Do Christians listen to the devil? I did. Pause and reflect! (Btw, thank you to those who reached out to let me know you were blessed by the message last week, “Increase!” To God be ALL the glory!)
“Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20 AMP).
Beyond our Greatest Prayers, Hopes, or Dreams!
Could it be that we just don’t possess the capability to fathom with our human minds the capacity of God’s power that is within us? So, we place limits on the limitless power of God which He has deposited in us, His image-bearers, His sons and daughters. When God gives you a vision and tells us to go after it, the enemy says you cannot accomplish it. Do you listen to the enemy, or do you forge forward with faith and step out on nothing, believing that something is there?
For too many years I allowed the voice of the devil to hinder God’s purpose for me. I thought, becoming the principal of a leading school, earning a doctoral degree, writing a book and having it published by a reputable publisher, etc., were unattainable goals. The enemy told me I wasn’t smart enough, I did not have the resources, I was too young and later too old, and on and on. But when I stopped listening to the devil, I heard the powerful and majestic voice of the LORD (Psalm 29:4)!
Now this is going to sound like a song… It was at a revival, almost 30 years ago. The preacher (Bishop Alfred Owens, Jr.) preached a sermon entitled, “The Minority Report.” I won’t go into the details here (Numbers 13), but God spoke to me through that word! What I heard was essentially, “Your time of being held back by negative forces is over.” Then, I had been listening to the devil. “Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us.” I moved from the classroom to the principal’s office at a leading academic high school. And that was just the beginning of where He would take me!
I will stop here, but I hope this word from the LORD encourages somebody!!!!!!
Focus Quote: “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” –Philippians 3:13 NKJV
Please click the link below to see how to obtain copies of my book, Standing on the Promises: Defeating Fear and Breaking Barriers
Please continue to join us at 5:14 p.m. each day as we pause to pray. Please see the attached prayer list. Just pause and pray wherever you are. There is no call line or zoom link that you need to remember or retrieve and connect to. Just connect to God and pray! I will also be praying with you. There is power in agreement! The 5:14 Prayer List for today, July 10, 2025, is attached below:
Blessings, Peace, and Love,
Alton
Dr. Alton E. Sumner
(301) 921-6060
Listening to the Soul! Lightening the Heart! Lifting the Spirit!
Together we run, together we strive!
