Devotions - Prayer
It is easy to be frightened by the wickedness we see all around us and to be overwhelmed by the problems we face.
“One day the evil spirit answered them, ‘Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?'” – Acts 19:15
Are you a threat to the kingdom of darkness?
Ephesians 6:12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
If we truly believe that we war against rulers and principalities that cannot be seen, then we must realize that their mandate is to hinder any believer who is seeking to walk in the fullness of God.
However, “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 Jn. 4:4b ). WE FIGHT FROM VICTORY NOT FOR VICTORY!
• If you are seeking to fully follow the Lord, you can expect harassment from the enemy.
• God permits temptation because it drives us deeper into the soil of God.
• These times reveal God’s power to keep us and walk us through the temptations.
• Our message becomes fruitful when it is born out of obedience and suffering for His name.
• We face a powerful army whose goal is to defeat Christ’s church. When we believe in Christ, these beings become our enemies, and they try every device to turn us away from Jesus and back to sin.
• Although we are assured of victory we must engage in the struggle until Christ returns, because Satan is constantly battling against all who are on the Lord’s side.
Do not consider it strange if you find yourself fighting major battles the more obedient you become to the Master.
When you begin to feel harassed, chances are you are beginning to affect the kingdom of darkness, and satan doesn’t like this.
Put on the whole Armor of God which is supernatural power to defeat satan . God Has provided this by giving us his Holy Spirit within us and giving us His armor to surround us. (Read Ephesians 6:10-20).
May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ. Help us Lord to submit to Your leadership and humble service to one another to build unity in the Body. Amen
This world is not our home. In Christ, we are destined for the Heaven of GOD.
Col. 3:2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.
Hebrews 13:14 For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.
Hold lightly to the things of this world that are temporary, saints of GOD, and grip tightly the things of GOD that will last forever in His EternalKingdom.
Let your heart and mind be focused on eternal reality instead of allowing your current situation and circumstances to sap your strength and vitality. Yield to this mighty work of redemption.
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
You may be wondering, “Lord, why is my job so upsetting to me? Why do I always feel like an outsider? What’s wrong with me?”
There is nothing wrong with you. God is at work!
*He is keeping you sick and tired of this dying world.
*He is saying, “You can’t get too involved in ‘making it’ here because it is all going up in smoke.
***Set your affections on things above— on the new world that is coming.”
You answer, “But what a waste. I’m so full of energy. I have talent, ideas, a sharp mind, a desire to accomplish much. Yet I feel stifled, stymied. It’s so
frustrating.”
I have good news for you: When it all ends and your scoffing friends are cut off—their work melted to nothing, their careers dissolved, their money
burned—your work is just about to begin.
God has everything under control.
You see, heaven is not a retirement center. Rather, our eternal home is a place of great action, full of new horizons and incredible plans.
God is going to fully use ALL your gifts, talents and desires there.
*God is not going to waste a thing He has given you.
*On the contrary, your gifts will be magnified many times over.
God is going to use you for His glory in eternity!
What a relief my heart experiences as I stop looking to others to fill me and find Jesus as my constant, day after day, contentment.
Take time today to go to Him and ask Him to fill up the empty places and refresh the areas of your heart that are dry.
Jesus is The One and only who can fill and complete us.
“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.”
Lord, help me to recognize You are The One my heart is looking for. Each and every day, teach me to look to You to fill the love gap in my heart. Thank You Jesus for Eternity being with You! Amen
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“Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income….” – Ecclessiastes 5:10
The void in our heart cannot be filled with anything, only a real relationship with God can fill this Feeling Of Emptiness.
Because we do not know God’s heart to be with us, we try to fill this void with stuff, pretty man or woman, notable career ETC.
Not knowing that once we gain these things we still won’t be fulfilled.
3 myths about money
1. Money brings satisfaction
2. Money brings peace of mind
3. Money solves all your problems
* Realize that God is the owner of all we have.
Only when we know God’s heart will we feel everlasting peace and joy and the Feeling Of Emptiness will be gone.
Scripture tells us that if we are having our basic needs met for food and clothing, we are considered to have riches.
Jesus cautioned us against living a lifestyle that required more than our basic necessities. However, it is clear that Jesus was not against wealth, but against a dependence on wealth.
Jesus continually taught that a dependence on anything other than God was evil.
Whenever Jesus determined that money was an issue for an individual, He addressed it and found that the individual could not let go.
