Devotions - Prayer
The Life now in our hearts is totally pure, incorruptible and holy because it is God’s Life and not our own.
“And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach…” Colossians 1:21-22
Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
How do you walk in the Spirit?
*The way you do this is through living by, conducting your actions according to, and following the leading of the Word of God as quickened to you by the Holy Spirit.
*The Holy Spirit and the Word of God agree perfectly because the Holy Spirit is the one who inspired the written Word of God.
Denying the flesh will not result in walking in the Spirit.
*Walking in the Spirit will result in denying the flesh.
As we experience more of the presence and power of the Spirit of God, then the influence of the flesh is diminished.
Victory must come in this order. We don’t walk in the Spirit as a result of overcoming the flesh, rather overcoming the flesh is the result of walking in the Spirit.
Man can no more get rid of the power of the flesh on his own than he can get rid of the power of darkness without light.
*We have to receive the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives by grace and then the union with the Holy Spirit breaks the power of the flesh.
The key to breaking the dominion of the flesh is to appropriate the power of the Spirit through faith, while the flesh is still causing us problems.
Lord, Help me let the Holy Spirit lead me each hour of each day. Help me see more clearly that it is no longer I, But You that lives in me. Amen
Read MoreI praise You because You made me in an amazing and wonderful way. What You have done is wonderful. I know this very well. You saw my bones being formed as I took shape in my mother’s body. When I was put together there, You saw my body as it was formed. All the days planned for me were written in Your book before I was one day old (Psalm 139:14-16).
We tend to find our identity and worth in the fact that we are chosen by someone.
The knowledge that I am chosen frees me to serve Him whole-heartedly and boldly without bowing to the unrealistic expectations imposed by others.
The knowledge that He created me allows me to embrace the gifts He has given me and encourages me to strain every choice, every decision through the filter of God’s perfect plan for my life.
Knowing whose I am draws my attention away from both the critics and the cheerleaders in life, and fixes my gaze on the only one I have to please … God.
We come to Jesus alone. There are no “group rates” when it comes to knowing God. It’s always one-on-one and very personal.
Just think of it! God Himself supervised our formation. We were created in love – for love – with a specific and holy purpose in mind.
We can rejoice with the Psalmist who wrote, “Know that the Lord is God. He made us, and we belong to Him; we are His people, the sheep He tends” (Psalm 100:3 ).
Knowing whose we are settles our souls and directs our steps toward the path God intended when He shaped us. You and I were created as a living, fleshed out representation of God’s love.
Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God(That holy religion which God has sent from heaven) is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness(Pardon of sin, and holiness of heart and life) peace(in the soul, from a sense of God’s mercy; peace regulating, ruling, and harmonizing the heart.)and joy in the Holy Spirit(In a word, it is happiness brought into the soul by the Holy Spirit, and maintained there by the same influence).
John 17:3 Now this is eternal life(The salvation purchased by Christ, and given to them who believe): that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
Father, I want to know You and find Your plan for my life. I choose to see myself through Your eyes of love, forgiveness and grace. I want to be the person You created me to be. Thank You for loving me. Help me to walk each day in the knowledge that I am Your child. Amen.
Taken from John Piper:
As the Hebrews were promised the land, but had to take it by force, one town at a time, so we are promised the gift of self-control, yet we also must take it by force.
The very concept of “self-control” implies a battle between a divided self. It implies that our “self” produces desires we should not satisfy but instead “control.”
We should “deny ourselves” and “take up our cross daily,” Jesus says, and follow him (Luke 9:23).
Daily our “self” produces desires that should be “denied” or “controlled.”
That path that leads to heaven is narrow and strewn with suicidal temptations to abandon the way. Therefore Jesus says, “Strive(agonize to enter through the narrow door” (Luke 13:24).
We get a taste of what is involved from Matthew 5:29, “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you.” This is the fierceness of self-control. This is what is behind the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:12, “The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.” Are you laying hold on the kingdom fiercely?
Paul says that Christians exercise self-control like the Greek athletes, only our goal is eternal, not temporal.
“Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable” (1 Corinthians 9:25). So he says, “I pommel my body and subdue it” (1 Corinthians 9:27).
