Devotions - Prayer
Scripture touches all areas of our life, including this battle with how we use technology. Our Time!
In his letter to the Romans, Paul speaks about his own battle with sin.
*He expressed a frustration to which we can all relate, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Romans 7:15).
*We are all sinners. “There is no one righteous, not one” (Romans 3:10).
As long as we live in this world, we ALL will battle against our sinful nature. But Paul points us to the source of our help, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God — through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24–25).
Many of us may realize the pull that technology has on us and feel the weight of our guilt because of the wasted time each day.
But like Paul says, Jesus is our rescuer.
*Jesus came to redeem us from each and every sin, including the squandering away our time(busy-ness) on the iPhone, facebook etc etc. (See John 17:3)
*His perfect life has become ours.
*His sacrificial death paid our debt in full.
Every time we fail and stumble in this battle against sin, we need to return to the gospel over and over again to let the Holy Spirit speak to us. It is a Choice we have to make. Each time we put the Bible down it is our first step to backsliding in our sin.
**How else are we going to renew our mind if not by the Word of Scripture? Where else do we find Truth?
The cross stands there for us, not as a one-time source for forgiveness and assurance of eternal salvation, but also as a source of grace for each moment of our days.
And as we turn from our sin in repentance, we can respond in thanksgiving to our gracious God because though we are more sinful than we ever thought, we are also more loved and more forgiven than we will ever know.
You know it and I know it, there are more important things in our life than what our computers and phones and online platforms have to offer.
As we seek to redeem our time for eternity, we must rest in the grace of Christ and cling to this promise: “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).
Lord Jesus, help me to Balance the time You have given me on earth to Glorify You and not myself. Thank You for Your perfect Grace to save a sinner as myself. Amen
Read MorePsalm 40:1-3 “I waited patiently for the LORD; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.”
The most powerful truths are revealed in the darkest times. In fact, pain intensifies our need for God and can be counted as a blessing.
God knows. God hears. God will breathe life into the right choices that we make.
How we respond to pits and pain is our choice.
- We can surrender to the darkness and create an identity that feels at home in a pit or we can embrace the pain and learn from it.
- We can settle for a life defined by pain or we can harness the power of our pain and use it for good.
- We can try to ignore the pain and hope it all goes away or we can face it and let God heal the broken places.
Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8).
You’re never going to become a friend of God in your spare time. You have to make knowing God your number one priority in life. read John 17:3.
Are you doing that? Are you seeking God with all your heart every day?
Remember: You are as close to God as you choose to be. You’re going to become a friend of God when you want to become a friend of God.
You can’t blame anybody else. You can’t blame your wife, your husband, your parents, or your kids. You are as close to God as you want to be. And if you feel far from God, guess who moved?
You didn’t make him the number one priority of your life.
Knowing and loving God is our greatest privilege. And being known and being loved by God is our greatest pleasure.
I’ve noticed that you can tell what’s important to people by what they brag about.
- If their kids are most important, they brag about their kids.
- If their job is the most important thing in their life, they brag about their job.
- If travel and having experiences is most important, that’s what they talk about.
- If partying or buying new clothes is what you talk about most, guess what you value most?
- If playing videos is what you spend time on, guess what you value most?
- If talking about hobbies or sports all the time, guess what you value most?
- You brag about what you value most. see Jeremiah 9:23,
Why? Because that’s what life is all about. Knowing God is what matters most.
The God of the Universe loves you and wants to have a relationship with you. God shows no favoritism! Rom. 2:11.
Getting close to God will give you peace and perspective. Now that’s Good News! Amen
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Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
*God has a plan for everyone, but we just have to remember to let him lead us in the right direction and not let our judgment cloud His.
We should all live as ambassadors of Christ, and through our works glorify The Lord our GOD. Live by example.
God has a plan for you and only He alone can fulfill His purpose for you.
Psalm 138:8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever – do not abandon the works of your hands.
It’s good to know that God has a purpose for each one of us.
The Scripture there does not say that the Lord will fulfill my purpose; it says the Lord will fulfill His purpose for me. There’s a great difference.
*I may have one purpose; God may have another.
*God does not guarantee that He will fulfill my purpose, but He does promise that He will fulfill His purpose.
