Devotions - Prayer
Let go of your concerns! Then you will know that I am God. I rule the nations. I rule the earth”Psalm 46:10.
Every day, you have to decide who’s going to be in control of your life — you or God.
That choice is a battle. There are things in your life that you want to control. You want to make your own rules. But stress relief always starts with letting God be God. It always starts with saying, “God, I’m giving up control, because you can control the things that are out of control in my life.”
Psalm 46:10 says, “Let go of your concerns! Then you will know that I am God. I rule the nations. I rule the earth” .
I don’t know what you’re going to face this week. You don’t, either. But I can already tell you what God wants you to do: Let go, and know. Let go of control, and know that God is in control. Let go, and know! This is the first step to serenity in your life.
Whenever we face out-of-control situations, we tend to go to one of two extremes.
- For some of you, the more out-of-control your life gets, the harder you try to control it.
- Some of you do the exact opposite: You just give up! You have a pity party and invite yourself to it.
Both of those reactions to stress are foolish. They don’t work. Instead of being a victim or becoming hyper controlling, you need to pray the prayer of surrender.
The number one reason you’re under stress is because you’re in conflict with God.
You’re trying to control things that only God can control. You can’t control your husband or your kids or your wife, or your parents, or your friends, or your job or your future or your past or any of that stuff. The more you do it, the more you’re trying to play God, and that puts you in opposition to God. Not only are you going to lose that conflict, but you’re also going to be tired.
Millions of people pray the Serenity Prayer, which is based on the Lord’s Prayer, but most have never read the last eight lines to the prayer. read below
That’s where the power is! There is power when you surrender to JESUS the very things you’ve been trying to control.
Serenity Prayer
God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that you will make all things right,
If I surrender to your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with you
Forever in the next.
Amen.
— Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)
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“If you … know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11 NIV)
God is the source of everything. Everything you see in the world and everything you can’t see in the world and in the universe, God made. He’s the source of every good thing in the universe.
As you depend on God as your source for everything, there are four truths you need to remember.
First, everything is a gift from God. Nothing you have, have you earned. It’s all a gift of God’s grace. If God didn’t want to give it, you wouldn’t have it. Read James 1:17.
Second, there’s nothing you need that God can’t provide. You don’t know what you’re going to need the rest of this year. But whatever it is, God has the power to supply it. Read: Philippians 4:19.
Third, God wants to give you everything you need. Read Matthew 7:11. God wants to meet your need.
And, here’s the fourth thing: He’s waiting on you. James 4:2 says,“. . . You do not have because you do not ask God.”
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. (Romans 12:3)
In the context of this verse, Paul is concerned that people were thinking of themselves “more highly than [they] ought to think.” His final remedy for this pride is to say that not only are spiritual gifts a work of God’s free grace in our lives, but so also is the very faith with which we use those gifts.
This means that every possible ground of boasting is taken away. How can we boast if even the qualification for receiving gifts is also a gift?
This truth has a profound impact on how we pray. Jesus gives us the example in Luke 22:31–32. Before Peter denies him three times Jesus says to him, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
Jesus prays for Peter’s faith to be sustained even through sin, because he knows that God is the one who sustains faith. So we should pray for ourselves and for others this way.
Let us pray daily: “O Lord, thank you for my faith. Sustain it. Strengthen it. Deepen it. Don’t let it fail. Make it the power of my life, so that in everything I do you get the glory as the great Giver. Amen.”
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If you pay attention, you will know that the Lord is showing you ways to improve your circumstances that will ultimately result in a better quality of life.
The Lord is revealing things that need to be changed and can be changed that will be very beneficial to you.
However, this benefit will not come if you do not do what is necessary.
2 Chronicles 7:14 “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
YOU HAVE IT ALL–IN THE SPIRIT
Matthew 26:41 ” Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”
The Bible presents salvation as a life transforming experience.
*Change is one of the distinguishing characteristics of a true believer.
