Devotions - Prayer
John 17:18 “As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.”
We are not from the world. Through the new birth, we come from God and should constantly remind ourselves of this.
It is not good to be too “at home” in the world.
We are in the world but are not of the world.
Great men and women of God have always had this attitude.
Christ Followers are not to isolate themselves from the world.
*Jesus did not isolate himself from the world, rather He came to the world to hang out with the sinners of the world.
The primary reason that God chooses to use those who are nothing by the world’s standards, is so no one else can take credit for the great things that are accomplished.
If the Lord used those who had it “all together” in the natural, then they would share the glory that rightfully belongs to God alone.
But when the Lord works miraculously through someone who obviously has no talent or ability, then everyone says, “This must be God.”
Not only does this keep others from misdirecting the glory that belongs to God, but it keeps the person who God uses from swelling up with pride.
One of Satan’s greatest weapons against someone who is being used by God is to tempt them to think that the Lord is using them because they possess some superior virtue.
God uses “nobodies.” If we think we’ve become “somebody” (in our flesh), then we will cease being used.
*He will not share His glory with anyone else (Isa. 42:8).
For what is Jesus praying?
*To make them so clean in all aspects of their lives that they can draw people to God. For God will never force ANYTHING on us, for like the angels in Heaven we to have free will.
We are not here just to be good people. We are here to work to advance God’s Kingdom!!!!
Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your commands, and I shall keep them to the end. Give me understanding that I may keep Your law. Help me stay on the path of Your commandments, for in them I delight. Amen.
Read MoreTo know the mysteries Christ has for us.
We can know the mysteries Christ has for us and they will be revealed as we dig deeper into the Word.
* It doesn’t matter where you are God has a plan for your life. God sees all- no matter what.
Hosea 4:6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.
“Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests;
In Psalms 43:3-4 — The truth is God’s Word; the Light is your understanding of it.
The psalmist cries out for an understanding of the Word as he reads it and for light, which breaks out of these marvelous promises to encourage and strengthen his heart.
1 Corinthians 4:6 Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.
* So many Christians over-complicate the Bible by looking for hidden meanings, praying for “special revelations” or “new understandings”, or they think you have to go to Bible college to understand God’s Word.
*The Bible is written in a way that speaks clearly to anyone who is seeking the truth–you don’t have to be an “expert”. The most important thing is to OBJECTIVELY seek the truth, keep in mind the context of the passage as well as the entirety of the Bible, and allow the Holy Spirit to give understanding.
To the Ephesians he said, “When you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ” (Ephesians 3:3).
Romans 15:4 Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.
*Scripture speaks in numerous passages about “our light and momentary troubles that are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
Lord,” Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.” Col. 3:16 Amen
Read a Proverb a day for a year if you are hungry to receive additional Godly Wisdom, Knowledge, Discernment and the will of God for you.
God wants us to be intentional about our thankfulness every day.
God wants us to develop this spiritual habit, one that is reflected in the life of a radical believer.
The truth is, the more deeply you understand God’s love, the more grateful you’re going to be.
The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”. That’s radical gratitude. In all circumstances give thanks, because it’s God’s will for you.
You can thank God in every circumstance because God is in control.
He can bring good out of evil. He can turn around the stupid mistakes you’ve made. No matter what happens, God isn’t going to stop loving you. There are a hundred things to be thankful for in any circumstance, even when the circumstance stinks.
Radical gratitude — being thankful in all circumstances — is God’s will because it creates fellowship. Gratitude always builds deeper relationships between you and other people and between you and God.
Whoever you want to get closer to, start expressing gratitude to that person.
If you’ve taken for granted your husband or your wife, or your parents or your friends, you need to start doing what you did when you first met them: Express gratitude. Write little notes of kindness and encouragement. Make calls or text during the day, just to tell him or her that you’re thankful. Do the things you did at first. The reason you’ve lost that lovin’ feeling is because you stopped doing the things that created that lovin’ feeling early on, and you take each other for granted.
Do you want to build your small group? Don’t just go to small group. During the week, text them, email them, call them, write them. Say, “I’m grateful for you, and here’s why.” You’ll find that the more grateful you are for your group, the more your group will bond.
The Bible tells us to “encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
As you build others up, you’ll find that God builds into your life as well through your deep relationships with him and others.
