Devotions - Prayer
Christians are called to unity because we have one God and one faith. Should we not be one people?
Have we allowed our prideful thoughts, wounded emotions and self-centered desires to quench God’s Love in our hearts and separate us from each other?
* “If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness.” 1 John 2:9
What did Jesus do to you when He cleansed you?
*He wiped away all your guilt and made you clean and whole.
* He put joy in your soul and filled you with such love for Him that you would follow Him anywhere and do anything for Him.
***That is the secret of unity– When you take up the towel of mercy for a
hurting, fallen brother, you encourage him by embracing him in his hurt. By
washing that person’s feet, you construct a firm foundation for true unity and glorious fellowship.
*You are made one by your common experience.
This message is for me as much as for anyone else. I have just recently come
into this convicting knowledge of what foot washing is truly about. And by
God’s grace, I will take up the towel of mercy along with others and seek out
those hurting ones whose feet need cleansing.
Jesus said, “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also
ought to wash one another’s feet. . . . If ye know these things, happy are ye
if ye do them” (John 13:14, 17).
Now that we “know these things,” as Jesus said, we can do them. I ask you: Are you willing and ready to take up your towel in love?
There is one body and one Spirit just as you were called to one hope when you were called… (Ephesians 4:4).
**Therefore, the way to create unity is simply to bring people to Christ, and the unity of the Spirit will be produced in them by the Spirit.
As we apply this great truth there are certain things that are evident:
First, we cannot classify Christians by organizations.
*We cannot say that all those who belong to this Denomination, for instance, are Christians, but all those who are THIS Denomination, are not.
*God’s Spirit forever over-leaps human boundaries. The unity of the Spirit will be found in people in many different groups.
*We will find Christians everywhere, and it becomes our responsibility to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace with Christians wherever we find them.
A second conclusion suggests that those who have entered into this unity of the Spirit cannot possibly join in an evangelistic endeavor with those who deny this fundamental unity. Why not?
*Because our actions are determined by our beliefs.
*These are such fundamental beliefs that they set the direction of our life.
*Where one person accepts these and has experienced them and someone else does not, you have two fundamentally separate directions.
*It is impossible for one person to ride two horses going in opposite directions.
There comes a third practical application of this.
The efforts of Christians are not to be directed toward creating unity BUT toward maintaining peace in the body. That is the way Paul puts it:
**“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph. 4: 3).
* It is important that Christians not be quarreling, bickering, and struggling against one another.
* A church that is like that is a totally ineffective body in its community.
* It is important that when Christians meet together they recognize that they are called to understand one another, to forbear one another, to pray for one another, to forgive one another, to be kind, tenderhearted, not holding grudges, not being unforgiving, bitter, resentful, and hateful toward each other.
*This is where the Spirit aims when He comes into our midst, at the healing of long-standing grudges, deep-seated resentments, and bitter hostilities that are harbored against one another.
*We must fulfill what the apostle tells us to do, to maintain the unity of the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:1. Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
*Being a Christian isn’t about making a weekly trip to church. We need to move forward and develop the character of God so others can actually see Jesus working in a practical way.
Ephesians is all about unity in diversity. At the core of this short letter is a simple statement of God’s intent —to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. (Ephesians 1:10).
But unity doesn’t come easily. It requires reconciliation to achieve it, and submission to sustain it. The first is God’s work, the second, ours.
*First, Paul revels in the glorious mystery of reconciliation of God with His creation – making us His children.
*He goes on to joyously describes the reconciliation of ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders’ – the people of Israel, and the rest – making us all His people.
*He then describes the importance of right relationships in the church- making us His family.
*And finally, Paul shows how all this is sustained – through the spiritual armour with which God so marvellously clothes us, and the mighty power of prayer!
Wonderful! We’re all One!
Your plans, ideas, and religious ideals are about to be challenged. There are things you thought you knew or understood, but you will find out that some of your concepts were rough constructions. Now, you will get to see those thoughts come under the scrutiny of experience. When this process is complete, you will see and know
the point of error and come to truth. In so doing, our spiritual and experiential
foundation will be more solid.
*1 Corinthians 3:11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Father, may Your Spirit search my heart about my attitude toward others. Thank You that it is not my calling to produce a union of Christians but rather to discover that unity produced only by the Holy Spirit. Amen
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Fear of the LORD teaches wisdom; humility precedes honor (Proverbs 15:33).
*Everything is from God!
Let the whole world fear the LORD, and let everyone stand in awe of him (Psalm 33:8).
* Those who look to the Lord are radiant! Psalm 34:5
* Let God’s Agape Love and Light radiate from within you today!
* “..for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness…But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love…”
1 Thessalonians 5:5-8
Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty man (Ecclesiastes 12:13b).
This verse reveals the secret of wholeness. To “fear God and keep his commandments” is to learn to be and to discover the secret of being a whole person. Who does not want that?
*We all want to be whole persons—not broken, fragmented, easily upset, erratic, going off in all directions at once, but stable, controlled, balanced, whole people.
Here is the secret of it.
Everything hangs upon that word FEAR.
FEAR is a difficult word for us to comprehend.
Most of us think of it in terms of abject terror, of running from God, of seeing Him as a threat, but that is Never the Biblical meaning of the word.
I have put it in the form of an acrostic to make it easier for us to remember what the elements of fearing God include.
First,
F stands for faith in His existence.
* You cannot come to God unless you know He is there.
Hebrews 11:6 says, “Anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
*There is where fear begins: faith that God exists. The whole of the created universe is shouting that at us. All the inner responses of our heart are confirming it.
The Word of God declares it. History confirms it. There is a world of evidence that God is there.
Then
E: experience of His grace.
*You never can properly fear God until you have learned what kind of a God He is.
*He is a God of mercy, of grace, of forgiveness. Until you have stood before Him and felt your guilt, acknowledged it, known you were wrong and corrupt, and heard Him say in your inner heart,
**“Neither do I condemn you… Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11), *You will never be able to properly fear God. One element of fear is the experience of the wonder of forgiveness, that God forgives and sends you out with a whole new purpose and a new resource available.
That leads to the third element.
A: awe at the majesty, the wisdom, and the wonder of God.
* What a Being He is! What a marvelous mind that can comprehend all the billions of pieces of information in this universe and hold them continually before Him, that can hear every voice and relate to every person who has ever lived! What a marvelous God! Awe at the sense of His majesty, His comprehensiveness, His unfailing wisdom and power, is part of fearing God.
The last letter,
R, stands for resolve. Resolve to do what He says, to “keep His commandments,” as the Searcher puts it here. There are only two commandments; Jesus Himself said that. All the law and the writings can be reduced to two simple things:
1. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). That is in response to His love already shown to you; love Him because He first loved you.
2. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” That’s it. As Micah put it,
*“What does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).
Thank You, Lord for this great book, which has taught me many things, foremost of which is to Fear You and keep Your commandments. Thank You for helping me understand FEAR:
* Faith in Your existence,
* Experience of Your grace,
* Awe at the majesty of God.
* Resolve to “keep Your commands,” Amen
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Read More *God’s Love doesn’t just fall out of heaven, It comes through us! We are the Body of Christ on earth, and His hand outstretched to heal.
* “So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 2 Corinthians 5:20
A LIFESTYLE CHECK
Luke 5:31 Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. 32 I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”
*The Pharisees wrapped their sin in respectability. They made themselves appear good by publicly doing good deeds and Pointing to the Sins of Others.
**Jesus chose to spend time, not with these proud, self-righteous religious leaders, but with people who sensed their Own Sin and knew that they were not good enough for God.
Matthew 7:20, “Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”
The way that you can tell whether a person is genuine or not is by the fruit they produce.
*This fruit is speaking of LIFESTYLE.
**Jesus made the point that you don’t get bad fruit from a good tree, and you don’t get good fruit from a bad tree.
*Many people say one thing, BUT their actions speak so loudly that you really can’t hear what they are saying.