*Yet, failure to understand that this change takes place in the spirit first, and then is reflected in our outward appearance through our thoughts and actions in direct proportion to the way we renew our minds, causes much confusion.
This change has to take place in our born-again spirit first.
Why is that?
Example: If you had an major infection in your body before you got saved, you will you have an infection in your bodybe after you get saved, unless you go into a Doctor recovery program.
Your body doesn’t instantly change and neither does your soul or mind.
It is your spirit that is instantly changed at salvation.
It is perfect (Heb. 12:23). It cannot sin (1 Jn. 3:9). Everything that is true of Jesus is true of our born-again spirit.
**Your spiritual salvation is complete.
At salvation, you receive the same spirit that you will have throughout all eternity. It will not have to be changed or cleansed again.
It is sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13) and therefore, is sanctified and perfected forever (Heb. 10:10, 14; 12:23).
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.
Lord, thank you for the renewing of the mind, help me to live as a child of light for Your Glory and my joy! Amen
Read MoreAlmost every Christian at some time in his life has had to face the problem of unanswered prayer.
*A prayer goes unanswered for weeks and months—even years.
*An unexpected illness or tragedy claims a loved one.
*Things happen that have no rhyme or reason and then faith begins to falter.
But the Word makes it very clear that a wavering person will never receive anything from God.
Jesus understood this tendency in His children to hold grudges against heaven when mountains are not moved on schedule.
*Jesus warned Peter not to ask anything when standing in God’s presence lest he be unforgiving in some matter.
“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses” (Mark 11:25).
I believe Jesus is saying, Don’t stand in God’s presence asking for
mountains to be removed or for forgiveness of your sins, if you have a secret grudge in your heart against a brother or sister in Christ.
*Get it out! Let the Spirit of forgiveness flow through you.
*Cry out to your faithful Father. He has not failed. He will answer. He will supply.
*Submit yourself and ask Him to forgive you for allowing these doubts to spring up.
The most difficult thing in all the world for Christians to do is forgive.
Even the best Christians find it hard to forgive those who injure their pride.
Nothing infuriates us more than to discover someone has lied to us.
In His teaching on prayer Jesus said, “Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:11-12).
Lord, my prayer is that the entire Body of Christ (the Church) will go to You in prayer and work out our differences and not suppress the truth, but renew our minds on the Truths and Promises You give us through Your word on the Spirit of Forgiveness. Take the Pride from our hearts and minds, helping us see clearly that we are all on the same team and will be spending Eternity Together. Amen
Christ Has Set Us Free!!!!!!! We can now fight From Victory and not For Victory. (See 1JN 4:4, JN 3:16-17)
Galatians 5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
A true “overcomer” is one who knows how to make faith choices.
“He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God…”Revelation 3:12
*God’s people are called to turn from sin and turn to God in obedience. We need to overcome sin or it will overcome us.
*How to overcome our sin?
1. Confess our sins before God – 1 John 1:9
2. Put to death sin by the spirit of God – Romans 8:13
Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
I want to ask you a very simple but important question: Have you been set free?
Take time to ponder:
- How do you view God?
- How do you view yourself?
- How does God view you?
The truth is, if you have already met Jesus Christ, if you have been washed by the blood of the Lamb and cleansed by His precious blood, you have been made free in Him.
*You are victorious and a new creation in Christ Jesus!
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18,).
*In Christ we are reborn as new creations.
Thank you Jesus for the joy of salvation, thank you Jesus for your saving Grace. Amen
Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”!
.. the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15b).
Paul describes the role of the church in two dramatic words: the church is the
1. “pillar”
2. The “foundation” of the truth.
The great reason for the existence of the church is to:
*** Introduce Truth back into a world saturated with error and fantasy. WE WILL ALL DIE SOMETIME & THERE IS A HELL-THERE IS A HEAVEN!
The church recovers truth when it is lost. (And boy are we lost).
That is why all Moral Recovery in a nation always begins with the church, with the people of God.