Lord, give me a deeper respect for you and the encouragement you instruct us to give others in building up of your body. Help me to have a heart of gratitude in all circumstances. Amen
Read MoreIn the body of Christ, we are told to love others as Christ loves us. It is our responsibility to get informed, to love as Christ did through the knowledge He has given in His Word. It is a Choice!
John 13:35 “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
Jesus didn’t say that all men would know we are His disciples by our doctrine, our rituals, our hatred for sin, or even by the way we express our love for God.
Jesus said very clearly, that the one characteristic that would cause the world to identify us as His followers, is our love, one for another.
The only way that Christ’s body will be one as the Father and Jesus are One, is through God’s kind of love.
Unity of believers, that can only come through a genuine God-kind of love, is the greatest tool for evangelism that the church has or will ever have, according to Jesus.
*The early church didn’t have the massive organizational structures that we see today or the ability to travel anywhere in the world in just a matter of hours.
Before we can ever fulfill the great commission of Matthew 28:19-20, there must be a revival of love in the church, where doctrine and ritual take a “back seat” to love for one another.
Let us weep and mourn for those who once walked with Jesus and have turned again to their own foolishness.
*Their eyes have grown dull and their hearts have grown cold to the reality of His kingdom.
*Let’s pray that Everyone, hear the Lord’s call to wake up and know the times and seasons and understand the futility of carnal living.
*Let’s Stir up our faith and rise again to acknowledge the Lord’s presence and power.
Let’s Trust in the Lord to direct us and keep us on the right path.
2 Peter 2:21-22 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”
What a life it would be without our Lord Jesus Christ. If we do not CHOOSE Christ what a serious and deadly problem we would have.
All the Bible just like all life is a history of choices and the consequences of those choices we individually make.
Lord, open my eyes daily to make the right choices and help me bring others into the light by BEING a living light myself. Help me understand your 10 commandments more each day and encourage us all to get them back into practice. Amen
Read MoreGod crafted us to reflect His image, not create our own.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13-14
Living fully in the knowledge that we are one of God’s wondrous works is our greatest praise to Him!
It’s in becoming our truest, God-created selves, reflecting His image in the gifts and wiring He’s given us, that we’ll connect most deeply with our Creator and with others.
John 7:15 “And the Jews marveled, saying, How does he know so much when he has not been trained?” 16 So Jesus told them, “My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me. ”
Jesus received His wisdom and knowledge by direct revelation from the Spirit of God rather than by the teachings of man.
• Jesus had been learning, but not through man.
• The Holy Spirit was His teacher.
Jesus had to be taught the things of God.
Jesus’ spirit man was 100% God and had all of the wisdom and understanding of God in it, but it was manifest in natural flesh. It wasn’t sinful flesh but it was flesh, nonetheless, and had to be educated.
Jesus was not taught by man, but He was taught by the direct revelation of the Holy Spirit. The knowledge was within Him but it had to be drawn out.
At the new birth, a born-again man’s spirit “is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him” (Col. 3:10).
“We have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16), and “an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth” (1 Jn. 2:20).
All of these things are a reality in our spiritual man. However, just as Jesus had to be taught, so we must draw this wisdom and knowledge out of our spirits and renew our minds with it (Rom. 12:2).
This is one of the main ministries of the Holy Spirit to the believer.
Through the new birth, we have received the mind of Christ in our spirit man and are in the process of growing in wisdom by drawing this knowledge out of our spirits and renewing (or reprogramming) our minds. This wisdom has to be drawn out by faith, time spent in the Word, and prayer.
A changed life convinces people of Christ’s power.
One of our greatest testimonies is the difference others see in our life and attitudes since we have believed in Christ.
Lord, I long to walk in freedom and to become the person you intended me to be when You wove me together. Help me be authentic, instead of shape-shifting to please others or to attain an impossible image. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Read MoreMy Testimony is that I’m already paid for by the blood of Jesus!
Revelations 12:11 But they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony,and they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.
The greatest power is God’s blood—-Jesus shed Blood on the Cross.
*Blood is a substance, Faith is the KEY.
*Blood brings deliverance and healing.
*The blood brings access for us to God.
A time-honored, effective method of evangelism is your personal testimony.
