Devotions - Prayer

EVER FEEL LIKE A FAILURE?

By Bob / July 14, 2024

 Two wonderful absolutes.

1. The first absolute: GOD REALLY LOVES ME.
*God is not in the business of condemning His children, failures or not. He is a loving Father, wanting only to lift us out of our weaknesses.
*Sometimes we recognize His great love only when we hit bottom. You will have won a great victory if you can be convinced God loves you even in your wounded, crippled condition.
*Our strength is renewed by His everlasting love.
*Just rest in that wonderful love. Don’t panic. Deliverance will come.

2. The second absolute: IT IS MY FAITH THAT PLEASES HIM THE MOST!
“Without faith, it is impossible to please him” (Hebrews 11:6).
*God counts our trust as righteousness.  “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness”. (Romans 4:3).
God delights in using failures—men and women who think they can do almost nothing right.
**God sends us to conquer nations but the first battle we have to win is the one against ourselves.
*That’s when we get to know him and we build the foundations of our relationship with him!   (JN 17:3)

*His strength is perfected in our weakness, our inability to obey His commandments in our own strength.

*God calls us to a life of holiness and separation.
*God tells us we can be free from the bondage of sin.

When our heart begins to cry, “Lord, how can we do such great, holy things?”

That is when our Lord takes over!
God comes with such a comforting message:

-”Lay down your weapons.
-Quit trying to be so self–sufficient and strong.
-I am your weapon and your strength.
-Let Me do what you never can do.
-I will give you My righteousness,
-I will give you My holiness, My rest, My strength.
You cannot save yourself or please Me in any way other than by receiving the blessings of the cross by faith.
Let Me be in charge of your growth in holiness.”

 
* Father take over the battle of my life ……… Isaiah 41:14-16

*God, Your Word speaks hope and life to me. It is always right on target and speaks into my life and current situation. I hold onto Your Word and pray for Your strength and courage, for health and peace as I walk through this. And I raise it all up to You, I lift it up to You, trusting and believing in You for what is to come. So I give You the praise, the honor, and the glory, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

 

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Our True Identity

By Bob / July 12, 2024

If you ask a friend or family member who you are?  How would they describe you?  Or better yet how would you describe yourself?
What defines you?

Matt. 6:21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.


Today(Praise God) I am no longer confused about who I am. We are
God’s children, and our citizenship is in heaven. I am grateful to have found my true identity—my identity IN Christ.

Christians IN CHRIST are people who:
*follow Christ (Matthew 4:19)
*Receive Christ (John 1:12);
*Believe in or trust Christ (John 3:16)*Stay joined to Christ (John 15:5);
*Know Christ (John 17:3);
*Love Christ (Ephesians 6:24);
*Obey Christ (Hebrews 5:9);
*Glory in or take pride in Christ (
Philippians 3:3).
*Have Christ (1 John 5:12).

“To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, not of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12, 13).

As children born of God, Jesus shares with us:
*His friendship—”I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15);

*His love—”As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love” (John 15:9);

*His joy—”I have told you this so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11);

*His glory—”I have given them the glory that you [Father] gave me” (John 17:22);

*His risen life—”Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God…When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Col.  3:1);
*His inheritance—”If we are children, then we are HEIRS—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share his sufferings IN order that we may also share IN his glory”(Romans 8:17);

*His—”To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne” (Revelation 3:21).

What GREAT WORD’S of TRUTH and HOPE- TO KNOW OUR TRUE IDENTITY IS IN JESUS Christ

He lives within each one of us.
Eph. 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Hebrews 13:20-21  Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

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Salvation

By Bob / July 11, 2024

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:11-12 NIV).

If you were to ask people if they are going to Heaven or Hell, you’ll likely hear them say, “I hope I’ll go to Heaven.”

But hope just isn’t good enough. I pray that’s not your answer. Your eternal destiny is too important not to know for sure.

Only a fool would be unprepared for what we all know is inevitable: death. The most recent statistics show that mortality rates in the world are 100 percent!

You’re not guaranteed another minute on this planet, much less another hour. Don’t put off the most important choice you’ll ever make.

The Bible says in 1 John 5:11-12,“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (NIV).

