Devotions - Prayer
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
*We as Christian fathers know we cannot be perfect, because we have our mistakes & shortcomings.
BUT-God has a plan that’s perfect in our lives.
We do not make the plan perfect, but it’s Christ who is perfection. (Phil. 1:6) He has a great work for us. (Eph. 2:10) He has created us in Christ to do the work He did.
Are WE ready to unravel the plan that God has for US?
Us fathers today should take our cues on fatherhood from the Father of Fatherhood. It’s never to late to start.
The most obvious feature of the Father of Jesus Christ is His generosity. He is generous with His glory (John 1:14), with His tasks (John 5:18), with His protection (John 10:28–32), with His home (John 14:1–2), and with His joy (John 16:23–24).
The Father gives (John 3:34–36). The Father gives His Son (John 3:16; 18:11); the Father gives His Spirit (John 14:16–17); the Father gives Himself (John 14:22–24).
Learning this about the Father who is a Spirit, who is intangible, should stir us deeply.
He is seeking worshipers who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth — in short, who will become like He is. And what is He like?
*He is generous with everything. Is there anything He has that he has held back? And what should we — tangible fathers — be like?
1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
Proverbs 23:24 The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasure to have children who are wise.
Hebrews 12:10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness.
Colossians 3:20 Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged.
Galatians 5:22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control.
HAPPY FATHERS DAY! YOU ARE LOVED BY YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER! PASS THIS LOVE TO OTHERS!
Go to web site and read “love letter from your Heavenly Father” www.movingforwardwithhope.com
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“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
Read MoreFor Encouragement: Ponder Matthew 1:18-25
*Our faith is strengthen only when we trust Him…
*In those things that are the most difficult we are to trust Him..
*In those moments that life is at its craziest times we are to trust Him.
*When it looks to be at its worst or when we don’t understand we are to trust Him!!!
Christmas inspires us not to be afraid because God is WITH US.
“they will call him Immanuel” (which means”God with us”).” ~ Matthew 1:23
Jesus was more than a HERO, He is GOD IN THE FLESH.
The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the father, full of grace and truth. (ref: John 1:14)
Jesus is more than able to LEAD us through our challenges. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet he did not sin. (ref: Hebrews 4:15)
Let’s not be afraid, but COURAGEOUSLY go where Jesus is leading.
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had communicated to him and took Mary home as his wife. (ref: Matthew 1:24)
Let us approach Gods throne of grace with confidence, so that way we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (ref: Hebrews 4:16)
Jer. 29: 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
God is here with you through all the trials that you are going through. No matter what the evil one throws at you, God will always help, guide, protect, redeem you.
Always remember that trials are coming and WILL come. God does not say that He will protect us from the trials: He will guide us through them.
We will always go through trials, but God is more powerful then anything the evil one can throw at you. (read 1 John 4:4)
We can celebrate because of His presence with us at all times!!
Thank You Jesus for being there for us 24/7! Amen
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.
MATTHEW 27:18 (He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.)
Many problems arise from envy.
James said, “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work” (Jas. 3:16).
Envy and strife go hand in hand and open the door to the devil to do anything he desires, in our life.
Some people would never give place to the devil through confessing the wrong things, yet through envy, they give the enemy freedom to do his worst.
God’s kind of love is not envious or jealous because it doesn’t seek it’s own, but seeks the welfare of others.
Envy is an indication of self-centeredness.
The Lord has united every born-again Christian by baptizing us all into the body of Christ. This is already a reality. Like it or not, want it or not, every Christian is completely one in spirit with every other Christian.
Failure to function as one, in our relationships with other believers means someone is not flowing in the Spirit.
Our flesh is the part of us that gets in strife with other believers.
As we operate in the Spirit more and more, we will come more and more into unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29
By staying positive and speaking words of kindness and encouragement, we will gain more ground in the war against Satan. We will build each other up and not tear each other down.