Self-control is saying no to sinful desires, even when it hurts.
But the Christian way of self-control is NOT “Just say no!” The problem is with the word “just.” You don’t just say no. You say no in a certain way: You say no by faith in the superior power and pleasure of Christ. It is just as ruthless. And may be just as painful. But the difference between worldly self-control and godly self-control is crucial. Who will get the glory for victory? That’s the issue. Will we get the glory? Or will Christ get the glory? If we exercise self-control by faith in Christ’s superior power and pleasure, Christ will get the glory.
Fundamental to the Christian view of self-control is that it is a gift. It is the fruit of the Holy Spirit: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace . . . self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23).
How do we “strive” against our fatal desires? Paul answers: “I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me” (Colossians 1:29). He “agonizes” by the power of Christ not his own. Similarly he tells us, “If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live” (Romans 8:13). “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). We must be fierce! Yes. But not by our might.
“The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD” (Proverbs 21:31).
And how does the Spirit produce this fruit of self-control in us? By instructing us in the superior preciousness of grace, and enabling us to see and savor (that is, “trust”) all that God is for us in Jesus. “The grace of God has appeared . . . instructing us to deny . . . worldly desires . . . in the present age” (Titus 2:11–12).
When we REALLY see and believe what God is for us by grace through Jesus Christ, the power of wrong desires is broken.
Therefore the fight for self-control is a fight of faith.
“Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called” (1 Timothy 6:12). amen
Read MoreAnd this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ — to the glory and praise of God”(Philippians 1:9-11 NIV).
Think of somebody who irritates you — maybe somebody you’ve got a strained relationship with or who just rubs you the wrong way. Two questions for you:
- One, do you pray for that person?
- Or do you just complain and grumble and nag and nitpick?
If you prayed more, you’d have a lot less to grumble, complain, nag, an$d nitpick about. It’s your decision.
Does nagging work? No. Does prayer work? Yes.
So why do you do more of the thing that doesn’t work than the one that does?
Pastor Friend of mine always says: “It is better to Bless others then Blast them”.
Paul says in Philippians 1:4,“Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy”.
Paul didn’t just pray for people in his life. He prayed with joy!
- Positive praying is more effective than positive thinking. All the positive thinking in the world isn’t going to change your husband or your wife or your child or your friend or your situation.
- Positive thinking can change you, but it won’t change somebody else. But positive prayer can make a difference in someone else.
Do you want to know the quickest way to change a bad relationship to a good one? Start praying blessings for the other person! It will change you, and it can change the other person.
Paul even told us how to pray for others: “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ — to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11).
From these verses, we can learn to pray for the people in our lives in four ways:
- Pray that they will grow in love:“This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.”
- Pray that they will make wise choices: “… so that you may be able to discern what is best …”
- Pray that they will live with integrity: “… and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ …”
- Pray that they will become like Jesus: “… filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ — to the glory and praise of God.”
Pray these for yourself and anyone else in your life, and watch how God turns around the relationship you thought was hopeless. Nothing is impossible with God! Amen
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…So that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. Romans 6:6
Christian, why would you play with sin?
- Has it not cost you enough already?
- Burnt child, will you play with the fire? What! When you have already been between the jaws of the lion, will you step a second time into his den?
- Have you not had enough of the old serpent? Did he not poison all your veins once, and will you play at the cobra’s den and put your hand in the dragon’s lair a second time?
- Did sin ever yield you real pleasure? Did you find solid satisfaction in it?
- If so, go back to your old drudgery, and wear the chain again, if it delights you. But inasmuch as sin never gave you what it promised to bestow but deluded you with lies, do not be snared by the old fowler: Be free, and let the memory of your enslavement prevent you from entering the net again!
It is contrary to the designs of eternal love, which are all focused on your purity and holiness; therefore do not run counter to the purposes of your Lord. 1 Thess. 4:4-5
Another thought should restrain you from sin. Christians can never sin cheaply; they pay a heavy price for iniquity. Transgression destroys peace of mind, obscures fellowship with Jesus, hinders prayer, brings darkness over the soul; therefore do not be the serf and slave of sin.
