Devotions - Prayer

“Spiritual Abundance” God promises in His word!
*To be a follower of Jesus, I must be a student of Jesus.

The Bible says we are to love God and one another, but many Christians have little or no idea how to do that.
*  “…for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.”
Romans 7:18

Before us stretches a new year, a new beginning. The old is past, put away forever.
God invites us always to forget about all the distrust and fears, all the anxieties of the past, all the resentments we have been holding against others, all the grudges, all the criticisms–to put them away and begin again.

The question that hovers over us is,
“On what basis am I going to live in this new year?
* Will it be on the old basis of it-all-depends-on-me, do-it-yourself goodness before God, trying my best to be pleasing to God and meaning it with all my heart but never realizing the depths of evil with which I have to deal?”
* Or will I accept the gift of God that is waiting for me every day, fresh from His hand, a gift of forgiveness, of righteousness already mine, of a relationship in which He is my dear Father and I am his cherished, beloved son, and in which He therefore have provided for me all I need, all day long, so that I may say no to evil and yes to truth and right?

Will it be on that basis? If it is, this will be a year in which my life will be characterized by peace, fragrance, and beauty. And so will yours.

Either Christ completed all that was necessary for your salvation, or he did not!
If Christ did finish it, then rest in him and be glad, and say, “I am secure forever because my salvation is finished.
I have nothing to do but to live to the honor of Christ who has completely saved me by His Grace, His blood, His righteousness.

****How many of us can honestly say we are living the life of “spiritual abundance” God promises in His word?
* “I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.”John 10:10

Rejoice and be glad for the Lord has wonderful plans for you fulfilling His eternal purpose through you!
*  ” 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.
Isaiah 43:19

*****Psalms 119. A Balance in Life!
verses 1-24
*The way of blessing is the way of obedience (1,9,11,17).
Many will choose the way of disobedience – ‘influential people sit together and slander me’. We must choose the way of obedience –

‘Your servant will meditate on Your teachings’(23). Following Jesus Christ will not be easy.
We see many people turning back from following Him. We are tempted to join them. We feel the pull of the world. We must not take our eyes off Jesus. We must not return to the world’s way of living.
**We must remember all that Jesus has done for us – ‘He loved us and gave Himself for us’(Galatians 2:20) – and recommit ourselves to following Him:

verses 25-48
***‘Revive me according to Your Word’(25).
How does God revive us according to His Word?
* He gives us His salvation: ‘Let Your unfailing love come to me, O Lord – Your salvation according to Your Word’(41).
* He gives us His strength: ‘My soul is weary with sorrow. Strengthen me according to Your Word’(28).
*He gives us a change of heart: ‘I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on Your laws… I run in the path of Your commands, for You have set my heart free… Give me understanding, and I will keep Your law and obey it with my whole heart… Turn my heart to Your testimonies…’(30,32,34,36).
* He gives us ‘new life’: ‘When someone becomes a Christian he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!’(40; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

verses 49-72
***God’s Word makes such a difference! When everything seems so hopeless, we turn to God’s Word and we find that there is ‘HOPE’(49).
When we are going through a time of terrible ‘suffering’, we turn to God’s Word and we find ‘comfort’(50,52).
When everything seems to be going so badly, we must keep on reading the Word of the Lord: ‘The wicked have laid a trap for me, but I do not forget Your law’(61).
**Through His Word, God is teaching us to see His purpose in our sufferings: ‘The punishment You gave me was the best thing that could have happened to me, for it taught me to pay attention to Your laws’(71).
* God is showing us what is really important: ‘The law that You gave means more to me than all the money in the world’(72).
*He is teaching us to see His ‘love’ in every part of our life (64).

verses 73-96
***We rejoice in God’s ‘constant love’. This is our ‘comfort’- God keeps on loving us no matter what’s going on in our lives.
We may be going through really hard times – ‘Men persecute me with lies… They have almost succeeded in killing me’. There’s one thing that never changes – God’s ‘constant love’.
* He loves us in the hard times as well as in the happy times.
* His love inspires us to keep on loving Him when we feel like giving up in despair (76,86-88).
We see many changes taking place in our world.
Sometimes, we wonder, ‘Where is God in all of this? Has He abandoned us? Can we keep on trusting Him and rejoicing in His Word?’.
** When our minds are full of negative thoughts, we must remember God’s Word – ‘Your Word, O Lord, will last for ever… Your faithfulness endures through all the ages’(89-90).

verses 97-120
***Throughout life, we have to make choices.
Some choices are relatively straightforward. Others are very much more difficult. Some choices don’t affect the rest of our life very much. There are, however, choices which affect the whole of our life.
There is one choice which is more important than any other -** Choosing the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour. *Those who refuse to choose are ‘double-minded’(113). They can’t make up their mind. They know that they should be following Christ – but they are still ‘in love with the world’. They are ‘lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God’(I John 2:15; 2 Timothy 3:4).