Like my mom told me, at least weekly, when I was young: “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”.
Paul gives a great tip on how to accomplish this in 2 Corinthians 10:5:“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Dear Lord, help me to be a man after Your own heart, one who speaks only what is helpful for building others up. And when I am tempted to speak unwholesome or critical words, help me to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Thank You that in Your strength I will be successful because I can do all things through You Who strengthens me. AMEN!
Living in the Light
1 John 1:7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
Read More“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
The most difficult question of the Christian life is: “If God really loves me, how can He let ‘this’ happen to me?” “This” for some of us might be a divorce, the death of a child, or a loved who gets cancer.
How we face adversity in this life tells us a lot about whom we love and trust.
Sometimes God allows our life, relationships, and health to not just go from bad to worse, but from bad to impossible. It’s during these most difficult times that we may know that God loves us, but deep down in our hearts we may struggle with really trusting Him.
Sometimes, our perception of God’s slowness of lack of response to our pain or to our prayers is that He doesn’t care or He has abandoned us.
In John 11, the Apostle John tells us a story that shows how we’re to trust God in the midst of impossibly difficult situations in our life. In the story, Jesus raises his friend Lazarus from the dead.
In the beginning of the story, Jesus gets word from Mary and Martha that their brother Lazarus is very sick.
When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” (John 11:4-7)
We discover that it’s because “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” that He decided to stay where He was at for two more days! The sisters probably began to wonder… “What’s going on? I thought Jesus loved us! He’s the Son of God, so why isn’t he coming to help?”
When our life doesn’t go according to plan, or our circumstances go from bad to worse, it’s natural to begin to wonder about what God is doing. This is true especially during those dark moments when we cry out to Him and He doesn’t fix our problem in the way or in the timing that we expect.
Mary and Martha wanted Jesus to “fix” their problem – to come quickly and heal Lazarus. But Jesus had other plans: to raise Lazarus from the dead and demonstrate God’s greater power and glory.
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” But Martha thought He was talking about the final resurrection of the dead.
Then Jesus said these startling words to her: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (v. 21, 23-26)
Jesus’ answer to us, as it was to Mary and Martha, is not to just fix our problems in our way and in our timing. Jesus often has a different – and better – agenda.
His answer to our life’s most difficult problems comes to us as first as a person: He offers us His presence. He asks that we trust in Him and in His timing, even when it doesn’t make sense.
Lord help me to truly experience more each day what it means to have a personal, intimate relationship with YOU the living God. Amen
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
Read MoreBy John Piper
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27)
Here are two great incentives from Jesus to become a World Christian and to dedicate yourself to the cause of Frontier Missions.
Every impossibility with men is possible with God (Mark 10:27). The conversion of hardened sinners will be the work of God and will accord with his sovereign plan. We need not fear or fret over our weakness. The battle is the Lord’s, and he will give the victory.
Christ promises to work for us and to be for us so much that when our missionary life is over, we will not be able to say we’ve sacrificed anything (Mark 10:29–30).
When we follow his missionary prescription, we discover that even the painful side effects work to improve our condition. Our spiritual health, our joy, improves a hundredfold. And when we die, we do not die. We gain eternal life.
- I do not appeal to you to screw up your courage and sacrifice for Christ.
- I appeal to you to renounce all you have to obtain life that satisfies your deepest longings.
- I appeal to you to count all things as rubbish for the surpassing value of standing in service of the King of kings.
- I appeal to you to take off your store bought rags and put on the garments of God’s ambassadors.
I promise you persecutions and privations — but “remember the joy”! “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10).
On January 8, 1956, five Auca Indians of Ecuador killed Jim Elliot and his four missionary companions as they were trying to bring the gospel to the Auca tribe of sixty people.
Four young wives lost husbands and nine children lost their fathers. Elisabeth Elliot wrote that the world called it a nightmare of tragedy. Then she added, “The world did not recognize the truth of the second clause in Jim Elliot’s credo: ‘He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.’”
