satan, Let Me Refresh Your Memory

The following is an excerpt from the book, “satan, Let Me Refresh Your Memory,” by Derrick and Angela Day. If you haven’t already downloaded your free copy, you should do so today! This book will equip you to operate in your God-Given authority and put the devil where he belongs, under your feet!

Who’s backing you?

Before we get puffed up and wise in our own conceits to think we can take on satan on our own power, we have to remember that true warfare require fighting forces. Every standing army is backed by the government it is sworn to defend. And every standing army has a commander-in-chief; in the Kingdom of God, the Commander-in-Chief is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Citizens of the Kingdom of God serve two roles, ambassador and soldier.

First and foremost, we are ambassadors of the Kingdom of God:

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20)

It is our duty to represent our King. As part of the new birth, we are commissioned to spread the good news of our God and His glorious Kingdom. When our citizenship changes, we remain in the world but we are not of the world. Therefore, we are ambassadors in a foreign land and, as such have the responsibility to speak the words of his home government, lest we be subject to recall!

Next we are called to be soldiers. This is why the Apostle Paul gave the illustration of combat apparel:

Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God…(Ephesians 6:13-17)

We have to understand that, in our capacity as soldiers, we are to be an occupying force of a victorious power. We are to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9), not aggressors. We are to fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12).

In our charge as ambassador and soldier, we are backed by the power and glory of Almighty God, creator of all things, the King of kings, Lord of lords, and the savior of mankind, Jesus Christ, and the Governor of all Creation, the Holy Spirit.

Just like U.S. dollars are backed by “the full faith and credit of the United States Government,” we must be fully persuaded we have the backing of the Lord of Hosts when resisting the devil. What is the guarantee we have this backing? The Word of God! It is the believer’s assurance that God will do what he says.

The devil is not the opposite of God. If this were true, satan would be God’s equal and would possess God’s creative ability. The fact is God has no equal! Evil is not the opposite of Good, it is merely the absence of it. Just like darkness is not the opposite of light, it is simply the absence of it!

© 2009 – Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com) and Angela day (www.angeladay.com)

Glory to God! In this new year, we are beginning a new Agape Dominion ministry – that of health and fitness. I believe this is a neglected area of ministry. As a Body, we have long been focused on spiritual fitness while our physical fitness has languished. We need to ask ourselves, though, can we effectively serve God, exalt Jesus, and advance the Kingdom if our physical bodies are in disrepair?

We are going to take up physical fitness as a lifestyle and, I won’t lie, it isn’t going to be easy. If exercise were easy, we’d all look like Michelangelo’s David or Venus di Milo. Unfortunately, it happens to be quite difficult and, like so many well-intentioned resolutions, even more so to keep up. Starting a true, life-changing fitness program is akin to approaching the girl of your dreams for the first time; you know she’s good for you but you just can’t seem to take that all-important first step. That’s where this ministry segment comes in…

The tendency of man is laziness. We’d sooner kick back with a cold beverage and watch a ball game than walk to the mailbox. The purpose of this book is to help you overcome your lazy tendencies, get off your hind quarters and get started. One of the laws of physics elucidated by Sir Issac Newton held that “…bodies in motion tend to stay in motion; bodies at rest tend to stay at rest.”

Now, if you think these posts are going to be some sort of magic bullet to help you look good overnight, close this page and get to steppin’! On the other hand, if you want to take those critical first steps to avoid embarrassment when you start going to the gym or embarking on an intense physical fitness program, stay tuned!

© 2010 – Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com)

Click the link above to view this video teaching by Laymon Hornsby and Derrick Day, illustrating purpose as the precursor to assignment and destiny.

One of the best illustrations of operating in purpose is watching Tiger Woods swing a golf club. Tiger makes it look so effortless, everyone thinks they can swing like him. The reality is God gave him the ability to swing a Golf club such that, even when he’s “working,” he’s at rest.

This is the difference between “work” and a “job.” Work is what God purposes you to do and a job is what you think you have to do. Work, within your purpose, is effortless — you make it look easy. A job, on the other hand, has nothing to do with your purpose and, therefore, you toil at it and it feels difficult at every turn.

When Adam was placed in the Garden, He was given work; he had to tend and keep the garden and name the animals (Genesis 2:15, 19) . When he and Eve sinned, he was given a job (Genesis 3:17-19).

Y’all follow me here — work is a blessing; a job is a curse. The problem for many folks is they spend their lives pursuing jobs instead of pressing into God to understand their work. You cannot do the work without first understanding your purpose and receiving your assignment…

PURPOSE – you cannot know it without first knowing God through Christ Jesus. This can only be found in the mind of the Creator.

