Devotions - Prayer
“For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake…. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.” – 2 Corinthians 4:11-12
Death is the great mystery of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
*Death gives life.
*Jesus’ death on the cross gave life.
*The death of a vision brings new vision.
*The death of a seed gives new life.
*It is the central focus of God’s requirement for experiencing Him–death.
When Jesus extended us an invitation to experience salvation and a relationship with Him, it came with a great cost, our very lives.
Yet what we don’t realize is that until we relinquish our total lives, we really aren’t living at all.
Without this death we will continue to strive, manipulate, and fret over every detail of life.
It is when we finally say, “Yes, Lord, I am Yours completely,” that we experience real freedom for the first time.
This is the only time when Christ is fully seen in and through our lives.
The First Truth to Master Life says:
” 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.
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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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Isaiah 30:21 Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say,“This is the way you should go,”whether to the right or to the left.
Follow the Little Promptings
The Holy Spirit always wants to lead us through life, but sometimes we get so focused on seemingly “big” issues that we don’t realize how much He speaks in small promptings every day.
When we don’t know what we should do, He will tell us what we should do.
God is forever Guiding you because he loves you so much, this unconditional love is more than you could ever imagine , so when ever in doubt , breath and let God guide you towards the right path.
God created us for a relationship with him.
Psalms 32:8 The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.
Proverbs 3:6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Do I hear His voice? Yes. A simple thought comes prompting me to listen, to take a step I hadn’t planned to take-in a different direction perhaps, and I acknowledge that it could be God talking to me.
Hebrews 3:7 That is why the Holy Spirit says,“Today when you hear his voice,
God’s voice could come via a sermon, a song, a person whose life is a testimony to me, some unexplainable event-a healing or a miraculous escape from harm etc. Etc.
* It could be a verse from the Bible that touches my heart, a sunset, a storm, a movie.
God says, please don’t put Me in a box.
Revelations 3:20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.
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, help me hear Your Voice more each and every day and to be able to put Your words into Action for Your Glory and my Joy. Amen
Read More“For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.” – Malachi 3:2b
The Lord has a specific manner of preparing His people for useful service.
*God desires to turn His children from rough, hard-edged stones into gems of gold and silver.
“He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years” (Malachi 3:3-4).
The refiner’s fire can only accomplish its purposes when the heat is turned up to extraordinary temperatures. It breaks down the metal in order for it to become moldable and shapeable.
*Only when the temperatures reach this level can the work be fully accomplished.
***So it is in our lives.
Why does God allow impossible situations in our lives? And how to deal with it?
When you pass through the fire it will not burn you.
Problems come because of the anointing of the Lord and it is attracted to you. If you find your self in problems it’s because God is preparing for something great.
Until the Lord completes His refining process, the offerings we make are not made in righteousness and cannot be acceptable.
Thank God that Jesus is our righteousness and that there is no righteousness apart from Him.
Still, the Lord continues to purge all that is not of His righteousness out of our lives.
*This comes through trials that bring each of us to the end of ourselves in order that He may only reflect that which is Himself.
When God takes you through the refiner’s fire, be encouraged because it is His overriding commitment to turn you from a rough, hard-edged stone to a precious metal.
He will do this through certain events in your relationships, and other circumstances in your life. Our job is to avoid trying to blow out the fire.
2 Chro 20:15 says the battle is not ours but the Lords, vs 17 says you will not need to fight in the battle but stand firm, hold your position and see the Lords salvation work, do not be afraid nor dismayed the Lord will be with you. Vs 20 says believe in the Lord your God and you will be established.
Lord, Continue to refine me each and everyday. Help me to never be comfortable or stagnant! Amen
See Psalms 139:23-24 for an additional prayer
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We must not only be “hearers” of God’s Word, but “doers” also.
When God brings someone to mind, be sure to follow through with whatever He tells you to do for that person.
“Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead…”James 2:17
Believer, Become What You Are
Romans 12:1–2, I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Believer, you died and the new you is alive, and you are God’s. *The whole of our Christian life is learning to become — by God’s Spirit — what we already are in Christ.
*These verses show us how this newness in us comes to life in our everyday choices.
We need to be honest with each other in sharing our shortcomings as well as our victories.
