Devotions - Prayer
“Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income….” – Ecclessiastes 5:10
The void in our heart cannot be filled with anything, only a real relationship with God can fill this Feeling Of Emptiness.
Because we do not know God’s heart to be with us, we try to fill this void with stuff, pretty man or woman, notable career ETC.
Not knowing that once we gain these things we still won’t be fulfilled.
3 myths about money
1. Money brings satisfaction
2. Money brings peace of mind
3. Money solves all your problems
* Realize that God is the owner of all we have.
Only when we know God’s heart will we feel everlasting peace and joy and the Feeling Of Emptiness will be gone.
Scripture tells us that if we are having our basic needs met for food and clothing, we are considered to have riches.
Jesus cautioned us against living a lifestyle that required more than our basic necessities. However, it is clear that Jesus was not against wealth, but against a dependence on wealth.
Jesus continually taught that a dependence on anything other than God was evil.
Whenever Jesus determined that money was an issue for an individual, He addressed it and found that the individual could not let go.
*This was true for the rich young ruler. When talking about what he must do to inherit the Kingdom, Jesus told him to do the one thing that would be the most difficult – to give away his wealth and follow Him.
Jesus was not saying this was what every person must do, only the rich young ruler, because Jesus knew this was his greatest stumbling block.
For others of us, it could be something else Jesus would ask us to give up (see Mt. 19:16-30).
“The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22).
If we are not careful we gradually begin to acquire and walk the treadmill of material gain. I was there for a period of my life and it was not rewarding—It was EMPTINESS!
*Those around us begin to expect more and more.
*Soon we begin expanding our lifestyle.
*Before we know it, we are worrying about how to take care of what we acquire.
*Our emphasis becomes what we own versus our relationship with Jesus and His Kingdom.
The greater independence money gives us, the less dependence on God we need.
Lord keep us from greed but rather keep us on Your path, desiring You day in and day out to be one like You! Thank You Jesus when we know God’s heart we feel everlasting peace and joy and the Feeling Of Emptiness IS gone.
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This world is not our home. In Christ, we are destined for the Heaven of GOD.
Col. 3:2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.
Hebrews 13:14 For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.
Hold lightly to the things of this world that are temporary, saints of GOD, and grip tightly the things of GOD that will last forever in His EternalKingdom.
Let your heart and mind be focused on eternal reality instead of allowing your current situation and circumstances to sap your strength and vitality. Yield to this mighty work of redemption.
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
You may be wondering, “Lord, why is my job so upsetting to me? Why do I always feel like an outsider? What’s wrong with me?”
There is nothing wrong with you. God is at work!
*He is keeping you sick and tired of this dying world.
*He is saying, “You can’t get too involved in ‘making it’ here because it is all going up in smoke.
***Set your affections on things above— on the new world that is coming.”
You answer, “But what a waste. I’m so full of energy. I have talent, ideas, a sharp mind, a desire to accomplish much. Yet I feel stifled, stymied. It’s so
frustrating.”
I have good news for you: When it all ends and your scoffing friends are cut off—their work melted to nothing, their careers dissolved, their money
burned—your work is just about to begin.
God has everything under control.
You see, heaven is not a retirement center. Rather, our eternal home is a place of great action, full of new horizons and incredible plans.
God is going to fully use ALL your gifts, talents and desires there.
*God is not going to waste a thing He has given you.
*On the contrary, your gifts will be magnified many times over.
God is going to use you for His glory in eternity!
What a relief my heart experiences as I stop looking to others to fill me and find Jesus as my constant, day after day, contentment.
Take time today to go to Him and ask Him to fill up the empty places and refresh the areas of your heart that are dry.
Jesus is The One and only who can fill and complete us.
“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.”
Lord, help me to recognize You are The One my heart is looking for. Each and every day, teach me to look to You to fill the love gap in my heart. Thank You Jesus for Eternity being with You! Amen
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Only God searches the heart, so only He knows the real motives behind our choices.
** “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts…”. Luke 16:15
When we make wrong, emotional choices, our hearts become “covered over” and the fountain of living water gets blocked. When God’s Love is no longer motivating our actions, our self-life takes control.