Make your choice. Say to the world, ‘Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God’. Say to God, ‘I have decided to obey Your laws until the day I die’(115,112).

verses 121-144
**‘The entrance of Your words gives light’(130).
The Word of God brings LIGHT into our lives. Sadly, many people ‘love darkness rather than light’.
* They refuse to ‘come to the light’. *They prefer to remain in the darkness. *They refuse to listen to what God is saying to them through His Word.
**Then, when things are not going so well for them, they blame God.
*They say, ‘It’s all Your fault’! Things could have been so different. They could have learned to spend time with God. They could have learned the lessons of faith which are found in God’s Word. They could have learned to cope with life’s difficulties. They could have been filled with the strength of the Lord. They would not be complaining against Him. They would be rejoicing in Him: He has ‘called us out of darkness into His marvellous light’(1 Peter 2:10).

verses 145-176
***‘With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O Lord!’(145).
God is calling us to PRAY. There is nothing more important than this.
If other things have become more important in our lives, we need to think about the way we are living. God wants to send His blessing into our lives: ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you’(Matthew 7:7). His blessing will come to those who seek him with their whole heart: ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you seek me with all your heart’(Jeremiah 29:13).
* If we do not ask, we will not receive: ‘You do not have, because you do not ask’(James 4:2). God’s blessing is not given to those who are half-hearted. God is calling us to love Him with our whole heart: ‘I long for Your salvation, O Lord, and Your law is my delight’(174).

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
* God has given us his word to use not just to have. We use it to show truth and expose lies, to show us when we have wondered off and how to get back in line with God. God uses his word to instruct us what we are to do on a daily basis.

** How can I, or anyone, say they live a life for God and lead by God, but do not spend time in his word daily.
I must be in his word, seeking what He desires of me constantly. Without that I am alone in my decisions and that is what gets me off his path and on my own path.
***To be a follower of Jesus, I must be a student of Jesus!!!

Father, your word is what I need in order to follow you and bring Balance to my life. Help me to Use your word daily in my life so I can stay on your path for my life and not wander off.  Help me to understand your word and gain wisdom from it and share with many others for Your Glory and my Joy.  May 2012 be a year of “coming back to Jesus”(a deeper personal Relationship) for ourselves, our families,  our cities, our states, our nations, our World.   Amen

I encourage everyone to take the closing day of the year to plan how you are going to read the Bible in the new year. Don’t leave it to chance. One of the main reasons we don’t read God’s word is that we don’t plan to.

We must not only be “hearers” of God’s Word, but “doers” also. When God brings someone to mind, be sure to follow through with whatever He tells you to do for that person.
“Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead…”James 2:17

So-Thank you for providing such generous support this past year. As you have given, you have had a part in every life that has been changed, every soul saved, and every family strengthened through the touch you have provided.
In the coming year, we also want you to know that we will be here for you and your loved ones . . . to strengthen, to teach, and to encourage you to love Jesus more deeply and to serve Him more. It is a privilege for us to be connected with you.
“The Hope Connection”
Our web: movingforwardwithhope.com

How many of us can honestly say we are living the life of “spiritual abundance” God promises in His word?
* “I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.”John 10:10

It’s extremely important not to judge a person by what they say or do. God is the only One who truly knows the human heart, so He is the only righteous JUDGE.
*  “…for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7

Satan’s greatest weapon is deceit.
Anytime Satan’s oppression is present, God’s presence IS there too (Heb. 13:5).
It’s just a matter of where our focus is. Focusing on the devil is a trick of the devil. Choose to focus on God!!!

Paul’s IDENTITY  was not based upon himself, but upon the person of Jesus Christ. Each and every day we must remind ourselves: It’s not I…but Christ.
*”For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians 3:20

The apostle Paul was one of the most mature Christians who ever lived, yet he wasn’t ashamed of his human frailties. He knew God loved him no matter what, and He understood that confessing his weakness was essential to walking in God’s Strength.
** “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses…for when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10

“Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years. Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.” -Ruth 1:3-5

Naomi’s life was going well (read Ruth 1:3-5).  A great husband. Two fine sons who had two wonderful wives. Then the unthinkable happened. Her husband died. A little time later both her sons die. Her and her daughter-in-laws find themselves in the midst of shattered dreams. This isn’t how life was supposed to be.

How did Naomi react to her situation?

“…for it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me!” (Ruth 1:13)
Ah, we see her true feelings about the situation. “How could a loving God let this happen?!”

“Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?” (Ruth 1:20-21)
Mara means bitter. She knew where she was. She was bitter toward this so called God of love. “How can I possibly reconcile this?!”
No life insurance. No widow’s fund. “What is going to happen to me and my daughters?”

The Bible says the rain falls on the righteous and the unrighteous. Naomi and Ruth move to a community where some of her relatives lived. Ruth goes out to work in the fields to put food on the table. She just so happens to work in the field of a wealthy farmer named Boaz.
When Ruth tells her this the first ray of hope penetrates her bitter heart. Even she can recognize the hand of God.