That’s about as clear as you can get.

  • If you have Jesus, you have life.
  • If you don’t have Jesus, you do not have life.
  • You have a choice.

You won’t go to Heaven because of someone else’s faith. You’ll never go to Hell because of someone else’s choice.

It’s your choice! You decide where you’ll spend eternity.

This is why Christmas and Easter are so important. If Jesus hadn’t come at Christmas and if he hadn’t died and come back to life on Easter, we’d be hopeless. Nothing we do would matter. You wouldn’t have this choice.

The cross is the answer to our deepest problem — our separation from God.

The Bible says, “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross”(Colossians 2:13-14).

God nailed everything that separated you from himself to the cross. But God won’t force you to make the most important decision of your life. It’s in your hands.

It’s time to choose.

Lord, Help me to KNOW you more each and every day, because to know You is to have eternal life (JN 17:3).  Amen

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WHAT ARE BOUNDARIES

By Bob / July 10, 2024

Boundaries are based on truth and we each need to know our limits in each area of our life. 

Setting boundaries is an essential skill in life, especially for people like us  in recovery who are addicted to a sin  (which we all have in one form or another: worry, over eating, gossip, anxiety, chemical dependency, etc. etc).

Addicts for example, often grow up in dysfunctional homes, where boundaries were either too rigid (leading to suppressed emotions or distant relationships) or too enmeshed (depriving them of a sense of personal identity).

 

Later in life, their interpersonal relationships may continue to be defined by old roles and patterns, increasing the risk of depression, anxiety and addictive or compulsive behaviors.

 THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE!

John 8:31-32:  Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

*Does our life look like someone who’s on the same page with Christ?

*Do we tend to believe our negative feelings more than the positive truth of God’s Word?

 

Four Components for Successful Boundaries:      YOU GET WHAT YOU WORK FOR!

1.  Vision:  Do you know what you want as an outcome? Define your specific expectations in writing.

2.  Communication:  Do you thoroughly communicate  and address the specific expectations, your purpose and results and if broken the consequences?

3.  Application:  Do you follow through with the message, consequences (good or bad).

4.  Action:  Develop your plan, determine how to hold yourself accountable to your plan.

Ephesians 6:14 “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.”

Why are boundaries important?

They keep you safe from being manipulated, abused or taken advantage of, while also protecting other people from harm you may consciously or unconsciously inflict.

They prevent both parties in a relationship from blurring the lines between self and others.

With healthy boundaries in place, you can begin to tune in to your inner voice(Holy Spirit) and trust those thoughts and feelings, and then communicate those to other people.

Romans 2:8 “But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.”

*If we strive for God, we will receive mercy.

*If we seek eternal life, we will find it.

*BUT if we seek the world, we will be left in the world.

Lord, help us all to seek You and set good and healthy personal boundaries in our lives to be able to create more of Your Character in us for others to see and follow.  Help us to see and know more and more of Your Truths.  Amen

 

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HEAVENLY PERSPECTIVE

By Bob / July 9, 2024

We mustn’t say, “I will choose to love this person if it kills me,” but rather “I will set myself aside and allow God to love this person through me.”

“But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven…”Matthew 5:44
A pure and contrite heart is being formed within us as we continue to walk out our eternal sanctification.

“Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, but humility goes before honor.” Proverbs 18:12

 
A negative thought first crossing our mind is not sin. But if we choose to bury that thought in our hearts or turn it into a negative action, sin is the result. We need to take that thought captive and immediately relinquish it to God.

  “…we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ…” II Corinthians 10:5

Painful memories grow strangely dim when we allow the Holy Spirit to light the candle of God’s Love within our hearts.

“…but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:13-14

Paul chose to look at life from a heavenly perspective. That’s why he could write:

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body (2 Cor. 4:8-10).

Paul had experienced a level of opposition and suffering that you and I can scarcely imagine. People said they would do things but did not follow through. He could not depend on certain people. Yet he was not crushed, and he refused to give in to despair. He viewed his life as a continual process of dying. His goal was to live in such a way that the life of Jesus would be revealed in his response to adversity.

Beware of placing too much expectation on others. Realize that people will let you down from time to time, but do not let that impact your faith. Trust God to work even through these disappointments.