*This was true for the rich young ruler. When talking about what he must do to inherit the Kingdom, Jesus told him to do the one thing that would be the most difficult – to give away his wealth and follow Him.
Jesus was not saying this was what every person must do, only the rich young ruler, because Jesus knew this was his greatest stumbling block.
For others of us, it could be something else Jesus would ask us to give up (see Mt. 19:16-30).
“The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22).
If we are not careful we gradually begin to acquire and walk the treadmill of material gain. I was there for a period of my life and it was not rewarding—It was EMPTINESS!
*Those around us begin to expect more and more.
*Soon we begin expanding our lifestyle.
*Before we know it, we are worrying about how to take care of what we acquire.
*Our emphasis becomes what we own versus our relationship with Jesus and His Kingdom.
The greater independence money gives us, the less dependence on God we need.
Lord keep us from greed but rather keep us on Your path, desiring You day in and day out to be one like You! Thank You Jesus when we know God’s heart we feel everlasting peace and joy and the Feeling Of Emptiness IS gone.
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Ever Felt like you are not GOOD-ENOUGH for God?
Never feel embarrassed to tell him how bad you have sinned .
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
*God’s forgiveness is complete, entire, whole, immediate.
When you don’t come to God to be forgiven, it is as if you refuse to listen to Him.
By not hearing God, you separate yourself from Him.
Psalm 32:5, “I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’ — and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
*When you ask for forgiveness, God forgives you. It is as if He removes the earplugs from your ears, and you can hear Him again.
I’ve been told for years that when I forgive myself I’ll be free.
1 John 1:9 offers a promise. When we hold up our sin before God, He is faithful and just to forgive ALL our sins.
Faithful to us? Yes, to us. But also faithful to who He is, and His plan for our forgiveness through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross as JESUS bore OUR sin.
But it doesn’t end there. You see, when we are forgiven, our sin is re-framed.
*Yes it still happened.
*But God removes it from us as far as the east is from the west.
Psalm 103:12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. 13 The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
Perhaps you carry shame, guilt or fear. You’ve been trying to forgive yourself, but realize you can’t undo the past.
You’ve said you’re sorry. You have changed. But the guilt or burden remains.
Hand that shame to your Savior today, and allow Him to hurl it as far as the east is from the west.
It’s not your burden to carry any longer.
Romans 8:1 So now there is NO condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.
Read More“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12
For so many years, I had the ability to move from success to disappointment in a heartbeat. I’d built my identity on the shaky foundation of my circumstances and abilities.
Only the enemy wants us to find our identity in what we do, because he knows when the lights dim and the “success” is gone, so is our value.
God, however, has another identity for us, one that’s unchanging and independent of our actions. It’s as His chosen and beloved child. John 1:12 says, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
When I first learned this truth about my identity, it took a long time to accept. Romans 5:6-8 tells me the truth: “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” .
God’s acceptance of us, and hence our identity, is NOT defined by our actions.
So we will never be a “failure” when our performance doesn’t match our expectations.
When we reassign the source of our value and worth to its rightful place,
• We will be free from the fear of failure or the opinions of others.
• We will be free from the labels we place on ourselves.
• And free from the shifting sands of our self-worth.
The only thing that matters is what our Heavenly Father thinks about us. And that is unchanging. We can rest knowing we are safe and secure in God’s unconditional love.
And once we really believe this truth, our identity will be unshakable.
And once we really believe this truth, our identity will be unshakable.
Colossians 2:6-7, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
Heavenly Father, thank You for embracing me as Your beloved son/daughter. Knowing You will never turn away from me, nor forsake me, fills my heart with joy. I want to love You and serve You more each day, free from the lies that hold back my potential in You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.:
Spiritual Warfare Verses: John 12:31, 1 Corinthians 15:55-57, 1 John 4:4, Ephesians 6:1-16, Philippians 3:10 and 1 John 5:4.
Psalm 139:14-16, Ephesians 2:10.
Even when we blow it badly and fail to remain an open, cleansed vessel for the Lord, He doesn’t stop loving us.
“The steps of a man are established by the Lord…When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong; because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.” Psalm 37:23-24
” Then he(Jesus) said to them(disciples), “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”” (Mt 26:38).
*Jesus shares his burden with his disciples. He cared about his disciples and valued His relationship with them. Relationships are important to Jesus. Even as a leader, He shows His humility.
