Devotions - Prayer

REPENTANCE

By Bob / June 13, 2024

“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” 2 Corinthians 7:10

What does it mean to repent?

When you or I wrong another person, or we sin against God, do we simply say we are sorry and move on?

Is there anyone you need to seek forgiveness from?
1. Acknowledging our sin is the first step.
2. Humbling ourselves and taking actions to restore is the next step.

Love has no limits, and neither does forgiveness.

“Then Peter came and said to Him, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to Him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”Matthew 18:21-22

When we allow God to love others through us, it’s God they see in us and not ourselves.

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…”Galatians 2:20

# 2 FROM THE 8 TRUTHS TO MASTER LIFE.
I honestly admit and regret that I have failed God, my family, myself and others.

Result: I receive God’s forgiveness and thankfully rest in His Peace.

I am “Forgiven.”

*This expresses the difference between-“I am truly sorry for my sin” versus I’m sorry I got caught.”

2 Corinthians 7:10. “For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.”.

Psalm 32:5. “Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” (Other passages: Romans 5:18-21, Matthew 18:21)

Lord, help me daily to stop and turn and come back to you in all areas of my life that are not pleasing to You.   Point out in me anything that is not giving You the Glory.  Amen

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ANY DIFFICULTIES

By Bob / June 11, 2024

I believe through experience and trials– difficulties often are meant to bring us into maturity and out of childish bondages.

Consider the way children react; one minute they’re laughing and the next they’re screaming.
*They’re easily hurt and they cry a lot.

In spite of all this, godly parents love and comfort their children through all of life’s experiences.
Likewise, as Christians, we sometimes pout or throw fleshly tantrums when we face difficult times.

We cry, “Okay, God, if that’s the way You’re going to treat me, if You’re going to keep letting bad things happen, then why should I even pray to You?”

 

Yet our heavenly Father loves and comforts us through every tantrum, through our burdens, our childish ups and downs.
*His great desire is that in the midst of our trials we begin to grasp the knowledge of who we are and what we possess as His children.
*He knows that whenever we are tossed about by the winds and waves of our emotions, we often forget we are His children and we begin living far beneath our privileges.

Yet His Word tells us we are His heirs and joint heirs with Jesus!

“The heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all” (Galatians 4:1)
.

 

Paul says such a child illustrates those who are under the law.
*The law is the tutor that instructs us in God’s commands.
*But a time comes when our schooling ends and we are to take our places as heirs of God’s riches through the grace of Christ.

 

Yet, many Christians still live according to good works and rules without comprehending their position as sons of God.
“We, when we were children, were in bondage” (verse 3). They are still serving God as slaves, bound by fear, guilt and despair because they don’t understand their adoption.

 

Paul says to such believers, “You’re still childish in your thinking, laboring under the bondage of laws you established for yourself.

*You don’t see that you’re now lord over all things, able to partake in everything your Father owns.

*He adopted you, loved you and put you in school to prepare you.”

Here is the amazing thing about Jesus. When Peter began sinking, he cried out for Jesus to save him (Matt. 14:29).   And Jesus did.   Just as Jesus didn’t hesitate to pull Peter out of the rough waves, He will pull you and me back too as soon as we ask.

 

 

Life has stormy seasons. Unexpected health diagnoses’, years when children decide to walk away from the Lord, rough patches in our marriage … all cause waves of doubt, stress, worry or fear. These can cause us to stumble and fall if we only focus on them.

 

 

The best place to fix our eyes is on Jesus. He’s our peace, source of hope, and the One person we can trust will always be there for us.
And when we do fall, as soon as we call out to Him, He’ll pick us up.

 

Romans 8:28 And we know that  all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the  called according to His purpose.
Dear Jesus, I confess I lose focus on You while running through the distractions of life. I have fallen many times. Help me to trust and have faith in You, and avoid letting life distract me from Your truths.  Help me read Your word daily to find Truth!  In Jesus Name, Amen.

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FULL SURRENDER

By Bob / June 9, 2024

 “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” Job 23:10

What if there were two doors to choose from;
1. Behind one door was the complete will of God for your life.
2. Behind the other door was how life could be according to your own preference.

Which door would you choose?

The struggle for most lies in the Desire to follow God completely and the Fear of what might be behind the door of full surrender.

*Most of us desire to follow God, but few of us will do it at any cost.

*We do not really believe that God loves us to the degree that we are willing to give Him complete permission to do as He wills in us.