*When we are real and transparent with others, we give them the freedom to “remove their masks” in our presence.
“It is better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.” Proverbs 16:19
The key to success or failure lies in doing things at the word of Jesus.
Peter said, “at thy word I will let down the net.” God’s words always get results.
Luke 5:5, “And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.”
Serve the Lord with gladness!
As Jesus leads and guides you today, ask Him to show you someone who needs an extra special blessing that you can fulfill.
“And do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant.”Matthew 23:12
God hears our cries, and He answers our prayers so that He will receive all the glory as we grow together in His Word and journey toward living “so that” lives.
Heavenly Father, thank You for hearing the cry of my heart. Thank You for answering that cry because You are faithful to Your Word. Help me hear and obey so that You will receive all glory and honor and praise as I reach out to others in need. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Read MoreThis is such an important question that it deserves a careful answer.
The Bible clearly teaches that the moment a person turns from his sin and trusts in Jesus to be forgiven of his sin, he is saved (Acts 2:37-41).
*He has passed from spiritual death to spiritual life (John 5:24) and been declared not guilty in God’s court of law (Rom 3:21-26).
*From God’s perspective his salvation is an objective reality that cannot be changed (Rom 8:28-30).
The apostle John wrote his first letter to address this very question:
“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).
So when we read through John’s letter, we see that he answers this question from several different angles.
The starting point is the person and work of Jesus Christ. He describes Christ as our advocate (1 John 2:1), meaning that he pleads our case before the Father when Satan accuses us. Through his sacrificial death on the cross for our sins Jesus has satisfied God’s righteous wrath against us (1 John 1:7; 2:2; 4:10). By confessing that we believe that Jesus is the Son of God who came in the flesh to save us from our sins we can be confident that we have eternal life (1 John 4:2, 13-15; 5:13).
Therefore “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12).
John does not stop there, however. He builds on the foundation of ongoing trust in the person and work of Christ by reminding us about the testimony of the Holy Spirit living inside of believers (1 John 3:24).
The Spirit reminds us of the truth of who Jesus is and what he has done for us (1 John 4:2, 6).
Those who are children of God show their true identity by pursuing a pattern of turning away from sin and towards a life of righteousness (1 John 3:4-10). And when we inevitably fall short of perfect obedience, we have the promise that God is faithful to forgive and cleanse us (1 John 1:9).
So our salvation depends solely on the person and work of Jesus Christ.
*As we continue to trust in him we will experience the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives to make us more like Jesus.
God is already the Victor! (1JN 4:4)
Thank You Jesus. Help me be become more and more like You! Amen!
Go Therefore and Make Disciples
Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Along with telling His disciples to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God (Mark 16:15), Jesus Christ commissioned them to make disciples from all nations.
A disciple is a learner, a follower of Jesus Christ. These disciples are not made by coercion or enticement, but must be called by God (John 6:44) and must of their own free will respond to this call.
Those who respond will follow Peter’s teaching in Acts 2:38, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
It is the job of the Church of God to teach “all things” Christ has commanded—the entire message of the Bible inspired by God. This is a daunting task and a lifelong commitment.
Acts 11:26 tells us, “The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”
The word “Christian” means “a follower of Christ.” The word “disciple” in this same verse means “student” or “pupil.”
- A Christian is not merely someone who professes to believe in Jesus; rather he or she is a follower of and a student of Jesus Christ.
- Being a Christian is an ongoing lifelong process of following the example of Jesus Christ.
- A person who claims to be a Christian should demonstrate his or her belief by living the way Christ lived—doing what Christ did—and avoiding what Christ avoided.
- Christianity is a way of life. The disciples of Christ will follow Him and work at patterning their lives after His life.
There is a lot more to being a Christian than first meets the eye. To follow Christ, we must study His life and see what He did and how He lived. The apostle Paul instructed Christians to “imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1, emphasis added throughout). We are to imitate or live our daily lives following Jesus’ example. Being a Christian goes far beyond just using the title “Christian” or having an emotional experience of “giving your heart to the Lord.”
A Christian is working to overcome sins and is busy working at becoming more like Jesus Christ, and trying to become “perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).