So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz. Then Naomi said to her daughter-in law, ‘Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!'” (Ruth 2:19-20).

Hebrew custom was for the next in kin to care for the widow in the family.
Boaz was to be this man. He would eventually marry Ruth. She would bare a son, Obed. He would be the father of Jesse, the father of David. Jesus would come from the same lineage.

Shattered dreams often lead to a world-impacting destiny. But getting there is often a process where we must work through honest feelings before we can see the God who redeems even the most devastating shattered dream.

** I have learned, a true follower of God is one who just sticks to the word. Read it, study it, meditate on it, then speak the WORD.
** I was not placed here to debate, but to speak the Holy Spirit inspired words of God.
** Anyone who is looking for Truth will see God’s word is Truth.
** Everyone else, to speak and debate with them is like throwing pearls before swines.
* Let us follow Christ on ‘the narrow road which leads to life’(Matthew 7:13-14).

The fulfilling of God’s dreams involve our actions – primarily serving God in all circumstances.

* The choice is ours. You can allow other things to become more important than spending time with God.
Don’t be ‘too busy for the “One” thing that is more important than anything else – listening to God’s Word (Luke 10:41-42).

Once again, thank you so much for all you have done and all you continue to do. May 2012 be a year of break throughs in Jesus for you and me while giving Jesus ALL Praise and ALL Glory!
Amen

God won’t overlook any act of loving kindness.
* “For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.”Hebrews 6:10

As we all have experienced Christmas can be crazy!!!!

Read Luke 2:1-20
Luke helps us rediscover what Christmas is about!!!!
***Christmas is about Christ!!!
*We can forget this in the hustle of this time of year.
*There was no room for Jesus that night (is there room in you for Jesus)
*We need to make an effort to always make room for Christ everyday in our lives.

You are entering a season when you will be able to gain new perspective and perhaps see a theme as the details begin to come together in a comprehensive overview.  It would be a mistake to give the temporary details of your life more significance or power than they deserve.  In the long run what really matters is your spiritual relationship with the Lord, and not the natural things that distract you from that which is really important.  Maintain a positive outlook as you continue to progress in spiritual reality.
** 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.

****Christmas is about Peace!!!!
*Attitudes seem to be improved during Christmas seasons.
*The peace Jesus brings is inside of us, in spite of or circumstances not because of them.
Philippians 4:6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

*****Christmas is about Hope!!!!
*Where do you put your hope, job, career, people, family, money? The only place where our hope should be put is in Jesus. Everything else will let you down.
Psalm 33:22 Let your unfailing love surround us, LORD, for our hope is in you alone.
*The battle is not our own, the battle belongs to the Lord.
He is our rock and our fortress. He is our hope in times of need. He is our victory. So wait for it and put your hope and trust in God. His love endures forever.

Original Sin entered the world through the disobedience of Adam(Genesis 3:6) and all mankind afterward was born with sin  and the knowledge of good and evil.
Romans 5:15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

What a Perfect Gift we Have been Given!!!

Isaiah 9:6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity.

Isaiah uses a long list of names to predict the birth of Christ.
*****Each of Jesus’ name have both a human element and a divine element.
*Wonderful Counselor: means counselor who does the miraculous.
*Mighty God: means God warrior.
*The announcement of the birth of Jesus is in actuality a declaration of war against the spiritual enemy.
* Everlasting Father: (the seed of eternity)
*Prince of Peace: means prince of happiness.
He gives us to be power to use the same names that Jesus’ used.
*How the words are shows how all the names are interrelated and we can see the Power of God in the cross.

If we will only put our trust in God’s “Unfailing Love” the stuff the world throws at us will not harm us. What we see as a challenge or threatening to our life style has to be looked at through the eyes of God’s Unfailing Love. Nothing the world has to offer can compare to is Unfailing Love.

Father in heaven, Life is meaningless only if we allow it to be. Each of us has the power to give life meaning,   to make OUR Time and our Bodies and Your Words into instruments of Love and Hope.  You are my Wonderful Counselor. I submit ALL my ways to You. I trust that You have a good plan for me. Thank You for giving me wisdom and direction for every area of my life through Your Holy Spirit inspired  Word, the Bible, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
*Again and again the Bible leads me to think about joy. Read Psalm 33 this day if need a boast in joy.  Merry Christmas!

The more like Christ you become, the more you exalt Christ and not yourself.

Is there someone you can share God’s Love with today as a result of your faith, and in spite of your feelings?
*  “And if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.”
Luke 6:32

Let’s Bring Jesus Back for our Children!! How we do this will determine future generations of Christmas celebrations.     *We Are Christmas  to Our Little Children Because What We DO on Christmas is an Acted out Statement of OUR Faith.
To our children, we are Christmas. We are their memories. We are the story. We are acting out both the surprised shepherds in the fields with their problems and squabbles and regular lives, and also the heavenly host that came to them singing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men.”

*Please Bring Jesus Back! If we don’t do it—–who will?
*****Christmas IS The Birth of Christ!