*In times of sorrow and despair Jesus prays.
Even Jesus, who has a perfect relationship with God, still needs to pray..how much more do we need to pray to remain in the Fathers will?
*When we pray we align our will to His. It’s accepting God’s call….not changing God but me.
*Can we tell God that it’s ok to do things His way? Do we trust Him enough? Can we submit? And obey? (Read Psalms 139:23-24)
*Obeying God is a decision WE make.
Hebrews 5: 8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered.
Often the place of our greatest pain becomes the place of our greatest triumph.
Gethsemane was the place of Jesus’ greatest trial.
Three times He asked the Father to let this trial pass. It was not to be.
*The Father sent His Son to the cross to pay a debt owed by humanity.
*It was a personal battle to persevere.
The Word of God makes it clear that “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13); “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:20); and “whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17). No one has ever been denied the opportunity to accept salvation (Ti. 2:11).
“We Fight FROM Victory—Not FOR Victory!
John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Thank You Lord that You are always there for us, watching over us, protecting us, and giving us strength. No matter what we’re facing today, Thank You that I can just turn to You. Help me Believe and Know that Jesus will pull us through anything because He will without question. (Col. 2:2-3). Amen
Read MoreThe bow is seen in the clouds. Genesis 9:14
The rainbow, the symbol of the covenant with Noah, foreshadows our Lord Jesus, who is the Lord’s witness to the people.
When may we expect to see the token of the covenant? The rainbow is only to be seen painted upon a cloud. When the sinner’s conscience is dark with clouds, when he remembers his past sin and mourns and laments before God, Jesus Christ is revealed to him as the covenant Rainbow, displaying all the glorious hues of the divine character and declaring peace.
To the believer, when his trials and temptations surround him, it is sweet to behold the person of our Lord Jesus Christ—to see Him bleeding, living, rising, and pleading for us. God’s rainbow is hung over the cloud of our sins, our sorrows, and our woes, to prophesy deliverance. By itself a cloud does not give a rainbow; there must be the crystal drops to reflect the light of the sun.
So, our sorrows must not only threaten, but they must really fall upon us. There would have been no Christ for us if the vengeance of God had been merely a threatening cloud: Punishment must fall in terrible drops upon Him.
Until there is a real anguish in the sinner’s conscience, there is no Christ for him; until the chastisement that he feels becomes grievous, he cannot see Jesus.
But there must also be a sun; for clouds and drops of rain do not make rainbows unless the sun shines. Beloved, our God, who is as the sun to us, always shines, but we do not always see Him—clouds hide His face; but no matter what drops may be falling or what clouds may be threatening, if He shines there will be a rainbow at once.
It is said that when we see the rainbow, the shower is over.
It is certain that when Christ comes, our troubles withdraw; when we look on Jesus, our sins vanish, and our doubts and fears subside. When Jesus walks upon the waters of the sea, how profound the calm! Amen
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Laying Down Our Life for the Bride
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Thursday, November 05 2015
“Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father” (John 10:17,18).
Jesus was called to lay down His life for His bride, the Church. Men are called to emulate this same “laying down” our lives for our wives – our earthly brides. Men are to be a physical representation of what Christ has done for each of us. As we men do this, we experience the love of the Father. Wives will experience the love of the Father as husbands do this. Most of us men fight this process due to our own insecurities, independence, pride and ego. However, it is the very laying down our lives that allows us to connect to the Father just as Jesus connected to His Father.
It is in the sacrificial, free will act that this occurs. This activates in the woman a response of love that allows the man to experience a deep love that is rooted in the Father but channeled from the wife, the one we lay our lives down for. Jesus did not feel something was being taken from Him because He chose to give it willingly. Conversely, if husbands lay down willingly their lives, they will not feel something is being taken. It is when husbands defend, negotiate and withdraw from the needs of a woman that it negates this process. When we think we are being used or manipulated against our will, we believe others are trying to control us and we resist. Jesus did not do this. He gave willingly. Men must realize they are the initiators called to lay down their lives for their wives. Women respond to this sacrificial act by giving their heart and physical love to their husbands. Both husband and wife experience the love of the Father when this happens.
Giving up our lives for our wives feels like just that – giving up our life. We give up rights, privileges, and desires. We focus only on them. When we become dead, God loves us by giving us the desires of our heart. We give up life, in order to gain it. “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25).