ASSIGNMENT – you cannot get it without first knowing your PURPOSE. When you are operating in your assignment, what you do looks effortless. When you are operating outside your assignment, whatever you do seems stressful.

DESTINY – you cannot walk into it without first knowing your PURPOSE and executing your ASSIGNMENT.

Without these, how can you expect to hear, “…Well done, good and faithful servant” when you close your eyes in time and open them in eternity?

© 2010 – Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com)

How many folks have planned themselves into a career filled with blandness and mediocrity when God has called them to greatness — greatness that lies dormant and unfulfilled because of fear and the criticism of others?

It’s easy to be mediocre — even a dead fish will move in the direction of the current. Greatness requires swimming upstream and overcoming resistance. God has called us to be a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people (1 Peter 2:9). Peculiar means casting aside the ordinary!

So many graves are filled with unrealized potential. The purpose of a thing can only be found in the mind of the creator. Without purpose, you CANNOT receive an assignment. Without walking in and completing your assignment, you WILL NOT enter into your destiny.

We as men and women of God (I’m speaking of the Ephesians 4 “five-fold”) have an obligation to EQUIP the saints to do the work of the Kingdom. In other words, folks must learn to grow beyond their physical boundaries and limitations. If we fail to do this, we hobble the saints and hinder their potential.

In Genesis 1:26-28, God gave man DOMINION. Jesus came to restore this Dominion through the re-establishment of his Kingdom, that is, His divine Government. It’s time to walk in the authority given to us by the Lord Jesus and appropriate His promises, that we may manifest His power to all corners of the earth.

© 2010 – Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com)

From the very beginning, God wanted relationship. First He created a place. Then God created man and established a relationship with him. Next, He gave His child authority over the place. Then, He created a companion for the man. Never in the Genesis account is church mentioned, implicitly or otherwise. What you see is God establishing three institutions, government, relationship, and marriage.

There are three kinds of relationship. The first kind is blood relationships. This is what is commonly known as a familial relationship. The second kind is a relationship built on common interest. This type of relationship is evidenced in friendships and business deals. The third type of relationship is the covenant relationship. Covenant relationships are typically found in treaties between countries.

From the foundation of time, God has worked through relationship. When God commenced His highest creation – man – God spoke to Himself.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:26)

God had relationship and agreement with Himself in creation. Then He set man up to have fellowship with Him. When He spoke of “image,” He determined that man should look like Him. Then God spoke of “likeness,” God wanted man to behave like him.

From the time of the fall, God has looked for men whom He could enter into agreement with. The first man the Bible records as entering into intimate fellowship with God was Enoch.

And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. (Genesis 5:24)

Enoch’s relationship with God was so strong that God saw fit for him to not taste death!

The next man recorded as having a relationship with God was Noah. God saw wickedness in the earth and decided to destroy the earth. God found a man in Noah who did not succumb to the evil in the world. God entered into agreement with Noah to save a remnant of the earth’s population.

Perhaps the most well known example of God entering into a relationship with a man is Abraham. Abraham came from a place called Ur in the Caldees (modern-day Iraq), which was a place known for polytheism (many gods). God first had to get Abram (what Abraham was called at the time) out of his comfort-zone, that is, away from his family and their ungodly society.

God is a Father. Furthermore, He is a loving Father; He wants us to be in His presence. The crowning glory of any father is to have children who love and respect him. The good father does not desire his children to fear him. Does any good parent set aside a special day for their children to fellowship with them? Does any good parent demand their children dress a certain way before allowing the children to be in her presence? Does any parent require his children to speak to him in “Olde English?” The answer to each of these questions is, emphatically, no!

I am reminded of my days in consulting. When I’d return from a trip, my wife and kids would always pick me up from the airport. When I got in the car, there was a cacophony of questions and comments. I had to learn to listen carefully to each one and respond in kind; “cookie-cutter” responses would not do for my sons. Then, when we’d get out of the car, my youngest two sons wanted nothing more than to get in my lap. They didn’t want gifts, they wanted my presence. This is the way God wants us to approach him! Now, before anyone gets this twisted, I must emphasize we must reverence God. Again, using my sons as an example, they all know my name is Derrick Day but they call me “Dad” out of love and respect.

©2010 – Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com)

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.(Proverbs 22:6)

This is one of the most frequently used scriptures regarding child rearing. It is full of sound wisdom that is often overlooked.