 

If we desire to fully walk with Christ, there is a cost. We may give intellectual assent and go along with His principles and do fine; however, if we are fully given over to Him and His will for our life, it will be a life that will have adversity.

The Bible is clear that humans do not achieve greatness without having their sinful will broken.
*This process is designed to create a nature change in each of us, not just a habit change.

The Bible calls it circumcision. Circumcision is painful, bloody, and personal.
If God has plans to greatly use you in the lives of others, you can expect your trials to be even greater than those of others. Why?
Because, like Joseph who went through greater trials than most patriarchs, your calling may have such responsibility that God cannot afford to entrust it to you without ensuring your complete faithfulness to the call.
*He has much invested in you on behalf of others.
*He may want to speak through your life to a greater degree than through another.
The events of your life would become the frame for the message
*He wants to speak through you.

 

Jesus did much more than just obtain eternal life for us, He also paid all the wages of our sins (Rom. 6:23).
* God literally placed the condemnation, or judgment, that was against us upon His own Son. Jesus’ perfect flesh was condemned so our defiled flesh could go free.   (Read Romans 8)
*What a trade!  What Love!  Since Jesus bore our sentence (condemnation), we don’t have to bear it. The debt has already been paid.

Do not fear the path that God may lead you on. Embrace it. For God may bring you down a path in your life to ensure the reward of your inheritance.
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Cor. 4:17).

 

Lord, I surrender All.  Increase my Faith so I really believe and know that You love me to the degree that I am willing to surrender and give You complete permission to do as You will in me.  Come and take all of me for Your Glory! Thank You for Your Love.    Amen

When we allow God to love others through us, it’s God they see in us and not ourselves.
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…”Galatians 2:20

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OUR PAST

By Bob / June 8, 2024

How can we lay down our lives for God if we’re not really sure He loves us?
* “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loves us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ…” Ephesians 2:4-5

“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13b-14
Our PAST can be a hindrance or a help in moving forward toward God’s purposes for each of us.
*For some, the past has meant pain and heartache, and grace is required so that we do not let our past dictate our responses to the future.

*If we allow our past to make us a victim, then we have not entered into the grace that God has for us.
*If we live on memories of past successes and fail to raise our vision for new things, we again are victims of our past.

Our past should only be viewed for what we can learn from it.
We must move forward and avoid viewing the negative or the positive for more than what we can learn.

Many have allowed their past to dictate their future.

God is always about doing new things in our lives. He gives fresh revelation of His purposes in our lives.

*Do not live in the past.
*Do not hold onto bitterness that may hinder God from doing new and exciting things in your life.

Put aside such thoughts and allow God to do a new thing in your life. Ask Him to help you see the new things He wants to do in and through you today.
“When your memories are bigger than your dreams, you’re headed for the grave” [Author unknown]

 You can do nothing about the past, but you can be strengthened and encouraged in the present with the Lord.

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

God, regardless of what’s happened in the past, help me to look up from where I am now. I thank You for Your new beginning for me. I will boldly step into it and walk out Your calling for Your Glory and my Joy. Amen

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PURPOSE OF OUR TESTIMONY

By Bob / June 6, 2024

 Revelation 12:11 But they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony,…

*My Testimony is that I’m already paid for by the blood of Jesus!


What’s the Purpose of Testimony

*When you tell other people about what God has done for you, you are sharing your testimony.

*A testimony is when you share your story of how you came to faith. Every Christian has a testimony.

*Some Christians have dramatic testimonies where they tell of being delivered from a life of drug addiction or crime or some bad deeds.
*Other Christians don’t have testimonies that are quite as dramatic – but they are just as significant.

Your testimony is not about what you gave up for Jesus.

Your testimony is about what God gave up for you.
*Don’t share what you have done for Jesus.
**Share what Jesus has done for you.

Jesus is the one who has done the work. It is Jesus whom we are proclaiming.

A good, strong testimony will lift up what Christ has accomplished.

The fact of the matter is that all of us were sinners hopelessly separated from God, traveling in the same boat on our way to hell; and the same gospel came and transformed us. That is the testimony we all have.

*God loves people more than He loves their comfort.
*God invests a great deal into mankind. *God desires a personal relationship with us and will go to great lengths to create such a relationship in order for us to receive the rewards and inheritance He has for us.
*God often causes delays in our lives that we cannot understand. Sometimes it seems our obedience is not getting rewarded.
*Jesus said He learned obedience through the things He suffered (see Heb. 5:8).
*Imagine that – Jesus having to learn obedience.