There is still a higher argument: Each time you serve sin you are “crucifying once again the Son of God . . . and holding him up to contempt.”(hebrews 6:6)
Can you bear that thought? If you have fallen into any special sin during this day, it may be that your Master has sent this admonition this day to bring you back before you have wandered very far.
Turn to Jesus afresh. He has not forgotten His love for you; His grace is still the same. With weeping and repentance, come to His footstool, and you shall be reunited in His love; you will be set upon a rock again, and your goings shall be established. Because Jesus Loves You-He made You to bring Him Glory and in return we will have PEACE! Amen
Read 1 Thess. 5:16-19 and see God’s will for you!
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I wonder what those ten men, those ten grown sons of Jacob, talked about during that journey from Canaan to Egypt. I have an idea that it might have been the same things we would have talked about had we been in their sandals. I also believe these men were beginning to be broken. Perhaps they spoke of how much they missed their brother, Joseph. With Benjamin now among them, maybe they felt this was a good time to express their sorrow over their past actions and, together, sincerely request God’s power and protection.
I so want to believe that God was starting to melt their hearts before Him! In fact, that’s the beauty of this story as it progresses. We’re led to wonder what exactly they were thinking.
We so desperately want to cut to the chase to see the happy ending, but we must wait. Because there’s always something to learn along the way.
When we’re on our journey from Canaan to Egypt:
- We tend to be negative rather than positive.
- We tend to view life horizontally rather than vertically. We tend to be resistant rather than open to that which is new and unexpected.
- We need some course-correction techniques to break those habits!
Three techniques that will help:
- Recognize and admit your negative mentality. So much of the cure is in the confession. Immediate correction begins with honest admission.
- Force a vertical focus until it begins to flow freely. I have never seen a habit just lie down, surrender, and die; we have to make a conscious effort if we hope to break longstanding habits. If you are negative today, chances are very good that when you wake up tomorrow morning you’re still going to be negative. Force a vertical focus. Look to Jesus!
- Stay open to a new idea for at least five minutes. Don’t try it for an entire day; you might panic. Just take on your day five minutes at a time. When something new, something unexpected, confronts you, don’t respond with an immediate “Nope! Never!” Wait five minutes. Hold off. Tolerate the possibility for five minutes. You will be surprised at the benefit of remaining open. Every sin starts with a lie.
I’ve not seen a habit just lie down and die. It takes conscious effort to break it. But we do fight From Victory, not For Victory. (1JN 4:4) Jesus had Victory over all at the Cross for you and I. We must Choose Him as our Lord and Savior! Amen
I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. – John 10:16
Hearing and responding to Jesus’ voice is the key to having a two-way relationship with God.
It is the difference between having religion and a relationship.
*Can you recognize God’s voice in your life?
*Are you listening to the Shepherd’s voice?
*Do you respond when He calls?
**Ask Jesus to help you increase your ability to hear. Give more time to spending quiet moments in His presence reading His word to hear His voice. He wants to be your Good Shepherd.
And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not (Mal 3:18).
When Moses led the people out of Egypt he had several crisis moments during those forty years.
His greatest crisis was when he came back from the mountain and discovered the people had made a golden calf. It was after this he came to a profound conclusion.
“Then Moses said to him, ‘If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.’ What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” (Ex 33:15,16).
The difference between a Christian and a non-believer should be that the Christian brings the presence of God with him to work.
However, this is not always the case. A Christian can shut out the presence of God by his behavior.
*Like the Israelites who experienced great miracles in their lives but began to worship idols, we can move away from God.
Sin separates us from God.
His presence moves away from us. Moses realized, he too had to have the presence of God with him to lead such a people.
The prophet Malachi was saying a day is coming when you’ll be able to recognize a clear difference between the righteous and the unrighteous
*Ask God to fill you with His overflowing presence in all you do today.
Imagine our “feet” as representative of our “souls”. When we make wrong emotional choices, it’s like stepping into a mud puddle.
*We don’t need a full bath (to get saved again) in order to become clean, but we do need to wash our feet (recognize and repent of wrong choices.