***Their Testimonies of what Jesus has done for them personally!!!(Rev. 12:11).
Any Hope that we in this country will ever recover from this downhill slide into despair lies in the presence of the church(Body of Christ) in our midst.
So the church is “the pillar and foundation of the truth.” The Church is not a denomination-It’s all believers in Jesus Christ.
All believers are the household of God and are crucial pillars in representing the truth of God.
Without the Church:
*There is no conduit for truth
*Without truth, there is no hope.
* God has ordained that through the Church; His Bride, He will reveal Himself to the world.
***Let us not lose sight of this, and let us hold fast to Jesus and His Word (John 17:17).
Hebrews 12: 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.
We need God’s anointing in the place called church to help us to conduct ourselves.
Romans 12:5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.(His Church)!
We all need to be part of the fruit-bearing stage. In it, God’s power is manifested in your life like never before.
***God takes ALL our experiences and uses them to build His Kingdom in and through your life.
*** Your obedience to this final call results in fruitfulness you could never imagine without the long preparation process.
What does God want to achieve through our lives?
*God has a plan that is so incredible we cannot comprehend it.
*It requires only that we love Him and follow Him.
Then we will become fishers of men like the world has never known.
“‘Come, follow Me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.'” Matthew 4:19
Matthew 6:33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
” May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.”
God is Able, and God bless America! AMEN
Read More“But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness”. (Rom. 6:17-18).
Becoming a new person in Christ is part of a life-long journey that begins at conversion.
Before coming to Christ, we were living (in a metaphorical sense) in Egypt, in the land of bondage.
Just as the people of Israel toiled as slaves in Egypt, WE were slaves to sin and worldly ambition. (Addicted to Sin)
Before we came to Christ, we sweated and toiled to build our career and acquire material possessions.
*Work was our idol.
*Greed was our taskmaster.
We may have had all the trappings of power in the business world – We didn’t run our career; our career ran us!!!! (Been there).
Jesus once said, “No servant can serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and money” (Luke 16:13).
Jesus was saying that those who spend their lives seeking only worldly gain are idolaters.
*No one can serve two masters.
*No one can worship both the true God and a false god (anything taking 1st place in our hearts other then God Himself).
We cannot experience the grace that God gives to His children because we are too busy striving for riches and power.
The only way we can be free is to turn away from worldly stuff and allow the One true God to transform us into a different person that will bring Him Glory.
Romans 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 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.
Ask yourself today:
Who or What really is #1 in my heart and my time and actions?
2 Chronicles 7:14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. 15 My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place.
Thank You Jesus for hearing my prayer of repentance this day. Amen
Read MoreJesus taught that our perspective in life, the way we view the world, affects every detail of our lives. Therefore it is of utmost importance. How we view God and how we think God views us will be of great importance..
Two areas to look at with the contrasts of views (eternal vs. temporal)
We live our lives on the basis of our belief system. BUT where do we get our beliefs from?
People act on what they BELIEVE to be true even if their beliefs are not true.
TEMPORAL VIEW: (1 Corinthians 1:20-25)
Here everything is relative. There are no absolutes. Because our human perspective is based on knowledge and experience, it is limited and incomplete.
ETERNAL VIEW: (1 Corinthians 2:6-9)
An eternal perspective enables us to live in light of God’s truth rather than what we perceive to be true through our limited knowledge.
Living according to God’s wisdom will appear to be foolishness to the world but is based on the true measure of reality: God’s eternal Truth. John 14:6 Psalm 119:160
It is easy to believe the wisdom of men and thus pursue VALUES with our own interests and comfort as the goal. However, what satisfies and gratifies us now is not necessarily in our best interest in light of eternity.
Left to ourselves, we’re stubborn, prideful, sinful, and utterly hopeless.
But praise God that Jesus Christ has done the work I couldn’t— taking away my sins, and given me eternal life when I certainly didn’t deserve it!
• Any chance you had of getting to heaven on your own was destroyed by sin.
• But Christ destroyed the power of sin on the cross to give you & me eternal life if we’ll only trust in Him.
