Devotions - Prayer

Overcoming Our Past

By Bob / August 1, 2024

“Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah.” – Judges 11:29a

 

We’ve all heard stories of individuals who have overcome extreme hardship during their childhood years.
*Children of alcoholics, orphans who never have parents, loss of parents to a fatal crash, childhood disease – these are all difficult circumstances to overcome.

 

Jephthah was a man who overcame his obstacles and refused to allow his circumstances to prevent him from becoming great in God’s sight.
*He was born to Gilead, a result of his father’s adulterous encounter with a prostitute.
*Jephthah’s half-brothers decided to reject Jephthah, and drove him away from their home saying, “You are not going to get any inheritance in our family because you are the son of another woman.”
*Imagine the rejection this young man felt as he was cast away from his own family.
This experience taught Jephthah to become a hardened warrior. Today he probably would have been part of a street gang?
As he got older, his reputation as a warrior became known to those in his country, so much so that when the Ammonites made war on Israel, the elders of Gilead went to Jephthah and asked him to be their commander.

Jephthah had to fight off those feelings of rejection from previous years.

“Didn’t you hate me and drive me from my father’s house?” he responded.   He overcame his hurt and pain, and responded to the call God had on his life.

 

It is said that if we were to help the butterfly remove itself from the cocoon, the butterfly would not be strong enough to survive.
**It is the struggle that prepares the butterfly to become strong enough to fly.
**Without the struggle in the cocoon, it could not survive as a butterfly.

The Lord prepares each of us in similar ways.
*Some of our childhoods seem to have been harsh and born from a seemingly unloving God.
*However, the Lord knows our struggle and will make our life an instrument in His hand if we will choose to follow Him with an upright heart.
*Jesus does make all things beautiful in His time if we are willing to be patient.

 

Lord, I’m so glad I don’t have to say that right thing to get Your attention. Thank You for Your Spirit that lives in me and leads me—in my daily activities and even in my prayers. Please show me verses You want me to pray so I can see Your Word come alive in my circumstances and become active in my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

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Religion is not a Relationship

By Bob / July 31, 2024

We all long to hear Jesus say “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
When we hear those words, it’s because of our intimate relationship and time spent with Him….more so than what we DID for Him!

 

  “And I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.”. Jeremiah 24:7

One of the great tragedies of the Christian life is that if we fail to enter into a relationship with God that is born of the Holy Spirit, we are left with a religion, not a relationship.

John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
Many a person today lives with an intellectual belief in God, but without a relationship that is based on two-way communication.

 

It is easy to fall prey to a relationship to God that never experiences His real presence; rather, it is based on knowledge only.
*This is a tragic place to be.  I was there for a season-it is not joyful.

If this is where you have been in your Christian experience, ask God today to make Himself real to you.
Ask Him to show you His personal nature and love. He desires to do this.
Read Matthew 5: 3-12  the Character of Jesus which He wants us to be like. Jesus draws to himself people who realize how weak they are and how powerless they are.

Those whom He has called know His voice. He will show Himself to those who are His.
“He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love him and show Myself to him” (Jn. 14:21b)

Jesus didn’t call people to a new religion. He was calling people to a relationship with himself, and a new lifestyle with Him.
John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
Lord: I wish to follow.  Help me to follow You; learn from You; practice Your teachings. This transformation isn’t easy, so I plead for Your power at work in me to change me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

 

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Passionate for God and Truth

By Bob / July 30, 2024

What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,“That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.” (Romans 3:3–4)

By John Piper

Our concern with truth is an inevitable expression of our concern with God. If God exists, then he is the measure of all things, and what he thinks about all things is the measure of what we should think.

Not to care about truth is not to care about God. To love God passionately is to love truth passionately. Being God-centered in life means being truth-driven in ministry. What is not true is not of God.

Ponder these four sets of texts on God and truth:

1) God Is the Truth

Romans 3:3–4 (God the Father): “What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar.”

John 14:6 (God the Son): Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.”

John 15:26 (God the Spirit): “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness of me.”