What does that say for you and me?

Sometimes God’s delays are simply because He wants more glory in the situation, more recognition, more Christ-likeness in you and me through greater patience and obedience.
Faint not, for the promise may yet come.

Thank You Jesus for each persons unique testimony that only You could create for our good and Your Glory.   Help me lift up what You have accomplished in and through my life.  Amen

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FREE FROM BONDAGE

By Bob / May 28, 2024

Loving God with “all our heart” doesn’t just mean inviting Him into our hearts. It also means allowing Him to be the motivation for all our choices.

“Nevertheless I am continually with Thee; Thou hast taken hold of my right hand. With Thy counsel Thou wilt guide me, and afterward receive me to glory.”Psalm 73:23-24
How to stay free from bondage and captivity.

Sometimes the emotional baggage that we grew up with can cause us to have certain patterns of living.
For instance, some might have experienced a series of disappointments that must be fought against.

*Is there a way not only to break free but to stay free?
*Is there a way not only to gain the victory but to keep the victory?
*Is there a way for us to find glorious, overcoming, sustained, powerful, lifelong victory in Jesus Christ?

You might think it will take ten years of counseling to attain victory, or twenty years for the maturation process to take place in your life, but Jesus can come in and instantly set you free.

Jesus will not only set you free but He will keep you walking in that freedom.

When Nehemiah went to Jerusalem to oversee the rebuilding of the walls, everyone seemed to think it was going to be a long process.
The people accompanying Nehemiah, mostly slaves and servants, did not have many resources but they set their mind to work.
They had a passion in their soul for the things of God and they rebuilt the walls of the city in just fifty-two days.

We need to have that same kind of passion, the kind of mindset that says,
***“It’s not about me, it’s all about Jesus.
*** It’s not about my purposes, plans and ambitions, it’s all about Him.”

Set your eyes on Jesus and He will establish you and cause you to prosper. He will cause you to be raised up and set free and He will enable you to stay free in the things of God.

“We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.  Amen

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NO CONDEMNATION IN JESUS!

By Bob / May 23, 2024

So now the case is closed. There remains no accusing voice of condemnation against those who are joined in life union with Jesus the anointed. Romans 8:1

We each have moments when we start feeling overwhelmed by condemnation. Thoughts run through our heads like, “I wish I hadn’t done that,” or, “I could have done that better.”

You know, sometimes, after you’ve gone through the process of prayer, repentance, forgiveness, release, and so on, you have to choose to just shake it off.

If satan can’t keep you from repenting, he’ll try to trap you with a worldly sorrow that is non-productive; it paralyzes you with feeling terrible about yourself and a sense that you’ll never be anything significant.

But this is not God’s desire for you. Godly sorrow leads to repentance, and repentance leads to redemption.

 

When something like this happens, there are steps we can and should take – we forgive ourselves, we forgive others, we make things right if we need to. But then there comes a point where we simply have to shake it off. We can’t walk around dragging garbage and baggage.

We have one Justifier; we have a Redeemer. If we wallow in the mess we were caught in or a past situation, then we hinder the Redeemer’s anointing from activating in our lives. When we release it, God silences the accusing voice of condemnation, just as our opening verse says. “There remains no accusing voice”.

A little further in the Romans 8 passage, we read these amazing words: “You have received the spirit of full acceptance, enfolding you into the family of God, and you will never feel orphaned; for as He rises up within us, our spirits join in saying the words of tender affection, ‘Beloved Father.’ For the Holy Spirit makes God’s fatherhood real to us as He whispers into our inner most being.”

God wants to root out the orphan spirit in you and in the entire Body of Christ. He wants you to recognize that you are not a victim and that you don’t need to get caught in the trap of victimizing yourself. You are called to be whole, and you are unconditionally loved.

Father, I thank You that today we will feel totally accepted. Help us to reach a place where we feel accepted by You and by others. Thank You for uprooting the orphan spirit from our hearts. I thank You for this movement of the Holy Spirit bringing renewed passion for God as we recognize that we can feel close to Him, that we are 100% accepted. Help us remember that we are never alone and that God has never left us. We decree that we are not orphans; we belong to our heavenly Father. Amen.