“Their heart is covered with fat…” Psalm 119:70
MATTHEW 26:41 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”
*The Bible presents salvation as a life transforming experience.
*Change is one of the distinguishing characteristics of a true believer.
***Yet, failure to understand that this change takes place in the spirit first, and then is reflected in our outward appearance through our thoughts and actions in direct proportion to the way we renew our minds, causes much confusion. “Character”
This change has to take place in our born-again spirit first.
Why is that?
If we were over-weight before we got saved, we will be over-weight after we get saved, unless we go on a weight loss program. Your body doesn’t instantly change and neither does your soul or mind.
It is your spirit that is instantly changed at salvation. It is perfect (Heb. 12:23). It cannot sin (1 Jn. 3:9). Everything that is true of Jesus is true of our born-again spirit.
*Your spiritual salvation is complete.
*At salvation, you receive the same spirit that you will have throughout all eternity.
It will not have to be changed or cleansed again. It is sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13) and therefore, is sanctified and perfected forever (Heb. 10:10, 14; 12:23).
For the remainder of our Christian life, we must not try to obtain faith, joy or love from God, but rather Release what we already have in our spirits (Gal. 5:22-23) into our soul and body.
Failure to understand this has caused some people to despair when they don’t see sufficient change in their life after coming to the Lord for salvation.
It must be understood that the change is internal in our spirit and the outward change will take place as we renew our minds through God’s Word.
Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Lord, I know that through you all things are possible and I want to do what is pleasing to you, so I ask that you transform my mind by the renewing of your word in this regard, that I might live holy and acceptable in your sight for Your Glory and my joy! Amen
Psalm 126:5-6 Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.
The Bible is 100 percent Truth, so faithful to life. It doesn’t give us a rosy, false picture of what life is like.
It shows us both the dark and the light, the evil and the good, the hard and the enjoyable, the bitter and the sweet.
And the Bible says that, in effect, if we want to reap we are going to have to sow.
That’s a law of life; it’s a law of the universe.
It says that sowing will be done with tears, but reaping will come with joy.
That’s faith, you see. You’ve got to go out with your seed even in tears, to scatter the seed and be willing to wait, and to wait upon God and let Him bring forth the harvest which He’s promised.
But the promise is so beautiful, “He that goes out weeping carrying seed to sow will return with songs of joy carrying sheaves with him.”
Let this be a message to you and me. If we are feeling discouraged, if we are feeling that somehow things aren’t going the way we want them to, that we are working and seeing so few and such indeterminate results, just be prepared to weep.
But go on sowing, because God has promised that if you sow the good seed, even weeping, there will come a day when you’ll carry back your arms full of sheaves with songs of joy.
Don’t be afraid to sow even in tears, you’ll reap with songs of joy.
The Bible has the best remedy for us to help overcome the dark days.
Psalm 92:1-2 tells us that: “It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night…”
**Do you need to see some “good” right now because you’re going through a challenging time?
**Or do you also struggle to notice the simple blessings in the midst of your hectic days?
Psalms 61:2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. “
Today, let’s begin to look for the blessings(gratitude)He’s given us and praise Him for them.
Dear Lord, please turn our “bad” days into praise. Help us notice Your blessings all around us. Open our eyes to Your promises–In the Bible. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
Read MoreChrist is actively working within you to shape your character and empower your obedience.
John 15:26 “But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.
We need to leave our failures behind and he keep moving forward.
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).
I may not understand why He sometimes seems to take a long time to intervene, but I know He will keep His word to 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.(Read Romans 8).
*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.
*When Adam sinned, he tried to hide from God.
*When Jonah refused to preach to Nineveh, his fear drove him into the ocean to flee from the presence of the Lord.
*When Peter denied Christ, he was afraid to face Him.
God has shown us a truth: Something much worse than failure is the fear that goes with it.
**Adam, Jonah and Peter ran away from God not because they had lost their love for Him, but because they were afraid He was too angry with them to understand.
Satan uses such fear to make people think there is no use trying.