This is what it means when Jesus laid down His life for His bride. This is what it means when Paul said: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Eph 5:25-28).
This principle is key to impacting the marketplace for Jesus Christ. The family has been greatly wounded by a failure to understand this principle. This has also led men and women to become slaves instead of sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. Today, if you are a husband, commit yourself to laying down your life for your bride.
Amen
Read More“And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Hebrews 6:11–12)
*I see a call to endurance– to run the race (it’s a marathon) that has been set before us.
*To seek and strive for a closer and deeper relationship with our Savior and never be happy standing still.
*Spiritual sluggishness is a manifestation of unbelief.
*Spiritual sluggishness is a sign that there’s something about God that we doubt and it’s draining our hope, which means it’s draining our energy and drive.
**We’re not giving it all we have because –we doubt it’s worth the effort.
Spiritual sluggishness is not to be tolerated; it’s to be fought. (Hebrews 3:19).
Spiritual sluggishness is a weight that needs to be laid aside (Hebrews 12:2). So how do you do that?
1. Identify the doubt.
*Sluggishness has a cause. What is sapping your faith?
2. Repent. Unbelief is a sin.
*Seek to actively turn from it.
3. Target that unbelief with Biblical truth.
*Stop whatever else you may be doing for devotional reading and focus on and pray through texts that deal directly with this issue.
*Lay aside your other book reading and read things that address this doubt.
4. Don’t go it alone.
*Humble yourself and share your struggle with trusted counselors God has given you.
**Humility is not being humble when God does a miracle through you. It is when even before you do it and through it that it is all God none of you.
*Our great Coach often speaks through assistant coaches (Hebrews 3:13).
Spiritual sluggishness is common to man (1 Corinthians 10:13). We all experience it. In the slog of our long faith-race and the adversity we encounter from the world, our flesh, and the devil (Ephesians 2:2–3), there are times the reward gets obscured by confusion and discouragements.
” Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5).
Jesus I ask in your name that you will keep me mindful of the opportunities to love others in my life. Open my mind and guide me to chances to follow those who have deep relationships with You. Grant me faith when things seem hopeless, and give me the endurance to run the race you have set before me. I desire to be spiritually sharp, and have a deep meaningful relationship with You. In Your Name I pray, Amen.
Read MoreThis is a word about affliction and the purpose of affliction.
• Why affliction comes in our lives.
• How we should respond to affliction.
After all, there’s nobody who won’t encounter affliction(suffering, burden, problem, pain, hardship, trouble, misery) at some time or another in his life. Listen to what the psalmist says about affliction and what he learned from it:
Psalm 119:67, 71, 75—Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. I know, O Lord, that your laws are righteous and in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
You see, the psalmist didn’t view affliction as a disaster. He saw it as a kind of corrective medicine. It was something that he needed to adjust his life. He says, “Before I was afflicted I went astray and I paid for it, but now,” he said, “I obey Your word. I’ve learned my lesson. It pays to obey.”
And then he says at the end, “O Lord . . . in faithfulness you have afflicted me.” You didn’t do it because You were cruel or because You were angry with me. You did it to straighten me out, to bring me back from my own evil way into Your way, to find the way of peace.
Are you in the midst of affliction? Don’t fight. Don’t argue with God. Ask Him the reason. God is afflicting you in His faithfulness. He has a reason. He’s trying to turn you back from something, to bring you out of the wrong and bring you into the right – a life of obedience to His statutes.
If you have any affliction or know someone in it: Take time to read the verses below on what the Bible says about affliction. You will be blessed.
Bible Verses: John 9:1-3, John 11:3-4, John 21:18-19, Psalm 34:19, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Deuteronomy 4:30-31, Hosea 5:14-15, Job 36:8-9, Psalm 32:5, Proverbs 17:3, Deuteronomy 8:2, 1 Peter 1:7, Revelation 2:10, (2 Corinthians 12:7-Acts 12:23), James 1:3, (1 Peter 2:20-Hebrews 10:26), John 15:2, Hebrews 12:10-11, Philippians 1:12, 2 Timothy 2:9-10, 2 Timothy 4:16-17
HEBREWS 5:8 AND HOSEA 4:6
Lord, thank you for the Bible, your truth to freedom of affliction. Amen
Read MoreMan has revolted against God. We are all “sinners.”
Psalms 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.
**Let’s Ask God through the day to cleanse us of sin.
*If you are recovering from a serous sin’ it’s hard to imagine teaching others or being spiritually helpful to others, yet that is what God desires and plans for us.