 

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PEACE

By Bob / May 21, 2024

Matthew 5:9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.
The Father is the great Peace Maker.  But, that peace came at a great cost. 
Colossians 1 teaches us that the cost to God of reconciling (making peace) with us was Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross. 

Jesus has enabled anyone who will trust Him for forgiveness and healing and freedom, to be at peace with God.
2 Corinthians 5:20. “So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

Only when our hearts are ruled by God’s Love are we given the hope that transcends emotion or circumstance.

  “…we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts…” Romans 5:3-5

Proverbs 1:33 But whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.    

 

One thing that people all over the world today are striving for is security, but here is an offer of total security.

You’ll live in safety; you’ll be at ease, without fear of harm. Not merely will you be physically safe, but you’ll be free from worry and anxiety and care.


What’s the secret?

*The secret is listening to the right voice.
*That’s the voice of divine wisdom speaking through the pages of Scripture, offering that promise of total security and ongoing, uninterrupted emotional stability and peace.

How can you find that?

*You can’t find it in the world’s system, in the world’s provisions.

*The world can offer temporary stability, temporary security, but nothing that’s permanent.

***The only pathway to permanent stability, security, peace of mind is to listen to the voice of divine wisdom speaking through the pages of Scripture and then to do what wisdom enjoys.

 

John 14:27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

*The peace can only be made with our dependence to God.

 

Thank You Jesus for Your word!    THE BIBLE (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)!  I believe the Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of life, the doom of sinners, the happiness of believers.  I Read it to be wise.  Believe it to be safe —-Practice it to be holy.  The Bible gives light to direct you, food to support you and comfort to cheer you.  Amen!!!

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KEEP MOVING FORWARD

By Bob / May 19, 2024

“Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the Israelites to move on.” – Exodus 14:15

Moses had brought the whole nation of Israel, approximately 600,000, to a dead end in the desert.
The only thing between Israel and Pharaoh’s pursuing army was the Red Sea.

Panic set in. The defenseless Israelites cried out,
“Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?…It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” (Ex. 14:11b-12)

 

God sometimes brings each of us to a “Red Sea” in our life.
*It may be a work problem that can’t be solved.
*It may be a marriage that seems to be failing.
*It may be a debilitating disease.

**Whatever your Red Sea, God tells us one thing: Keep moving forward.


The Red Sea was before them, yet God was angered at Moses and told him to “Keep moving.”

“But Lord, the Red Sea is before me.” “Keep moving.”
When we live by sight, we act on what we see.   God sets this stage in dramatic fashion. God is into the dramatic. There is no way out without God here. That is just the way He wants it. No one will get glory except God.
There is great healing when we look past our own problems and seek to invest ourselves in others for the sake of Christ.

 

This is when our own Red Seas become parted.
*We begin to walk to freedom. But we will never experience the miracle of the Red Sea in our lives if we don’t first “Keep moving forward.
There is an issue that you must settle in your own mind and heart.  There are just some things that you cannot fix or make different.  You can  only make decisions  about the things that are yours to deal with, and that does  not include other people and their choices.

Psalms 118:8   It is better  to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
Amen

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DESTROY DOUBT

By Bob / May 18, 2024

Matthew 17:20 “You do not have enough faith, Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as a small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

 

If we are facing a problem that seems as big and immovable as a mountain, turn our eyes from the mountain and look to Christ for more faith.

Only then will we be able to overcome the obstacles that may stand in our way.

  • There is great potential in even a little faith when we trust in God’s power to act.
  • We need to trust in God’s power not our own ability to produce results.

 

Acts 1:8 But you(apostles) will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria and to the ends of the earth.
We can always look around and find plenty of Christians who are not using this power, but 2 Corinthians 10:12 says that comparing ourselves among ourselves is not wise.
Most Christians are living so far below what God intended for them that when someone begins to live a normal Christian life (according to God’s standard), then everyone thinks he’s abnormal.
We will be successful when we not only build our faith but destroy our doubts.
One reason we are so prone to doubt is that we fail to see God at work in our circumstances.

  • We asked, and nothing happened.
  • But the Lord is not some cosmic bellhop who jumps in response to our requests.
  • He sees past, present, and future and knows the right time for every answer.
  • His invisible hand is already at work on our behalf—arranging situations to accomplish His will, opening hearts, and preparing us to receive what He wants to give.

If we don’t know God’s ways, we will be disappointed in His response.  (see Hosea 4:6)

All too often our prayers are accompanied by expectations of how He will work. When He fails to intervene according to our timetable or anticipated method, we start to doubt.