• Put your faith in Christ, not yourself, for eternal life. It’s His work alone that can save you!
The true perspective is that, if we are Christians, we do not belong to this world. Our true home is in heaven. If this is our view, then we will not want to have anything to do with the world’s values. We are just passing through this life!
How to Develop an Eternal Perspective. (Eph. 5:18, Col. 3:16)
This involves both taking in the truth and acting on it.
DON’T TRUST IN YOUR OWN WORKS TO GET YOU TO HEAVEN. TRUST IN CHRIST’S WORK ALONE FOR ETERNAL LIFE!
Thank you Jesus for loving us so much you took our sins away at the cross and now through You we have Victory over this world. Amen
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“Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take up shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid. Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.””Psalm 35:1–3
That was a prayer of David in a time of deep distress, a time when he felt himself surrounded by enemies pressing in against him and he saw no way to keep them out.
So He cried out to the Lord and said, “Lord, take Your stand against my enemies. Take up Your mighty spiritual weapons and block the way against them.”
The great conclusive answer to that prayer of David came through David’s greater son, the Lord Jesus Christ, about a thousand years later.
On the cross, Jesus did just that.
- He blocked the way against all the enemies of our soul.
- He stopped the way.
- He put an end to Satan’s claims.
- He set a limit to Satan’s territory.
- He created a boundary that Satan cannot pass over.
Remember this: the cross is God’s great stop sign.
The devil may be moving in against us at full speed, but when we put up the cross, he slams on his brakes and comes to a screeching halt because he cannot pass the cross. That’s where Jesus stopped the way against all our enemies. Now that is victory! SEE 1 JOHN 4:4
Eph. 6:11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
2 Corinthians 10:3 We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. 4 We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.
God will come to my rescue against my enemies. But David also spoke to God about praying for his enemies.
*I will put faith in God regarding the evil powers of this world. I know that HE will protect me and my family.
*I will also pray for my enemies.
Lord thank you for this glorious day of your protection. Thank you for your unfailing love and your mercy never seize. Again thank you and we love you. We bring back all the honor and glory through the beautiful name of Jesus Christ. Amen
Read MoreBe humble and give more honor to others than to yourselves” (Philippians 2:3b ).
Pride destroys relationships. It shows up in a lot of different ways, like criticism, competition, stubbornness, and superficiality.
The problem with pride is it’s self-deceiving. Everybody else can see it in us but us. When you have a problem with pride, you don’t see it in your life.
Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride leads to destruction; a proud attitude brings ruin”. I love this verse in the Message paraphrase: “First pride, then the crash — the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.”
- Pride destroys relationships, but humility is the antidote to pride.
- Humility builds relationships.
The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:8, “Live in harmony, be sympathetic, love each other, have compassion, and be humble”.
How are you and I going to grow in humility?
It happens by letting Jesus Christ begin to control our thoughts and hearts and attitudes and reactions. He’s got to be a part of this. Ephesians 4:23-24 says, “Let the Spirit change your way of thinking and make you into a new person” .
How do you become a new person? How do you start to think in a different way?
The basic law of relationships is this: You tend to become like the people you spend time with.
- If you spend time with grumpy people, you get grumpier.
- If you spend time with people in addictions, you get addicted.
- If you spend time with people that have gratitude, you have gratitude.
- If you spend time with happy people, you get happier.
- If you spend time with selfish people, you become selfish.
- If you spend time with people who do not respect others, you will not respect others.
If you want to have more humility, spend time with Jesus Christ. He is humble. He wants a relationship with you. He wants you to spend time with him in prayer and reading his Word and talking to him. He is humble, and as you get to know him, you’ll become more like him.
“Be humble and give more honor to others than to yourselves … You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to” (Philippians 2:3b, 5-6.
No one has done anything more humble than Jesus, coming from Heaven to Earth to become a man, live for us, give his life for us, and be resurrected for us.
When you spend time with him, it makes you more humble, and that builds your relationships.