2) Not Loving the Truth Is Eternally Ruinous

2 Thessalonians 2:8–12: “They will perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.

3) Christian Living Is Based on Knowledge of the Truth

1 Corinthians 6:15–17: “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? May it never be! Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a harlot is one body with her?”

4) The Body of Christ Is Built with Truth in Love

Colossians 1:28: “And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ.”

May God make us passionate for him and for truth.

Amen

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A THIRST FOR GOD

By Bob / July 27, 2024

Psalm 42:1–2As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
David speaks there about a thirst of the soul. He says, “My soul thirsts for God.”

I suppose we are all familiar with what thirst is in our personal experience.

David speaks about a relationship to God that’s parallel to physical thirst.

He says, “My soul thirsts for God. When can I go and meet with God?”
• Do you know what it is to thirst for God?
• Have you ever felt that deep, inner longing that cannot be satisfied with anything less than God Himself?

If you have, I want to tell you that God is waiting.
You can go and meet with Him and satisfy that thirst in your soul, which cannot be satisfied by anything but God.

 

Deliberately deal with things that distract you from seeking Jesus’ face with a whole heart.
These are critical times in your spiritual development and supernatural progression. This is a time when you need to get your head screwed on straight–to become clear in your thinking and calm in your emotions so that your attitudes, motives and actions line up with the truth of God’s word. Become ONE with Him.

 

2 Corinthians 10:4-6 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

 

Lord, I come to you with my thirst for You – Fill my cup of  love to over flowing that I may give to others.  Thank you for all Your promises to all of us in Your perfect Word.  Amen

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Who Are You?

By Bob / July 26, 2024

God’s Word is the only way to access what’s happening in your spirit. You can’t go by how you feel or even your experiences. Experiences can grab your attention or touch you, but only the Word of God can truly reveal what’s going on in your spirit. There is a spiritual you, and in the spirit, you are perfect.

1 Thessalonians 5:23, Paul prayed, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly;
and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
There are many verses that say this, but this one puts it all in one. It’s really clear that you have a spirit, soul, and body-not just a body and a soul, but three parts to you.

On the inside of every Christian, there is a completely brand-new person that most don’t have a revelation of. Even if they’ve heard of their inner man, functionally they don’t live according to it.

They live and face their problems based on their physical ability and what they feel. If you control your thinking with what is true in the spirit, it’ll control your feelings. All you’ll experience is life and peace. Romans 8:6 says,

For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

God began speaking these truths to me through His Word, and I started relating to Him based on faith in what the Bible says. It has changed my life. I’m telling you, there are so many Christians looking for some type of experience or some external thing that’s going to change their lives! But it’s the Word that’s the foundation for everything.

The Word of God is what will change your life. The reason you may be living under the thumb of the devil is because you don’t know who you are or what you have.

The Bible has more than 7,000 promises from God to you—promises of success, confidence, health, prosperity, strength, wisdom and more.  Why does God make these promises?  Because he wants you to learn to trust Him.  Find a promise in God’s Word for you this day.  Amen

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TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS

By Bob / July 25, 2024

Romans 3:10 As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. 11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.

Every follower of Jesus has a certain hunger in his heart. It is a passionate zeal to be holy before God—free from sin, victorious over flesh, pure and spotless before the Lord.

The Holy Spirit actually plants this desire—an innate longing to live uprightlyin the heart of every human being.

*For nonbelievers, the spirit of this world can darken the mind to any sense of rightness.
*For believers, failure to live in a way that honors God can crush the spirit.

This desire to live right is behind the meaning of the word righteousness.
Righteousness means to be in right standing with God—to live with right motives, emotions and behavior—and establish right alignment with His purposes.  (moral orderliness)

To truly be righteous, we have to know what it is and is not.
The Bible describes our righteousness in two words:
1.  Justification-(our position, or right standing, with God).
*Romans 1:17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

2. Sanctification-(our walk with God, our ongoing relation to Him).
*Romans 6:22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.

 

*Don’t try to impress yourself or others with what you do. Be impressed with what God does.