If you are in doubt about whether a person is genuine or not, or whether you should receive from them and follow their teaching, “look at the fruit they are producing”.
In evaluating ministries, more attention should be given to the fruit that is being produced.
*Failure to do this could lead someone to reject and even discredit a ministry who simply makes a mistake or is wrong in one area.
*Every ministry has shortcomings, just as every other member of the Body of Christ does. But that doesn’t mean that ministry is bad. Look at the fruit. Are the lifting up Jesus Christ and Him alone??
Fruit is the true test of people and ministries. If people are being saved, if lives are being changed, there is good fruit. Even though the leader may say something bad and make mistakes, the fruit is good.
Therefore, you can say that the tree is good. When a person says all of the right things and may seem sincere, BUT you see the lives of people around them shattered and torn, and in confusion and distress, then the fruit is bad.
Today, make sure that the fruit that comes from your life is positive.
*Make sure that you are making a Positive impact on people’s lives, that you are turning people to the Lord and not leaving them hurt and confused.
** People are looking at you to see what type of fruit you are bearing. Is your fruit full of: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control to your spouse, kids, family, co-workers, friends and in your witnessing for Christ??
*Galatians 5:22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control.
*We aren’t called to be Christians just so we can be happy and content, We are called to be living channels of God’s Love upon this earth.
* “…constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 1:3
Do all that is necessary to maintain peace in your environment. Subdue the flesh and bind the enemy. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. (James 3:16).
* Only you, can maintain spiritual equilibrium in the midst of chaos.
I give you My peace, says the Lord.
*John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Father grant me Peace! Peace to let go of what troubles me. Peace in releasing the desires of world and those things that separate me from You. Let the Holy Spirit fill me with the Peace that comes from trusting You. Let Your Divine Peace always be the resolution when you speak to my storm, like You spoke to the storm that troubled Your disciples on a boat. Let whatever or whoever opposes the Peace You have for me hear the same words that You spoke to that storm Lord Jesus. Let Your voice say, “Peace! Be still!”
Lord open my eyes to see those in my life that are not producing Your fruit that I might close my eats to their counsel. Teach me the areas in my own life that need tending to produce. Show me how to grow those areas that they would be blessed to overflowing by You. And may there Be much Fruit for Your Glory and my Joy! Amen
Our word should be our bond!
*Personal Integrity is needed in us, with that in our heart the Core Values as Christ unique giftedness will be fulfilled.
*Let your vision define your future. Let your Yes be Yes and your No be No -Be reliable and Trustworthy!
“When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.”
*I need to be careful What I promise the Lord and How I carry through.
The Lord is always near to the broken and contrite heart.
* “He gathers the outcasts…He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:2-3
“It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it.”
Ecclesiastes 5:5
*Pray Constantly….Complaining Is a Sin!
**The best antidote for complaining is Thanksgiving.
“And don’t say anything you don’t mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, ‘I’ll pray for you,’ and never doing it, or saying, ‘God be with you,’ and not meaning it. You don’t make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.”.
Matthew 5: 33-37 (Msg)
A person who has to swear or make a promise to validate his statements is a person whose word is no good. The thrust of Jesus’ teaching here is that we should live in such a manner that no one would ever have to have additional proof that we are telling the truth.
* Our word should be our bond!
We have all heard the story of the young shepherd boy who cried wolf when there was no wolf until finally no one believed him when the wolf really came.
Our lack of integrity in performing our word has the same effect on people today.
Throughout history, we have seen people use oaths to declare when they are really speaking the truth and not lying.
Jesus, however, holds us to a higher standard: your word should be your bond (connection, relation, association, and tie).
When I have time to think about it, I will tell the whole truth. But there have been many times that I have told a “little white lie” at the spur of the moment.
I usually regret it later (sometimes moments later), then I am too embarrassed to admit it. This is an area of further growth for most of us.
I was blessed in Business in the 70’s-80’s to be able to do much Business on a hand shake and their word–knowing a person’s word was Truth. Today, Very few people conduct business anymore with their word and a handshake. Even contracts are not sacred if an individual can not afford a good enough lawyer. BUT this is not the way God intended it.
The Bible says that our real problem with this, is that every one of us is building our Identity on something besides Jesus. Whether it’s to succeed in our chosen field–or get our own selfish way– or to have a certain relationship—or even to get up and walk—we’re saying, “If only I have that, if I get my deepest wish, then everything will be okay without any Values.
God has fulfilled every word He has ever spoken. We ARE created in His image and He planned for us to be the same way.
Even our physical bodies respond adversely when we LIE. That’s why lie detectors work.
*Jeremiah 9:6 They pile wrong upon wrong, stack lie upon lie, and refuse to know me.” God’s Decree.
*Colossians 3:9 Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire.
*Ephesians 4: 25 What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.
*The root problem with lies is a hardness of the heart.
*We want what we want when we want it.
*The hardness darkens our understanding (shady spot). We don’t see Gods will for our life because of this obscurity. (We are lying when we Suppress the Truth. Ro. 1:18)
Today, commit yourself to be a new man or woman of your word. You will not only experience a new respect from others, BUT you will find the JOY of a clear heart and mind. (Peace: Philippians 4:4-9)
God’s commandments are not intended to make us miserable–they’re meant for our own happiness. Satan’s lie in the Garden of Eden caused Eve to question God’s motives behind His command (Genesis 3:5).
You can’t control other people–not even your mate. But through obeying the Lord, you can control yourself and have fullness of joy. God’s commands tell us what will produce true happiness for us.
“The circumstances of life, the events of life, and the people around me in life, do not make me the way I am, but reveal the way I am” [Dr. Sam Peeples].
Forgiving Father, thank you for forgiving us and loving us. Help us to be humble, honest and loving people who release others into your forgiveness. Father, help me to always tell the truth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Revelation 12:11 And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.
*When you tell your personal testimony, you tell everyone that God is good in everything by the way He Changed You!
* As long as you are ashamed of your testimony you will not be able to relate to real people honestly!
Knowledge comes to us at a blinding pace, and Understanding comes from God or experience. Without Godly understanding we cannot make wise choices.
“If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.”
2 Corinthians 1:6
*God must love you a lot! He doesn’t allow someone to go through the kinds of adversity you have experienced unless He has a special calling on your life.
*God doesn’t want us to be a lone ranger. He gives us discernment in choosing wise and godly counselors to help us make choices that will please Him.
A “faith experience” is an event or “spiritual marker” in your life about which you can say, “That is where I saw God personally moving in my life.” It is an unmistakable event in which God showed Himself personally to you.
* It was the burning bush for Moses;
* the crossing of the Red Sea or the Jordan River for the nation of Israel;
*It was the time when YOU saw God working in your life, knowing that what happened was in fact a God given blessing- there you knew you were with God face to face in your life situation and only HE could of got you through.
If God has plans of using you in the lives of many others, you can expect that He is going to allow certain faith experiences to come into your life in order to build a foundation that will be solid.
That foundation is what you will be able to look back on to keep you faithful to Him in the times of testing.
* Each of us must have personal faith experiences in which we experience God personally so that we can move in Faith to whatever He may call us.
Hebrews 5: 8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
God can take our adversity—a heart attack, cancer, an automobile accident, violent crime, bankruptcy, a marriage crisis, the loss of a loved one—and transform that pain into encouragement for the people around us. We come out of those experiences stronger and better able to comfort others.
Although adversity may never be a blessing, God in His grace can bring blessing out of our adversity. The key is releasing the hurt and pain to the Lord so He can bring the needed healing to our lives.
Why not give your circumstance to the Lord today and let Him use it in the lives of others. This will be the first step toward healing-to be able to give it away.
Revelation 12: 11 And they overcame him(devil) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
*This verse really struck me in the sense of it being so true of how we are ever able to advance the kingdom in our lives.