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A stronghold is a fortress of thoughts that controls and influences our attitudes.
Some of the things God brings up from our hidden chambers have been lifelong strongholds of the enemy. They may appear as “giants” when we seek to break free of them, but God is already the Victor! You will see His salvation if you faint not.
“But Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.'” Exodus 14:13
Remember:*EACH person is given something to do that SHOWS who God is! This gifting God has given each one of us is an OUTLET for the OVERFLOW of GOD’S LOVE in our lives for others.
Coming Out of the Stronghold
“Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah“… – 1 Samuel 22:5
David and his fighting men had been hiding in the cave of Adullam. He was fleeing Saul. Many of life’s down-and-out had come and joined David’s army.
David was content to stay in the stronghold of safety.
Then, God’s prophet came to David and told him that he must leave the stronghold and go into the land of Judah.
When life beats down on us and we get to the place where we want to hide in a cave, God often places people around us who prod us into moving in the right direction.
God does not want us to remain in the place of discouragement. He wants us to move into the land of “praise.” Judah means “praise.”
Our attitude must move from discouragement to praise.
*It is when we move past discouragement to praise that we begin living above our problems.
The way is open for you to come boldly before the Lord’s throne of grace.
Do not be afraid or hesitate. Come and let Him speak to your heart, for you need wisdom and direction for the days ahead.
Listen for the Lord’s still small voice, and you will hear. “I will guide your steps, and lead you to victory.”
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
God help me to put my trust in You today. To trust in my relationship with You and my knowledge of Your love, justice and righteousness. Amen
Read More1 John 2:2 And he(Jesus) is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our’s only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
*Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
*Jesus Christ, is our advocate who pleads our case before God when we sin. He is the ONLY atonement that satisfies God. So NO WORKS OF THE FLESH can atone for our sins.
What Does “Propitiation” Mean? Propitiation is a big word that means satisfaction.
Because God is a holy God, His anger and justice burns against sin. And He has sworn that sin will be punished.
There must be a satisfactory payment for sin.
*But God said, “If I punish man for his sin, man will die and go to hell.
*On the other hand, if I don’t punish man for his sin, My justice will never be satisfied.”
The solution?
*God said that He would become our substitute.
*He would take the sin of mankind upon Himself in agony and blood—a righteous judgment and substitute for sin.
His wrath burned out on the cross when His only Son died as man’s propitiation for sin. And this is love.
1 John 4:10 This is what love is: it is not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven.
Rejoice and be glad for the Lord has wonderful plans for you fulfilling His eternal purpose through you!
Isaiah 43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Dear Jesus, I will never know what you suffered and felt, and for that I am grateful. My heart hurts when I do try to wrap my brain around what was truly done to you. Yet, I know that the pain was temporary, as massive as it was. And I love you SO much for taking the pain of my sins so that I can have the promise of eternal life. I ask that you walk with me through this life, helping me to avoid sin. Sin leads to damnation, and the pain you suffered was the pain of our collective damnation! If I think that my sins would lead to my eternal suffering, I know that I never want myself or my loved ones to face that forever. I want to live with you forever! Amen.
John 17:3 And eternal life means to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, whom you sent.
* Eternal life requires entering into a personal relationship with God in Jesus Christ. When we admit our sin and turn away from it, Christ’s love lives in us by the Holy Spirit.
The Cross has been forgotten in many Christian homes and churches, simply because we have chosen to place our human happiness above God’s Will.
“For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”. 1 Corinthians 1:18
Take Up His Cross Daily
Can you recall Jesus’ radical philosophy: “Be a servant, give to others”?
The basis of that statement is tucked away in Luke 9:23.
Following Christ is a costly, unselfish decision. He says: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”
When you look closely at Jesus’ statement, a couple of things seem important.
*First, those who desire to follow Him closely must come to terms with self-denial.
*And second, this decision to give ourselves to others (taking up our cross) has to be a daily matter.