 

Jesus, may I remember your sacrifice and help me keep my humility so the focus can be on You at all times.  May You receive All the Glory!  Amen

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WHAT HAS GOD GIVEN YOU

By Bob / July 24, 2024

“We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.” 1 Corinthians 2:12

God desires for us to know what He has freely given to us.

One of the responsibilities of the Holy Spirit is to reveal His plans and purposes to us. They may be hidden for a time, but if we seek Him with our whole heart, we can know what He has given to us.
Once we understand what God has given to us, we can walk freely in our calling. However, if we strive to walk in a role that He never gave us, it will result in frustration and failure.

God wants to reveal His plan to us by His Spirit. This requires a willingness to seek and accept what He gives us. It may be different from what we thought. It may require adjustments to follow His path for our lives.

Ask God to reveal what He has freely given to you. Pray that you receive and embrace only those things He has reserved for you to receive and to accomplish in your life.

Then you can be assured of a life full of meaning and purpose, and you can look forward to hearing those all-important words someday, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.”

FOLLOW THE LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Lord is going to reward us based on how well we did, not on how much we did.

Those who are not governed by the Holy Spirit in their actions will see all their good works burned up on the day we stand before the Lord and He tries our works.

Those who acted only under the guidance of the Holy Spirit will find that their works will endure the test and they will receive a reward.

 

Many people choose to do good things thinking that God will be pleased. It is our positive response to God’s direction (faith) that pleases God (Heb. 11:6). We were created with a purpose and every individual has a God-given plan for his life. Unless our actions are in agreement with God’s plan for our life, they will not abide the test of God’s fire.

 

Thank you Jesus for the gifts you have given us.  Help me to discern on how best to use them to Glorify You and not me.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

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A Two-Way Relationship

By Bob / July 23, 2024

Trusting in God isn’t easy because there is no price we can pay for God’s love and favor.

“He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.” – Isaiah 50:4b
The prophet Isaiah describes his relationship to God as a relationship that has two-way communication.

Have you ever felt that your communication with God was only one way – you to Him only?

Isaiah tells us, “The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary…. The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back” (Is. 50:4-5).

The key to Isaiah’s relationship with God lies in four important principles:

1. He had an instructed tongue.
* Isaiah had given over rule of his life completely to God’s purposes.
2. He knew the word of the Lord, which allowed him to sustain and encourage others.

3. He took time to listen.

4. He did not flee from the tough assignments. He didn’t shrink back.

Knowing and spending time studying God’s Word allows the Holy Spirit to bring to mind His instructions for what He wants for us.
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.

When we begin to lose the relationship, we are susceptible to becoming rebellious, going our own way.

Invest your life in this relationship so that you may continue to hear His voice and sustain the weary ones around you.
John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
*His eternal gift was the relationship, everything else is the blessing.
*The gift is the opportunity to know God, to allow Him into your heart, to free you from all sin, wiping you clean and making you new. Appreciate the gift more…
Lord Jesus, make me like you so that everyone else can see, not so I stand out, but so that You get ALL the glory You deserve. Amen.

 

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How To Deal With Your Pain!

By Bob / July 20, 2024

 

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” (Psalm 34:18)

 

I don’t know what pain you’re in this season. I certainly don’t know what caused the pain. But I know that God understands it.

God is not some distant force. Nor is he callous. The Bible teaches that God enters into our pain. And he doesn’t just care about your pain; he feels it, too. He shares your pain. The Bible says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed”(Psalm 34:18).

I can know this even though I don’t know anything about your pain. Why? Because I know God. And I know the Trinity — Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each part of the Trinity is active in your life as you experience pain.

First, your heavenly Father shares your pain.
God understands and shares your pain because he wired you. He’s the one who gave you the ability to experience pleasure and pain. The Bible says it like this: “He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do” (Psalm 33:15).
He understands emotions because God is an emotional God. The only reason you have emotions is because you’re made in God’s image. If God didn’t have emotions, you wouldn’t have emotions.