It’s a question:
* Do I love my life so much that I shrink from dying to the things Jesus wants me to die to?
*Or do I instead come up boldly and Choose to die to myself so that Christ might become greater in me?
**It’s a great question that deserves our answer.
Do you need a personal faith experience right now in your life?
Pray that God will reveal Himself to you. He delights in doing that.
Proverbs tell us that there is safety in a multitude of counselors.
Proverbs 11: 14 Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.
** Submitting our decisions to others for confirmation protects each of us from the deceit of our own heart.
This process will protect us from presumption and encourage us to move in faith.
The next time you believe God is directing you toward a specific action, consult with your spouse first, then some close, spiritual friends who will take the time to prayerfully consider your request.
*If you don’t have consensus, wait until you do before you move forward.
*God will move through this process to His desired will for the matter.
God has called each of us to live for a cause greater than ourselves – a life that is dependent on His grace and power to achieve things we never thought possible through our lives. This is His plan for your life.
The apostle Paul prayed that He might experience the power of the resurrection in his life. This power is available to you and me to live for a cause greater than ourselves.
Acts 6:4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
I believe that God is showing us that he wants us to rely on Him rather then ourselves. And that he shows us trials to grow us closer to Him.
Thank you God for hearing me; you. always do. Father help me to trust in You in every area of my life…. Lord I will trust in you with all my heart and lean not to my own understanding. Sometimes this journey gets tough but I know you are with me. When I’m standing alone you are with me, when I don’t know which way to go you lead me. Sometimes life gets tough but you did say “Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord shall deliver them out of them all. In all my ways I will acknowledge you and I know you will direct my path. My prayer for today Is that you bless someone else who may need a decision made for their lives. Don’t let them loose hope but hold on to what you promised them and trust that you will see them through.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:5-6. Thank You Lord. Amen
Jesus is the vessel God has chosen to reveal and demonstrate His Way of Agape to this fallen world.
* “He who has seen Me has seen the Father…”. John 14:9
Can you imagine what our marriage, families, churches, and communities would be like if more of us were walking in God’s unconditional Love?
Matthew 5:39, ” But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.”
*Revenges is thoroughly human. But Jesus calls us to a higher way.
This is why we see time and time again when Christians are attacked and persecuted the world over, we follow our Lord’s example on the cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” It’s true that many times also, Christians give in to their human nature and retaliate, but that is the way of the flesh, and not the way of the Spirit of Christ.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Meekness is not weakness — it is strength under control. Jesus did not submit to the crucifixion because he was weak: He could have called ten thousand angels to destroy the world and set Him free. But He died alone, for you and me.
Which would you rather have – God defending you, or you defending yourself?
That’s the choice that Jesus is offering us here. “Turning the other cheek” is not a prescription for abuse but rather the way to get the Lord involved in your defense.
Many people feel that these instructions of Jesus guarantee that others will take advantage of us.
That would be true if there was no God. But when we follow these commands of Jesus, the Lord is on our side. He said in Rom. 12:19, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance [is] mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”
When we fight back, we are drawing on our own strength. But when we turn the other cheek, we are invoking God as our defense. Once we understand this, it becomes obvious that these instructions are for our own good.
James 1:20, says that the wrath of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God. Regardless of how appropriate our anger may seem, and regardless of how we think our wrath could make a person or situation change, we will never achieve God’s best that way.
The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew has great Truth on Jesus Teachings.
Matthew 6:15 Your forgiveness is dependent on you forgiving others.
6:19 Invest in heaven not earth, then you will be focused on heaven.
6:33 If you invest in heaven God will make sure that your needs are met on earth.
Matthew 7:2 you will be treated as you treat others.
7:7 be persistent, the solution will come.
7:12 do to others what you want them to do to you.
7:13 the way to hell is easy, many find it.
7:14 the way to life is hard, few find it.
7:20 you can identify a person (true or false) by their actions.
7:21 obedience is not optional.
7:24 in conclusion, the wonderful consequence of following what Jesus has taught.
7:26 in conclusion, the tragic consequences of not following what Jesus has taught.
7:29″ for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.” There is a context in which this teaching is given.
When we defend ourselves, we stop God from defending us. It has to be one way or the other. It cannot be both ways. Let God defend you today.
Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Don’t settle for less than the Lord’s best for you. We are His Masterpieces! Keep pushing for the mark of the high call in Christ. Complacency is a threat, and laziness is your enemy. The Lord speaks to us of our spiritual condition and the danger of just going along to get along.
We live in dangerous times when the enemy of our soul will try to entice us
to compromise our convictions. But, the Lord is calling us to be led by His Spirit.
*Philippians 3:12-14 “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 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, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”.
So, though it’s hard and it goes against our human nature, as followers of Jesus, we are to be conduits of God’s forgiveness.
Father, sometimes it’s hard to forgive. Help me to be a conduit of Your forgiveness and love. When someone hurts me, Lord help me remember to not get even, but turn the other cheek and Be the bigger person. Instead of doing something negative, help me give back to them. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
***when feeling down about yourself read Psalms 6 and or 22.
ARE YOU AFRAID
Deut. 31:8 Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
This scripture is so powerful. The Lord himself goes before me. Wow!
We are not in this alone. He will never leave me nor forsake me! Wow!
No matter what-God is with me for the long haul.
Do not be afraid or discouraged. Again I say Wow!
We are living in VERY uncertain times, BUT God promises he will go before us, he will never leave us and most importantly do not be afraid or discouraged.
Take heart Christ is returning soon. We have hope!!!!!!!!
Over the past two years there has been this freedom in Christ that I have felt unlike anything else in my life!
I appreciate the opportunity to be able:
* to read the Word of God anytime,
* to pray for my family and friends and even those who do not like me.
I will never take for granted again the reality that we have here- which is a freedom we can have in Christ when we surrender all of ourselves to Him.
I’ve learned that when you exposure yourself to God it’s like you allow Him to peel the layers away from your life like an onion. You start to stink- you become raw- you begin to see where the roots in your life are planted.
It’s OK for all of this to happen.
When we remove the walls in our lives that have been put up to prevent us from becoming authentic Christians it is a painful process… BUT there is nothing sweeter than the freedom you feel during the process and afterwards!
God will never leave you nor forsake you.
Deuteronomy 31:8 The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Do you frequently feel lonely, abandoned, left out or neglected?
Have you tried to hide Your emotions and pain with a painted-on smile while deep inside you hurt so much?
BUT God knows your heart – He knows your personal struggles, your temptations in this busy fast competitive world.
For me I had no peace until I surrendered ALL to Him, then I begin to experience a renewing of my mind and freedom from the issues that kept me in bondage.
It was the freedom IN Christ that keeps me from being afraid or scared any longer. I do not have to lie awake at night wondering the same questions over and over in my head.
I know that God is in control and I can face every situation with more confidence.
With every painful emotion that you allow God to take control of comes a renewing of your mind and restoration of your soul.
To help you understand, the freedom you feel in Christ to do all things through Him is as large and wide as His unconditional love for us!!
Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Our lives are so short. Scripture says its like a vapor, a blooming flower… here and gone. I want to use the short time that I have:
* to tell my children/grandchildren how much I love them.
* To tell Laura how much I appreciate her and cherish her.
*To tell the Body of believers how blessed I am to be partaking in this journey with them.
* To tell my friends how much I love them. To tell them all to have courage. To not fear. To take strength in the knowledge of their Lord.
Lord-Thank you for the ability you’ve given us to encourage others. You put a song on our heart Lord and you help us to sing that song. Give us vision and strength for the future, but along the way remind us and help us to inspire and encourage those you have placed us around. Thank you for your heart for all of us. That you will never leave or forsake us.
Isaiah 52:12 For you shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight; for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
Deut. 1:30 The Lord your God is going ahead of you. He will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt.