And then the psalmist goes on to say, “Your love, O LORD [and that means ‘your covenant-keeping faithfulness’], endures forever.”
When God commits Himself to us to fulfill His purpose in our lives, that is a commitment for time and for eternity.
***And then, maybe out of a situation of desperation, the psalmist says, “Do not abandon the works of your hands.”
We have a strong assurance as we read these words: “You made me; don’t abandon me.”
This is for each one of us. God made us; He will not abandon us.
God has a purpose; He’s going to fulfill it. Maybe it won’t be your purpose, but it will be His purpose.That purpose will stand sure and unshakable no matter what you go through.
John 15:8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
What is that Fruit? The Fruit of the Spirit. Fruit is something we can easily see. The evidence of Godly fruit is not found in word, deed, talent, success or accomplishment, but rather in the humble qualities of:
*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. There is no law against these things!
Lord, Help me see that my purpose is to glorify You through holy living and service. Amen
John 6:29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”
Pray that God will allow you to walk as Jesus did. Experience His power and love in your life today so that others will see the hope that lies in you.
“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)
When life gets overwhelming, do you ever wonder if God notices all you have going on? Does He see how hard you’re working and trying to take care of everyone and everything?
Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her'” (Luke 10: 41-42).
In that moment, Jesus showed Martha just how much He cared.
*Not just about how hard she was working, but about the rest He knew she needed.
*Instead of giving her what she demanded, Jesus showed Martha what she needed and the choice she could make to receive it.
Jesus helped Martha see that Mary hadn’t abandoned her to do the work by herself.
*Instead, Mary chose to walk away from distractions and preparations so she could take hold of something that couldn’t be taken away from her.
It was the one thing that would last even after Jesus was gone: time with Him resting in His presence, listening from His perspective, and listening to His promises.
1 Peter 5:7 says to “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”
John 17: 3 And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.
Christ is actively working within you and me to shape our character and empower our obedience.
Jesus lives to intercede for those who believe in Him (Hebrews 7:25). He makes requests on our behalf and brings our prayers before the Father.
Then, we see in 1 John 2:1–2 that Jesus is our Advocate when we sin. Positioned between us and holy God, Christ declares our righteous standing because of His sacrifice and our faith in Him.
What’s more, Christ is preparing a place for us in heaven (John 14:1–3). He is also arranging all the events necessary for His return.
We are His body—His eyes, ears, voice, feet, and hands—pointing others to Him
Jesus, help me seek You as much as I serve You and others. I want to balance my life and my workload with You, knowing with confidence that You care about me and are good at taking care of me! In Jesus’ Name, Amen
Read MoreJesus was first and foremost a “servant”, and God has called each one of us to follow His example.
“Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” 1 Peter 4:9-10
The world is shouting to us, “You can show us a miracle!
* It isn’t the Red Sea opening up that impresses us.
* It’s not seeing the blind given sight or the lame healed.
** It’s that you can look at the darkest hour of your life, a situation that’s hopeless to all human reasoning, and yet smile with joy, singing praises to God.
**That’s the miracle we want to see.”
Mark 6:52, “For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.”
Most of the time, we think of a person with a hard heart as being someone who is in terrible rebellion to God.
*While it is true that a rebellious person does have a hardened heart, in this instance, the Word is referring to the disciples’ hearts being hardened.
The word “hardened” as used here, means “to make calloused, unyielding or cold in spirit, or insensitive to.”
The disciples were not God haters, but rather they had become so sensitive to the natural world and its limitations that they were overwhelmed to see Jesus supersede these laws.
*Therefore, they had a hardened heart.
If they had kept in mind the miracle they had just seen Jesus perform (the feeding of the five thousand), then they wouldn’t have been amazed to see Jesus walking on the water toward them.
Many of us are more sensitive to fear and doubt than we are to the truths of God’s Word.
This is because we have thought more on things that minister fear and doubt.
When our hearts are hardened we don’t realize the goodness of God and how powerful He is.
Romans 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Isaiah 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
Jesus, You are the only Way, Truth and Life. So I ask, “what “truth” is being suppressed”? Yes- Reality, as defined by God. Thank You Jesus. Amen
By John Piper
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)
The more real Satan appears in our day, the more precious the victory of Christ will become to those who believe him.
