it to any given situation, try it the next time he comes around like a roaring lion seeking to devour you, and tell him, “No! Not today, Satan. Not today!”

Remember, Jesus is coming back soon! And those who endure unto the end shall be saved. So let’s be ready from the Inside Out!

~Courtnaye

QUESTION: What do you need to tell the devil, "No!" about? How has he been tempting you? If you need prayer, you can email me directly @ insideoutwithcourtnaye@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you and praying for you.

      Booking for 2019!

*Have a women's conference or event, let me know and let's connect on the details! For more information on booking me to speak in 2019, Click here!

Order your copy of IDENTIFIED from Amazon TODAY!

*Tune in every Monday at 7:30am for new posts, “Like” my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/InsideOutWCourtnaye), and follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/InOutwCourtnaye. Also, share this blog with friends, family, co-workers, or your women’s group or ministry. I’d love to stay connected and help more women grow in the Lord! Thanks again and may God be with you!

                                            www.insideoutwithcourtnaye.org

If you clicked onto this post, then I want to say right from the start, you go sis! And the reason being, is because I know this is not an easy thing to do. Just like taking on any deep cleaning project like your house or office, it will take effort. The effort in this case however, will be to allow the Lord to search your heart to see if there is anything in it at this time that displeases Him and to actively get rid of it with Him. This is what this post is all about.

Are you ready?

Okay, so let’s start with Psalm 139:23-24. I’d like for you to recite it. It says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” The goal here is to really ask the Lord to search your heart, sis.

And once you are still before the Lord, quietly wait for Him to reveal to you in your heart what offends Him. It may come up right away or it may take a few minutes. Trust me. If God is calling you to come clean on something before Him, it won’t take very long, because He is the One who is calling you on it.

The next step is acknowledging it and confessing that that’s it. Whatever “it” is. And I’ll tell you, once you confess, it will feel like a weight has been lifted.

The next step will be repentance.

Repentance is all about turning away from that thing. It’s saying, “No.” It’s saying, “I love God too much to hurt Him in this way.” It’s saying, “I need to stop. I need to be set free. I’m done with this. I’m surrendering all, today.” That’s what repentance looks like. I like to say, it’s like doing a 180 turn (ponder on that for a moment – catch the visual).

The point here is, “Don’t bury your sin.” Instead, go to God and say, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10) This particular verse was written at a time when King David knew that he sinned against God and wanted forgiveness and His mercy. We need the same things when we mess up. But it will start by allowing the Lord to search our hearts, as we acknowledge it openly before Him or even a trusted friend, and come clean before the Lord, and allow Him to deliver us and set us free from it.

I’ve totally been here before. 

So, if you were to sit before the Lord today, what do you think or know already that you need to come clean on? Is it an unconfessed sin? Is it a decision that you’ve made, but didn’t tell your husband? Have you been thinking sexually immoral thoughts or been doing something immoral? Have you been harboring unforgiveness in your heart because of someone? What is it?

Have that heart-to-heart talk with God, sis. Go to Him and let Him know where you are and what you’ve been either hiding or suppressing (maybe without even knowing it). And let Him set you completely free from the guilt, shame, and even the sin. It’s time to do a deep cleaning of the heart.

Remember, Jesus is coming back soon! And those who endure unto the end shall be saved. So let’s be ready from the Inside Out!

~Courtnaye

QUESTION: Do you feel like you need to sit before the Lord to allow Him to search your heart right now, or do you need to come clean on something to Him and to someone else, sis? If so, do it. Don't wait. Get free today. Also, if you need prayer, you can email me directly @ insideoutwithcourtnaye@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you and praying for you.

      Booking for 2019!

*Have a women's conference or event, let me know and let's connect on the details! For more information on booking me to speak in 2019, Click here!

Order your copy of IDENTIFIED from Amazon TODAY!

*Tune in every Monday at 7:30am for new posts, “Like” my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/InsideOutWCourtnaye), and follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/InOutwCourtnaye. Also, share this blog with friends, family, co-workers, or your women’s group or ministry. I’d love to stay connected and help more women grow in the Lord! Thanks again and may God be with you!

This blog post first appeared at www.insideoutwithcourtnaye.org.

Do you sense that God may be leading you to surround yourself with more Christian friends? If so, I will tell you that it wouldn’t be a coincidence. Second Corinthians 6:14-15 says, “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can goodness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the Devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?”