It is a lifelong effort, not just merely a one-time emotional decision or experience. And it is a commitment that has eternal rewards—to inherit the Kingdom of God with our elder Brother Jesus Christ forever! Amen
Read More1 Thess. 4: 7 God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives.
*One must understand that sex is good under the covenant of marriage.
Live holy lives not impure lives. To Reject living holy– means rejecting God.
*God gave us his Holy Spirit and the power through His Spirit so believers can live holy lives.
I need to remember always to allow the Holy Spirit to have control over my life and reject the impurity of sin especially impure thoughts.
For the root of impure thoughts comes from the heart and influence my actions.
2 Timothy 2:22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.
*You once lived a life you don’t want to go back too. You accepted Jesus, the Lord almighty, as your Savior. Don’t go back too your old ways.
Our purity will determine the extent to which God will use us and demonstrate His power in us.
Those who truly love God will seek to obey him, which is really what purity is.
Holiness is not the absence of sin, but the presence of God in your life.
Impurity has both long term and short term effects, especially if we continue to let it linger in our lives, and God isn’t happy with that.
2 Timothy 2:22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.
*If we are slaves to sin, we will never be free. Jesus’ standard is the one to live up to.
We must proclaim God’s holiness on earth, just as it is proclaimed in heaven.
*Holiness Is A Choice, Your Choice
We live in an environment that is driven by sex, money and power!! That’s a problem
Ephesians 5:3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people.
* Lust produces bad sex, because it denies Relationship.
*Lust turns the other person into an object, a thing, a non-person.
***Jesus condemned lust because it cheapened sex; it made sex less that it was created to be.
God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.
Father, Grant me power to reject impurity and not just in actions, but thoughts too. I choose right now to reject an impure life and ask by faith that the Holy Spirit would take control of my life so I would honor you as holy before all men. Thank You for all your gifts. In Jesus name – Amen
Read More“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 More“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5 NIV).
If you want to make healthy choices to be well and whole again, you have to learn to be meek. Matthew 5:5 says, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (NIV).
The Bible lists many benefits of meekness: The meek will be satisfied (Psalm 22:26); God will guide them (Psalm 25:9); they will become wise (Proverbs 11:2); they will be filled with fresh joy (Isaiah 29:19).
There are many, many others. The problem is, we misunderstand this term. None of us really know what meekness is. In fact we often confuse it with another term that sounds like it — “meek” sounds like “weak.” Nobody wants to be weak, so nobody wants to be meek.
But the truth is meekness and weakness are at the opposite ends of the spectrum.
Meekness is in no way weakness. In fact, the Greek word for meekness literally means “strength under control.” To be meek is not to be weak. It’s used to describe a wild stallion that has been tamed. That stallion still has all the strength it had when it was wild, but now its strength is under control. It is strength bottled up for the master’s use.
God doesn’t want you to be weak, but he does want you to be meek. The Bible teaches that it’s one of the keys to stress reduction in your life.
Here’s a simple definition of the word meek: Let go, and let God.
That is the essence of meekness. It is surrendering, submitting, and agreeing to what God wants to do in your life. It’s letting God be God in your life. Let go, and let God.
I don’t know a phrase that will do more for your health physically or emotionally than this phrase. If you’ll begin to practice it in your life, it will relieve stress and eliminate worry. If you’ll let go and let God, it will defuse anger and end your hurt and resentment. Amen
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Define your boundaries
Acts 17:26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.
God created all things and then decided their life expectancy as well as determining their boundaries.
God knew where the land existed and then where the next mass of land started.
*God knew the boundaries of the nations because he defined and determined them.
*God also knows the boundaries of his people.
*God knows how much to push us and when to pull back.
Christians today push their boundaries and then end up hurting themselves and those around them because they don’t know where those boundaries are at.
It’s important to know where your boundaries are at for every thing.
***Relationship boundaries, financial, career, free time, exercise, health, educational, and the list goes on and on.
This doesn’t down play hard work, but each person has boundaries and when those are not defined and they are unknowingly crossed, there are brutal consequences.
*God determined boundaries for our sake.
*God created the Sabbath as a boundary to take for the sake of rest.
*God called marriage between one man And one woman…that’s a boundary.