Remember you are God’s Ambassador now and bring a message of reconciliation, healing and hope to all who are open to hear. The result is we have the privilege of bringing God to people and people to God. (See 2 Corinthians 5:20).
Consider these five suggestions:
1. You want to be listened to, so be interesting.
2. You want to be understood, so be logical.
Think of your salvation in three phases and construct your testimony accordingly:
(a) before you were born again—the struggles within, the loneliness, lack of peace, absence of love, unrest, and fears;
(b) the decision that revolutionized your life; and
(c) the change—the difference it has made since you received Christ.
(Read Ephesians 2:1-10 for who we all were and now who we have become.)
3. You want the moment of your new birth to be clear, so be specific.
Don’t be vague. Speak of Christ. Emphasize faith more than feeling.
4. You want your testimony to be used, so be practical.
Be human and honest as you talk. Don’t promise, “All your problems will end if you will become a Christian,” for that isn’t true. Try to think as unbelievers think. (Read 1 John 3:1-3)
5. You want your testimony to produce results, so be warm and genuine.
A smile breaks down more barriers than the hammer blows of cold, hard facts.Let your enthusiasm flow freely.
Above all, be positive and courteous(accept whatever comes our way because of our loyalty to Jesus Christ). Absolutely refuse to argue. Nobody I ever met was “arm wrestled” into the kingdom. Trust in the Holy Spirit to move in their life.
Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD. Amen
Read MoreRev. Billy Graham, said that our children are growing up in a “lawless and wicked age,” infused with the “philosophy of the Devil, who says, ‘Do as you please.’”
Further, rearing children in this culture is difficult because “we have taken God out of our educational systems and thought we could get away with it,” said Rev. Graham.
“We have sown the wind, and we are now reaping the whirlwind. We have laughed at God, religion and the Bible.”
“Many Christian parents are becoming fearful that they cannot properly train their children in this lawless and wicked age,” and are asking, “What can I do with my son? My daughter?” said Rev. Graham.
“We are beginning to reap what has been sown for the past generation,” he said. “We have taught the philosophy of the Devil, who says, ‘Do as you please.’
Behaviorism has been the moral philosophy of much of our education in the past few years.”
Rev. Graham continued, “Many of our educational leaders sneer at the old-fashioned idea of God and a moral code.
Movies feature sex, sin, crime and alcohol.
Teenagers see these things portrayed alluringly on the screen and decide to go and try them.
Newspapers have played up crime and sex until they seem glamorous to our young people.”
One of the fundamental problems, according to Rev. Graham, is the failure of parents to fight “the Devil in the home” through discipline and, as a result, “children are allowed to go wild.”
Parents must spend time with their children, set a good example for them, discipline them, and teach them to “know God,” said the pastor, who has five children and 19 grandchildren.
“If you fail to discipline your children, you are breaking the laws, commandments and statutes of God,” said Rev. Graham. “You are guilty not only of injuring the moral, spiritual and physical lives of your children, but of sinning against God.
The Bible says that if you fail to discipline your children, you actually hate them.”
The best way to influence your children, he added, is to set a good example because “the majority of children acquire the characteristics and habits of their parents.”
As for teaching your children to know God, Rev. Graham said, “Very seldom do parents have trouble with children when the Bible is read regularly in the home, grace is said at the table and family prayers take place daily.
Most trouble with teenagers comes from children reared in homes where prayer is neglected, the Bible is never opened and church attendance is spasmodic.
Christ gives the moral stability, understanding, wisdom and patience needed to rear children.”
There is only one solution to combating the problems afflicting young people, concluded Rev. Graham, and that answer is Christ: “Christ in the home, in the lives of the parents, is the only permanent solution to the menacing teenage social problems in America.”
Church every Sunday and daily prayer “will solve 90 percent of the problems you have with your children,” he said.
For teens who want true joy and happiness, and not the temporary intoxications of today’s sinful culture, they should turn to Jesus Christ. He “can give you the greatest happiness, the greatest adventure and the greatest thrills you have ever known,” said Rev. Graham.
END
WHAT WE REALLY NEED IS NOT MORE “SELF-HELP BUT THE LORD’S HELP!
READ COLOSSIANS 2:2-3
Even though a faith choice is much harder to make, it is the only choice that will align us with God’s Will.