Let’s break this down. First of all, what does it mean to train? Dictionary.com has a number of available definitions, I like this one:

to develop or form the habits, thoughts, or behavior of (a child or other person) by discipline and instruction

Training is more than just teaching. Training is instruction but it is also grooming. For example, you train your hedges or trees by careful pruning to achieve a desired shape. Training is also conditioning. For example, athletes train rigorously for an event. Soldiers train for combat. You train to simulate the conditions you will encounter in a real-world event.

But the scripture takes this a bit further – it says train “up.” I thought about this carefully in the context of my own life and drew the conclusion that there are three types of training

• Train Down – To leave to one’s own devices
• Train Across – to train in practical application (vocationally)
• Train Up – to train in the concept or spirit of a matter (professionally)

Training down is easy. Unfortunately, it is one of the most prevalent training involving children. Because man is sinful by nature, leaving a child to his or her own devices means leaving them in sin. The secular humanist trend is to eliminate all vestiges of God from child rearing. Many parents disengage from their children in varying degrees, leaving them to peers and media (internet, television, radio). As a result, they have no moral compass and, even worse, no moral foundation.

Training across assumes that teaching a child a trade will empower a child economically. While this is valuable, it, too, passes on no morality. Giving a child an economic advantage with no moral foundation is a recipe for disaster. It deals with material prosperity but does nothing for soul prosperity. In other words, this is incomplete training.

In both of these cases, the children are not being properly raised. The problem is that many folks confuse raising a child with rearing a child. Raising a child means bringing them up to godly maturity, whereas, rearing is simply caring for a child until he or she is able to support themselves.

This is where training up comes in. This is bringing up a child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). Training up a child teaches them to look up – to God and parents. It teaches them to go up – in the way of the Lord. Training up requires Godly order – both parents must be engaged and involved. This means fathers must not shirk their responsibility of passing down wisdom and serving as a type and shadow of our heavenly Father. It means that mothers must fulfill their assignment of nurturing the children. It further means that the parents must be vigilant – observing the environment and behavior of, and listening to the hopes, dreams, cares, and concerns of their children.

And, while we are discussing the way he should go, we as parents must understand that this way is not the way we think they should go. Every child is born with a God-given purpose. It is our job as parents to help our children discover and walk in their purpose. You see, once children discover their purpose, they will “run in their lane” and not depart from it. They will pursue their divine destination with dogged determination and will not waver. They will go into their old age moving from assignment to assignment but never changing their purpose.

This is the greatest legacy we can give our children – the legacy of a godly, purposeful life in Christ.

© 2010 – Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com)

God hates religion. ALL of it! What God DESIRES is relationship with His children. What he DEMANDS is that it happens through His Son, Jesus Christ. Only Jesus can save you from your sin nature. Krishna can’t. Buddha can’t, Mohammed can’t. Church can’t save you, the synagogue can’t, the mosque can’t, and the kingdom hall can’t.

Jesus threw down the gauntlet to religion when said THE statement in John 14:6,

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Every so-called religion has to deal with this seminal statement.

In order to understand the purpose of a thing, you have to get into the mind of the creator. If you own a Mercedes-Benz, you do not take it to the Chevy dealer for service. Only those trained in understanding the purpose of the thing can adequately service it. Similarly, one Mercedes-Benz cannot go to another and ask, “why is my check-engine light on?” So why do we turn to Oprah, Dr. Phil, et al to solve our problems?

God has given us His Word – it is a service manual for the broken man, a road map for the lost, a textbook for the unlearned, a book of law for the lawless but, most of all, it is a love letter from a Father to His children. I respect all cultures and I respect an individuals choice to believe what he wants. All so-called religions contain principles tantamount to a moral live but only one Book contains the path to salvation and eternal, abundant life.

There is but ONE WAY, that is Jesus, the SON OF THE LIVING GOD!!!

©2010 Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com)

Listen and Be Blessed!

Don’t Look Back is a message to remind the believer that the spiritual windshield is bigger than the spiritual rear-view mirror. What God has ahead of you is far greater than what He has placed behind you!

Don't Look Back [ 47:26 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The ability to do a thing and stick to it is the core of discipleship. One of the great problems in the Body of Christ is there is a lot of good preaching and teaching (well, and a lot of bad preaching and teaching, too. LOL) but not a lot of discipling. We need to be about making disciples, maturing believers, and multiplying ministries. Discipleship leads to revelation of purpose. Understanding of purpose means God can trust you with an assignment. Operating in your assignment propels you into your destiny!

©2010 – Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com)