Deut 1: 42 “But the Lord told me to tell you, ‘Do not attack, for I am not with you. If you go ahead on your own, you will be crushed by your enemies.’
Our own plans seldom avail to good purpose; while courage in the exercise of faith, and in the path of duty, enables the believer:
* to follow the Lord fully,
* to disregard all that opposes,
* to triumph over all opposition,
* to take firm hold upon the promised blessings.
Embrace the changes, both naturally and spiritually, that will take you on the next leg of your journey.
God loves YOU and You are His Masterpiece.!
Thank You Jesus for Your Perfect Love for me!
Amen
FORGIVENESS verses UNFORGIVENESS!
Forgiveness is probably the most difficult act we do, as humans–it is a God-like trait to be forgiving. It takes faith to forgive those who have offended us. Remember, among Jesus’ last words on the cross–“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”.
This morning, in prayer I was reminded of the last two weeks of communication with so many people in so many different situations and the one most common conversation we all had was: FORGIVENESS verses UNFORGIVENESS!
*So here goes a short thought on what I believe is one of the major problems we ALL phase in one area or another!
FORGIVENESS verses UNFORGIVENESS!
What are some Biblical verses to see what Jesus says:
* Matthew 6:13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. (From the Lord’s Prayer).
*Matthew 18:21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”
22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!
* Hebrews 12:15 Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.
*Colossians 3:13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
*Romans 12:19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD.
Romans 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
*Christ sets is free!
My favorite Two verses and most convicting to me is:
1. Mark 11:25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”
*Forgiveness – God loves us so much that He sent Christ to surrender his life so we might be free from sin. He also promised us grace to see us through; but as mortals we fall short of His glory and He is quick to forgive when we repent. As sons of God, we should learn to forgive, though the hurt is hard to forget.
*Just because I can’t forget the hurt someone posed on me doesn’t mean I don’t forgive them. I forgive, move on with my life and wait for God to bless and heal me. Not forgetting keeps you from getting hurt the same way again and makes you grow spiritually. Amen
2. Ephesians 4:31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
*What this verse is trying to explain is that we as humans need to be KIND, TENDER and FORGIVING to each other SO we can be more like Christ Because Christ is kind and forgiving to ALL of us. We cannot be hateful and unforgiving and be with Christ the one and only Lord. GOD GAVE ALL-HIS SON JESUS!
*Our body is to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:24-26
** FORGIVENESS: Giving of the resentment against someone and our right to get even, no matter what has been done to us.
*Forgiveness is the “Surrendering of MY Right” to hurt you back if you hurt me.
** UNFORGIVENESS: The deliberate willful refusal to give up one’s resentment an right to get the wrong done.
The Nature of Unforgiveness is like a match that can be lit at any time.
* Nothing good can come from unforgiveness.
* Unforgiveness leads to bitterness, bitterness will eat away at our soul like acid in a paper cup.
The Scripture is Clear Concerning God’s View of Unforgiveness.
** The Terrible Consequences of Unforgiveness: (As humans we All try to come up with reasons to try to justify bitterness and unforgiveness).
* Develop a spirit of bitterness. (Hebrews 12:15)
** Unforgiveness has a harmful effect upon every aspect of your spiritual life.
* Prayer life is affected. (MATT 6:14-15)
* By praying and not forgiving we develop a callousness to the spirit of God, deceiving ourselves (1 JOHN 1:8)
** Unforgiveness has a detrimental effect upon one’s physical health.
*Heart problems, high blood pressure, etc. all documented.
* I would say through years of listening to people that 90% of people that seek counseling have an unforgiving spirit.
**Unforgiveness affects all other relationships.
* A child that sees unforgiveness and anger in their parents goes through life and sees that exhibited in their own life later in life.
*Unforgiveness begets bitterness; the things just like itself: hurt, pain, more deep-seated unforgiveness.
**Unforgiveness gives Satan a foothold in our lives.
*Each time we do not forgive Satan’s foothold gets a little deeper.
THE KEY IS: HOW DO WE DEAL WITH UNFORGIVENESS!
*Paul said, lay aside the things that pull you down. (HEB 12:1) He would not have said that if it was not possible through Christ.
Unforgiveness– IT. IS. A. DECISION. YOU MUST LAY IT DOWN.
1. Treat it as a serious offense in the eyes of God.
2. Assume full responsibility for your unforgiving spirit.
3. Confess your resentment
*Don’t just confess “Unforgiveness”. Be Honest with God about what you really FEEL(He knows your thoughts. And heart and motives anyway): do you want vengeance? Do you want to get even? Do you want to harm someone?
4. Acknowledge it is un-Christ-like, violation of the Word!!
5. Ask God to enable you to forgive.
6. Ask God to forgive you.
7. Begin praying for the other person. (LUKE 6:28)
8. If they are aware may have to ask them to forgive you.
* if the Holy Spirit leads you–go to them and tell them, this is what happened and I nurtured a heart of bitterness. I want to ask you to forgive me for my heart of bitterness. Will you forgive me?
9. Ask God if He would have you do something specific on behalf of the other person. Act of kindness.
10. Suppose reminded of hurt, don’t give in; Satanic trap. Thank God for his forgiveness.
11. If the other person is not alive address with God.
Prayer is that master key that unlocks all the blessings promised us by our Father. Though the vision may tarry, wait for it. So many of us want instant answers to prayers, but Gods time is the best. Whenever we pray, believe that God is able to keep His promises; and that promise is ‘God will supply all your needs according to His riches through Christ Jesus.
*Miracles happen every second. Some people are just blind to see. I don’t know what you are going through, but I know who will see you through. JESUS!
** How will you know you have truly forgiven the other person?
1. Feelings about the other person.
2. Feelings of concern, caring.
3. Willing to accept them as they are.
4. Seek the Lord to understand why they acted the way they did.
The Lord is always near to the broken and contrite heart.
* “He gathers the outcasts…He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:2-3
*God really does heal our broken hearts, and make us clean again.
” This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.”1 John 4:10-11
Lord, we NEED YOU!!! COME and take over my life!! I surrender ALL to YOU JESUS! REVEAL my True HURTS! I want to be HEALED! RELEASE the people involved, the ones I know and don’t Know. Lord, REFOCUS me on Your plan for MY life with no more unforgiveness in my heart. Set me FREE Lord, knowing You are in Control and have our Best interests in mind for your Glory and our Joy. Thank You For Guiding Us Through This Darkness To YOUR Light.
Thank you for Your promise of Psalms 32:8 The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.
In Jesus’ Name We Pray, Amen.
OTHER VERSES:
Romans 12:20
Luke 6:35-38
Proverbs 20:22
John 13:34-4:8
Do we need a Foot Washing?
*We are to help people come to
salvation by sharing the correcting, healing, washing, comforting Word of God.
God’s Love is as necessary to human life as the air we breathe or the water we drink.
* “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for Thee, O God.”Psalm 42:1
God’s Love eternally embraces the poor, the afflicted, the broken and the unlovely.
* “…the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and freedom to prisoners…”Isaiah 61:1
We are to take up the towel of God’s mercy and go to that hurting one.
* In the special love of Jesus we are not to judge him, expose him, lecture or find fault.
* Instead we are to commit to being his friend. We are to help him come to
salvation by sharing the correcting, healing, washing, comforting Word of God.
“And be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).
If you want to be kindhearted—to take up the towel to restore a brother or
sister—you do not need to know the details of how that person got dirty.
*Jesus did not ask His disciples, “How did you get such filthy feet?” He wanted
only to get the dust off of them. His love for them was unconditional.
Likewise, those who walk in the fullness of Jesus Christ must have this
Attitude of love toward those with dirty feet. We are not to ask for details.
Instead, we are to say, “Let me wash your feet.”
Too often Christians want to dive into all the gory details of a situation.