But placing our faith in the Lord and trusting in His good and perfect ways gives us stability as we wait for His answer.
To overcome doubts, spend time in the Word to learn God’s principles and ways. Then you’ll begin to grasp what He wants to achieve in your life and how He goes about it.

Thank You Jesus for all the answered prayers of the past that I just took for granted. Amen

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FORGIVENESS OF PAST SINS

By Bob / May 13, 2024

In the Bible, God’s Life is often referred to as a “fountain of living water” welling up and filling us to overflowing.
* “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’ “John 7:38

I spent many years regretting sins from my past; sins that had hurt others and myself.
Day after day I would replay my decisions. Two decades later, the sting of past sin still had a hold on me.

Yet I knew God had forgiven me; I’d asked Him to. So why couldn’t I accept the freedom of His forgiveness?
I wanted so badly to believe I was the person David mentions in Psalm 32:2,“Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.”
Yet I struggled with accepting that God’s grace could erase my sin, wiping it away as if it never happened.
I think for many of us, this is hard to do. It sounds all well and good, but in reality we are still carrying the weight of sin we can’t seem to forget or forgive ourselves for.

Yet, His Word assures us that God does not count our sin against us. So how can we live in this truth?

I’ve  discovered through our key verse that the first step is acknowledging our sins: to ourselves and to God.

1. Confession reconciles our heart with God’s heart.

2. The next thing is to begin filling our heart and mind with truth.

Throughout the Bible, God teaches how an unaccepting heart can be changed and softened to accept His forgiveness.

The following verses are truths from a loving God who longs to transform our lives through the grace of His forgiveness.

My God doesn’t condemn.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1

My master is grace not sin.
“For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” Romans 6:14

My Savior Jesus has set me free, therefore I am free
.
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36

Isaiah 44:22 “I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free.”

Dear Lord, by faith I accept Your forgiveness and refuse to be a slave to forgiven sin any longer. Today, I confess and move on!  I commit to believing Your transforming truths to live fully and freely in Your grace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen



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MORE LIKE JESUS

By Bob / May 7, 2024

Paul testified, “It pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb,and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him” (Galatians 1:15-16).

Paul was saying, “I have within me much more than some doctrine somebody thought up, more than just a head knowledge of Christ.
*I have a revelation of who Christ is—
*A revelation of His grace, mercy and love.
**And this revelation has become the very source of all I am and do.
**It’s the very essence of my life!”

The revelation of God’s glory is indeed wondrous. Yet many have turned that very revelation into a license to sin.

Jude describes people “turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 4).

 

According to Paul, such people sin “that grace may abound” (Romans 6:1).
*They are saying, in essence, “If God loves to express Himself through mercy and forgiveness, then I’m going to give Him every opportunity. I’m going to sin and let Him keep loving me, so that grace will flow.

What a testimony to the world that will be. I Will(see the I) be an object of all that love coming down from heaven.”

Such people are easy to spot. Their expression gives them away.
*Whatever is in your heart is going to reveal itself in your countenance.”


Proverbs 19:22a, says, “What a person desires is unfailing love.”

*Unfailing love is mentioned over 30 times in the Bible, and not once is it attributed to a person. It is only attributed to God.

God gave us a desire for unfailing love because He knew it would lead us back to Him.

His love draws us to Him. Only we can stop God from reaching the deep and hidden parts within us that need Him most.
Thank You Jesus!!!!! YOU ARE AWESOME!

*My Testimony is that I’m already paid for by the blood of Jesus!

Freedom in Christ!

1. “ANY trial is just a test for my promotion. After my manifestation of the “win” I’m STRONGER!!!”
2. God’s financial plan is the only plan that won’t fail!
3. STOP pushing the panic button! The panic button takes God out of the equation.
4. *A lie can stop my freedom
5. The Truth is not a saying, but Truth is a  personJohn 14:6 Jesus replied, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Amen

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Reconciling People to God

By Bob / May 5, 2024

Always be on the lookout for anything that takes your “peace” away, and then ask God to reveal what’s going on inside the hidden chambers of your soul.
*  “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence.” Psalm 42:5

*You must have peace with God– to have peace of God.
The more sensitive we become to the Holy Spirit’s leading, the better we are able to walk in the world with peace and assurance as true sons of God.