Behold, a virgin shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. (Isaiah 7:14)

Jesus Birth in History.    “The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35.)
*Jesus Christ was born into this world, not from it.
*Jesus did not evolve out of history; He came into history from the outside. *Jesus is not man becoming God, but God Incarnate, God coming into human flesh, coming into it from outside.
*Jesus life is the Highest and the Holiest entering in at the Lowliest door. Our Lord’s birth was an advent.

*When Jesus came to earth, He came in order to penetrate the very kingdom of darkness with light.
*Jesus came to bring healing to sickness, replace sadness with joy, and fill meaninglessness with purpose.
*Jesus  came to change things for the better for a world that had no hope outside of God.
*Jesus came to bring the Kingdom of God on earth.
*So why has God allowed us to receive  new birth and remain on earth? It is so that we might bring the Kingdom of God into our world-our families, our workplace, and our communities.
God wants you to bring the Kingdom of God into the territory He has given you so that His will can be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Your domain is your workplace, family, and community.   Ask God to show you how He wants to penetrate the darkness of your domain with His light. Then you will see and experience all the features of this gift that has been given to you.

His Birth in Me.  “Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives.” (Gal. 4:19.)
*Just as Our Lord came into human history from outside, so He must come into me from outside.
* Have I allowed my personal human life to become a “Bethlehem” for the Son of God? I cannot enter into the realm of the Kingdom of God unless I am born from above by a birth totally unlike natural birth.
“Ye must be born again.” (JN 3:3) This is not a command, it is a foundation fact. The characteristic of the new birth is that I yield myself so completely to God that Christ is formed in me.
Immediately Christ is formed in me, His nature begins to work through me.

We must ask God to search our hearts. What will He find when He looks into our hearts? Will He find rebellion? Will He find obedience? Will He find unforgiveness?
*God wants us to leave the place of rebellion and punishment.
*God wants us to return to the place of obedience and blessing. ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart!… See if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!’(Psalm 139:23-24).

The Holy Spirit is our Comforter & Counselor!!!
“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith; praying in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.”Jude 1:20-21
** We have to build ourselves up in God.
* How do you do that? Read the word of God.
*God created us for Himself but we sold ourselves into slavery to the devil.
*If we’re only loving in order to change the other person or the circumstances, our motivation is totally wrong.
That’s conditional human love, and not God’s Love at all.
If selfishness is motivating us, the fruit of our actions will be rotten.
*  “Love…does not seek its own…”
1 Corinthians 13:4-5

God is wonderfully free; He is not impressed by our bigness; He does nothing in order to attract attention to our accomplishments; He does everything to magnify His glorious freedom and mercy.

*God chose a stable so no innkeeper could boast, “He chose the comfort of my inn!”
* God chose a manger so that no wood worker could boast, “He chose the craftsmanship of my bed!”
* He chose Bethlehem so no one could boast, “The greatness of our city constrained the divine choice!”
* And he chose you and me, freely and unconditionally, to stop the mouth of all human boasting. This is the point of
Romans 11 and this is the point of
Micah 5.

The deepest meaning of the littleness and insignificance of Bethlehem is that God does not bestow the blessings of the Messiah–the blessings of salvation–on the basis of our greatness or our merit or our achievement.
He does not elect cities or people because of their prominence or grandeur or distinction.

*When HE chooses HE chooses freely, in order to magnify the glory of HIS own mercy, not the glory of our distinctions. So let us say with the angels, “Glory to God in the highest!” Not glory to us. We get the joy. He gets the glory.

This Christmas, Jesus, come to the manger of my heart. Invade my soul like Bethlehem, bringing peace to every part. Dwell within and around me, as I unwrap Your presence each day.
Keep me close to You, Lord. It’s in Your wonderful Name I pray. Amen
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
Have a Merry Merry Christmas

God is not a Genie in a bottle that is obligated to fulfill OUR every command. We have given up ALL of OUR rights when we entered into a personal relationship with Him!!!! A Bond Servant of Jesus!

Phil. 2:7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
*Jesus came to the Center of our chaos world in order to set it ALL right. He took on broken humanity in order to Infect us with Healing, Hope and Restoration.  Now that is Love!

The passion of Christianity is that I deliberately sign away my own rights and become a bond-slave of Jesus Christ.
*God created us for Himself but we sold ourselves into slavery to the devil.
*If we’re only loving in order to change the other person or the circumstances, our motivation is totally wrong. That’s conditional human love, and not God’s Love at all. If selfishness is motivating us, the fruit of our actions will be rotten.
*  “Love…does not seek its own…”
1 Corinthians 13:4-5

Jesus purpose for coming into the world was twofold. First, He came to “redeem them that were under the law.” He did this by perfectly 1. keeping the law, fulfilling it, and 2. paying its curse (Mt. 5:17; Gal. 3:13).
*Christ delivered us from the entire system of the law. The Greek word for redeem means “to buy OUT OF the slave market.” Thank you Jesus!