Wow! Hard truth, right? I know. But if you’re hanging out with the wrong crowd consistently my sister, then others are going to associate you to be that way as well. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 24:21, "My child, fear the Lord and the king; Don't associate with rebels." (NLT)

And it's not that you can't talk to sinners at all. That would be crazy! Remember, we're in the world, just not of it. We're supposed to be light in the midst of darkness. So the association is just what it says. First Corinthians 15:33 also instructs us, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” (NIV)

So for instance, if the people that you keep company with or associate with are cursing, getting drunk, and you’re laughing at their nasty, coarse jokes, but you just finished telling someone that you had a great time at Women’s Bible Study; as a born-again Christian, it would look like it’s an oxymoron or that you’re being a hypocrite.

Now, I know that for some women reading this, it will be a hard pill to swallow. Why? Because some have been friends since high school or college. Some have met at work and have become Happy Hour drinkers (and either get tipsy or drunk by the end of their time together). Trust me. I've totally been there before. So I know from experience!

But that’s when I would have to ask, “What’s more important? What God’s Word says or your friends?” I can personally tell you, for me, I chose God’s Word.

The Word of God is really our roadmap to living a life that pleases God. It's an instruction manual, along with a lot of other important knowledge. So my encouragement to you through this post would be to choose your friends wisely and with the Lord's Word in mind.

So take inventory. Are they godly or worldly? How are your conversations? Are they filled with gossip, slander, sex, adultery, greed, hate, unforgiveness, bitterness, or coarse joking on a consistent basis? Are you hanging out at the clubs, gambling at casinos or gas stations, or hanging out at wild parties? If Jesus was sitting next to you, would He approve of your conversations and fellowship?

If not, pray and seek the Lord's wisdom on how to cut the ties or have the tough conversation about them changing and living a transformed life in Christ. Again, be the light in the midst of the darkness. This also goes for friends who say that they are Christians, but you find them indulging in these same things and wanting you to engage in them as well. That’s not good either, because that’s what the Bible means when it talks about a person being lukewarm.

The Apostle Paul instructs us plainly in 1 Corinthians 5:11-12 saying, "...you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don't even eat with such people. It isn't my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning." #biblicaltruth

Now, this is not saying be cruel, mean, or downright rude to your friends, because that’s not being Christ-like. You can still be cordial, kind, and talk to them every now and then. But I am saying take a stand for righteousness, and watch your associations. Remember, bad company corrupts good character.

The point here is to purposefully surround yourself with godly friendships where you can encourage one another, carry one another's burdens, sharpen one another in the Word, give each other godly advice, and enjoy wholesome fellowship. There's nothing like having a sister-friend to share life's ups and downs, highs and lows, laughs and tears, goals and dreams, mishaps and victories with.

Look around for them at church, coffee shops, women's gatherings, Bible Study small groups, through mutual friends, at work, school (if you attend), your kids' school or games, and in your community. Show yourself friendly, don't be shy, start up a conversation, or join in on one, and pray for the Lord to lead you to the right ones.

Also, if you haven't found any Christian friends yet, I pray that you will soon! And if you have, cherish them always. We are stronger together.

Remember, Jesus is coming back soon! And those who endure unto the end shall be saved. So let’s be ready from the Inside Out!

~Courtnaye

*If you have any questions or need help on this one or prayer, email me directly at insideoutwithcourtnaye@gmail.com. Also, stay tuned on my Facebook page (Inside Out with Courtnaye) for this week's theme: Friendships. I'll be sharing videos and audio messages on this topic, quotes, Bible verses, advice, a Facebook LIVE Q&A session (so get your questions ready) and more! So stay tuned! It's going to be edifying, enlightening, and eye-opening! 

Thanks for reading! I hope and pray that you’ve been enlightened from this post. Feel absolutely free to leave a comment or for questions you can email me directly at insideoutwithcourtnaye@gmail.com, and I will respond promptly. Also, tune in every Monday at 7:30am for new posts! Don’t forget to “Like” my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/InsideOutWCourtnaye) and share this blog with friends, family, co-workers, or your women’s group or ministry. I’d love to stay connected and help more women grow in the Lord! Thanks again and may God be with you!

      Booking for 2019!

*Have a women's conference or event, let me know and let's connect on the details! For more information on booking me to speak in 2019, Click here!

Order your copy of IDENTIFIED from Amazon TODAY!

*Tune in every Monday at 7:30am for new posts, “Like” my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/InsideOutWCourtnaye), and follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/InOutwCourtnaye. Also, share this blog with friends, family, co-workers, or your women’s group or ministry. I’d love to stay connected and help more women grow in the Lord! Thanks again and may God be with you!