Devotions - Prayer
…So that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. Romans 6:6
Christian, why would you play with sin?
- Has it not cost you enough already?
- Burnt child, will you play with the fire? What! When you have already been between the jaws of the lion, will you step a second time into his den?
- Have you not had enough of the old serpent? Did he not poison all your veins once, and will you play at the cobra’s den and put your hand in the dragon’s lair a second time?
- Did sin ever yield you real pleasure? Did you find solid satisfaction in it?
- If so, go back to your old drudgery, and wear the chain again, if it delights you. But inasmuch as sin never gave you what it promised to bestow but deluded you with lies, do not be snared by the old fowler: Be free, and let the memory of your enslavement prevent you from entering the net again!
It is contrary to the designs of eternal love, which are all focused on your purity and holiness; therefore do not run counter to the purposes of your Lord. 1 Thess. 4:4-5
Another thought should restrain you from sin. Christians can never sin cheaply; they pay a heavy price for iniquity. Transgression destroys peace of mind, obscures fellowship with Jesus, hinders prayer, brings darkness over the soul; therefore do not be the serf and slave of sin.
There is still a higher argument: Each time you serve sin you are “crucifying once again the Son of God . . . and holding him up to contempt.”(hebrews 6:6)
Can you bear that thought? If you have fallen into any special sin during this day, it may be that your Master has sent this admonition this day to bring you back before you have wandered very far.
Turn to Jesus afresh. He has not forgotten His love for you; His grace is still the same. With weeping and repentance, come to His footstool, and you shall be reunited in His love; you will be set upon a rock again, and your goings shall be established. Because Jesus Loves You-He made You to bring Him Glory and in return we will have PEACE! Amen
Read 1 Thess. 5:16-19 and see God’s will for you!
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I wonder what those ten men, those ten grown sons of Jacob, talked about during that journey from Canaan to Egypt. I have an idea that it might have been the same things we would have talked about had we been in their sandals. I also believe these men were beginning to be broken. Perhaps they spoke of how much they missed their brother, Joseph. With Benjamin now among them, maybe they felt this was a good time to express their sorrow over their past actions and, together, sincerely request God’s power and protection.
I so want to believe that God was starting to melt their hearts before Him! In fact, that’s the beauty of this story as it progresses. We’re led to wonder what exactly they were thinking.
We so desperately want to cut to the chase to see the happy ending, but we must wait. Because there’s always something to learn along the way.
When we’re on our journey from Canaan to Egypt:
- We tend to be negative rather than positive.
- We tend to view life horizontally rather than vertically. We tend to be resistant rather than open to that which is new and unexpected.
- We need some course-correction techniques to break those habits!
Three techniques that will help:
- Recognize and admit your negative mentality. So much of the cure is in the confession. Immediate correction begins with honest admission.
- Force a vertical focus until it begins to flow freely. I have never seen a habit just lie down, surrender, and die; we have to make a conscious effort if we hope to break longstanding habits. If you are negative today, chances are very good that when you wake up tomorrow morning you’re still going to be negative. Force a vertical focus. Look to Jesus!
- Stay open to a new idea for at least five minutes. Don’t try it for an entire day; you might panic. Just take on your day five minutes at a time. When something new, something unexpected, confronts you, don’t respond with an immediate “Nope! Never!” Wait five minutes. Hold off. Tolerate the possibility for five minutes. You will be surprised at the benefit of remaining open. Every sin starts with a lie.
I’ve not seen a habit just lie down and die. It takes conscious effort to break it. But we do fight From Victory, not For Victory. (1JN 4:4) Jesus had Victory over all at the Cross for you and I. We must Choose Him as our Lord and Savior! Amen
Read the Scripture: Romans 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Romans 8:35a
How do you love God__You love him by answering this question.
- Who or what is going to separate us from the love of Christ?
- Is there any force, anywhere, that can come between you and Jesus?
- Who can remove us from Christ, once we fully come to him?
Paul’s answer is,“Let’s take a look at the possibilities.”
First, can all the troubles and dangers of life separate us from his love:
“Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” (Romans 8:35b)
- That is life at its worst. Will that do it?
- Will hardship do it? That means the tight, narrow places we have to go through sometimes.
- Will persecution do it? That is hurt deliberately inflicted on us because we are Christians.
- Will famine, lack of food and money do it?
- Will nakedness, or lack of clothes?
- Will danger, or threat to our lives?
- Will the sword (war, riot, uprising) do it?
“No,” Paul says,“In these we are super-conquerors.”
Why?
- Because rather than dividing us from Christ, they draw us closer to him.
- They make us cling harder.
- They scare us and make us run to him.