* Christ gave us the status of sonship with all its privileges. Not only were we redeemed from the bondage of the law, but we were redeemed unto sonship.
**Many people stop short, only realizing what they were delivered from, not what they inherit.
Sure, we need to rejoice that we are redeemed, but we also need to Move Forward, and realize the full benefits of our inheritance.
*God created us for Himself but we sold ourselves into slavery to the devil.
*GOOD NEWS– God bought us back through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. (CROSS).
**No amount of effort, human works, or man’s own righteousness could bring the divine favor that we needed. It was the Actual Life of God (Lev. 17:11) that purchased our redemption.

AM I A Bond-slave Of Jesus?
I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. — Galatians 2:20
*These words mean the breaking of my independence with my own hand and surrendering to the supremacy of the Lord Jesus.
*It means breaking the husk of my individual independence of God into oneness with Himself, not for my own ideas, but for Absolute Loyalty to Jesus.
*I must be broken from my self-realization, and immediately that point is reached, the reality of the supernatural identification takes place at once, and the witness of the Spirit of God is unmistakable – “I have been crucified with Christ.” (Now a Bond-Servant of Jesus).

Luke 14:33  So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
*Discipleship means personal, passionate devotion to a Person, Our Lord Jesus Christ.
*To be a disciple is to be a devoted love-slave of the Lord Jesus.
**No man on earth has this passionate love to the Lord Jesus unless the Holy Spirit has imparted it to him.
* We may admire Him, we may respect Him and reverence Him, but we cannot love Him.
***The only Lover of the Lord Jesus is the Holy Spirit, and He sheds abroad the very love of God in our hearts.
**Whenever the Holy Spirit sees a chance of glorifying Jesus, He will take your heart, your nerves, your whole personality, and simply make you blaze and glow with devotion to Jesus Christ.

* Do I feel that sense of indebtedness to Christ in regard to every unsaved soul?
*Every bit of my life that is of value I owe to the Redemption of Jesus Christ.  * We can only do it as the Spirit of God works in us  this sense of indebtedness.

I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the barbarians. — Romans 1:14
**Opportunity + Ability = Responsibility
*Paul’s mission directive is his commitment to spread the Gospel of Jesus and to present it among the Gentiles and Jews alike.
**Paul saw it as an obligation (a binding contract independent of God’s promise of eternal life).
*When we see to it to fulfill our obligations we are responsible; able to give a response from the position given to us.

I am not to be a superior person amongst men, but a bondslave of the Lord Jesus. “Ye are not your own.” Paul sold himself to Jesus Christ. He says – I am a debtor to everyone on the face of the earth because of the Gospel of Jesus. I am free to be an absolute slave only.
* That is the characteristic of the life when once this point of spiritual honor is realized.

** Quit praying about yourself and be spent for others as the bondslave of Jesus. That is the meaning of being made broken bread and poured out wine in reality.

* A man will always be a slave for obeying— unless behind his obedience there is a recognition of a Holy God!

**The bondslave is the highest spiritual destination in the kingdom of heaven. The apostles called themselves bondslaves. Their identities were as bondslaves of Jesus Christ.
These passages  taken from NKJV.

Romans 1:1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle,separated to the gospel of God.
*Paul is a servant of God. More than that he is a slave to God.
*Paul is called by God not just to belong to Christ but to be an apostle( set apart for the gospel).

James 1:1 James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,..
* James, brother of Jesus and leader of church in Jerusalem.  KEY here:  James calls himself a servant of Christ, rather than his brother or his role as leader of the Jerusalem church.

**WORK was an important part of our relationship to God and to be done with excellence for his glory!
**Colossians 4:1 Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven…
*Taking Christ to My Work!!!
*Greek word for WORK “Doulos” – “I have to work” slave, employee.

***Guidelines for employees.
Eph. 6:5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 6 not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
*Accounabilty is for us given by God so we can go through life living FOR Him. *Without accountability we would not know were we are wrong.
Accountability gives us strength because when we are Held Responsible for our wrongs we can then Teach others the same.
Ignorance, pride and self centeredness keeps us from realizing when we are wrong.

2 Cor. 4:5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus sake.
*You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves.
** We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake.

Phil. 1:1 Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
*We have the relationship with God backwards today.  Our relationship to God has to be about Jesus and His glory.

1 Timothy 6:1 Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, SO That the NAME of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed.
*People of the gospel serve the God of the gospel, with an unchanging hope.
*Those working.. Should show respect for their employers so that they will not bring shame to God’s name!

Lord help me to be Your Bond Servant and help me “Return to the basics” of my walk with Jesus Christ as stated in Your Holy Spirit inspired Word—the BIBLE! Help me Lord:
* Make a choice to serve God in order to be a testimony it will change the world your living in. (Hebrews 3:5).
*1 Peter 2:18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.
*Titus 2:9 Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back,
*Col. 3:22 Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. 23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. 25 But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.
Hebrews 5: 8 though He was a Son, yet He(Jesus) learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
Thank You Jesus for Loving me, a sinner that wants to be totally sold out to Your Will and Purpose–for Your Glory–not my own selfishness.
In Jesus Name, Amen

* Everything we have comes from the Lord.