“Jesus said to him, ‘He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet…'”John 13:10
Thank You Jesus that You are the Way the Truth and the Life and nobody comes to the Father except through You. Help us to become more and more like You Jesus. And to do this help us to come to KNOW You more and more each day. Help us to see and create the time needed to get to KNOW You more. Amen
The “new willpower” we receive when we’re born again is the key to our Christian walk. We can now choose to either live God’s Life…or our own.
“So choose life in order that you may live…by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him.” Deuteronomy 30:19-20
“He’s the centerpiece of everything we believe, faithful in everything God gave him to do.” Hebrews 3:2 (MSG)
The author of the book of Hebrews wrote.
These believers were in danger of losing their focus on Christ as their deliverer. People had begun putting their trust in prophets, angels, and even Moses. So in Hebrews 3, the people are reminded that Jesus is the only one worthy of trust and is where our faith should be centered.
The writer of Hebrews wanted Christians to stop putting themselves, other people, or material items, at the center of their attention, and instead draw their gaze back to Jesus.
Just like the people of that time, we can quickly get distracted, become busy, and inadvertently make our obligations and celebrations the focus of our attention.
We gradually become self-centered instead of Jesus-centered.
“Jesus said to him, ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.’ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!’“ (Mark:9:23-24).
*Unbelief in Jesus (NOT believing in Jesus) is a turning away from Jesus in order to seek satisfaction in other things.
And BELIEF in Jesus is coming to Jesus for the satisfaction of our needs and our longings.
It’s one thing to believe in Jesus. It’s another to make Him the center of our lives.
When we make that important choice and remember to focus on Him and be thankful in all things, our hearts and lives stay in balance.
This Thanksgiving (and every day), let’s praise God and commit to making Him our focal point—“our centerpiece”.
When we choose to make Jesus the emphasis of our holidays and our lives, we are blessed with the most beautiful centerpiece of all.
See Colossians 2:2-3 and 1 Thess. 5:16-19 in your Holidays.
Lord, I never intended to put You on a shelf and allow life’s distractions to alter my attention on You. Give me the spiritual desire to stay intently focused on You during this holiday and into the new year. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Read MoreIn everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
One of the things that made people such dynamic Christians is the fact that they chose to see life from God’s perspective.
In the worst of situations, they find new insights to praise and thank God.
The Bible tells us that we are to give thanks in everything, the good things AND the bad things. In Psalm 50:23, God says, “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me.”
In the hard times, thanksgiving is difficult. It is definitely a sacrifice to thank God in our troubles, but it is so very necessary.
Thanksgiving honors God, and when you and I honor God, He honors us (1 Samuel 2:30).
How is your thanksgiving factor? Are you facing tough times? Have you been griping and complaining about the things in your life that are hard, lonely and frustrating? Jesus is there:
- He knows about it,
- He is over it, and
- He cares for you.
Without question, Jesus has a purpose in every trial and tribulation.
Start today to live a life of thanksgiving. If you will do it, your attitude will change, the people around you will be blessed, and Jesus Christ will be glorified and honored.
Thank You Jesus, Help me share this joy of thanksgiving this Holiday with all I encounter. Amen
Give THANKS ALWAYS! Ecclesiastes 7:14 “Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life.”
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Only God’s Love can disarm the emotional bombs of generational hatred and vengeance that keep igniting all over the world.
“Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions.” Proverbs 10:12
“That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies…” Joshua 7:12
*It matters not how strong you are.
* It matters not whether you have the greatest resources and talent.
*It matters not if you have the best plans and procedures.
*It will all fail if you have a break in your armor.
This is the message God told Joshua when he attempted to go against a small army at Ai, which was the Israelites’ second battle in the Promised Land.
Sometimes we try to figure out why we are not successful in an endeavor.
*We look at all aspects of our performance to see what went wrong.
Sin makes our armor vulnerable to attack from Satan, who then gains permission from God to attack us in the area where we have failed to uphold righteousness(moral orderliness).
*If we break down in moral purity, satan comes in and establishes a stronghold.
*If we give place to bitterness and unforgiveness, we will break fellowship with God and others.
*If we become money-focused, we will fall into greed and deception.