I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:10-11 – Acts 21:11-12
Paul understood his personal mission, which should be the personal mission of every believer in Jesus Christ. It is the one summary statement that best describes the purpose of our existence on earth and the goal of our Christian experience. It can be reduced to three important characteristics.
- To know Christ.
- To know and experience His power.
- To identify with His sufferings.
All that flows from these three objectives becomes a by-product.
- Salvation is a by-product.
- Miracles are a by-product.
- Christ likeness is a by-product.
Paul’s focus was on relationship. He understood that the deeper the relationship, the more power he would experience. He also understood that as he grew in this relationship, there would be suffering.
Whenever the Kingdom of Light confronts the kingdom of darkness, there is a battle, and this often results in casualties.
Christ confronted these earthly kingdoms and suffered for it. Hebrews 5:8 Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.
If we are living at this level of obedience, we, too, will face similar battles; it simply comes with the territory.
Matthew 5:11 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.
- Does this sound like your personal mission statement?
- Is your focus in life centered on knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection?
- If not, press into Him today in order to begin experiencing Christ more intimately.
Lord thank you for persecution because it takes our eyes of earthly rewards, it strips away superficial belief, it strengthens the faith of us who endure and our attitude through it serves as an example to others who follow. What a testimony it can be to bring YOU the Glory! Amen
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BOOK OF PHILIPPIANS
We can have joy, even in hardship. Joy does not come from outward circumstances but from inward strength. As Christians we must not rely on what we have or what we experience to give us joy but on Christ within us;.
Developing our character begins with God’s work in us. But Growth also requires self-discipline, obedience to God’s Word, and concentration on our part. Christ gives us power to lay aside our personal needs and concerns. We dare not be self-centered. When we give up self-interest, we can serve with joy, love and kindness.
JOY is the quiet, confident assurance of God’s love and work in our lives—that he will be there no matter what!
• Joy is Suffering 1:1-30
• Joy in Serving 2:1-30
• Joy in Believing 3:-4:1
• Joy in Giving 4:2-23
Read the ENTIRE Book of Philippians and Look For Balance!
1. All Jesus has done for you.
2. What you can do for Jesus.
3. See how all is based on Jesus Christ
4. We agree to have the mind set of Christ or to say–THINK LIKE GOD THINKS!
Read Philippians verses below and what do they all have in common?
1:6-7
2:2&5
3:15
4:2
4:10
HOW DOES GOD THINK?
* What does Luke 17:3 say is needed before forgiveness?
* READ MATTHEW 16:22-28 WHAT DOES IT SAY?
* HOW TO THINK LIKE GOD THINKS! Get Jesus character from the Beatitudes in Matthew 5.
Lord, Thank You for your Word which is Truth and following it, I can get some balance and purpose for my life. Amen
Read MoreBusiness as Ministry
by Os Hillman
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24
The Bible is very clear that the purpose for our work life is to reflect Christ in and through our lives. It is an attitude that says our work is to have an overriding “ministry” objective to it. Our work is our worship to God. These two words even originate from the same Hebrew word, avodah.
Robert Laidlaw was born in Scotland in 1885 but grew up in New Zealand. Born to Christian parents, he committed his life fully to the Lord when he was 17. Laidlaw began working in a hardware merchant company as a traveling sales representative when he was 19. Later he had the idea for a mail-order catalogue business that sold everything imaginable including underwear, groceries, cosmetics, and farm equipment, all at bargain-basement prices. His concept proved successful and his business later merged with the Farmer’s Union Trading Company. He became general manager and held that position for 50 years.
But this is not the most significant thing that can be said about Robert Laidlaw. He understood that his work life was a tool to affect others for Jesus Christ. He began giving ten percent of his income early in his business life. Later, however, he entered this into his journal: “September 1919, age twenty-five. I have decided to change my earlier graduated scale, and start now giving half (fifty percent) of all my earnings.” This he continued for the next 60 years. [John Woodbridge, ed., More Than Conquerors (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1992), 351.]