As you abide in Jesus “The Vine” today,
May you flourish in His garden with an abundance of the fruit of His Agape Love.
*  You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain. John 15:16

If you think you’re too ordinary to be used of God, listen closely: God is
not going to do His last-days work through big-name evangelists or pastors. They alone will not be able to handle the great moving of His Spirit!

God said through Moses: “Man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by
every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3).
* What strikes me in this verse is that it is a reminder that we need to live His standards because in ALL circumstances He is taking care of us.
How easy is it for us to fail to recognize this when we’re on the side of the fence where life is good. No health problems, family doing well, can pay bills, car runs.
*We fail to notice that God is providing all things for us. It may be simple things–like our bills being paid, we have clean water to drink, we have heat in our shelter or our car is running–we just do not take the time to notice the simple things He provides us.
*Bread stands for all natural, material things necessary for this life—food,
shelter, clothes, labor, wages.
*Bread represents livelihood—those things we need that are not evil in themselves. Many Christians, however, live only for the things of this life—they live on bread alone!

Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).
But first He said we were to pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done”
(v. 10). We are to focus first on God’s interests—praying for His will to
be done!

What have you been thinking about more than anything else these past six
months? What has consumed most of your time and prayers? Has it been mostly bread issues—personal needs?

If you focus only on bread, then you have no life! You are living in a
wilderness, just as the children of Israel did. They rose daily and began
crying for bread—their personal needs—every day for forty years!
** That is boredom—drudgery! God never intended for His children to
live like that. Instead, He told Israel through Moses, “You should be living
by every word that proceeds out of My mouth! Yes, I told you I would give you
bread, but don’t stop there. Move on! I have told you there is a land flowing
with milk and honey, with rivers, trees, forests, green pastures—and I want
that place for you!”(Deuteronomy 27).

God is raising up a people who are focused on His will.
They are tired of living in a wilderness of mere survival. All they want is to
know and do God’s will.

The gospel isn’t simply a set of truths that non-Christians must believe in order to become saved. It’s a reality that Christians must daily embrace in order to experience being saved.
* The gospel not only saves us from the penalty of sin (justification), but it also saves us from the power of sin (sanctification) day after day.
* Our daily sin requires God’s daily grace—the grace that comes to us through the finished work of Jesus Christ.
**We are ALL SINNERS—–Not Mistakers!

Christians need the gospel because our hearts are always prone to wander; we’re always tempted to run from God.

It takes the power of the gospel to direct us back to our First Love.”Jesus”  Consciously going to the Bible  ought to be a daily reality and experience for us all. It means “preaching the gospel to yourself every day.”
We have to allow God to remind us every day through His Holy Spirit inspired Word of Christ’s finished work on behalf of sinners in order to STAY convinced that the gospel is relevant.

The only reason God will Enlarge a person’s territory is that He knows that person will use it Responsibly.
** He will steward what is given in light of God’s Kingdom. God truly wants to increase our territory to have greater influence in the world around us. That territory can mean personal influence and/or physical territories.

As we walk through this wilderness of the valley of the shadow of death, God will put various tests and trials before us to remove the dross of sin from us. The manna that He feeds me during this wilderness, is His WORD.
In His word I find all that I need for my daily walk and to live my life pleasing to Him.
*But I also receive manna from prayer, worship and from other brothers and sister of the body of Christ. All of this is to remind me that it is through the Word of God that I receive life.
*God’s word will discipline me to make me pure in mind, thought, word, deed, intent, attitude and imagination. The discipline of the word of God will teach me, strength, courage, endurance, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, love, joy and peace.

**Bread that comes from the grains of this world only satisfies the temporary hunger of the body, but gives nothing else to elevate my sin and hopelessness.
** Only the gift of salvation through the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ, can feed and satisfy my hunger for hope and relive me of the burden of my sin.
**Only through Jesus Christ, can I receive the mercy, grace, forgiveness, love, joy and peace of the Father. The Bread of Life is the only way to truly be feed and satisfied.

*So the manna has a purpose beyond the physical sustenance.
It is to teach us that we live by God’s words. God’s word provides. His word sustains. His word protects. His word guides. His word is the way to live.

*We must live a lifestyle that declares the one that we serve!!!!!  “JESUS”.