** “But he who listens to Me shall live securely, and shall be at ease form the dread of evil.” Proverbs 1:33
MATTHEW 26:75 Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly.
It’s not the Bible lying on your coffee table that makes the enemy flee, but the Word of God hidden in your heart, activated by the power of the Holy Spirit, and spoken in the appropriate situation.
It’s similar to what Jesus says in John 6:63, that “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.”
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. The Word of God is the Sword which is Part of the Armor we need to put on each day. (Ephesian 6)
*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.
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.
*Take your stand on God’s Word and allow nothing to undermine your faith in any way.
Lord, Thank You for Your WORD –sending your son Jesus to die for my sins and forgiving me for the times that I denied you just as Peter was forgiven. In JESUS Holy name I pray, AMEN!!!
Read MoreThe Pharisees were men who had dedicated their lives to the study of Scripture.
They took a solemn vow before three witnesses to spend every moment of their lives obeying the Ten Commandments. That is not to say they succeeded, because clearly they did not. But that is at least what they tried to do. And with a few exceptions, such as Nicodemus, these Pharisees—these religious experts—had hard hearts. Read Romans 1:18 on for what happens with hard hearts.
What is ironic is they spent their time studying the Scriptures. These men, immersed in such a spiritual endeavor, had hearts that were so hard, they attributed to the devil that which was being done by God.
This reminds us that the church can be a dangerous place for us today.
- It is a place where we honor God.
- It is a place where the Word of God goes out.
- And we have a choice as to how we will react to these things.
If we are in church because we want to worship and learn more about Christ, then that is great.
But if we go to church out of mere obligation, thinking we can sin a little more because we have done our duty, that can be dangerous.
It is easier to get a hard heart inside the church than outside of it. So if you have a critical spirit and a hard heart, watch out. The church can be a dangerous place for you. And sometimes the most hardened people can be inside the church, because they think,
- I know it all.
- I have heard it all.
- I am so spiritual.
The problem is they are getting a hard heart. They are arrogant and resistant to the work the Holy Spirit wants to do in their lives.
We need the Word of God and the Holy Spirit “together”–to come into our hearts and minds to renew our minds to what the Lord is saying and then put into action what you have received.
Thank you Jesus for the Holy Spirit and Your Word to direct and guide us–Help us to bring YOU all the Glory. Amen
Read Hosea 4:6 on “Lack of knowledge”
Read MoreTaken from LUKE 8:4-11
*We are the soil.
*The seed is the Word of God.
The seed is God’s Word, and the types of ground/soil are the four major categories of men’s hearts.
1. The seed that fell by the wayside are the people who hear the Gospel, but don’t accept it.
2. The seed that fell on rocky ground are the people who have hardened hearts.
3. The seed that fell among the thorns are the people who got caught up in trying to gain world possessions.
4. The seed that fell on good ground are the people who heard The Word and followed Christ.
Luke 8:11, “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.”
This parable illustrates the importance of the Word of God.
God’s Word contains total power, but it has to be planted in our hearts and allowed to germinate before it releases that power.
God’s Word is always the same. It has the same potential in every heart.
Good ground doesn’t just happen; it must be cultivated.
This is the reason why only one out of four persons in Jesus’ parable brought forth fruit.
*It takes a lot of time, effort, and diligence to be a fruitful Christian.
*The Christian life is not like a hundred-yard dash but rather a 26.2 mile marathon.
*It’s quicker and easier to raise weeds than it is to raise tomatoes or corn.
In this whole parable, the KEY to NOTE is—it was the Word that produced the fruit.
*The ground simply gave it a place to grow.
If we will simply put God’s Word in our hearts, protect it, and give it priority in our lives, the Word will produce fruit of itself. (Holy Spirit produced fruit: Gal. 5:22-23)
Satan has deceived many people into thinking that they don’t have the talents or abilities to be fruitful Christians, but they are not the ones who bring forth fruit; it’s God’s Word.
***When we protect the Word sown in our hearts, it will do the rest.
What we do with God’s word defines the person we become.
*When we live out Gods Word, we shine the Truth.
*When we do not live out Gods word, people see God as “Fiction.”
“All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness”. (2 Tim. 3:16)
“I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things” (Isa 45:7).
God will use pain in order to create a love relationship with His creation.