They come to a believer who has dirty feet, saying, “I want to wash your feet.
BUT tell me, what happened? How’d you get so dirty?”
At some point in the story of failure, the curious comforter realizes, “Oh, my,
this is worse than I thought. I can’t get involved in this.” And after a few
more details, he comes to the end of his puny human mercy.
** He judges the person as too evil, beyond help, and he drops his towel and goes his way.
***We cannot wash feet in a judge’s robes. *We have to take off our self-righteous garments before we can do any cleansing.
Paul says we are to be gentle and patient with all people:
“And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth” (2 Timothy 2:24-25).
Paul is saying, “You must be tenderhearted with everyone, willing to wash their feet. God will have mercy on them and deliver them from their sin.”
In a famous passage in John 13, Jesus took a towel and a basin and washed the feet of His disciples. He told them “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have
washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13:14-15).
The disciples were twelve men beloved of God—precious in His eyes, full of
love for His Son, pure of heart, in full communion with Jesus. Yet they had
dirt on their feet!
Jesus, in essence, was saying to these men, “Your hearts and hands are clean,
but your feet are not. They have become dirty in your daily walk with Me. You do not need your whole body to be washed—only your feet.”
**The dirt Jesus mentions here has nothing to do with natural dirt. It is about SIN—our faults and failures, our giving in to temptations.
I wonder how many of us this past week fell into a temptation or failed God in some way?
It is not that we have turned our
back on the Lord. On the contrary, we love the Savior more passionately than
ever, BUT we fell and now we are grieving—because our feet are dirty.
Scripture tells us: “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who
are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself
lest you also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1).
The Greek word for trespass here
means “a fall, a sin.” We are to restore every Christian who falls into sin
if there is a repentant heart.
Foot washing, in its deepest meaning, has to do with our Attitude about the
dirt we see on our brother or sister. So I ask you: What do you do when you are
face to face with someone who has fallen into a sin or transgression?
As Jesus served His disciples, He calls us to serve others. He is calling us to see people through the eyes of God and with His love meet their needs.
But how?
(John 13: 3) Jesus was profoundly anchored in the love of the Father. His identity was secure.
We need a radical receiving of His love!
** We need to be Filled with God’s love (our cup overflowing) in order to give others our richness of love.
Jesus was teaching us how important it is to Humble ourselves before one another and also that we are all equal in Gods eyes. He said that we are to love one another unconditionally– this is how we will know the ones who are called and annointed of God. They will be Love.
1 John 2:9 If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness. 10 Anyone who loves another brother or sister is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble.
The Lord is always near to the broken and contrite heart.
* “He gathers the outcasts…He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:2-3
Jesus, You showed true humility by washing the disciples feet. Jesus, Help each one of us to be more humble this day and follow Your example of Truth and Love so others may be set FREE for Your Glory. Amen
Mark 9:41 If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will surely be rewarded.
John 8:31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Grateful heart…may I ever be thankful for my deepening relationship with Him!
God, I want to live with an attitude of gratitude, starting right now! I thank you so much for loving me and for blessing me. Help me see the Positive things in life and to thank You for them.
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations”. (Psalm 100:4-5)
Sad? Depressed? Tired? Frustrated.
The LORD JESUS refreshes us in His presence.
The psalmist describes ENTERING INTO HIS PRESENCE with gladness. It takes a deliberate ACTION on our part. We must therefore MOVE FORWARD rather than sit and sulk in the midst of our circumstances.
How important it is for each of us to know the way into God’s presence. How do we enter in His gates? How do we come into His courts?
There’s only one accepted way:
* We enter His gates with thanksgiving; * We enter His courts with praise.
It’s as we come to God with thanksgiving and with praise that we have access.
Sometimes we are tempted to say, “But what do I have to thank God for, what do I have to praise Him for?”
The psalmist gives us three reasons.
1. The Lord is good.
2. His love endures forever.
3. His faithfulness continues through all generations.
These are three reasons why we should always praise and thank God. And notice that none of those reasons ever changes with our situation or our circumstance.
No matter what the circumstance, those three reasons for praising and thanking God always hold good.
Giving thanks begins with understanding the very basic idea that the Lord is good!
*In that goodness he has made us and he guides and directs our steps – He is our shepherd.
So many people today have a wrong picture of God. They see him as judge who is eager to punish anyone for the slightest infraction. God is good – he will punish, but he does not punish now.
God poured out all of his wrath on his Son Jesus who takes our punishment.
That’s why the angels announced at Jesus’ birth there would be peace – not between people but between people and God.
God is good because he has provided a way for us to escape punishment for sin and as a result spend eternity in heaven with Him.
**Jesus declared this task finished as he died on the Cross.
Even in the most difficult circumstances of this life we can praise God for his goodness.
When things are bad we can praise God they are not worse than they are! We can do this knowing of his good and final plan to restore us and creation at the end of time.
Let our worship be focused on God’s goodness and his perfect plan for us.
Psalms 107:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. 2 Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.
God made us—-not the universe, not pixie dust, nothing but God has created what and who each of us are.
*We are redeemed by the death of His son, made worthy in the eyes of our Lord God, through the blood shed on the Cross, made princes and princesses by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ!
*We must be joyful in all we do, knowing that we are free from bondage, darkness and misery!
*We are free to do more then survive, we are empowered to Live!!!
So Cheer it up, enjoy this life, enjoy your freedom!
Exhault in the fact that He loves you unconditionally and requires nothing but acknowledgment of being your Lord and Savior!
Remember that He knew you before you were even born, and that He has a plan to prosper you and NOT to harm you (Jeremiah 29:11)!!!
** Give thanks and praise to the Lord your God in this season and don’t let your failings get the best of you. God has already forgotten about them, so why don’t WE?!
****Now that Cheers me up this Day!
Psalms 105:1 Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.
Revelation 12: 11 And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their TESTIMONY. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.
Lord, I get so caught up in daily life, work, and my own problems that I forget to thank You for the great things You have done for me and the wonderful promises You have given me. I forget to reflect on Your goodness and perfection and love. Lord, help me to take time to be thankful. Help me to set aside the trials and distractions around me and instead fill my mind and heart with Your goodness. Thank You, Lord!
God you are so good Lord. This is an area that I want to do more of. Positive thinking, gracious living,, and just being thankful for every opportunity that you have given me. My prayer Lord is that you continue to work on me that I may be a better example to others. Lord I give you all of the honor and all of the praise in Jesus name, Amen.
“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God”.(Matthew 5:23-24).
*”Christians are to be reconciled, whatever it takes…
Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.
*Wise speech needs to be careful, humble, gentle, timely and truthful (get rid of half truths)
* A pure heart overflows into pure truthful speech.
Avoiding Conflict!!!
Then Joab went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. But the king said, “He must go to his own house; he must not see my face.” So Absalom went to his own house and did not see the face of the king (2 Sam 14:23-24).
Wow. This is a sad time. David’s own son, Absalom, rises up in conspiracy against him.
Many people hate conflict to the point they will Never confront a wrong.
*Taking this path will only lead to later hardship. Such was the case for Absalom and his father King David.
Amnon, also a son of David, raped his sister Tamar. When this happened, David was furious but he did not punish Amnon for his actions.
Absalom saw this as a terrible injustice for his sister. So, Absalom plotted to kill Amnon at the right time. He patiently waited for two years before he set up a situation to have him killed.
David was heartbroken over the death of Amnon and held Absalom responsible. At the same time, David still desired to have a relationship with Absalom, but because he failed to address the situation with Amnon when it happened, it led to more serious consequences in the family(Absalom was NOT repremanded for his actions, nor his choices.)
* Absalom was banished for three years because of David’s anger towards him which allowed seeds of resentment to grown in his heart.
*Absalom then conspired to overthrow David’s kingdom.
It is imperative to confront problems WHEN they arise no matter how uncomfortable it might be.