****It is a vicious cycle.
Examine your armor today (Ephesians 6:10-20).
Verse 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
- Watch your thoughts; they become words.
- Watch your words; they become actions.
- Watch your actions; they become habits.
- Watch your habits; they become character.
- Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
#3 from the 8 truths to master life.
I sincerely ask the Holy Spirit to show me what I need to do and empower me to follow through in obedience.
Result: I am released from my need to control everything.
I am “Free.”
*The reason for this is that I now trust God, Who knows all, and He has promised those who are meek, that they will inherit the earth. Faith in God has freed one from the burden of trying to push, manipulate or force, in order to get one’s way.
Read–Jeremiah 9:23,24.
Lord help me to develop the same Character you have which is found in Matthew 5:3-12. Give me discernment this day to understand the Beatitudes a lot more this week. Amen
Read Moreby Os Hillman
“Jesus answered: Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?'” (John 14:9).
The disciples had been with Jesus for three years. They’d seen miracles – dead men came back to life, the sick were healed, and water was turned to wine. These were but a few of the hundreds of miracles they saw Jesus perform. However, even after these experiences, they lacked one important thing – intimacy with Jesus. They didn’t really know Jesus. See John 17:3
This must have been a great disappointment to Jesus. He’d invested so much into developing a close and intimate relationship with the twelve. Consider that they spent three years with their Master. They learned about Him during those years. However, they had knowledge without intimacy.
They experienced God’s power individually and He even performed miracles through their own lives. Sometimes it is easier to do the work of God without the intimacy with God.
A friend once commented about the current condition of much of the mainline churches today: “You’d think the trinity was the Father, Son and Holy Scriptures versus the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There’s never been a better description of the Church today.
But, alas, this is a challenge to my own walk with God. It is easy for me to fall into this trap of working so hard for Jesus that I forget to work with Jesus.
Jesus desires intimacy more than works. He tells us in John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” Whatever works we do must be a fruit of our intimacy with Him.
Lord, help us not to just know about you. We desire to know you. Amen
The Will of God for me is: 1 Thessalonians 4: 3 God wants you to be holy and completely free from sexual immorality.
“Anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human rules but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you (1 Thessalonians 4:8).
*This is a command that we should abstain from fornication (any sexual relationship outside of marriage).
That could be homosexuality, an emotional affair, cheating on a spouse, sex before marriage, or any sexual act performed by or with a person to whom you are not married.
In other words, if you are not married (marriage between a man and a woman only) to that person, then you do not have any form of sexual relationship with them!
Watching or looking at pornography is included in fornication because the Bible says if you have done this in your heart (or mind) then it is just as sinful as doing it in the flesh.
Let the light of God’s truth shine in you to expose the darkest recesses of your being.
There are still things hidden that must be revealed for the purpose of setting us completely free.
Righteousness(moral orderliness) must be restored before your own light can shine unhindered by the darkness of carnal living. Set your heart on purity.
Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
****Set your personal boundaries.
Romans 12:2 Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God—what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.
Through the atonement of Jesus, we have been delivered from sickness, poverty and demonic control, as well as sin, in this present life. To the degree we believe that, we will begin to experience the physical benefits of our salvation in the “rough now and now,” not just in the “sweet by and by.”
Our salvation is not just “pie in the sky,” but it is victory in this present life.
John 17:3 And eternal life means to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, whom you sent.
* The sin of fallen man is this: Man seeks the benefits of God while fleeing from God Himself. We are, by nature, fugitives.
*We need to get to –KNOW HIM.!
Lord, help me draw more of You and set some personal boundaries. Help me to keep the Eternal Perspective in my heart mind and soul to overcome these temptations of the world. Help me make the Right Choices for Your Glory and my Joy! Amen
We fight From Victory—Not For Victory. (see 1JN 4:4)
Read MoreRead the Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:8-11 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly (1 Timothy 1:8).
The Law is both good and useful in the Christian life.
*The Law is good and useful, but it has to be used rightly.
*The Law is good, of course, because God Himself gave it.
*The striking thing about the Law is that those Ten Commandments are the only part of the Bible God Himself physically wrote with His own hand.