This statement may challenge your theology. However, consider that God allowed Jesus to experience incredible pain in order to create an opportunity to have a relationship with His creation.
Consider how Jesus created a relationship with Paul. He blinded him and used a crisis in his life in order to bring him into a relationship with him and use him for God’s purposes.
Consider how God recruited Jonah for the mission He had for him.
This is not God’s first choice for His creation. Romans 2:4 reveals that God’s preference is to show mercy and kindness: “Or do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?”
-God loves people more than He loves their comfort.
-He invests a great deal into mankind.
-He desires relationship with us and will go to great lengths to create such a relationship in order for us to receive the rewards and inheritance He has for us. A relationship that is motivated now by love and devotion instead of pain.
This is where God desires us to be. Another way of saying this is we are no longer seeking His hand. We are seeking Him. We want to know God personally.
Obedience will not last when the motivation is only the removal of our pain.
God often causes delays in our lives that we cannot understand. Sometimes it seems our obedience is not getting rewarded. Jesus said He learned obedience through the things He suffered (see Heb. 5:8). Imagine that – Jesus having to learn obedience. What does that say for you and me?
Sometimes God’s delays are simply because He wants more glory in the situation, more recognition, more Christ-likeness in you and me through greater patience and obedience.
Faint not, for the promise may yet come. Amen
If we are to become more and more like Christ each day—then we should know and teach daily “Jesus Character” found in His Sermon and Teaching on the Mount–Beatitudes–for US to find Purpose, Meaning, and comfort in life.
The 8 Beatitudes–Matthew 5:3-10
1. Vs 3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
*Moral Bankruptcy to self—result-we are Accepted–Is. 55:1
2. Vs 4 God blesses those who mourn,for they will be comforted.
*Admit and regret our failure–result-we are Forgiven and have peace—2 Cor. 7:10.
3. Vs 5 God blesses those who are meek(humble),for they will inherit the whole earth.
*Ask Holy Spirit the need and follow through in obedience–result-give up control to control everything. Result- Freedom—Jer. 9:23-24
4. Vs 6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.
*Actively Pursue God and His will–Result-I am filled with God’s Love-I am Satisfied. Eph. 3:17-19.
5. Vs 7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
*Jesus forgives me of my sins when I sincerely confess them and extend loving forgiving accepting spirit toward others. Result involved in others lives-I am Kind hearted. Matthew 25:37-40.
6. Vs 8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.
*Be totally honest and do not suppress the truth(Ro. 1:18). Be vulnerable to the Holy Spirit and be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Ro. 12:2). Result-transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ my Lord. I am now Honest. 1 John 3:1-3.
7. Vs 9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.
*I bring a message of reconciliation, healing and hope to all who will listen. Result-I am an Ambassador. 2 Cor. 5:20.
8. Vs 10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
*We now are fully devoted to Jesus. Result- I will joyfully accept whatever comes my way because of my Loyalty to Jesus Christ. I am Courageous. Colossians 3:1-4
While the Beatitudes of Jesus provide a way of life that promises salvation, they also provide peace in the midst of our trials and tribulations on this earth.
Take your circumstance through the Beatitudes and see the Holy Spirit work!*Jesus teaching is of Transformation of the INNER Person.
*Only God’s Divine Love can give us the identity and purpose we need to live life to the fullest.
Matthew 5:11 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers.12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.
Thank You Jesus for Your Wisdom. I Pray the world will take Your Teachings and put them into practice for Your Glory and our joy. Amen
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” —Acts 1:8
*This power is for a purpose. It is not power to be crazy or power to do weird things.
* It is power to be a witness . . .
* Power to have the courage to tell someone about Jesus Christ . .
* Power to tell people about what Jesus has done for you. CROSS!
The Holy Spirit did not make His first appearance at Pentecost.
Gen. 1:2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
The Holy Spirit is also shown to be doing the Father’s work throughout the Old Testament and Gospels.
*However, the Spirit arrived in the upper room with a fresh mission from the Father.
In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit empowered individuals for specific tasks.
*For example, Bezalel’s God-given wisdom and craftsmanship enabled him to become the Tabernacle’s chief architect (Ex. 31:1-5).
*Men called to proclaim God’s word (Isa. 61:1; Ezek. 2:1-4).