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Jesus, Help me see your Character in people as well as myself—-Knowing we all are Your Masterpieces. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
Read More“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul.” – Psalm 143:8
The morning time with God allows me the greatest opportunity to hear the small voice that directs my steps. If I refuse to “get connected,” I risk following my own ways of fulfilling the duties of my day.
*The morning time with God sets forth the opportunity for God to speak into my spirit what He desires for me each day.
*The morning time with God allows me to focus on God’s purposes, not mine.
The only way to KNOW someone is to spend time with him or her. (see JN 17:3)
The only way to DISCERN the voice of another is to hear that person’s voice.
Psalms 5:3 O lord, in the morning you hear my voice: in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.
David, the author of this psalm, was a warrior, king, and businessman. He understood this principle of connecting with God in the morning.
*His morning allowed him to connect with God’s love, renew his trust in Him, and hear His directions for his life.
Shouldn’t you and I do the same?
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8
John 17:3 And eternal life means to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, whom you sent.
Col. 2:2 I do this in order that they may be filled with courage and may be drawn together in love, and so have the full wealth of assurance which true understanding brings. In this way they will know God’s secret, which is Christ himself.
Lord help me obey the voice of Your Word. AMEN
Read MoreThe First Truth in the 8 Truths to Master Life.
1. I confess my spiritual and moral bankruptcy and agree with Jesus’ words: “without me you can do nothing.”
Result: I am fully accepted and welcomed into God’s Family.
I am “Accepted.”
*When this happens, I am fully accepted into God’s family. Upon receiving Jesus and His work on the cross, of bearing my sin and His victory over death through His resurrection—I have the gift of eternal life.
Isaiah 55:1. “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink—even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk—it’s all free!”
*Salvation is a gift from God. Gods thoughts and ways are far above our ways , when you accept his invitation. His invitation is for everyone “he that hath ears let him hear”.
Salvation is free a gift from God.
You said, “Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.” My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes (Job 42:4-6).
Notice the difference: “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.” The inner eye of the heart sees the nature of God. And the result? Job says, “I despise myself.” That is repentance.
Job has never been in this place before. He is learning at last the hardest lesson of life, what God seeks to teach us all: the problem is never in others or in God; the problem is in us.
And it is a problem that only God can handle.
It looks as though God has humiliated Job and brought this poor, broken-hearted man down into the dust almost cruelly.
Yet it is not cruelty, it is love—because, at this point, when Job has finally given up trying to defend and justify himself, God begins to heal and pour into this man’s life blessings he never dreamed of.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, the men and women who are bankrupt in themselves, who stop counting on what they have to make it. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
God will begin to heal a life that repents before Him, and He will fill it with blessing and honor and glory and power.
None of the prideful things to which we cling will be worth the smallest portion of the glory and joy we have discovered in coming into a relationship with God Himself.
Thank You, Father, for this penetrating look at my own heart. How proud I have been, how filled with self-justification with complaints before You. Teach me to put my hand upon my mouth and admit to You that the problem lies so often with me so that You will heal and restore me. Amen
Matthew 13:44, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field ”
I would interpret this parable as this:
1. the field is the people of the world,
2. the man buying the treasure is God,
3. the treasure is the true believers in Christ. (we are His Masterpiece Eph. 2:10)
4. The price that was paid was the very life of Jesus on the cross.
Jesus saw, through His foreknowledge, a remnant of people who would receive Him as Lord, and “for the joy that was set before him,” He endured the cross (Heb. 12:2) and purchased us unto Himself with His own blood (Acts 20:28).
Jesus purchased the whole world, but not everyone will receive what He did.
*Therefore, the Church (body of Believers) is hidden (scattered among the world) today.
We were chosen in Christ before the world began. We are holy and without blame because God sees us through Christ.
It was predetermined that we would be God’s children. We have been accepted by God.
Our Father would no more reject us than He would reject Jesus, because we are accepted by the Father through Christ.
THE CHOICE IS OURS! WE ARE THE TREASURE!
We are redeemed and forgiven. We are truly blessed!
#2 of 8 truths to master life.