The Bible is clear that humans do not achieve greatness without having their sinful will broken. This process is designed to create a nature change in each of us, not just a habit change. The Bible calls it circumcision. Circumcision is painful, bloody, and personal.

JN 17: 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

Thank You Jesus for the gift of eternal life.  Help me always see the Eternal Perspective in all my circumstances to bring You Glory and me  Hope.  Amen

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THE WEAPON OF THE WORD

By Bob / July 8, 2024

Luke 4:4, “And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”

Jesus answered every temptation with, “It is written.

*The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17).

*The Word of God is the only offensive spiritual weapon that we have.

 

Since Jesus was the Word of God (Jn. 1:1), anything he would have spoken would have been the Word. He could have said “scat” and the devil would have had to go, yet He quoted the written Word of God three times.

 



This gives us great assurance that the written Word of God is sufficient for us.

 

*Jesus, in the face of the greatest temptations that Satan had to offer, did not need to say anything that was not already recorded in scripture.

 

It is likely that when Jesus returns to this earth and destroys His enemies, He will just speak the Word that has already been given in scripture.

*No wonder Satan tries to keep us from studying and knowing God’s Word.

*Even our good works will hurt us if they keep us from really knowing the scriptures.

 

God has given us this mighty weapon of His Word!

*When we speak the Word in faith, hell shakes. Satan and his followers have already experienced what the Word can do. They know its power.

 

We need to know it, too!

 

THANK YOU LORD FOR YOUR WORD!  2 Timothy 3: 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.  Amen

Read too:  Matthew. 4:1-11 and Mark1:12-13 and Luke 4:1-13

 

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GODLY SORROW

By Bob / July 6, 2024

I believe we can know our true spiritual state by how troubled we become ove our slightest sin against our Lord.

Some Christians only grieve over what they consider the “big sins”—adultery, drug abuse, drinking, cursing.

But the truly spiritual person knows that NO sin is small in God’s sight and so he grieves every time he gossips, tells a dirty joke or has a lingering evil thought.
We know these things spring from our heart, the very center of our being.

You can disobey God in such “small things,” excusing yourself and forgetting all about them.
**But if you do, you will never mature in Christ.

Your righteousness(moral orderliness) is measured by your unwillingness to accept anything that grieves your blessed Savior.

In each moment we sin, the enemy whispers to us, “That little slip-up was no big deal. It was such a small thing.”

**But the Holy Spirit must immediately rise up in my heart to refute the devil’s voice.
Be reassured,  the very fact you’re grieving over a sin is proof Jesus is at work in you.
*The more you grieve over even the smallest transgression against His love, the closer you get to victory.

God sent His Spirit to us to wage war against our flesh and its desires and lusts.

So, if you aren’t troubled when you fail—if you are able to shake off your sin with no sense of guilt, sorrow or regret—then the Holy Spirit is not in you doing warfare.

“ yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us.  Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” (2 Corinthians 7:9,10).

If you are being convicted by even the lightest transgression, you are close to true victory.  He is winning the battle in your heart by producing a godly sorrow that leads to true repentance.

Lord, Thank you that my sorrows have led me to repentance and have taken the walls down so that we could have a more personal relationship.  Amen

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FIGHT THE REAL BATTLE

By Bob / July 5, 2024

Colossians 2:12 For when you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, and in baptism you were also raised with Christ through your faith in the active power of God, who raised him from death.
The Training Ground of God

“Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.” – Psalm 144:1
* It is only when we are placed in the furnace of battle that we truly learn to fight the real battles.

*Practice doesn’t make you battle ready.

*War games won’t prepare you for facing your real enemy in the battlefield.
**The stark reality of being in the midst of the battle makes us effective warriors.

*Simply reading your Bible will not make you a warrior for the Kingdom.

*Knowledge without experience is mere folly.(see Hosea 4:6)
**Only when you are placed in situations where there is nothing or no one who can save you but God, will you learn the lessons of warrior faith.

This is the training ground of God, which will make you into a soldier for Christ.

Consider it to be suicidal faith – faith that says I want to be dead to anything that keeps me from fulfilling God’s purposes for my life.