Not too soon—mind you, and not without the oversight of mature believers, but eventually God’s intention is for us to get back in the game.
*Everything-even our sin-can be used by God to help others and heal ourselves. (Romans 8:28 is a great read)
Psalms 51:17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.
*It is amazing how God looks beyond our mistakes and failures and find something worthwhile in us.
Yes God punished David for his mistakes but still, He looked beyond all that and found a right spirit, a repentant spirit and a man who was sincerely after His heart.
Perfection may be a tall order for us, but a heart after the heart of God is what moves God. A broken, contrite and honest heart is what he asks for. I’m convinced a lot of us take pride in our doctrine when what the Lord desires from us is just our affection. “To Know Him is to have Eternal life”(JN 17:3).
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
*Steps To Personal Deliverance–Lifestyle evangelism.
1. Admit that you have a problem.
2. Confess with a repentant heart.
3. Ask God for forgiveness.
4. Turn away from your past life.
5. Obey the Holy Spirit by hearing and reading Scriptures.
1 John 1:10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
*We might deceive ourselves about our own sin by rationalizing or minimizing the wrong.
*We might blame other people or circumstances instead of accepting responsibility.
*No matter how we deceive ourselves, it is important to understand the dangers of deceit.
The most important danger of delusion is what it does to our relationship with God.
If we deny our sin, we are calling God a liar. We are blocking our own path to walking with him
Is there sins in our life that we’ve been denying? Ask God to help you admit the wrong, take responsibility for it, and turn to him for forgiveness. He will help you and me overcome.
Lord help me be a doer of your word–not a bench warmer. Teach me more and more of what Your love(agape) means and looks like for my neighbor as well as my marriage, my kids, my grandkids, my friends and myself. God, You are love and You are the only solid foundation upon which human love can be built. Help Love be a LIFESTYLE!. Amen
Read More1 Timothy 1:15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.
Romans 6:11 Consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus
Even though you are dead to sin, sin’s strong appeal may still cause you to struggle with feeling that you are more alive to sin than you are to Christ. But Romans 6:1-11 teaches us that what is true of the Lord Jesus Christ is true of us in terms of our relationship to sin and death.
God the Father allowed His Son to “be sin” in order that all the sins of the world–past, present and future–would fall on Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). When He died on the cross, our sins were on Him. But when He rose from the grave, there was no sin on Him. When He ascended to the Father, there was no sin on Him. And today, as He sits at the Father’s right hand, there is no sin on Him. Since we are seated in the heavenlies in Christ, we too have died to sin.
Christ already died to sin, and because you are in Him, you have died to sin too. Sin is still strong and appealing, but your relationship with sin has ended. I’ve met many Christians who are still trying to die to sin, and their lives are miserable and fruitless as a result because they are struggling to do something that has already been done. “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death”(Romans 8:2). see too 1 John 4:4
Romans 6:11 summarizes what we are to believe about our relationship to sin because of our position in Christ. It doesn’t matter whether you feel dead to sin or not; you are to consider it so because it is so. People wrongly wonder, “What experience must I have in order for this to be true?”
The only necessary experience is that of Christ on the cross, which has already happened.
When we choose to believe what is true about ourselves and sin, and walk on the basis of what we believe, our right relationship with sin will work out in our experience. But as long as we put our experience before our belief, we will never fully know the freedom that Christ purchased for us on the cross.
Prayer: Lord, teach me not always to believe what I feel about my relationship to sin, but to believe the truth that I am dead to it. “Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.” Acts 13:38 Amen
Read More“Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance” (1 Corinthians 13:7 NLT, second edition).
The kind of love that really makes a difference in this world requires a big effort on your part, but you’ll enjoy huge rewards.
Sometimes you just don’t feel like you have any more love to give. Maybe you’re in a people-intensive job, such as teacher, salesman, or waitress, and you come home and think, “I just can’t face another need, another problem, or another heartache.” So you just shut down.
Or you need to show love to a particular person who is demanding, selfish, and never returns your love. And you just think to yourself, “I’m done. No more.”
While that’s perfectly natural and perfectly human, it’s not the standard of love God calls us to in the Bible. The Bible says, “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance” (1 Corinthians 13:7 NLT, second edition). Love never gives up.
How can you have that kind of patient love for another person? You get refueled.