I honestly admit and regret that I have failed God, my family, myself and others.
*Result: I receive God’s forgiveness and thankfully rest in His Peace.
*I am “Forgiven.”
*This expresses the difference between-“I am truly sorry for my sin” versus I’m sorry I got caught.”
2 Corinthians 7:10. “For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.”.
Everything that manifests outwardly begins in the heart. Don’t allow your heart to become defiled by hardness or bitterness of soul. Be purified and liberated from everything that would hold you in bondage.
Father, I lay my cares before You. I trust Your love for us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
1 John 4:4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.
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“I will live in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6b).
Someday your body is going to die, but you aren’t!
Your body is going to end, but that’s not going to be the end of you. You’re going to live forever in one of two places: Heaven or Hell. They’re both real places. Your body is going to die, but you’re not going to die, because you were made to last forever.
How long is forever going to last? Forever!
Why should Christians be the most confident about the future?
“Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord”(2 Corinthians 5:6, 8).
You’re not ready to live until you’re ready to die. You don’t know how to live until you’re ready to die. Only a fool would go through life totally unprepared for something that everybody knows is inevitable. Read Romans 1:18-22
You’re going to die someday. If you’ve accepted Christ, then you’re going to go to Heaven. You’ll be released from pain, from sorrow, from suffering, from depression, from fear. “He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good — tears gone, crying gone, pain gone — all the first order of things gone” (Revelation 21:4).
For Christians, death is a transfer, a promotion. It’s on to better things and no more problems. Amen
Death: Luke 16:19-31 Choices. All of us have.
The same choices to make. Lazarus(Luke 23:43). The Rich Man. We can Choice Christ or we can live for ourselves with no hope for the future. Jude 24-25 too.
Read MorePsalm 142:3–4 When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way. In the path where I walk men have hidden a snare for me. Look to my right and see; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life.
I wonder whether you’ve ever felt like that: “No one cares about me. They don’t mind whether I live or whether I die. All I have is problems. I’m walking in a path and there are hidden snares on it. There are problems I don’t really understand and I don’t know how to solve. I can’t see any source of help. I look to the right, I look to the left. No one bothers about me. I’m just a speck of dust in the universe. I’m just a name on a list somewhere. There’s a birth certificate in some dusty office that relates that I was born, but no one cares.”
That’s not altogether true. There is someone who cares. There is someone who knows your way. That’s what the psalmist said, “When my spirit grows faint within me it is you who know my way.”
You may feel lonely, neglected, uncared for. You may not understand your own way, you may not know the problems that lie ahead, you may not have an answer to them all, but there is one who knows: it’s the Lord. He knows your way.
- He is with you;
- He will see you through if you will turn to Him in prayer.
- You are not forgotten, you are not neglected, you are not unwanted.
- He made you, He cares for you, He’s with you.
HOW DO YOU THINK JESUS SEES YOU?
- Ephesians 2:10: You are His Masterpiece.
- Psalms 139: He knit you together in your mothers womb.
- Ephesians 1:4: He knew you before the world was formed.
Jesus said that the greatest commandments are to love God wholeheartedly and to love others (Matt. 22:37-39). Ironically, it is only when we humbly serve others that we experience God’s fullness in our own lives.
Many try to achieve happiness by striving after their own desires. The result? Tired, unsatisfied people.
True contentment happens only when we walk closely with Jesus. He shows where we can humble ourselves and take care of others. These actions, done through His strength, will be blessed.
AMEN
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“Blessed is a man who perseveres under the trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12
The sin that makes God cry is being committed daily, not by pagan workers of iniquity but by multitudes of Christians—
**the sin of doubting God’s love for His children.
Jesus Christ was God in the flesh, and according to the book of John He wept when those closest to Him doubted His love and concern. (John 11:35)
*That was God incarnate at the tomb of Lazarus, crying over friends who failed to recognize who He was.
Jesus spoke to God in the presence of those around him. He wanted them to see that God is in the midst of their pain and hurt.
**God is present in our pain and suffering. He mourns with us when we are sad; he limits himself to feel these losses with us. He does listen to our cries when we are hurt.