2 Corinthians 12:10 I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
*GOD demonstrates his power in our weaknesses.

These are the real training grounds of God.

* Do not shrink back from the battle that God may be leading you to today.

*It may be a training ground that is necessary for the calling He has on your life.

Deut. 31:8 The LORD himself will lead you and be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you, so do not lose courage or be afraid.”

GOD USES ENLARGED TRIALS TO PRODUCE ENLARGED SAINTS SO HE CAN PUT THEM IN ENLARGED PLACES!

Father, today I give You my questions, frustrations, concerns and doubts. Have Your way in me. I trust that You are at work in every difficult situation  and hot spot in my life in Jesus’ name. Amen

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GOD GIVES STRENGTH

By Bob / July 4, 2024

*Have you ever wrestled with the events of life, feeling that God has deserted you?
* Have you been honest with God?
*He is the kind of Father who is willing to have those difficult conversations.
*He won’t always change things, but His purposes will be accomplished and peace will come if you trust.
*Trust Him this day with those things that are most difficult.


” 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.” (Isaiah 41:10).

 

Bondage to sin — that is, your battle with the flesh.
Under the New Covenant, God will allow situations to show you how wholly dependent you are on Him to deliver you through faith.

 

God will never lead you into temptation but He will allow you to come to your wits’ end. If you have a  secretive sin, Satan will come against you continually with his lies: “You’re too weak! You’re never going to make it.”

You hear the rattling of chains as Satan tries to bind you to your habit once more and you wonder, “Lord, how will I ever get up from this? I’ve gone down so low!”

 

What can you do? You know you can’t outrun the enemy and you are no match for him in a fight, so you cower before him, trembling in fear.

You may say to yourself,
“I’ll just go back to my old ways. At least I’ll be spared from all this spiritual warfare. It’s too much for me!” But you know you can’t go back to your old master. If you turn back now and desert Christ, it will cost you your life.

Many Christians become caught in the hellish cycle of sinning and confessing, sinning and confessing. They run to friends, counselors, anyone who will listen to them as they cry and pray.

 

Such believers will do everything except stand still and trust the Lord to bring their deliverance.

 

We need to understand the battle: know your mission and learn to apply God’s weapons and strategies to your battle.  (Read Ephesians 6 for The Armor and Romans 12:2 the Renewing of the mind).

 

Lift me up dear God, help me see more, show me more light, and allow it to shine through me. Amen

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GOD OPENS OUR EYES

By Bob / July 3, 2024

Elisha prayed for him to receive sight,
“O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see” (2 Kings 6:17).
Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

When we can’t see our situation with clear spiritual vision then we tend to fixate on our earthly circumstances.

Each morning we get out of bed:  1. walking by faith in the Son of God or 2. wandering about in unbelief obsessed over our earthly circumstances.

When the eyes of our heart are wide open to God’s truth, then the light of his word cuts through the fog.

Paul prayed for the Ephesians to have spiritual eyes to see.
*He prayed that the Father of glory would give them the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of God, having the eyes of their hearts enlightened (Ephesians 1:17–18).

When God opens the eyes of our hearts then we can see Him for who He is.

And when we see who He is then we understand certain things that will change the way we look at ourselves and our situations.



​*We can know the hope to which God has called us (Eph. 1:18) and we can recognize the fake hope that slides out of our hands.
​*We can know the riches of God’s glorious inheritance in the saints (Eph.1:18) and we can dismiss the fake rewards of the world.
​*We can know the immeasurable greatness of God’s power toward us who believe (1:19) and we can reject the fake power offered to us by the enemy.
​*We can trust in God’s mighty power that raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places (1:19–20).
​*We can see Jesus as he truly is“far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come” (1:21)and happily submit anything and everything to him.

When you open your Bible then you can see the flashes of light refracting from the sword of the one who guards your soul from death.

The sword of God’s word can cut through even the most formidable morning fog of doubt or spiritual laziness.
Since faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Rom. 10:17), then we would do well to fill our ears with God’s word every day.