When we are independent and think we can make it on our own, these things strike, and we start whimpering and running for home, and we cling all the closer. We can never be defeated then, so we are more than conquerors.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
There is nothing left out of that list, is there? Everything is there — demons and dark powers, black magic and angels, truth and error, death and life — whether in this creation or any other creation.
Paul takes everything in and says that nothing, no being or force, is capable of separating us from the love of Jesus Christ our Lord.
So we love God when we say, “If God be for us, who can be against us?”
We love God because of what he himself has done for us, and the nature of that commitment is that he loves us.
Father, thank you for the security you give in your great love. Let your love be the thing that fuels my own love for you through the challenges of life. Amen
Read MoreI have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. – John 10:16
Hearing and responding to Jesus’ voice is the key to having a two-way relationship with God.
It is the difference between having religion and a relationship.
*Can you recognize God’s voice in your life?
*Are you listening to the Shepherd’s voice?
*Do you respond when He calls?
**Ask Jesus to help you increase your ability to hear. Give more time to spending quiet moments in His presence reading His word to hear His voice. He wants to be your Good Shepherd.
And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not (Mal 3:18).
When Moses led the people out of Egypt he had several crisis moments during those forty years.
His greatest crisis was when he came back from the mountain and discovered the people had made a golden calf. It was after this he came to a profound conclusion.
“Then Moses said to him, ‘If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.’ What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” (Ex 33:15,16).
The difference between a Christian and a non-believer should be that the Christian brings the presence of God with him to work.
However, this is not always the case. A Christian can shut out the presence of God by his behavior.
*Like the Israelites who experienced great miracles in their lives but began to worship idols, we can move away from God.
Sin separates us from God.
His presence moves away from us. Moses realized, he too had to have the presence of God with him to lead such a people.
The prophet Malachi was saying a day is coming when you’ll be able to recognize a clear difference between the righteous and the unrighteous
*Ask God to fill you with His overflowing presence in all you do today.
Imagine our “feet” as representative of our “souls”. When we make wrong emotional choices, it’s like stepping into a mud puddle.
*We don’t need a full bath (to get saved again) in order to become clean, but we do need to wash our feet (recognize and repent of wrong choices.
“Jesus said to him, ‘He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet…'”John 13:10
Thank You Jesus that You are the Way the Truth and the Life and nobody comes to the Father except through You. Help us to become more and more like You Jesus. And to do this help us to come to KNOW You more and more each day. Help us to see and create the time needed to get to KNOW You more. Amen
‘So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15).
Living a Balanced life is evidence of a Spirit-led life.
*Seek God and He will answer you. He will set you free from all your fears.
*If we hold to Jesus’ teachings, we are his disciples and will know the truth which will set us free.
People work long hours for many reasons which can lead to significant problems in our lives.
One reason people over work is that they often think they must work longer hours to keep up with their workload.
*This is often the surface reason people give to the question of working long hours.
Like any compulsive behavior, there is usually something beneath this behavior.
As a former workaholic myself, I can tell you the root of overworking is often:
1). A fear of loss!
2). A need for self-acceptance created by performance.
We are looking to gain self-esteem needs from our performance instead of being secure in our position in Christ.
*Romans 8: 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.
So, in order to avoid work becoming an idol and a compulsive behavior, we must maintain a “Balance” that provides time to spend quality time with the Lord, our families and fellow believers.
Be reminded that “NO” is an anointed word, and you don’t have to apologize for using it as often as is necessary. The enemy will accuse you of being heartless and will send a hefty dose of guilt and condemnation your way, but this attack is a seduction.
* It is designed to lure you into countering a haughty spirit with haughtiness and control with a power struggle when “NO” is sufficient.
*Saying NO, doesn’t have to be a fight, just stand your ground and maintain good boundaries.
James 5:12 And since you know that he cares, let your language show it. Don’t add words like “I swear to God” to your own words. Don’t show your impatience by concocting oaths to hurry up God. Just say yes or no. Just say what is true. That way, your language can’t be used against you. Amen
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The “new willpower” we receive when we’re born again is the key to our Christian walk. We can now choose to either live God’s Life…or our own.
“So choose life in order that you may live…by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him.” Deuteronomy 30:19-20
“He’s the centerpiece of everything we believe, faithful in everything God gave him to do.” Hebrews 3:2 (MSG)
The author of the book of Hebrews wrote.
These believers were in danger of losing their focus on Christ as their deliverer. People had begun putting their trust in prophets, angels, and even Moses. So in Hebrews 3, the people are reminded that Jesus is the only one worthy of trust and is where our faith should be centered.
The writer of Hebrews wanted Christians to stop putting themselves, other people, or material items, at the center of their attention, and instead draw their gaze back to Jesus.
Just like the people of that time, we can quickly get distracted, become busy, and inadvertently make our obligations and celebrations the focus of our attention.
