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Welcome to study notes

Select the topic or date of your choice to view a detailed outline of the teachings. Each time you study the Word, you position yourself to receive divine direction from God. When you spend time researching the Scriptures, you acquire wisdom for every situation in life. As you study, expect to find answers to your questions and solutions to your problems!

The Connection between Grace and Resisting the Devil

By Creflo Dollar

Summary

Christians are fighting a spiritual battle against Satan, who focuses regular attacks against our minds and emotions. However, Jesus has already defeated him on our behalf; we therefore fight from a place of victory by maintaining our stance as winners. One of the most effective ways we win is to completely depend on Jesus instead of on ourselves; this indicates humility and trust in Him. The last thing the devil wants is for us to know that a spiritual battle is even being waged for control of our thoughts; he therefore uses every trick he can to deceive us into thinking there is no God, no devil, no heaven, and no hell. How we think determines whether we win or lose the fight. Wrong-thinking allows the enemy access into our lives; right-thinking reinforces our minds against his lies and suggestions. Keeping a close watch over our thought lives and letting the Word of God influence how we think keeps the enemy where he belongs— under our feet.

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How to Defeat the Devil in Your Mind

By Creflo Dollar

Summary

Satan has declared war on us. He is sneaky and devious and attacks us in our thoughts; his plan is to operate undetected in our lives so that he can destroy us and steal everything good that God wants to bless us with. As believers, we are battling demonic spiritual forces that have been specifically assigned to us. The strategies the devil uses against us include deception, distraction, and suggestions that contradict God, in hopes that we do not know His Word of truth well enough to detect the lies. He has been deceiving people and lying to them since he first appeared to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, and he continues to do so today. Our lives are a product of our thinking; the enemy therefore tries to derail our lives by suggesting to us whatever is contradictory to God’s Word. We win the fight when we catch on to his tactics and stand on our faith in Jesus Christ to maintain the victory that He already obtained for us.

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The Conditions for Acceptable Good Works

By Creflo Dollar

Summary

We live surrounded by people who do good works simply for the sake of doing good. Technically, there is nothing wrong with service to others; however, a deeper look will reveal the true motives behind their actions. Although serving and working for God is fine, it is useless if our motivation for doing so is to earn His favor or to fulfill some kind of duty or obligation to Him. God prefers for us to have love and devotion for Him, first; the good works He wants to see will come out of those motives. We do not have to do good works to “pay Him back,” as if we were in debt to Him for showing us favor; realizing that Jesus paid our debts and cleared away our sins when He died on the cross because of His love for us changes the reasons for what we do. Motivations based in anything other than love are unacceptable to God. Faith in His love for us always keeps our motives pure.

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How to be Motivated by God

By Creflo Dollar

Summary

The covenant of grace has made a relationship with God possible for every believer. This is not the same as simply following religious protocol. There is a difference between devotion and love for Christ, versus service and work for Christ. They are both important, and we must strike a balance between the two. Serving others is definitely something we should do; however, we cannot do so with the right motives unless we first have a personal relationship with, and a love for, Jesus. As important as good works are, devotion to Christ is more important. Regardless of how admirable something looks on the surface, our works will not matter to God unless Jesus is the motivation behind them..

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Godly Living Obtained by the Power of God (Part 2)

By Creflo Dollar

Summary

It is impossible to live in a way that pleases God without yielding to Him as instruments for Him to use; godly living is a result of submitting to and trusting Him. Although salvation is of God, it is specifically through Jesus Christ. Our own efforts to be good and to do the morally right things, independent from Jesus, will not succeed. Placing our faith in Him does not take away the problems we encounter in life, but does allow Him to deliver us and give us victory over them. We cannot overcome the evil we encounter in the world—and in ourselves—through self-effort, but only through Christ, who lives inside every born-again believer. Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit; depending on Him is the key to experiencing success in life. Relying on the Spirit when we feel our old sinful natures trying to re-assert themselves is how we live godly lives..

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Understanding the Essence of Grace

By Creflo Dollar

Summary

A relationship with Jesus Christ is more than just working the mechanics of Christianity. To know Jesus is to know the grace of God, personally. We must not become so principle-minded that we no longer know the one who gave us the principles. It is essential for us as Christians not to get hung up on doing the right things for the sake of performing, but to discover the essence of Jesus, who is love. What was true under the law may no longer be true under grace. The truth is that we need Jesus and have always needed Him; we cannot succeed in anything without Him. We remain humble and avoid pride and self- righteousness by always remembering that we are nothing without Him.

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