* David didn’t go all the way in reconciliation and it hurt him. We need to Learn from history and go the extra mile in reconciliation attempts.
We are called to speak the truth in love.
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ” (Eph 4:15-16).
*Failure to confront in love allows the enemy to sow greater seeds of conflict.
****BUT Hard Truth can forsake truth. Love without God’s leading can betray truth. What a delicate Balance between truth and love.
It’s clear from this story and others that David had a problem with forgiveness. It was easier for him to kill someone who brought him bad news than forgive them of their wrong. He didn’t want to see Absalom face to face because he couldn’t bring himself to forgive him for three years. That lack of forgiveness planted the seeds that later led to disaster. It’s a lesson for all of us as we can easily fall into temptation to the same pride that ignores our own sinfulness and pushes us to pass judgment on those who sin against us. As James so eloquently reminds us, we have no business passing judgment on others when we ourselves can barely get through a day without sinning.
Is there someone in your life that you need to confront in love? Make plans now to get with this person and work through the issues that divide you and have True forgiveness in your heart.
* Let’s let the Holy Spirit search our heart over situations in our life where there is unfinished conflict and seek to go the extra — to finish it up.
Biblical Ways to Love in Truth:
*Listen without interrupting.Proverbs 18
*Speak without accusing. James 1:19
*Give without sparing. Proverbs 21:26
*Pray without ceasing. Colossians 1:9
*Answer without arguing. Proverbs 17:1
*Share without pretending. Eph. 4:15
*Enjoy without complaint. Philip. 2:14
*Trust without wavering. Corin. 13:7
*Forgive without punishing. Col. 3:13
*Promise without forgetting. Prov. 13:13
Refuse to allow presumption to cloud your discernment. You should never act, react, respond, or take your next step based on what YOU assume is truth. If you are uncertain about an issue or circumstance, take the time to investigate and discover the facts. Just because your conclusion seems reasonable does not make it true. And, presumption will plunge you into the darkness of deception. Stay in the Light and Truth, and maintain confidence in the word as you follow Jesus precepts.
Psalms 19:13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous/deliberate sins; let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression.
*Most people: Remember the things that ought to be forgotten and forget the things that ought to be remembered.
*Empty the trash. Stop thinking about it.
*Jesus died to set you free. Accept it.
“All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him”. 2 Samuel 14:14
*You only need one funeral in your life, *NOTHING deserves a daily funeral.
*Look at your past as spilt water on the ground. Just a damp spot.
*Remind yourself the BEST is yet to come!
*You’ve been moved out and have stepped into the biggest blessing of your life! Just wave good bye, because you are who God says you are-HIS MASTERPIECE! (Eph. 2:10).
**Isn’t it wonderful experiencing Gods love!!!!
*Let us pray for a pure heart, let us be Spirit directed toward Holiness as He is Holy.
Father help me to always be mindful of the difference between trusting in Your love and Your promises and presuming I have some special insight or preferred standing. God, put those relationships I have with some conflict in my mind and please don’t let them go. Help me to push through and finish my part. Don’t let me let things go unfinished. Thank You for Your Truth, Your Love Your Hope and Your Freedom. Jesus You are the Way, The Truth and the Life, help me to Love as You Love have loved me for Your Glory. Amen
Control is at the core of that which is opposite the cross—-Self-Rule.
The Lord desires to increase our faith if we will continue to ask, trust and believe.
* “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.”
2 Timothy 2:13
“Jacob named the place Peniel (which means “face of God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.” The sun was rising as Jacob left Peniel, and he was limping because of the injury to his hip” Genesis 32:30-31
*Jacob was broken to be Blessed; crippled to be Crowned!!!!
*God is the Potter and we are the clay. He will shape us according to His design for us.
When God puts us on the wheel, He begins to apply the pressure of circumstances–sometimes gently caressing the clay and often more firmly. The Potter may even have to break us and start over.
Jacob was a man who was a controller. He connived and manipulated his way to get what he wanted.
It was a generational stronghold passed down through his mother, who encouraged her son to play a trick on his father, Isaac, by pretending to be Esau.
This trick led Isaac to give the family blessing to Jacob, which meant Jacob would eventually inherit the land God had promised to Abraham’s seed.
Jacob also learned control from his uncle Laban who caused Jacob to work for 14 years to take Rachel as his lifelong mate.
One must ask which was more ugly in God’s sight, the self-centered nature and worldliness of Esau, or the control and manipulation of Jacob?
Control is a problem for men and women. As an example some women use sex to control their husbands. Many men use power and force to control their wives.
** Control is at the core of that which is opposite the cross—-self-rule. “The ME”
What delivers us from this fleshly nature of control?
*************A crisis!!!!!
* Jacob’s crisis came when he was faced with the prospect of meeting a brother who said he would kill him the next time he saw him.
* Esau had built his own clan and was about to meet Jacob and his clan in the middle of the desert. Jacob was fearful, so he retreated. There he met a messenger from God who wrestled with him.
*Jacob clung to God and refused to let go of this angel.
* It is the place where Jacob was given a painful but necessary spiritual heart transplant.
**From that point on, Jacob would walk with a limp, because God had to dislocate his hip in order to overcome Jacob’s strong will.
For believers, God often has to “dislocate our hip” through failure and disappointment.
Sometimes it is the only way He can get our attention. Our nature to control and manipulate is so strong that it takes a catastrophic event to wake us up.
Yet God did not reject Jacob for these character traits. In fact, God blessed him greatly because He saw something in Jacob that pleased Him. He saw a humble and contrite heart beneath the cold and manipulative exterior of Jacob’s life, and it was that trait that God needed to develop.
*God did this by bringing about the crisis in Jacob’s life that led to total consecration.
This event was marked by Jacob getting a new name, Israel.
* For the first time, Jacob had a nature change, not just a habit change.
* What will God have to do in our lives to gain our complete consecration to His will and purposes?
*As we cry out to the Lord repeatedly concerning our situations, we shall see Him move on our behalf.
A new day dawns! Jacob–Israel–walks on the rest of life’s journey with a limp. *Every step was a painful reminder of the transformation in his life.
* Each step was to be a step of faith and not self-reliance.
**He was broken to be blessed; crippled to be crowned.
That painful circumstance in your life, the frustrated plans, the family strife, the financial struggle, the physical sickness–it could be a host of things–pressures you have prayed and asked God to remove. You think your prayer is unanswered and the blessing has been withdrawn. Well Maybe– It might be that your prayer is being answered in a better way and the blessing you desire is coming disguised as a burden.
**The darkest night in your life may yield to the dawn of your brightest day! It did for Jacob.
Watch for the temptations that suck you back into an old spiritual condition, particularly that of fear or obsession. You will recognize it when it comes because you will feel restricted by it. Refuse to allow anything to cause you to retreat emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. Maintain your liberty. The price has been paid for your freedom at the Cross.
* Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
The Christian faith operates through love; and the measure of one’s love is demonstrated by the extent to which one keeps Christ’s commandments. “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (Jn. 14:23). The Father’s love is conditional; it is based upon our obedience to His Word.
A similar hope is given to us in the sixth beatitude: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Mt. 5:8). Let us therefore cry out as David did in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
After this experience with God, Jacob became lame because the Lord had touched him in his thigh.
Jacob was originally very strong-willed and independent, but from this time onwards he had to “depend on the Lord”.
This dependency upon the Lord is also seen in the Song of Solomon 8:5, “Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?” Certainly, the purpose of the wilderness is to bring us to that place of holy dependence upon our Beloved.
Also, Isaiah 33:23 is a wonderful promise to those who are so afflicted. It declares: “the lame take the prey.” This verse implies that those who have been weakened by God can win the battle and obtain the spoils.
Isaiah 33: 22 For the LORD is our judge, our lawgiver, and our king. He will care for us and save us.