JOHN 20:21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”

The dictionary states that to reconcile means to re-establish friendship between; to settle or resolve, as a dispute.
The key to reconciliation is to effectively deal with the enmity, ill will, hatred, or hostility that caused the dispute, etc.

2 Corinthians 5:18 -19

*May we be quick to forgive and reconcile with those we are at odds with.

The enmity between man and God was SIN.

*God took the initiative to remove this barrier through the means and agency of Jesus Christ, thus leaving man and God as friends once again.
We have received the ministry of reconciliation.
*That means we are in the ministry of reconciling people to God.
Imputing people’s sins unto them was not the way God used Jesus to reconcile the world unto Himself.

**We should not focus on the problem of sin, but on the answer of God’s grace (Rom. 5:20).

Our real job as ministers of reconciliation is to announce the good NEWS, which is an accomplished fact – that sin has already been dealt with through the person of Christ.

 

No matter how far you have wandered, as long as you still draw breathe, it is never too late to go back to God.
*Come, put down your pride and accept the gift of grace and love He has poured out for you and me.

Ephesians 2:16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

Lord, help me see each day that-Peace comes from the relationship I have with You!   Lord, help me to stop worrying about others and start worrying about me and my relationship with You.  Amen

 

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A GUIDE TO SOME PEACE AND REST

By Bob / May 3, 2024

God’s Love isn’t given to just a select few. It’s a gift we all receive when we are born again.

“…for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”. 1 John 4:7

Perhaps you are saying, “I want Jesus to be king of my life. I want to do everything He commands me!”

Two of the wonderful blessings that come to all who enthrone Jesus as king of their lives.

1. First, Scripture says if you will submit yourself to Jesus, waiting to receive His counsel and direction, you will partake of His holiness. (SEE:Hebrews 12:9-10).
Paul commands us to come to Jesus, asking Him to give us dominion over all our sins and fears:

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans
6:14).

God is saying, “If you want to know abundant life—true, full life—then submit yourself to Me and I will give you life without fear, guilt or condemnation!”

 

2. Second, those who submit to Christ’s lordship will walk in peace—without fear or anxiety.

“That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. . . . Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:74-75, 78-79).
What a wonderful promise!
If we will yield our lives to Him, He will shine His light into our darkness and guide us into peace and rest.
You can tell when a person has enthroned Christ in his heart.
Such a life produces a peace that passes all understanding and you can see that peace in the person’s face and demeanor.

Are you passionately telling others about Christ?
*Loving God involves not just having a personal relationship with Jesus but also sharing Him with others.

*The world around you needs the power of Christ. Let the Holy Spirit guide and enable you to share effectively with those around you.


Thank You for Your Peace Jesus. And help me have more of the Eternal Perspective Daily.  Amen

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Goodness to Others

By Bob / April 30, 2024

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15 ESV).

The Bible tells us to “rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). Have you noticed that the second part of that sentence is easy, but the first part can be really tough?

When somebody’s having a tough time, it’s easy to be sympathetic. It’s easy to encourage people when they’re down. But sometimes what we can’t stand is when they get a promotion. We’re not very good at handling the success of other people. Rather than rejoicing in it, we resent it. In fact, we wish bad things would happen to people, because somehow we think that if we can blow out somebody else’s candle, ours will shine brighter.

There’s plenty of God’s grace to go around. If God wants to pay other people the same amount, so what? I shouldn’t even worry about what he wants to give other people. I should worry about what I’m doing with what I’ve been given.

Let me explain something about envy to you. Envy happens close to you. It happens in your relationship to your peers. You don’t typically envy people who aren’t your peers. You can have some kind of idol worship that says, “I wish I were like that superstar.” But really it’s not as grating as the people closest to you. Those are the people you have the hardest time seeing success in — your family and friends.

Envy is insidious. It devalues others, it destroys relationships, and it makes you miserable. It’s hidden, but it’s destructive. And it causes you to miss out on so much joy.

You’ll enjoy life a whole lot more if you will learn to be happy over the successes of other people.   Speak Blessings over them—Not Curses!

If you’re only happy when things go well for you, you’re going to be miserable most of your life, because things won’t always go well for you or anybody else. But if you learn to be happy at other people’s successes and enjoy other people’s celebrations, you can be happy all the time.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:4, “Love does not envy.” Envy is the most unloving thing you can do to somebody else. Love is not envious.

Love celebrates God’s goodness to others.  Read 1 Thess.  5:16-19 for God’s will for you.   Amen

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