The result of that commitment was countless numbers affected for Jesus Christ through the resources he gave to mission groups and other worthy Christian causes. He was personally involved in ministry. He wrote a small book that gave a thoughtful answer to basic questions about life and faith. It was titled “The Reason Why.” Many hundreds of thousands came to faith in Christ because of this 46-page booklet. He publicly spoke to many of his faith in Christ and became very involved in the Soldier’s and Airmen’s Association when World War II broke out. Robert Laidlaw understood what it meant to view business with an overriding ministry objective.
Does the Lord have complete control of your life? If so, you will be able to see your work life as an extension of His life in you. Let the Lord live in and through your work life today.
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God loves us the same as He loves Jesus.
God’s love is the key that opens the door to everything that God is. “God is love” (1 Jn. 4:8).
John 17:23 ” I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.”
God loves us the same as He loves Jesus.
**A true revelation of this will quicken our faith and allow us to walk in the fullness of God.
God’s love is the key that opens the door to everything that God is. “God is love” (1 Jn. 4:8).
God’s love is not one dimensional. There is width, length, depth and height to it, which can only be comprehended through the revelation and knowledge of the Holy Spirit.
In Ephesians 3:19, Paul prays for us to know the love of God which passes knowledge.
Since a true revelation of God’s love makes us full with the fullness of God, then a lack of being full of God must mean that we lack understanding and experience of God’s love.
The end result of having understanding and experiential knowledge of God’s love is that we will be filled with all the fullness of God.
In 2016 God has shown us that He has not equally distributed gifts, talents or intelligence, but He has equally distributed Himself to all that want Him as their Savior. Our sense of worth comes from knowing who we are as children of God.
“See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are” (1 John 3:1).
Lord, thank You for Your unconditional love. Help me daily to share Your love with others that they too will come to know You as their personal Savior. May they experience true love which only You the Heavenly Father can give. And help us not compare our love experiences here on earth with Your Perfect Love.. Amen
Read MoreLoving 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
Read MoreMatthew 21:21 “Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.”
Jesus makes it very clear that we must have faith and doubt not.
Every believer has faith, but most believers also have an abundance of doubt that negates their faith.
*It is when we purify our faith and only believe, that victory comes.
How you View God and how you view yourself will determine your success.
Every Christian is at war. There is a perpetual struggle against Satan.
*Our enemy goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8).
*Those who resist the devil will see him flee (Jas. 4:7).
The only ones whom he devours are those who don’t actively fight against him.
The mind is the battlefield where thoughts and reasoning’s that are contrary to God’s Word, need to be captured and submitted to Christ, our Commander.
*Our battle against the devil takes place right between our ears.
The spiritual weapons given to us are designed for the express purpose of taking EVERY thought captive and making them obedient to Christ.
Keeping our minds completely stayed upon the Lord is an obtainable goal.
These weapons of ours are for the casting down of two things:
1. Imaginations
2. Every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.
**Both of these areas are dealing with the mind.
Focus on the good in every area of your life.
Failure to recognize God’s blessings in every day living will cause fear and anxiety.
Recognizing God’s hand in even the smallest thing will cause peace and keep our hearts and minds following hard after the Lord.
Instead of talking to God about how big your problems are, talk to your problems about how big your God is!
Don’t let the devil steal anymore of your joy.
*Block your ears to his deceits!
*No one but the Lord knows your future.
***And as a loving Father HE only has good plans for you!
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Father, thank You for Your Word which is life to my spirit. I receive Your strength today and choose to speak to the mountain before me. Thank You for victory on the cross and for Your Resurrection so I can move forward in the good plan You have for me in Jesus’ name! Amen.
Read: 1 John 4:4 and see we fight FROM Victory—not For Victory!
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