Heavenly Father I thank you for Your word that teaches, leads, guides and disciplines me. Thank You for the revelation of Your word and the truth that it teaches me in this, the present of today.  I thank you Lord for your love and your kindness. I thank You for your goodness and your mercy that follows me all the days of my life.
Thank you Father God for being my provider, you Lord are my God and You provide more than enough for me.  I bless your great and awesome and powerful name.  Thank you Father that no weapon formed against me shall prosper, thank you for defending
me and keeping me safe. Thank you Lord for everything, you Lord are everything.
I can do nothing without you Lord. My soul loves You, thank You for loving
me. I will lift You up and magnify your great name I will exalt You Lord above all.  Cause the eyes of my heart to be open and to understand your word, write your word on the table of
my heart. Fill my heart with your word Lord. I will speak your word. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Lord be acceptable in your sight, you Lord are my strength and you Lord are my redeemer.   I thank you Lord for redeeming me from a life of destruction, I thank you Lord for bringing me out of darkness and allowing me to walk in your great and wonderful light. I thank you Lord for the privilege to pray thank you for your gift of prayer.
In Jesus name I pray. Amen

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right”.(2 Timothy 3:16)

Loyalty is God’s Love in action.
* “A friend loves at all times.”
(Proverbs 17:17).
“Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” (Romans 8:14).

The greatest sign that you and I are maturing in our walk with God is when we can discern the difference between “good things” and “God-things.”

As Jesus leads and guides you this Holiday Season, ask Him to show you someone who needs an extra special blessing that you can fulfill, by sharing your testimony of what Jesus has done for YOU!
*  “And do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant.” Matthew 23:12

The resurrection of Jesus puts Christianity in a class all by itself. Many people have come and gone professing some revelation from God or new way of approaching God.
But only Jesus has conquered death. This makes Him unique and elevates Him above the level of any other man who has ever walked on the earth.
*The resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate proof of the accuracy of His doctrine.

Paul made it very clear in 1 Corinthians 15:14 and 17, that if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then our faith is vain and we are yet in our sins.

Why is the resurrection so important? ***The resurrection of Jesus makes Christianity different from religion because:  **we are dealing with a real, live person, not just principles.
* Christianity is fellowship with a real person who is Alive. Thank You Jesus!

Also, forgiveness of sins is not obtained by a doctrine, but by Christ Himself. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, He can not give salvation to us.
However, He did rise from the dead and now He lives forever to make intercession for us (Heb. 7:25).

It is Christ living in us that gives us power to live a victorious life. If there was no resurrection, there would be no power.

Because Jesus conquered death, the fear and sting of death have been removed for us. This produces great comfort for those who believe.

The words that we speak from the written Word of God are empowered by the Holy Spirit. The Word by itself doesn’t make us free. It is the Word we know and speak that will deliver us (Jn. 8:32).

Why is the Word so effective? Because it is the WORD of God. It has authority, because it is indeed the WORD of God. God’s Word supersedes all authority of the church, of reason, of intellect, and even of Satan. That’s why it is so effective.
John 1:1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God.

In Luke, chapter four, when Jesus was tempted of the devil for forty days, it was the Word of God that Jesus used to defeat the enemy at His temptation.

Jesus constantly met His temptation by quoting from God’s Word as He repeatedly stated the phrase, “It is written.”
Likewise, the Christian soldier must avail himself of God’s Word by placing it in his heart so that the Holy Spirit may bring it forth at the appropriate time to accomplish a complete and total victory.

Preach the Word, be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction (2 Timothy 4:2).

This word is not addressed to preachers only. It includes all the people of God, for Paul does not merely mean to preach; the word is really “announce,  proclaim, set it forth, deliver the truth, make it known.”

*God’s Word is NOT something you ARGUE about; you Declare it because God Himself has said it.
* This can be done over a cup of coffee, in an office, or in a car while you are driving to work. It is something that can come up any place, any time. Where human hearts are open, seeking, longing, and hurting, there is the place, there is the opportunity to “preach the word.”
“Proclaim the good news,” Paul says. It is “not news of what we have to do for God”. That distortion has been widely peddled across the world and in this country, and it has resulted in a phony Christianity.
**The gospel is the story of what God has already done for us. (Cross).  That is what ministers to the aching heart.
** The gospel is the news that God loves us, pities us, and sees us in our hurt, our agony, our failure, and our weakness.
**The gospel is that He sees us in our strutting boldness and pride, and still He loves us. And He has already done something about it–through the death and resurrection of Jesus. In that amazing series of events that came through Jesus’ appearing on earth, He broke the stranglehold of evil upon human hearts–He found a way to set aside His own just sentence of death.

Through those who open their hearts to the Savior, He has found a way not only to die for us but to come and live in us and start the process of renewing us, remaking us, and restoring us to our lost inheritance.
*That is the word we are to proclaim. *That is to be done by every Christian in every conceivable circumstance of life.

Lord help me to “Preach the Word”, Especially this Holiday season. Help me Proclaim the good news of Jesus Birth!! Help us ALL be a part of bringing the TRUE Meaning of Christmas back to our KIDS and families.  Grant to me that I will commit myself afresh to be a purveyor of the Truth, preacher of the Word, and Herald of the Good News that is IN Jesus Christ!!  Amen
***God’s Word is NOT something you ARGUE about; you Declare it because God Himself has said it.