 

Thank You for Truth Lord.  Help me daily to read and meditate on Your Word.  Thank you Jesus that You are the Way, the Truth and the Life and help me start and finish each day giving you all the glory for what you are doing for your kingdom to come.  Amen

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HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

By Bob / July 3, 2024

THE STORY OF THE FOURTH OF JULY-GO TO:

https://www.constitutionfacts.com/us-declaration-of-independence/fourth-of-july/

 

7 Steps to understand and reach Victory

 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!   2 Corinthians 5:17

1. Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

2. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

3.  1JN 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

 

4. 1 Thessalonians. 5:16  Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not quench the Spirit.
2  Timothy 2:15  Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

5. Acts 1:8  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

2  Peter 1:3  His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through    our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.


6. 1 Thessalonians 5:18  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Heb. 10: 26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left,

 

7. Mark 16:15  He said to them, “Go into all  the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
Isaiah 40:31 but those who hope in the lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Romans 8:37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
1 John 5:4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.  5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
*All of us have a choice: we can either make excuses, or make progress in life.

Rev. 21:7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

AMEN  AMEN  THANK YOU JESUS

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Freedom and Boundaries

By Bob / July 2, 2024

“Now the serpent was craftier than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?'” – Genesis 3:1

God is big on giving man freedom and boundaries!

*Freedom to manage what He has entrusted to us.

*Boundaries to protect us from evil.

The boundaries in the Garden of Eden were not set for the purpose of limiting Adam.

Man got into trouble when he questioned those boundaries.

God had provided everything he would need for life. He also entrusted man with responsibility to manage and work the Garden.

God gave him freedom in that responsibility. God knows we were made to express ourselves creatively through our work.

Both freedom and boundaries are always under the umbrella of God’s authority and our authorities at work. 

Jesus understood these boundaries.

When He was tempted for 40 days by the devil after being baptized, He was challenged by satan to go outside His freedom and boundaries. (See Matthew 4:1-11.)

*Satan said that He had the power to turn a stone into bread. Jesus was hungry and easily could have justified using His power to feed Himself.

However, Jesus understood He could do nothing outside the boundaries of God’s will for His life.

It was God’s will for Jesus to be tempted and to withstand the temptation.

*God was showing His Son that “man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Mt. 4:4b).

 

You and I are tempted every day to go beyond our God-ordained boundaries.

Whether it is solving financial problems that have arisen through debt, making wrong decisions due to pressure, or manipulating someone in order to achieve our ends, it all represents rebellion toward God.

Ask God to show you His freedom and boundaries for your life. These are meant to enhance your life, not hinder it. (Start with the 10 Commandments—these are great boundaries set to keep us free—But if we go outside the 10 Commandments we will eventually get stung)

Look how far you have come!  The difficulties that you have endured and overcome have instructed you and driven you to find Jesus in a more meaningful and  concrete way.

Thank You Jesus for the difficulties I have gone through in my life, to get me to Know and Trust You more.  Forgive me of my sins Jesus.   Thank You for hearing me and for calling me (a sinner)—Your “Masterpiece”  (Eph. 2:10)  Thank You for the Freedom to manage what You have entrusted to me and  Your Boundaries(10 Commandments) to protect me from evil.  Amen

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Fifteen Tactics for Joy

By Bob / July 1, 2024

By John Piper
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)

How shall we fight for joy?

  1. Realize that authentic joy in God is a gift.
  2. Realize that joy must be fought for relentlessly.
  3. Resolve to attack all known sin in your life.
  4. Learn the secret of gutsy guilt — how to fight like a justified sinner.
  5. Realize that the battle is primarily a fight to see God for who he is.
  6. Meditate on the Word of God day and night.
  7. Pray earnestly and continually for open heart-eyes and an inclination for God.
  8. Learn to preach to yourself rather than listen to yourself.
  9. Spend time with God-saturated people who help you see God and fight the fight.
  10. Be patient in the night of God’s seeming absence.
  11. Get the rest, exercise, and proper diet that your body was designed by God to have.
  12. Make a proper use of God’s revelation in nature.
  13. Read great books about God and biographies of great saints.
  14. Do the hard and loving thing for the sake of others (witness and mercy).
  15. Get a global vision for the cause of Christ and pour yourself out for the unreached.