The New Testament teaches that when Christ died and rose again Satan was defeated. A time of limited freedom is granted to him, but his power against God’s people is broken and his destruction is sure.
“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)
“[Christ] himself likewise partook of the same things [flesh and blood], that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.” (Hebrews 2:14)
“[God] disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Colossians 2:15)
In other words the decisive blow was struck at Calvary. And one day, when Satan’s time of limited freedom is over, Revelation 20:10 says, “The devil . . . [will be] thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur . . . and will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
What does this mean for those of us who follow Jesus Christ?
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)
“Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies!” (Romans 8:33)
“[Neither] angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38–39)
“He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)
“They [the saints] have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” (Revelation 12:11)
Therefore, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you!” He has been defeated, and we have been given victory.
Our task now is to live in that victory and make Satan know his defeat.
Thank You Jesus! Help me live in that Victory each and every day. Amen
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God’s to-do lists in the Bible aren’t about what we are supposed to do; they’re guidelines that show who we are in Him. And who we are is a much bigger picture than a list of priorities.
The Christian’s master list is simple: love God and love others (Matthew 22:37-40). This is our greatest priority in life. How these two things are accomplished looks differently in different situations.
In relation to family, we are to love our wives and respect our husbands (Ephesians 5:33), become one in marriage (Genesis 2:21-24), train our kids to follow God (Deuteronomy 6:7), support our parents (Mark 7:9-13), and live in unity with other believers (John 17:22).
But these relationships are not one time tasks. We are not told to love and respect our spouses until we are done and then we can pay attention to our kids.
Instead, God created the Christian life to encompass every relationship at the same time. Our focus may shift depending on circumstances, but Jesus never said, “Love your neighbors one at a time.”
Our family priorities should fit within the context of our relationship with God and our role in His kingdom.
The purpose of marriage is to become a unit that is internally supportive and works together to serve God. Part of that support and work relates to raising children and taking care of older parents.
- We raise children to love and serve God.
- We take care of our own parents out of appreciation for how God provided us with them and to preserve church resources for the needy.
These relationships continue to build on each other. Keeping our parents close enough that we can care for them gives our kids an example of responsibility as well as a sense of extended family. Loving and disciplining our kids helps create peace in our families today and prepares them for godly work in the future.
Ideally, all these individuals and relationships work together so the family can support God’s kingdom, but sometimes that doesn’t work.
First Timothy 3:4-5 says that if our children are in a place where they need more time and attention, it is absolutely biblical to take a hiatus from church ministry to see to their needs. Similarly, Mark 7:9-13says that older parents have a priority on our resources over ministry. A healthy family life is important to our work in the church body.
Seen from this perspective, “priorities in the family” becomes less about a list that drains our energy and more about our place in God’s kingdom.
Ultimately, everything in the Christian life comes down to how our actions demonstrate our commitment to Christ. If we accept the community of family and church that He’s provided for us, we need to value it as much as He does.
Priorities simply become those things we need to do now to best glorify God.
Lord, please give me the wisdom, discernment and knowledge to have my actions give You more and more glory in the advancement of Your Kingdom. Please help my parents through this aging process and help each one of our children Know You More! Amen
Read MoreThe mature Christian is simply one who recognizes his “self-centeredness” and makes the choice to focus on God’s will rather than his own.
“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but the counsel of the Lord, it will stand.” Proverbs 19:21
“Moses was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in both speech and action.” Acts 7:22
Have you ever tried to hide from God’s call on your life?
Moses did. He fled to the wilderness to get away. The hillside was a comfortable place; one that allowed him to live in obscurity. But God approached Moses as he tended sheep.
When God asked Moses to speak to Pharaoh on His behalf, Moses balked. He felt inadequate. He lifted up his weakness to God and submitted it as an excuse not to do as God asked.
3 Considerations:
1) Failure is not Final
2) Age is irrelevant- life was about to begin at 80 for Moses
3) God speaks to ordinary people on ordinary days
“My words get tangled,” he said. (Exodus 4:10b)
Yet years later in Acts 7:22, we find that Stephen described Moses as powerful in both speech and action.