Boundaries are determined by God.
Lord, show me the boundaries that you have set for my life. I desire to run free in the boundaries that you have determined for me. I never want to leave your embrace and move outside of your will. Amen
What can we learn from Jesus
Know who you are (John 8:12) — Eighteen times Jesus publicly defined himself. There was no doubt in his mind as to who he was. Trying to be someone you’re not causes stress!
Know who you want to please (John 5:30) — Jesus never let the fear of rejection manipulate him. No one can pressure you without your permission. You can’t please everyone. Even God can’t!
Set clear goals (John 8:14) — Jesus said, “I know where I came from and where I am going.” Preparation prevents pressure but procrastination produces it. You work by either priorities or pressures.
Focus on one thing at a time (Luke 4:42-44) — Jesus knew how to handle interruptions without being distracted from his primary goal.
Don’t try to do everything yourself (Mark 3:14) — Jesus enlisted twelve disciples. We get tense when we feel it all depends on us.
Make a habit of prayer (Mark 1:35) — No matter how busy Jesus got, he found time to get alone and pray. A daily quiet time is a great stress decompression chamber.
Take time to enjoy life (Mark 6:30-31) — Balance is the key to stress management. Work must be balanced with fun and worship.
As a Christian, I come under the truth of the Word and the necessity of prayer.
“Now I’m turning you over to God, our marvelous God who’s gracious Word can make you into what He wants you to be and give you everything you could possibly need in this community of holy friends.”Acts 20:32
5 Truths for our Work being our Worship
1. Belief in the reality of God who has spoken, making the word of God the basis of our understanding and action.
2. Therefore, operate by faith in the Word of God, knowing life in the workplace is just as spiritual as the time we spend in worship.
3. The result is, having confidence in God’s calling and His gifting’s, that makes work worth while and fulfilling.
4. So, God is glorified in the workplace.
5. Resulting in, success being measured by faithfulness to Christ, following him in obedience.
Nothing that happens on earth can ever change the Word of God.
“Heaven and earth will disappear, but My Words will never disappear”. Mark 13:31
5 Myths When Missing God as our Pilot
1. Belief in self – it is all about me!
2. Therefore, we operate from one’s limited perspective.
3. The result is, self-confidence with arrogance leading you.
4. So, the workplace centers on man’s achievements alone.
5. Resulting in, success being measured by pride in material wealth.
Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”
THE FEAR OF THE LORD . .
* Causes us to depart from evil, Prov. 3:7.
* Causes us to hate evil, Prov. 8:13.
* Prolongs our days, Prov. 10:27.
* Gives inspired confidence, Prov. 14:26.
* Affords great contentment, Prov. 15:16.
* Keeps the heart, Prov. 23:17.
* Strengthens us against unstable companions, Prov. 24:21.
Lord, Help me measure my success by letting my success be measured by faithfulness to Christ, following YOU in obedience. Thank You Jesus! Amen
Read MoreEXPERIENCE VICTORY THIS DAY!
Faith and Blessing go hand in hand, partnering in God’s plan for you.
*Faith always leads and blessing always follows.
We must be willing to obey God’s Will and do exactly what He asks us to do, no matter what we think or how we feel.
“Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” Luke 5:5
The Lord is telling us that we cannot experience victory unless we go out further than we have never gone before.
*If we continually stay at the shallow side, we will continue to experience mediocrity, which is not God’s will for us.
We must take the first step and continue to walk on water, during this walking we will experience adversity and trials of many kinds, but we still must push until we reach our deep, where we will receive the Lord’s blessing.
*Have you ever felt tempted to look at your accomplishments with pride as if you were the reason for your success?
*Have you ever thought your prosperity was due to your ingenuity?
*Has your material success been a testimony to others that God is the ruler of all aspects of your life, even the material side?
Joseph’s greatest test was not his temptation to be bitter against his brothers.
*It wasn’t the sexual temptation that came inside Potiphar’s house.
*It wasn’t even the discouragement of years of imprisonment for being wrongfully accused.
**It was the temptation of prosperity and ownership. Once he was elevated, he was given choices that he never had before. It was totally up to him as to which choice he would make.
Stewardship reveals what we believe about God and ourselves.