Jesus says: “Here I Am.”
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away .” Revelation 21:4
Time and time again Christ’s dearest associates on this earth doubted His love for them.
*Think of the disciples in a storm-tossed boat that was taking on water.
*Jesus was in the stern of the boat, sound asleep. Fearing for their
lives, His followers shook Him awake and then accused Him of out right unconcern. “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” (Mark 4:38).
*How their accusation must have grieved the Lord! That was God Almighty in their boat!
How could He not care?
***But whenever men take their eyes off the Lord and concentrate
instead on their circumstances, doubt always takes over.
*Jesus was astounded! He said:
“How can you be afraid when I am with you? How can you question My love and care?”
Christians today grieve the Lord in this matter even more.
Let us look for His exceeding mercy and love, admit the sinfulness of our unbelief, and recognize who He is!
In John 11:25 Jesus makes what may be His most COMFORTING claim of all:
“I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE“.
Lord, Help my faith to sit solidly on Biblical Truth. Thank You Jesus! Amen
Read MoreTo walk with Christ is to walk in love.
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you…”Ephesians 5:1-2
Obedience To The “Heavenly Vision”
Acts 26:19 “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.
What is heaven’s mission “It is to spread the Gospel”
John 15:8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Today people are non-stop in their daily lives, but are we really LIVING or EXISTING?
Life with each generation seems to become busier than ever, even with technology where we thought it would accomplish more with less, well, we all know where that has taken us!
If we lose “the heavenly vision” God has given us, we alone are responsible—not God.
We lose the vision because of our own lack of spiritual growth. We put down the Word of God and that is our start of backsliding.
If we do not apply our beliefs about God to the issues of everyday life, the vision God has given us will never be fulfilled.
The only way to be obedient to “the heavenly vision” is to give our best for His glory.
Jesus was never to busy.
It is essential that we live and “walk in the light” of God’s vision for us (1 John 1:7).
Personal Ambition and Pride must die.
We learn that we do not live to build up ourselves any longer.
***We live only to be an instrument of the working of Jesus Christ. And we must learn the truth which Jesus taught his own disciples when he was here in the flesh, “Without me you can do nothing…” (John 15:5b).
You can do what? “Nothing!” You may do a lot in the eyes of the world. What you do might be esteemed there.
**But in the eyes of God, without him it is nothing.
Lord, I pray that I will learn the lesson, and that I will be willing to be a person no longer holding onto control of the program myself but quite willing to follow where you lead, and to trust in your life in me to be all that it takes to do all that needs to be done. Yes and may I only boast of you and Your work through it all. Amen
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Don’t Get Burned Out on Too Much Activity.
“Works of the flesh” are things we do without God’s power flowing through us. They are difficult, they drain us, and they produce no joy or fulfillment. They are often good things, but not ‘God things.
Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
God will show you what you need to do if you ask Him, and He will never give you too much.
**Be occupied with God, not burdened.
There is nothing inherently spiritual about busy-ness. Christ reserved some of his strongest rebukes for the Pharisees — the spiritual workaholics of his day.
The Pharisees were so busy working for God that they had forgotten to follow Jesus.
Nor is there anything inherently sinful about “unproductive” moments — if they are used to “Refresh and Energize YOU For Renewed Service”.
*Even the Creator of the universe set aside his labors for a day of rest.
The beauty of it all IS—While you are at rest, God is at work!
“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.” – Jeremiah 17:7
The prophet Jeremiah describes a situation in which the temptation to solve a financial problem can become so great that we trust in man’s way to solve it.
Read (Jeremiah 17:5-8).
Jeremiah drew a sharp comparison between the man who trusts in his own effort to solve his problem and the man who trusts in God when he cannot see the outcome.
The man who trusts in God bears fruit despite the circumstances in his life.
Proverbs 14:12…”There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death.”
***”Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
Father, I am weary and I feel a great burden, so I am coming to you. Please give me rest. Please give me your peace. Please provide for me and my family. Please give me rest for my soul. I need you. I am desperate for your provision. Please provide for my family Spiritually, Relationally and Financially. Please, Father, give me rest and provision for Your Glory and my Joy.