How could this be? Did Moses truly struggle with his words, or was it an excuse?
As an Egyptian citizen and adopted member of the royal family, Moses had access to the finest education. As a young man he rose to the rank of prime minister, a task that required him to communicate with others. But Moses is believed to have had a true speech impediment.
He struggled to get the words out.
So when God approached Moses to join in an adventure to free His people from slavery, all Moses could think about was his weakness.
When Stephen described Moses, hundreds of years later, he had the advantage of seeing Moses’ life span. He had heard of every act of courage and victory. Even in death, the name of Moses was revered among the nation of Israel.
Stephen knew when Moses spoke, though he may have stammered, his words carried weight.
The words Moses spoke were described as “life giving.” (Acts 7:38 NLT) Moses’ words mended arguments, offered justice, negotiated freedom and dispensed wisdom.
Only in hindsight do we see what Moses could not see in the beginning. God wasn’t worried about Moses’ lack of eloquence, vocabulary or skill, but whether or not Moses trusted God enough to obey.
**Where Moses was deficient, God would be sufficient.
**Where Moses struggled, God would succeed.
**Where Moses was weak, God would be strong.
How many times does God invite us to follow Him into an adventure?
Dear Lord, You know my very real weakness. But I am excited to respond to Your voice today. With You all things are possible, so I step out again in faith beginning today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
Read MoreBetter Than Everest
By John Piper
We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)
If you live inside this massive promise, your life is more solid and stable than Mount Everest.
Nothing can blow you over when you are inside the walls of Romans 8:28.
Outside Romans 8:28, all is confusion and anxiety and fear and uncertainty. Outside this promise of God’s all-encompassing future grace, there are straw houses of drugs and pornography and dozens of futile diversions. There are slat walls and tin roofs of fragile investment strategies and fleeting insurance coverage and trivial retirement plans. There are card-board fortifications of deadbolt locks and alarm systems and antiballistic missiles. Outside are a thousand substitutes for Romans 8:28.
Once you walk through the door of love into the massive, unshakable structure of Romans 8:28, everything changes. There come into your life stability and depth and freedom. You simply can’t be blown over anymore. The confidence that a sovereign God governs for your good all the pain and all the pleasure that you will ever experience is an incomparable refuge and security and hope and power in your life.
When God’s people really live by the future grace of Romans 8:28 — from measles to the mortuary — they are the freest and strongest and most generous people in the world.
Their light shines and people give glory to their Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).
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Have you heard God’s word?
James 1:13-14 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
The Cost of Disobedience
“I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” John 17:4, 5
This prayer was prayed prior to his going the cross, but, in its scope, it reaches beyond and includes the cross.
Our Lord knew where he was going, he knew what he would be doing in the next few hours and what would be accomplished.
That work included more than the cross. It encompassed his ministry of healing and mercy, and even those thirty silent years back in Nazareth. They were all part of his life, his work, which the Father had given him to do.
He includes this in his prayer to indicate to us the character of his work while he was here.
Jesus is suggesting that his work was characterized by a continual self-emptying, that is, a laying aside of glory.
*We think that God is interested in our activity, that there are certain religious pursuits which we can perform which God will be pleased with no matter in what frame of mind we do them.
That is why we sometimes drag ourselves out to church week after week when we have little interest in attending church — because we think that attending church is what God wants. (A works mentality)
How little we understand God! It is not activity that he desires.
*It was not merely that which Jesus did which glorified the Father.
**It was not his ministry of mercy and good works.
Others have done similar things. But it was the fact that throughout Jesus life he had a HEART that was ready to obey, an EAR that was ready to hear, a WILL that was ready to be subject to the Father.
It was Jesus willingness to be always available, to forever be giving of himself, that glorified God.
** We say we want to do God’s will — as long as it is what we want to do.
At the center of our lives– Self is still king, and that is the problem.
*Our own glory is in view.
*We still want what we want and we are not willing as Jesus was, to walk in glad obedience.
But it is only this obedience that glorifies the Father.
Father, may I be among those who are ready to fling our lives away FOR Jesus Christ, to be utterly careless of what happens to us in order that Jesus may be glorified. Thank you Jesus for showing me–It’s no longer all about me but Your Glory. Thank You for the joy, freedom and peace this surrender brings to the soul. Amen
Read More“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
Instead of hanging out in an imaginary place where I could avoid conflict and hurt, I embraced real life, with real people and real struggles.