Some questions we must ask and answer ourselves are:
*Am I serious about being a follower of Jesus Christ?
*Do I think of others to such an extent that self-denial is becoming the rule rather than the exception in my life?
*Is my walk with Him a daily thing?
*A thorough self-examination is one of the requisites for following closely. Paul tells us to abound in generosity, be givers, be people who excel in unselfishness. That’s costly stuff, terribly expensive. Can we pay the price?
2 Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
When I believe the Good News of the cross the power of God becomes a reality in my life.
Lord I thank you for your indwelling presence in my life made possible by the work of Christ on the cross. Amen
Read MoreChange requires making choices.
- It’s not enough to dream of changing.
- It’s not enough to desire change.
- In order for you to change, you will need to make a decision.
- You must choose to change.
Change is intentional.
- Are you going to be any different in six months?
- Are you going to be better a year from now?
- Are you going to be healthier, stronger, and more mature?
- Are you going to be happier?
- Are you going to be less in debt?
- Are you going to be more like God wants you to be?
I can tell you the answer right now: It will only happen if you choose to change, because it isn’t going to happen accidentally.
It requires a choice.
A lot of times we think we’re waiting on God to change us. No! God is waiting on you. He’s waiting on you to say, “Yes, Lord, I’m willing to make these changes.”
We have to make intentional choices in order to grow. There is no growth without change, there is no change without loss, and there is no loss without pain.
If you are going to grow, you will have to change, and change means you let go of some old things in order to grab hold of some new things.
It’s like swinging on a trapeze. The trapeze artist swings out on one bar, and then he has to reach out and grab the other one. At some point, he’s got to let go of one to grab on to the other, or he’s not going to make it to the other side. If he thinks he can hold on to both, what happens? He gets stuck in the middle, and he’s going down.
Some of you are stuck in the middle, and you’re going down because you haven’t let go of the old patterns, the old habits, and the old ways of thinking. You have to let go of your old ways.
The Bible says, “Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life” (Ephesians 4:22a ). In other words, let it go. Those old habits, those old hurts, those old patterns, those old sins in your life — let them go. The Bible says to throw them off and trust that God is working in you “to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13b NIV). Amen
Read MoreLet us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord. Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven and say, ‘We have sinned and rebelled’”Lamentations 3:40-42a.
The path to a fresh start and a clear conscience begins with repentance. First, review every area of your life, and then repent of every sin.
What does it mean to repent? It means three things:
- First, you take responsibility for your sin.
- Second, you turn away from those things.
- And third, you turn toward God and his grace.
Repentance does not mean rationalizing your sin. You don’t say, “It was no big deal.” It was a big deal, or you wouldn’t have remembered it. You don’t say, “It happened so long ago” or “It was just a stage I went through” or “Everybody does it.” It doesn’t matter! You cannot rationalize sin, minimize it, excuse it, or blame others. That is not true repentance.
Pay attention to this: The greatest holdup to the healing of your hang-up is you.
You’re not waiting on God; you’re not waiting on anybody else. God wants to heal the hang-up in your life, but the greatest holdup to your hang-up is you.
The Bible says in 1 John 1:8, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us”(NIV).
Would you like to get rid of the self-defeating habits in your life?
- You will stop defeating yourself when you stop deceiving yourself.
- It all starts with gut-level honesty and recognizing that something is wrong, no matter how much you want to rationalize it and excuse it.
- You need to admit it, confess it, and get it out of your life.
E’s of Decision Making”…Glorifying God in the Gray Areas…(got this from a Bible Study friend, not sure of author)
Edification…Will this activity produce a spiritual benefit?
Enslavement…Will this activity lead to spiritual bondage?
Exposure…Will this activity expose my mind or body to defilement?
Esteem…Will this benefit others, or cause them to stumble?
Evangelism…Will this activity further the cause of the Gospel?
Ethics…Will this activity violate my conscious?
Exaltation…Will this activity bring glory to God?
Armed with these basic principles every believer can navigate the gray areas with integrity. Amen
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