*Colossians 2:9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.
*2 Corinthians 1:20 For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.
*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.
*1 Corinthians 12:27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.
Verse: 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.

We must not only be “hearers” of God’s Word, but “doers” also. When God brings someone to mind, be sure to follow through with whatever He tells you to do for that person.
“Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead…”James 2:17

Because Jesus conquered death, the fear and sting of death have been removed for us. This produces great comfort for those who believe.

So, faith in the present ministry of Jesus is essential to true Christianity, and would be impossible if Jesus was not alive. Without Jesus being alive, Christianity would be just another dead religion.

Compassion is the evidence of God’s Love.
***”But  a certain Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion…and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he…took care of him.” Luke 10:33-34

“Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart;
You will cause Your ear to hear” (Psalm 10:17).

In this verse David outlines a simple, three-step plan for knowing the Lord’s
mind and will for your life:

* Petition Him (pray)
* Prepare your heart to hear His voice
* He will cause you to know—the Holy Spirit will speak to you

Very soon, God is going to pour out of His glorious cup the greatest measure of His Spirit the world has ever seen. Great Holy Spirit conviction will come upon your neighbors, coworkers and unsaved family members.

People everywhere are going to be hurting and they will turn from their old traditions to seek out those who walk with God and lift up Jesus and His Word.
* They will be desperate to find someone whose heart has been prepared!

God is going to use hundreds of thousands of ordinary servants for His end-time work of people-to-people ministry.
Matthew 24: 44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

So I ask you: Are you preparing your heart right now for His work to be done, both in you and through you?

Confess to God today: “Oh, Lord, I want my life to count! I know that right
now I am living on bread alone—in a wilderness of despair. But I want to
live!”

Dive into His Word. Learn to seek Him daily. There is revolutionary power in
the preparation of your heart! It is through this preparation that meaning and fullness will come into your life. Your feelings and personality will change and power will be released in you to move forward!

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief….

When God sees you are ready, He will bring you great opportunities to do His
work. You will not even have to leave your house. God will bring the needs
right to your door!

The mighty God we serve is preparing His people at this very hour for a mighty
work.

“The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a
man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His
enemies” (Isaiah 42:13).

Prepare your heart to meet Him! Become a ready servant, equipped and prepared for His great last-day outpouring, and His glory will come alive in you in this final hour!

Jesus guides us in many different ways. Sometimes he makes the next step clear as day. Other times, like Peter discovered in John 21:1-14, it feels like we’re left to muddle through, only to find that Jesus was leading through our muddling.
Verse 3 Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.” “We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.
*Peter didn’t know what else to do.

When we’re not sure what to do!!
**First, waiting on Jesus is a common experience for disciples.
* Sometimes we wait for direction. *Sometimes we’re stuck in a very hard place waiting for release.
* Sometimes we wait to understand his purposes.
* Sometimes we wait for his provision. **Jesus’ timing and purposes are not always clear to us, though they are always Best for us.
**So Jesus wants our faith resting on the Rock of his Word and not on the sand of circumstance.

*Second, when we’re not sure what to do next, as Elizabeth Elliott says, “do the next thing.” I’m sure the disciples had prayed for guidance during those days but no clear instructions had come. Fishing just seemed like a good idea. As it turned out, it was exactly what the Lord wanted them to do.
Jesus was leading them, just differently. As they did the next thing Jesus met them and directed them.

*Third, Jesus is in complete control. Peter and his friends were experienced fishermen. They did their best, yet caught nothing. But that morning they discovered (again) that Jesus was sovereign over their decisions, the boat, the sea, the fish, and time.

*Fourth, Jesus’ is always serving us, even when we can’t see it.
*Jesus serves us in every conceivable way: from the payment of our sins, to our call, to the fish we catch, to a breakfast on the beach, to our eternal home.
Jesus loves to work for those who wait for him (Isaiah 64:4).

In following Jesus there are seasons of bewildering intensity and seasons of bewildering waiting. He does not want us to panic during either. He is in control of both. When you don’t understand his ways, trust his Word.

And when you’re not sure what to do next, do the next thing.

When we look at people who “appear” to be spiritual (or “appear” not to be spiritual), we must take care not to judge them. God never calls us to judge, but only to examine the fruit of someone’s life.
****”You will know them by their fruits…A good tree cannot produce bad fruit; nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.” Matthew 7:16-18.

Isaiah 40: 31 But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind.
*God will never give you more than what you can handle. When you’re running low on fuel (Be it strength, hope, faith, etc) He will relight your fire and keep you going and growing.

*Don’t give up on God cause he didn’t give up on you.
*Never give up…always look up to Jesus!
*You are forever free.
” Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you”.  (Galations 5:1).

Lord Jesus, I ask for more to be able to give You More Glory and Love. Give me more Fruit of the Holy Spirit.
More + Love
More + Joy
More + Peace
More + Long-suffering
More + Kindness
More + Goodness
More + Faithfulness
More + Gentleness
More + Self-control
ALL In THE NAME of Jesus!!! AMEN