To give the kind of patient love that God wants you to give, you have to refuel your love tank. Look around at society, and you’ll see it’s littered with debris from relationships that have crashed and burned because people didn’t refuel their love.
How do you refuel your love tank? You start by letting God love you. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19 NIV).
When you’re worn out, tired, and can’t imagine showing love to anyone else, remember that God loved you so much that he sent his Son to die for you. Read John 3:16-17
Now that’s real fuel. That’s what keeps you going when you want to quit.
Thank You Jesus for the Love you have given us all. May we show Your love to all we meet by our actions as well as our words. Amen
Read MoreAnd now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him”(Colossians 2:6 ).
The Bible often compares life to a walk, because life is a journey; we’re not sitting still. Throughout the New Testament, we are told to walk in wisdom, love, light, and obedience. We’re told to walk as Jesus walked. We’re also told to walk alongside other people.
Here are three reasons we need to walk with other people:
- It’s safer. Have you ever walked alone at night through a dark alley or down a lonely country road? It’s a little scary. But if you have another person with you, you feel safer.
- It’s supportive. Life is not a 50-yard dash; it’s a marathon. Walking with other people gives you the energy to keep on going until the end.
- It’s smarter. You learn more by walking with others than by walking alone. If you’re walking alone in the wrong direction, you may never realize it. But if you have a friend beside you, one of you is likely to recognize you’ve veered off the path and need to find the right direction.
We also learn some important lessons when we walk alongside other people. We learn how to get along and cooperate with others.
We also learn how to love. Genesis 2:18 tells us, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (NIV). God hates loneliness, and community is God’s answer to loneliness. When we walk alongside other people, we find a community where we learn how to love.
Walking alongside other people also teaches us hospitality. The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:9, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.”What’s your grumble? What’s your excuse for not opening your home to friends?
Maybe you’ve said, “My home is dirty!”—Well, clean it up!
Or perhaps your excuse is, “My home isn’t big enough.”
Can you put three people in it? Jesus says, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20).
Everybody has a longing for belonging, because God made us for relationships. When we walk alongside other Christians in community, we find that longing satisfied.
Lord, Thank you for the Body of Christ. Help me plug more and more into your family. Amen.
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“Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required” (Luke12:48, ESV).
Most Christians are powerless. To some readers, this statement will sound bold and to others it will sound obvious.
Consider what “normal” Christianity in the typical believer looks like today.
This person is a bit self-seeking and a little materialistic, and most
of his daily choices are about improving his life. ( that was and is me at times)
That includes his spiritual pursuits, from his church groups to the pod casts he downloads, to the seminars he attends.
There is nothing wrong with any of these things. Our Lord wants our lives to be blessed, but for some Christians these are nothing more than worldly pursuits.
****They are about self-improvement, not the kingdom of God, and they can drain a believer of true gospel power.
God calls the sin of unbelief “going back to Egypt.” “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help . . . but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord!” (Isaiah 31:1).
“Woe to the rebellious children . . . that take counsel, but not of me . . . that walk to go down into Egypt” (Isaiah 30:1-2).
Isaiah was dumbfounded when he saw many of Israel’s leaders mount their horses and gallop to Egypt to try to get counsel on national policy and security.
These were the same men who told the prophet they had no time to seek the Lord or consult with Him.
But God didn’t take their actions lightly. He called it all rebellion and pronounced woe upon them!
Today, nothing has changed. Multitudes of Christians crisscross the country attending seminars and conventions with a “go to Egypt” mentality. They are networking, strategizing, borrowing worldly methods, getting flesh-inspired counsel. In short, they are looking for any new thing that might excite them. Read Amos 5: 21-27
But the praying servant who trusts God wholly knows he has no time for Egyptian concepts. The place he runs is to his secret closet—where he gets his counsel on his knees!
God who promises that vengeance is His, and He will repay—then taking matters into our own hands shows a lack of faith in God and His integrity.
“Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (from Dt. 32:35-36; Rom. 12:19; Heb. 10:30). Striving to vindicate self actually shows a lack of faith in God keeping this promise. It also indicates spiritual “nearsightedness” which is only looking at the present moment instead of seeing things in view of eternity.
Thank You Jesus that You are the counsel I need on a daily basses. Thank You for Your Holy Inspired word that can lead us all. Give us the hunger and Time to read and meditate daily on Your Word-to Know You and Your guidance and then put what we learn into action! Amen
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