When the Lord wanted a job done, He chose someone to do it.
*Then the Holy Spirit equipped him or her for the task.
God gave power only to certain people and didn’t necessarily remain with them long.
Indicating that the Spirit’s involvement with believers would be different than before, Jesus told the disciples, “He abides with you and will be in you” (John 14:17).
God’s Holy Spirit had come alongside the disciples during their time with Christ. But following the completion of Jesus’ work on earth, He would dwell within them.
Since Pentecost, EVERY BELIEVER HAS received the Holy Spirit.
*If Jesus is the vine and we are the branches, then the Spirit is the sap equipping us for the Christian life.
***Furthermore, He no longer comes and goes but rather remains permanently.
He seals us in Christ—proof of the promise that we are forever in God’s presence.
Eph. 1:13And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
At salvation, you receive the same spirit that you will have throughout all eternity.
*It will not have to be changed again or cleansed again.
*It has been sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13) and is therefore sanctified and perfected forever (Heb. 10:10, 14; 12:23).
Jesus lives in the spirit of believers.
All that He is will be available to you if you will depend on Him instead of your own abilities.
Thank You God for Your indescribable gift-“The Holy Spirit”. Thank You that the Holy Spirit has awakened me from spiritual death. Amen
If you live a godly life, you will be persecuted. You can count on this.
It is not a matter of if; it is a matter of when and how much.
- We love to claim the promises of God.
- We love to claim His promises of provision and protection.
- But how many of us have claimed this promise: “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12)?
I haven’t. Who likes to be persecuted?
Yet Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10-11).
Righteousness (moral orderliness), by its very nature, is confrontational. The very fact that you believe in Jesus bothers some people, because Jesus said, “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed” (John 3:20).
People give a lot of excuses as to why they are not Christians, but I would say the real reason people do not come to Christ is:
• They don’t want their evil deeds exposed.
• They don’t want to admit they are sinners.
The Eight Truth To Master Life:
Beatitude #8 Matthew 5:10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
I am fully devoted to Jesus Christ, no matter what that will cost.
Result: I courageously and joyfully accept whatever comes my way because of my loyalty to Jesus Christ.
I am “Courageous.”
*For all the kindheartedness and sincerity and effort to make peace, the result may be rejection, persecution, perhaps even death. Many times Jesus taught that the rebellious human race would choose darkness rather than light. They would rather be their own God than acknowledge the One True God, Who gave His son for them. See John Chapters 3& 16. It takes courage to follow Jesus.
You are a representative of Christ. And the reality is that if you follow Jesus, then you will face persecution. Because “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
Lord, help me keep the Faith no matter what comes my way. Only through You can we have Victory. Amen
Read Colossians 3:1-4
Read More Grace is at the heart of the Christian faith. Nowhere is this more clearly seen than at the cross of Christ.
It is grace that the Son of God took on flesh, and grace that he taught us how to live — but it is especially grace that he died on the cross in our place.
Here are five biblical truths about what Jesus accomplished on the cross.
1. The death of Jesus was for his enemies.
God’s love is different than natural human love. God’s love is Agape Love which is the only love essential to human survival. (Romans 5:7–8).
2. The death of Jesus purchased a people.
The death of Christ was effective in its purpose. And its goal was not just to purchase the possibility of salvation, but a people for his own possession. Hear Jesus’swords: “All that the Father gives to me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out… And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day” (John 6:36, 39).
3. The death of Jesus is on our behalf.
Jesus’s death was substitutionary. *That is, he died in our place. *Jesus died the death that we deserved. *Jesus bore the punishment that was justly ours. (1 Peter 2:24).
4. The death of Jesus defines love.
Jesus death wasn’t just an act of love, it defines love.
His substitutionary death is the ultimate example of what love means, and Jesus calls those who follow him to walk in the same kind of life-laying-down love. (1 John 3:16).
5. The death of Jesus reconciles us to God.
Justification, propitiation, and redemption — all benefits of Christ’s death — have one great purpose: reconciliation.
*Jesus’s death enables us to have a joy-filled relationship with God, which is the highest good of the cross.
Paul writes, “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him” (Colossians 1:21–22).
Thank You Jesus for the forgiveness you have for me– which was purchased at the cross. Help me too, to extend that forgiveness to others for your Glory. Amen
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