If you feel that your far from God, pray to God and ask him to give you a new heart.
Guard your heart with; Prayer, hearing the truth and reading the Bible.
I need to learn how to repent like David but not just repent but do my very best not to repeat the same sin over and over. I need GOD to take control and for Him to help me take control of my flesh and learn not to let my flesh defeat me, but I must learn how to defeat my flesh.
Prayer Today: Read and meditate on Psalms 51….Amen
Blessing Those Who Curse You
No matter how we feel, what we think or how another person responds, God always has Love for that person…even when we don’t.
* “The Lord’s loving kindness indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail.” Lamentations 3:22
The meaning of life lies in relationship. First and foremost is our relationship with God, and then our relationship with each other. LiFE is more then about just “ME”.
* “We love, because He first loved us.”
1 John 4:19
*Agape – Love is Giving
*** Love of God is what makes us known to other people. It sets us apart from non-Christians. This is our badge, our love for one another. We care and respect others and pray that they do succeed in their purpose God has called them too.
** Real Friends encouraging us to keep the word. Jesus laid down his life for his friends. Friendship based on Agape love will last forever!! GIVING to another,(not just what’s in it for Me attitude) this is how it is recognized.
When we are motivated by Love, we are joyful in what we do.
What are giving forth, giving up and giving is what Agape is about.
**”Like” is not the same as Love.
**Action is borne out of commitment. God is relentless in his pursuit of us as his children. We have to be that relentless in our pursuit of him.
** Our actions will define our love for God by obeying his commandments.
“Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will see my distress and repay me with good for the cursing I am receiving today.” – 2 Samuel 16:11-12
As David’s enemies were increasing and he was fleeing the city from his son Absolom who was seeking to take his throne, a man named Shimei began heaving rocks and cursing him as he passed by.
Cursing the king was against the law, so David had every right to cut off the man’s head — as his generals were encouraging him to do.
Here we see the difference between Saul and David in their response to those who would seek to do them harm. **This is the defining difference between a leader who seeks to lead through a vertical dimension with God versus a horizontal fix-it mode.
God knew David as a man after His own heart. Yet, David was a murderer, adulterer, and had failed in many areas of his life. But one thing separated this leader from all the rest: He had a heart that sought to please God and be in His will. When David blew it, he repented.
What is the purpose God desires to accomplish with the estranged relationship you may have with someone?
* Has He brought this affront to find out what is in your heart today?
* Will you seek revenge and solve the problem yourself?
*Or will you find the grace to allow God to carry out vengeance in His time if it is needed?
When I learned this lesson to stay vertical with God and avoid the trap of fixing things in my own energies, it was a day of freedom. God is the Perfect Judge and no matter what— in His Kingdom, Justice is served! No longer was it my problem.
We must examine our own heart in these matters. But if we are clean, then this affront is for character building. It is the only way God builds the deepest level of character in His saints.
God actually rises up storms of conflict in relationships at times in order to accomplish that deeper work in our character.
*We cannot love our enemies in our own strength. This is graduate-level grace.
**The gospel of Jesus is the source of Christian grace, and true Christian grace is ever shaped by the message of the crucified Messiah for sinners. Look for Jesus in all the Scriptures. Be on the lookout for God’s costly grace in every book of the Bible.
God knows the stubborn human heart. He knows that if He is to accomplish His deepest work, He must take us into the desert in order to give us the privilege to be used in His Kingdom.
In the desert God changes us and removes things that hinder us. He forces us to draw deep upon His grace.
The desert is only a season in our life. *When He has accomplished what He wants in our lives in the desert, He will bring us out.
He has given us a mission to fulfill that can only be fulfilled after we have spent adequate time in preparation in the desert.
*Fear not the desert, for it is here you will hear God’s voice like never before.
* It is here you become His bride.
* It is here you will have the idols of your life removed.
* It is here you begin to experience the reality of a living God like never before.
Someone once said, “God uses enlarged trials to produce enlarged saints so He can put them in enlarged places!”
John 15:5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
***We can do nothing by ourselves, but the Lord will do nothing by Himself.
Eph. 3:20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
** A lack of understanding this has caused many people to miss God’s blessings.
They pray and desire God’s best, but wait on God to move independent of them.
**There are things that we must do to fulfill the righteousness of God in our lives.
*God will allow you to enjoy pleasures but your purpose will be delayed.
*Will you allow God to fulfill your purpose or will you let your vices rule?
*Stop allowing what you like to do affect your purpose in life.
* It takes great humility to recognize the call of God on your life and let Him use you.
We can see in many relationships nowadays that love is not pure. Its more about the physical feelings than of the heart. Only if JESUS is the center of any relationship can it be pure.
Let the Lord make us more like Jesus and give us a pure heart so that we will be able to love like Him. As we see in Galatians 2:20, we should die in our flesh and live like Jesus did for He lives in us. Thank You Jesus for loving me First. Lord true surrender is hard and at times I don’t want to do it. Please continue to give me strength to give it all to you for Your Glory!! In Jesus Name, Amen
Read MoreRemember, it is worth nothing if you gain the whole world and lose your own soul (Mt. 16:26). Make today count for God.
Psalms 42:11 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
*I believe David was asking this question because he came to the realization that “Hey! I don’t have to live in this pit.
* I am chosen by God. He will deliver me. He will not forsake me. He is my refuge and fortress!
*I don’t need to wallow in self-pity. God is on my side.
*I have hope. He Is my Hope!
*I can’t lose this battle!– Self, put your hope in God!!”
Sometimes when we hit a bump in the road or a pit in our journey, we look for somebody else to “give us a word”. But you need to get to a place that you can encourage yourself through Prayer and Word (Relationship with Jesus). Give your soul a wake-up call! Put your hope in God!
God’s Love is the only solid foundation upon which human love can be built. If “feelings” have diminished or died within a relationship, only Agape can rekindle the flame.
* “…the things impossible with men are possible with God.” Luke 18:27
Let us seek again and ask for God’s voice about what is our true purpose in this life.
I know everyone of us have a special purpose that the Lord has chosen for us to finish. Now the question, are we willing to seek that purpose and do it? Or we just do what our daily routine wants us to do?
Help Transform Lives:(5R’S) At Times I may be down but I’m not out. Here is a biblical way to Move Forward when down: Release it ALL to the Lord — Resist ALL Bitterness— Reevaluate your Life— Receive help from others and totally Rely on the Lord! You have great Worth!
Believe You are Worthy
*Don’t look to the past, God is doing a “New Thing”.
*Prayer and God’s Word changes everything because it releases God’s wisdom into your circumstances.
*Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
*Hate can only be driven out by Love.
Here is how the Bible describes God’s Love: Listen to what its telling You today! Put your name in the verse(ex. Bob is Very Patient? Etc. ).
** “God’s Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. God’s love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-6.
Sometimes we are so used to thinking a certain way that we can’t seem to make a first definite step, even though we know deep down in our hearts that it’s the right thing to do.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you”-[this is] the Lord’s declaration-“plans for [your] welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Whatever your goal, your dream, or your desire, you are worthy of achieving it. YES That means you too!
The closer you get to it is when the enemy of your soul will begin putting doubt in your mind by playing the self-limiting tapes that say you are not worthy.
Replace these old tapes with a newer one that contains the Truth – You ARE worthy to have your heart’s true desire and to keep moving forward.
Romans 12: 2 Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.
Take 100% Responsibility
Except in rare and unfortunate circumstances, YOU are responsible for the quality and condition of your life. Your career, your relationships and your happiness are all under your direct control.
Sometimes we choose to do nothing when we get hit hard because it’s just easier and less painful that way.
But the “Real Pain” is only deferred. You have to live with yourself. You have to live with the voice in your gut, your inner wisdom, that says you gave up too soon or didn’t try hard enough.