Although it took much time and work to process hard situations, with each one I grew.
* It involved loving the people around me, enjoying each new day, and releasing hurtful events and people from the past.
Our Heavenly Father knows when we struggle with our thoughts and emotions and feelings. They can be a place where we work through issues with wisdom and care, or a playground where bitterness sprouts and anger is fed.
Is He taking you by the hand, like He did me the last few months? If so, I celebrate with you. For He’s leading you into growth. It is still a personal daily commitment I need to make and ask the Holy Spirit to lead! It is not EASY!
My prayer is that you’ll swing high in day-to-day joys of real life as a strong person of faith.
Hebrews 10:19 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.
Don’t let the truth slip away from you! Stay awake and alert. You have an open door into God’s holy presence, so go into Him with full assurance of faith, making your petitions known.
Christ’s blood has already made the way for you and nothing stands between you and the Father. You have every right to enter into the holy of holies, to receive all the help you need!
Make a special effort to stay present with the Lord. Resist the temptation to dwell on the past, and deliberately let go of all failures and regrets. Walk with Jesus here and now even though your tendency will also be to race ahead and try to see what the future holds. There are things that you need to see and deal with right here where you are now. Let Jesus show you and give you wisdom.
Psalms 84:5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage.
Dear Jesus,Today I shut the gate to the playground of unhealthy thoughts, with Your help. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Read MoreThe Bible never says we won’t have negative thoughts, emotions or desires, but it does says we can have victory over “the flesh” if we choose to continually walk by faith.
“Blessed is a man who perseveres under the trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12
The sin that makes God cry is being committed daily, not by pagan workers of iniquity but by multitudes of Christians—
**the sin of doubting God’s love for His children.
Jesus Christ was God in the flesh, and according to the book of John He wept when those closest to Him doubted His love and concern. (John 11:35)
*That was God incarnate at the tomb of Lazarus, crying over friends who failed to recognize who He was.
Jesus spoke to God in the presence of those around him. He wanted them to see that God is in the midst of their pain and hurt.
**God is present in our pain and suffering. He mourns with us when we are sad; he limits himself to feel these losses with us. He does listen to our cries when we are hurt.
Jesus says: “Here I Am.”
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away .” Revelation 21:4
Time and time again Christ’s dearest associates on this earth doubted His love for them.
*Think of the disciples in a storm-tossed boat that was taking on water.
*Jesus was in the stern of the boat, sound asleep. Fearing for their
lives, His followers shook Him awake and then accused Him of outrightunconcern. “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” (Mark 4:38).
*How their accusation must have grieved the Lord! That was God Almighty in their boat!
How could He not care?
***But whenever men take their eyes off the Lord and concentrate
instead on their circumstances, doubt always takes over.
*Jesus was astounded! He said:
“How can you be afraid when I am with you? How can you question My love and care?”
Christians today grieve the Lord in this matter even more.
Let us look for His exceeding mercy and love, admit the sinfulness of our unbelief, and recognize who He is!
In John 11:25 Jesus makes what may be His most COMFORTING claim of all:
“I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE“.
Lord, Help my faith to sit solidly on Biblical Truth. Thank You Jesus! Amen
Read MoreAfter we have relinquished our sin to God, we must replace the lies with truth from His Word. Meditating in Scripture is a critically important part of this sanctifying process.
* “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” Psalm 107:20
Luke 1:37, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
What a statement! If we just believed this, how different our lives would be!
From birth we are trained to know our limitations.
*You can’t have this.
*Don’t touch that.
*Don’t put things in your mouth.
*You can’t touch the fire.
*On and on the list goes.
As we grow up, it’s actually a sign of maturity to recognize our limitations and learn to live within them.
There are limits to everything. It’s a fact of life.
BUT God has NO limits.
We have to renew our minds with the truth that God is not like us. He can do anything.
We have an awesome God whose power is so great that we can’t even comprehend it.
*God created the universe and it didn’t even tax His ability. Yet many times we find ourselves wondering if our situation is too hard for the Lord. We can’t see how even God can pull us through.