Thank You for sending Jesus your Son! Christ died for us because God loved us soooo Much. Amen
“Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.” Psalm 34:5
Perhaps the simplest way to understand shame is to think back on a moment when you experienced it.
You may have felt embarrassment, discomfort or self-consciousness.
Shame can also express itself in much weightier emotions, like when we feel humiliated, inadequate, injured or abused.
So many people live under the weight of shame without realizing it because we’ve been conditioned by culture and life experience to accept that feeling as normal.
Shame is simply always there; it’s that familiar yet profound feeling that we don’t measure up.
• Maybe you regularly view life through the lens of other people’s expectations (real or imagined), and you’re beginning to buckle under the pressure.
• Perhaps a friend betrayed you, one of your parents was emotionally or physically absent, or your loved one has a secret addiction, and you think it’s all somehow your fault.
• Maybe you’re stressed about your children and how you handle things at home.
The voice in your head says, I’m not a very good mothe/fatherr. Maybe you feel like a failure because life got hard, and now your dreams seem out of reach, or you just don’t know who you are anymore.
Maybe you go through life with ever-present feelings of inadequacy; you worry what other people would think if they knew the real you. Shame lurks in all of these things.
In spite of the overwhelming nature of shame, there is good news. The promise of Scripture is that when we look to God, He transforms our shame into something beautiful — a sparkling, splendorous joy.
It may take time, and there may always be moments in life when we experience shame, but when our identity is centered in Christ — not only knowing who we are in Christ, but knowing who He is in us — we can discard the dark covering of shame and rise in radiance. In other words, we may have shame, but in Jesus, shame no longer has us.
Whether you’re simply having a “not enough” moment, or you’ve been hiding in shame for years, have hope. You can overcome shame, because your Overcomer(Jesus at the Cross) already has for YOU!
1 Peter 2:6, “For in Scripture it says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’”
Dear heavenly Father, I praise You because You not only remove my shame, You faithfully transform it into something beautiful and new. And while I don’t fully understand it, I know You have the power to help me overcome shame because You’ve already done so on the cross. Open my heart to experience Your love and mercy. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Spiritual Warfare Verses: John 12:31, 1 Corinthians 15:55-57,
1 John 4:4, Ephesians 6:1-16, Philippians 3:10 and 1 John 5:4.
Read MoreWe cannot show forth God’s Life and self-life at the same time.
“Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?” James 3:11
The fear of man finds its fuel source in our sin nature.
It all began when Satan was no longer content to be a worshiper in heaven—rather, he longed to be worshiped.
That lust in his heart led him to think outside the boundaries that God had established for him.
When Satan came to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, he subsequently sowed that fallen nature into the human race—a desire to live and think independently of God, ultimately wanting to be as God.
With that sin nature now entrenched in humanity, the next step was the innate desire to be worshiped—and so fallen man began to turn to one another for approval.
That is why we tend to be so greatly affected by other people’s
opinions of us; why our whole identity suddenly hinges on whether we are a success or failure in other people’s eyes.
Consider how tragic it would be to stand before the Lord one day and have somebody we once knew look us in the eye and say, “You knew the truth. You knew there was a heaven and a hell! I know I was nasty, but why didn’t you open your mouth and tell me anyway? You knew I was going to go here and you knew my children would end up here. ****Why didn’t you speak to me?”
Sadly, the only reason any child of God would have is: “I longed for your
favor more than the favor of God. I wanted you to like me. I didn’t want you to laugh at me; I wanted your praise.” What a trap it is when we love the praise of men more than the praise of God!
According to Paul, the only way to escape this snare of the fear of man is by calling out to God, knowing that He has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind (see 2 Timothy 1:7).
Furthermore, the Scriptures tell us that “there is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18).
The love of God will not only drive out fear, but it will compel us to go back to those who are living without God in order to do them good, irrespective of their response toward us.
Lord, Thank You for Your word which is absolute Truth. Help me daily to share Your Truths with the people you put in front of me. Help me share Your love and compassion for Your Glory. Amen
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