* When you hear this inner voice speaking to you, it’s usually right. It’s your choice, then, to get up and keep moving forward.
Living for a Cause Greater than Yourself
We cannot learn techniques or methods to love like God. Only God is Love!!
“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
Has God allowed a crisis in your life? God often raises leaders and begins movements as a result of a personal crisis in a person’s life.
*God raises up leaders to take on causes that are much greater than themselves.
“Come and follow Me. Follow me”, Jesus says, for the path of the season has been prepared even before the foundations of the earth were laid.
This path we are on has been in existence and resting in eternity and now Jesus lays it before us to be walked upon in this season.
*Let’s Walk with Jesus on this path and we will find Victory and Worth!
*Walk with Jesus on this path and we will receive the blessings.
*Walk with Jesus on this path and the healing power of the Most High shall come upon you.
* Jesus will be with you and walk with you.
* The Kingdom shall be established and your destiny will be revealed.
Joshua 1:9 Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
**What are we unwilling to sacrifice for God’s call on our lives?— Whatever it is it’s worth less than our souls.
*Troubles may come, but not designed to overcome you.
* Whatever you are passing through now, you will soon pass over.
* You are too precious in God’s eye to be mismanaged.
* God is ever ready to defend you.
*You ARE WORTHY! God’s Masterpiece!
2 Corinthians 7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
*We should learn to share what we have. “Our Testimony”. What Jesus has done for you!! This Heals!!!
*Remove the weight (sin) that trips us up!
* We need to fix our eyes and focus ON JESUS! Don’t let worldly things CONSUME you!
Consider the one who trusts God in the hard places: “Blessed is the man who
trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord” (Jeremiah 17: 7).
.” (Jeremiah 17: 8). When things get intense and bothersome, he will not be afraid!
This person says, “Jesus, I give up looking to any person to bring me out of my trial. You are my only hope. I look to You to bring me out of this!”
*God’s Love is dependent only upon God, who is eternally faithful, trustworthy and reliable.
* “For I, the Lord, do not change…”
Malachi 3:6
” As you know, like a father with his own children, we encouraged, comforted, and implored each one of you to walk worthy of God, who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.” (1 Thess. 2:11-12).
God equips us for ALL that He has called us to do, —-be it raising our children, other relationships and/or ministry. We have Worth!!!! How refreshing!!
LORD – thank you a thousand times … Thank for pursuing me when I don’t pursue you. Thank you for mercy when I fail you. Thank you for patience when I sin and thank you for your gentle discipline when I don’t deserve it. Thank you for Christ, for choosing me, for saving me and for sanctifying me. Thank you for being Your masterpiece.
Help my life to be a good example to others. Thank you for your love and my supernatural Testimony of the life change you’ve made in me. God please help me be more humble. Remind me that things I have and I do are to make a better world but never for me. It is always and will be for Your glory. AMEN!!!!
***Jan. 24 at Christ Church at 7PM will be an informational meeting to kick off our NEW Moving Forward Group. Come for a great night of testimonials of “what God is doing in and through individuals.
**Revelation Bible study starting Jan 26. Go to web address below and go to calendar-scroll down to Thurs. And open “Community Wide Bible Study”.
No matter what happens in our life God is right there with us. Faithful as he always will be, no matter where life takes you he is there holding on to you, to see you through His plan.
Never be afraid but rejoice in the fact that you have a Father in Heaven that cares for you that much to make things ok.
Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:3-5).
I have observed people who have endured suffering and proven God to be faithful are strong, mellow and patient. *They have the gentleness of Christ.
*I love to be around such people! They encourage my spirit!
You will come through your trial and be of great help to others if you will
trust God through it! You will see it happen on your job, in your family, in
your church.
People will be attracted to you because they know what you have gone through and they have seen you Gain the Victory through the power of God alone!
Suffering Can Break Hold of Sin and Temptation!!!!!
1 Peter 4:1 So, since Christ suffered in the flesh, you also arm yourselves with the same attitude, because the one who has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin,
* Jesus’ attitude delivered him through his suffering. He endured it as he submitted to the will of his Father in heaven. He gave us the model to be “done with sin.”
It doesn’t mean I’ll never sin again, but if I adopt His attitude I won’t live for my flesh, but for the will of God like Jesus did.
James 1:2 My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials,
*At first sight suffering may appear to have the opposite effect, bringing impatience and fretful mess. But God thereby brings unsuspected evil to the surface in order gently to skim it away…It is one of the means of keeping him (the Christian) dissatisfied with this world and sustaining his hearing for his true home in Heaven…the true value of suffering can be grasped only by suffering.
* A spectator can be widely astray in his assesment of the situation. He may sometimes be tempted to apologize for the pain God allows, only to find himself shamed by the suffferer’s inner peace and deep thankfulness.”
* What this means is that if we want the contentment and spirituality of someone like the apostle Paul [Philippains 4:10-13] then we need to be willing to lay it all on the line like he did [2 Corinithians 12:15].
There are few rewards that are offered to the halfhearted.
** Solomon recognized that there is a danger in life becoming too easy (Proverbs 30:8)
*** The writer of Psalm 119 said, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Thy word.” [Pslam 119:67].
It looks as if the suffering had been very helpful for this man to break the hold sin had on him.
Peter notes, “He who has suffed in the flesh has ceased from sin.” (1 Peter 4:1)
**** Many passages emphasize the same point that suffering for the cause of Christ can have an incredibly purifying affect on the believer: (Romans 5:3-5; 1 Peter 1:6-8; James 1:2-4).
A sad note is that many believers who suffer never learn anything from it. As a result, they never know God as their comforter or counselor.
To hear them talk, you would think God
was hard, spiteful, uncaring. They ask, “Why me?” Then they doubt God’s
love and begin to turn away from Him.
They moan, groan and murmur, and all
their joy fades. Soon they grow bitter and hard.
The apostle Paul, even in the worst hour of his sufferings, Blessed the name of
the Lord. He knew the Father was full of mercy and the Source of all his
comfort. He did not question God or become bitter; in fact, he praised Him in
the midst of it all!
The best teachers in any church are not the ones in the pulpit. Rather, they
are sitting in the pews right next to you
—people who have suffered and yet
still worship the Lord. The language of those who learn through suffering is
praise!
Power to Move Forward!!
(Hebrews 12:1-17)
Hebrews 12:7 Endure your suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline?
* Surrounded by Witnesses We all need encouragement. God is cheering us on by the stories in the Bible. If they made it through, we can too. Heb. 12:3 – consider what HE went through lest you get discouraged *keep moving forward.
* We Get Whippings (Heb. 12:5-11) Do not despise chastening of the Lord HE disciplines you because HE loves you.
*If God doesn’t whip you, you cannot move forward. Otherwise, you will never learn from your errors in judgment & actions.
*If you endure chastening, God deals with you as HIS son.
God is trying to turn you around and get you on the right path. V10 – chastened for our profit to you bring you to Holiness.
* God wants us to live Holy– HE is calling us to Holiness V11 – It is painful, but leads to righteousness Discipline trains us… God Disciplines us because HE loves us.
(verse 12-14) God empowers us to live a worship filled lifestyle. Which helps us move forward.
1John 4:10 In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1 Peter 5: 6 And God will exalt you in due time, if you humble yourselves under his mighty hand 7 by casting all your cares on him because he cares for you.
Thank You God that You love us and want the best for us. You will chastise or correct us, from time to time. It’s not always pleasant, but I know there’s a need for it. You treat us the way parents treat their children. Correcting them so that they know the way to go. You may use different methods, but the object is the same: to make sure we don’t continue to go in a direction that is harmful to us. Thank You Jesus!
Lord today please arm me with Jesus’ attitude to fill my heart and mind. I want to be done with sin and done with satisfying my flesh. Whatever time left I have on this earth, please fill it with tough minded obedience to you. Let the attitude of the God-Man fill me today! Amen