The Lord said to Jeremiah, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?” (Jer. 32:27)
*The answer is a resounding NO! The only thing that limits God is our unbelief (Dt. 7:17).
Today, let’s honor God by believing that nothing is too difficult for Him.
When we seek to acquire anything that God has not given us, we can expect God to respond to us like any good father would to a child. He will remove that which the child is not supposed to have.
David understood this principle. When he was preparing to furnish the temple, he told God in his prayer, “Everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your hand” (1 Chron. 29:14b).
Our God does the impossible day in and day out! It’s no big deal to Him.
Thank You Lord for loving me and doing the impossible in my life! Lord, never let me be boastful or proud. For you are the Almighty God, creator of all things, and everything that is good in my life and every gift I have is from you. Help me to always search for ways to use what you have given me to bring more and more glory to You. Amen
Read MorePsalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
Poor Wisdom Rots!
Proverbs 28: 2 When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily.
*This reminds me of where we are at as a nation now. We have people in our country that believe morals are negotiable and that’s simply not true.
***We need to stand by the Biblical principles we have been given by God. “His Truth”
Corrupt and selfish leaders within a government will eventually contaminate the whole group leading to “moral rot.”
But the same goes for wise and knowledgeable leaders, they can encourage and build up the whole group leading to “moral growth.“
We as Christians need to pray for our government, both nationally and locally.
One or two with a group can contaminate the whole team.
*If their concerns are selfish and all they care about is themselves and what they think their entitled to, this eventually spoils the whole batch causing moral rot.
It eventually affects all down to supervisors and them to employees.
And then attitudes become selfish with entitlement to perks instead of realizing they are public servants and their job is to serve.
*Moral is down, people can’t get along with each other and things don’t get done.
**But on the other hand, wise and knowledgeable leaders can bring moral growth to government. The saying “IN GOD WE TRUST ” can bring stability to a government.
*When you have wise and knowledgeable leaders, their concerns are not selfish.
*They care about the people they serve and they take pride in their job.
*They build up their government team increasing moral within work groups and developing positive attitudes.
Just like before, this affects all down to supervisors and then to workers causing an increase in work and taking pride in their job.
So pray for you government and ask God to place good Christian people with our system.
We need to get back on track to the saying “IN GOD WE TRUST “ and allow God to work.
Hosea 4:6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.
“Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.
Thank you for hearing our prayers. Thank You for Moral Growth and for the way it’s changed my life. It’s in Jesus name I pray, Amen.
The natural human loves inspired by God (Agape) is the only love essential to human survival.
Only God’s Divine Love can give us the identity, value, dreams and purpose we need to live life to the fullest.
God’s Love for us IS Jesus as Our Substitute.
John 3:16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
On the cross, God treated Jesus as if He had committed every sin ever committed by every person who would ever believe.
Did you get that? Let it soak in. Jesus took on EVERY SIN!
**God treated Him as if He committed, personally, every sin ever committed by every person who would ever believe though the fact is He committed none of them.
That’s the great doctrine of substitution. —And that’s the first side of imputation.
*God imputed our sins to Jesus.
*Jesus was guilty of none of them.
*God treated Jesus as if He committed all of them.
*And God just unloaded His fury for all the sins of all the people who would ever believe in Him in the history of the world.
***God unloaded all His fury against all their sins on Christ.
To borrow the language of Leviticus 16, Jesus became the “scapegoat.”
The scapegoat was guilty of nothing. But the High Priest, as it were, laid all the sins of the people on the scapegoat and sent him away. He was without sin. But sin was credited to His account as if He had personally committed it and then God punished Him though the fact is He never committed any of it.
On the cross, God treated Jesus as if He lived your life so He could treat you as if you lived His life. That’s the Gospel. That’s substitution.
Only God’s Divine Love can give us the identity, value, dreams and purpose we need to live life to the fullest.
Dear Lord, will You help me notice things for which I can be thankful in each circumstance I face today? Will You help me remember to pause and acknowledge this as evidence of Your presence and love for me? And will You help me remember to choose to focus on Your presence until Your powerful peace rushes into my heart and helps me see everything more clearly? Amen
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