*Moses did not write them.
*They were written by the hand of God on tablets of stone and delivered by angels to Moses on Mount Sinai.
In fact, God wrote the Law twice. After the first tablets were broken, Moses returned to the mountain, and God wrote the Law again.
That in itself ought to indicate that the Law is important and not to be done away with.
Furthermore, as you study those Ten Commandments, you discover that they:
* Reflect the character and holiness of God.
*They are an expression of the life of God, both in its outward behavior and its inward attitudes.
That is why the Law never will change.
*The Law represents God’s righteous demands for human behavior anywhere on earth.
*It is even written into the hearts of people who have never heard of the Ten Commandments.
That is why most human laws–laws we make for the control of our behavior in city, state, and national government–are based upon, and reflect, the Ten Commandments.
So the Law is not going to be done away with. Paul says it is holy, just, and good.
Further, the Law is useful. Even for us Christians, the Law has a place in our lives, Paul says, “if one uses it properly.” Not everything about the Law carries over into the Christian life, but there is an appropriate use of the Law in the Christian life. Our Lord Himself indicated that in the Sermon on the Mount:(Matthew 5:17-19).
Those words ought to make very clear what Paul insists on here in 1 Timothy that the Law is not eliminated.
The Law will always be there because it is holy, just, and good; it reflects the character of God.
So it does have a part in our Christian experience.
Ten Commandments for the Covenant Community
Exodus 20:1-17
Lord, thank You for Your Law, which reflects Your character. Teach me to use Your Law properly, in a way that is consistent with the gospel.
The best defense against the devil is to be so God-centered that you give no place to Satan.
Sometimes is seems people who are very sensitive to the devil’s presence usually are so at the expense of being sensitive to the Lord’s presence.
David said, “If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there” (Ps. 139:8).
*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.
The serpent didn’t come to Eve in the garden threatening to bite her if she didn’t eat of the forbidden fruit. Instead, he came with deception, presenting himself as being concerned for her welfare. Satan’s greatest weapon is deceit.
We were all guilty (Rom. 3:23) and condemned to death (Rom. 6:23), yet Jesus suffered our punishment so that we may go free (2 Cor. 5:21). Just as Barabbas didn’t ask for this substitution, so “God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).
In the same way that Jesus died unto sin once, and death no longer has dominion over Him, the person who recognizes their death with Christ unto sin, will not allow sin to rule over him anymore.
Any Christian who is struggling with sin has not recognized that they are dead unto sin.
God paid a great price for it. Jesus paid with His blood.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
**We must preach the Word, not experiences.
*Experiences are only useful to illustrate that God’s Word is true.
Thank You Lord for Your Word, which is 100% absolute truth. Help me to live out Your Truths and Promises in Your Holy Spirit Written Word in Scriptures. “FREEDOM” Amen
Read MoreMatthew 28:19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Bless the Lord by blessing someone less fortunate today through Your……Time, Talent & Treasures
“And if you give yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness…and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.” Isaiah 58:10-11
*God wants to do mighty things through us.
*God wants to express His love to the world through us.
*So if we are clinging to one thing that gets in the way of His accomplishing that—some willfulness, some refusal to trust Him for everything—He points it out to us.
Sometimes God wants us to add something to our lives before He brings His best.
This may involve something we have not done, so He wants us to ask, “Have I been slow to respond to something God has asked me to do?”
“You will do even greater works, once I send you My Spirit. He will empower you. Greater things are yet to come!” (see Acts 1:1-8).
Indeed, greater things came–at that time the disciples would go beyond Israel and the Middle East, into Europe and India and Africa, “preaching the good news of Christ” to the nations, all within their generation.
*The Lord has things to teach and to show us that we could not have received until now. These will be times to remember and to cherish even though they seem to be beyond our ability to fully deal with presently. It’s not our power that will bring Us through; it is Jesus’ Power!
Zechariah 4:6b “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” Says the LORD of hosts.
May we go, empowered by Your Spirit, to make disciples of all nations. Use us to bring many to You Jesus! Thank you for Your word to keep fear and discouragement out. Thank You Jesus for the Victory Amen
*Isaiah 41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
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