Not every man can carry a full cup. Sudden elevation frequently leads to pride and a fall.
Keep pressing even though your efforts are met with opposition. The end result will be worth all of your energy to break through. Refuse to get discouraged or decide to just give up. The Lord is with you to bring you through to victory. Be strong and courageous.
Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
Heavenly Father teach me that I must go out into the deep with you, where I will experience you than like never before. .Amen
Christianity is not a religion it’s a relationship with Christ.
John 17:3 And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.
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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.”
Distinguishing Healthy and Unhealthy Boundaries
Without a healthy role model, it can be difficult to know what healthy boundaries look like.
1. First, let’s cover what healthy boundaries are not.
- They are not threats or attempts to control or manipulate others into doing what you want.
- They are not rigid rules or “walls” designed to keep people out or shield you from expressing your emotions.
2.Healthy boundaries are simply a personal clarification of:
- what type of treatment is acceptable to you,
- and what consequences will result from violating a boundary.
*People with healthy boundaries share their thoughts and feelings, take care of their own needs, and are able to say no when necessary.
By contrast, people with weak boundaries:
• Sacrifice their personal values, plans or goals to please others
• Allow others to define who they are and make decisions for them
• Expect others to fulfill all their needs
• Feel guilty when they say no
• Hesitate to share their opinions or assert themselves if they are being treated unfairly
• Frequently feel used, threatened, victimized or mistreated by others
• Frequently offer unsolicited advice, or feel pressured to follow someone else advice
• Take responsibility for other people’s feelings
• Tell others how to think, feel or act
Before you can start setting boundaries, you have to recognize your right to have your own feelings, values and beliefs and to express to others how you want to be treated.
For some, this requires a BIG leap in self-worth. Knowing who you belong to.
You are God’s Masterpiece and He does not make mistakes. We need to choose whom we will serve and listen to.
Deuteronomy 19:14 “Do not move your neighbor’s boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess.”
*When ever you cross another’s boundary line, any one has set, be it land or physical..look out–they have God behind them on this…you have no right.
Only you can know your own limits; only you can set boundaries that make sense for you. In the process, you’ll find your voice – not the one that bids you to use drugs and alcohol,(or any other sin) but the one that protects you from harm.
Lord, help me define my personal boundaries and help me not go beyond any other person’s boundaries out of respect of my fellow brothers and sisters. Amen
Read MoreJoin us for communityfestmn.com Aug. 22 5 to 8 -Baptisms come and join in.
Only because of Jesus are we able to extend unconditional forgiveness. If we love and serve Him, He will give us the grace we need to forgive others.
“…for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 2:10
We’re called to confess and repent of our own sins, and we’re called to unconditionally forgive the sins of others.
“…forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions.” Mark 11:25
The Old Testament story of Joseph and his brothers holds a potent message for New Testament Christians.
This story of one man’s forgiving love for his sinful brothers is a beautiful picture of God’s love and grace for sinful man.
Now the fact that Jacob loved Joseph so dearly did not mean that he loved his other sons any less.
He had faithfully cared for and blessed all his children.
They had received the same loving guidance and discipline, yet the older sons became jealous over what appeared to be one brother’s favored position.
Joseph seemed to get everything his heart desired, including a fancy coat of many colors. He was more blessed, more favored, more coddled—and it made them angry and jealous.
Have you ever been guilty of envying a brother in the Lord who seems to get everything he wants?
*His prayers always seem to be answered quickly.
*He never appears lonely, unloved or unneeded while you feel forsaken and alone.
*The roots of bitterness and jealousy begin to grow.
This is dangerous ground. The moment we believe our heavenly Father loves us less than He loves someone else, we open ourselves to all kinds of evil.
*Whenever we complain about our circumstances, whether aloud or silently in our hearts, we accuse God of neglect.
Beware! This is the very attitude that brought so much trouble to Joseph’s brothers.
Sometimes we are called to experience rejection for the Son of God living in us.
When we carry the cross of Christ, the world and even our families sometimes look at us as though we have a few marbles out of place.
Lord: Help me to follow You , live for You, live in You. Show me Your mission for me and help me to do it. Help me to put You first above everything else for your Glory and my joy. Amen
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