Lord may we all experience more and more of Your Joy in our lives and families.  Help us spend some time giving back to others the joy you have given us.  Amen

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ETERNAL HAPPINESS

By Bob / June 30, 2024

ETERNAL HAPPINESS= NOT WHAT’S GOING ON AROUND ME—IT’S ABOUT WHAT GOD IS DOING IN ME!

The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12)
*Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
*Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

*Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

*Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

*Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

*Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

*Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

*Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

No commands here. Just declarations — declarations of who the blessed/happy people are and where that blessedness leads them.

The Beatitudes
​1. God’s grace in the gospel shows you your moral and spiritual bankruptcy.    (Total dependence on God).
*You must be spirit-poor if the cross is what it took to rescue you.​

2. God’s grace in the gospel makes you mourn.
*To know that your sin nailed Jesus to the cross breaks your heart.​
*I can’t do it without you, God….take this cup…NOT MY WILL but YOURS be DONE!

3. God’s grace in the gospel makes you meek.
*How can you be touchy and defensive now that you’ve seen Jesus dying for you? There’s nothing in you worth defending.​

4. God’s grace in the gospel lets you see how hungry and thirsty you are for a righteousness that will open the door to God’s acceptance.
*Jesus is that righteousness given to you freely as a gift.​

5. God’s grace in the gospel makes you merciful.
*How can you choke your neighbor over what they owe you when both hands are already occupied receiving the mercy of Jesus Christ?​

6. God’s grace in the gospel makes you pure in heart.
*Knowing that God has accepted you on the basis of Jesus blood and righteousness frees you to live honestly before God and people, admitting who you really are and how desperate you are for Christ.​

7. God’s grace in the gospel leads you to be a peacemaker.
*Your experience of God’s grace puts so much joy in your heart that you cannot help but tell others how they can be at peace with God.​

8. And finally, your experience of God’s grace in the gospel will get you persecuted.

*I will be hated because of my faith in Christ…I can take joy though that my reward is not in this life.  Need the Eternal Perspective!

Jesus draws to himself people who realize how weak they are and how powerless they are.
John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
Amen

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DOES GOD HAVE FAVORITES

By Bob / June 29, 2024

Does our heavenly Father favor certain of his children?

When it comes to salvation and his wonderful promises, God treats ALL alike but He also puts his special favor on those who respond wholeheartedly to his calling and yield their lives to him entirely!

God is all knowing, therefore He knows the good and the bad, those who seek him an those who don’t. If you truly seek him with your heart and through your actions then he will have a place for you in heaven!

Our heavenly Father puts a special garment on those who completely give him their heart:
“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10).
* True saving faith’s object is Jesus alone
* True saving faith results in a changed life.

W are to be looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith! When Satan comes and points at some weakness in our heart, WE  have every right to answer, “My God already knows it all and he still loves me!  He has given me everything I need to attain victory and keep it.”
(See 1JN 4:4 for Fighting From Victory)

 

The Lord leads each of His children along a path that is uniquely tailor made for him or her. Comparing is not only wrong; it is also meaningless.

**Don’t look for affirmation in the wrong places; your own evaluations, or those of other people.
*The only source of real affirmation is the Lord’s unconditional Love.
JESUS died for your sins, so that He might clothe you in His garments of salvation. This is how the Lord sees you: radiant in HIS robe of righteousness.

When the Lord disciplines you, it’s never in anger or disgust; it is to prepare you for face-to-Face fellowship with HIM throughout all eternity.

Romans 8: 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?
* Paul provides us with a very descriptive manifestation of all that is for those who are in Christ Jesus;
Romans 8:
1. No condemnation! (vs. 1)
2. Live in the Spirit (vs. 9)
3. Life because of righteousness (vs. 10)
4. Are children of God (vs. 14 & 15)
5. Have hope (vs. 23-25)
6. Experience God’s good working (vs. 28)
7, Are called, justified, and glorified (vs. 30
8. Are more than conquerors! (vs. 31 &37)
9. Will never be separated from the love of God! (vs. 35)

This is an amazing Chapter full of the promise that God gives us- His children.

YES WE ARE GOD’S MASTERPIECE. Amen  Thank You Jesus!

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