Second, Jesus understands your pain.
Jesus understands your pain because he’s been there. He’s suffered, too. He’s been betrayed, abandoned, and fatigued — just like you. He came to Earth and lived a fully human life. He experienced everything we experience in human form. The Bible says of Jesus, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do” (Hebrews 4:15a).

Third, the Holy Spirit prays for you as you experience pain.
The Bible says, “The moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayers out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans” (Romans 8:26 MSG).
The Bible says when you’re in pain, the Holy Spirit makes prayers for you out of wordless sighs and aching groans. He understands your pain. He knows what you’re feeling. And he turns those feelings into prayers.

If you’re hurting, you don’t have to go through it alone.
God understands your pain because he created your emotions.
Jesus knows your pain from firsthand experience.
Holy Spirit is praying for you.

Studies show that expressing emotions greatly reduces the body’s stress. With that in mind I believe we all need to be in some kind of Christian group to share and experience good safe relationships.

Lord, thank you for the groups I am currently in.  Amen

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Crying Out to the Lord

By Bob / July 18, 2024

“But when they cried out to the LORD, he raised up for them a deliverer. . .” (Judg 3:8-9).

I often receive requests to help someone whose life is in a difficult place.

After a few questions  my prayer is that I am able to discern if the Lord has called me to get involved.

Many times I’m shown this person has not experienced enough pain to want to do anything about their situation, they are not hungry enough yet at that time.

Until they are really ready to cry out to the Lord for a solution to their situation, they will simply talk about desiring change but never take the necessary steps needed for change.” (A Vision Without Action is Only a Delusion.)

If you invest time and time and time into someone who has not yet come to the place of wanting a spiritual solution to their problem, you will become emotionally exhausted.

The apostle Paul understood this principle when he actually turned such people over to Satan for the destruction of their flesh (I Cor. 5:5).

The people of Israel were finally in enough pain to cry out to God for relief from their oppression.

Like so many times throughout the scriptures, God answered by raising up a deliverer. (Judge 3:8-11).”

*Are you in a difficult place in your life?

*Are you only talking about changing or are you really ready to cry out to the Lord for a solution?

Start now the process of changing your situation for the better and asking for help if needed.

God wants us to receive His Love with the open-hearted trust of a little child.

“Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it at all.” Luke 18:17

God will sometimes let us encounter great difficulty, but he never abandons us.
*He never leaves us all alone.
*He always gives us the power and courage we need to face our opposition.

*He finds a way to work it all out and uses it for his glory.
**God never abandons his people!

I Thank you, Father, of how you give courage and boldness to the one’s who are in great trouble. Grant to me the boldness to cry out to You Lord! Amen

Psalms 139

 

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The Secret Hidden Wisdom

By Bob / July 15, 2024

Psalm 51:6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

Those words are addressed by the psalmist David to the Lord Himself.

What is it that God really looks for in our lives?

First and foremost, it is not the external practices of religion – not necessarily churchgoing or other religious acts.
*God looks much deeper than those. (Amos 5:
*God looks right down into the innermost depths of our hearts and our lives.

Elsewhere, the Bible tells us that God does not see as man sees because man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart.

So David says, “Surely you desire truth in the inner parts.”

What does God want?   What is truth in the inner parts?

God wants to see if we are sincere, open, and transparent in our relationship with Him.

*Do we say the same thing with our mouths that we are thinking in our minds?

If we come to that place, then we can say, like the psalmist, “You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.”

 

There is a secret place in our innermost being where we can begin to hear the voice of God and learn from Him and He teaches us wisdom there.

If you listen and pay attention, you will know that the Lord is showing you ways to improve your circumstances that will ultimately result in a better quality of life.

The Lord is revealing things that need to be changed and can be changed that will be very beneficial to you.

However, this benefit will not come if you do not do what is necessary.

2 Chronicles 7:14  “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Lord I humble myself this day and pray to hear Your voice for Your perfect direction in my life  and giving me wisdom while giving You all the Glory!  Amen

The book of Proverbs is the Wisdom book.  Read a chapter a day for a couple of months and see what the Lord has to say to you.

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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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