We gradually become self-centered instead of Jesus-centered.
“Jesus said to him, ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.’ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!’“ (Mark:9:23-24).
*Unbelief in Jesus (NOT believing in Jesus) is a turning away from Jesus in order to seek satisfaction in other things.
And BELIEF in Jesus is coming to Jesus for the satisfaction of our needs and our longings.
It’s one thing to believe in Jesus. It’s another to make Him the center of our lives.
When we make that important choice and remember to focus on Him and be thankful in all things, our hearts and lives stay in balance.
This Thanksgiving (and every day), let’s praise God and commit to making Him our focal point—“our centerpiece”.
When we choose to make Jesus the emphasis of our holidays and our lives, we are blessed with the most beautiful centerpiece of all.
See Colossians 2:2-3 and 1 Thess. 5:16-19 in your Holidays.
Lord, I never intended to put You on a shelf and allow life’s distractions to alter my attention on You. Give me the spiritual desire to stay intently focused on You during this holiday and into the new year. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Read MoreThere are many paths to Jesus, but only way to the Father, through Jesus.
John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 “If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”
*We can trust God because He has a plan and a purpose…
*Knowing Jesus is knowing the Father. This is not only because Jesus did exactly what He saw His Father do, but Jesus was God in the flesh.
“No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Jesus is protecting us from our sins and we see Jesus first and He protects and cleanses us and “cleans” us up to look “pretty” for the Father.
God is good and merciful but he knows what sins we have committed and without Jesus, we would all be in Hell.
And also, God is so merciful because He sent his one and only Son down to protect us!
The disciples didn’t realize that seeing Jesus was seeing God. They were expecting something more.
Many times we miss seeing God work in our lives and circumstances because we are looking for something stupendous.
Although it is true that God is totally awesome, He doesn’t usually choose to manifest Himself in that way.
God spoke to Elijah not in the fire, wind, or an earthquake, but in a still, small voice.
Jesus didn’t come to this earth in a grand way by man’s standards, but was born to poor parents in a stable.
Isaiah 53:2 says that Jesus had no form nor beauty that would make us think that He was anything more than a mere man.
Paul reveals in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, that God chooses to do things this way so that no flesh will glory in His presence.
The Lord wants us to focus on Him through faith and not concentrate on the physical things He uses.
The primary reason that God chooses to use those who are nothing by the world’s standards is so that no one else will take the credit for the great things that are accomplished.
Lord help me to show your love to others that I see day to day. Amen
Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).
But the fact is, many of us Christians do have troubled hearts and we live in fear.
Jesus also said in the same verse, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.”
Yet few believers can honestly say they enjoy constant peace of mind.
*For many, peace comes and goes, leaving them worried, restless and battered by stress.
Here is what Zacharias prophesied of the coming Messiah:
“That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life” (Luke 1:74-75).
Beloved, Jesus came to this earth and died for sinful man so that we could walk with God without fear, enjoying His peace all the days of our lives.
No fear, just peace of mind and heart for all of our days!
*This includes good and bad days, days of suffering, turmoil, testing and uncertainty.
No matter what comes our way, we are to enjoy peace at all times.
Zacharias added these words about Jesus: “To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (verse 79). He was saying that Jesus would guide all His children into the path of peace, not into restlessness, emptiness or fear.
Jesus is the Prince of Peace. At His birth the angels sang, “Peace on earth!” His gospel is called the gospel of peace and He promised of Himself, “In Me ye [shall] have peace” (John 16:33).
Peace is what the gospel is all about. “The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ” (Acts 10:36).
In this world we will face tribulation, persecution and fiery trials—”without were fightings, within were fears,” according to Paul (2 Corinthians 7:5).
We will be tempted, we will suffer for the sake of Christ, and the winds of adversity will try to topple the house of faith we build on the Rock of our salvation—Jesus—but we will walk in peace because of Him.
God has a plan, for good times and bad. We need to have faith in Him and relinquish control. God’s plan for us is perfect. Enjoy the good, and examine the bad in prayer. But praise the Lord in all times, for He is in control of it all.
********Eccl. 7:14 Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life.
John 16:33 I have told you these things so that “in me” you may have peace. In this world you will have much trouble, but be of GOOD CHEER for I have overcome the world!!
Praise God! Amen
God deserves better than “part time love” from us.
We have to remember we face three enemies: The World, the Flesh, and the Devil. But we believers have Victory through Jesus!
Matthew 26:33 “Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.”
Just like Peter, we are often more confident of ourselves than God is.
Many Christians are devastated when they fail in some area that they thought they had long since grown past.
We need to realize that as long as we are in this mortal body, we cannot fall asleep at our battle station against the works of the flesh.
If we do, our flesh is just as capable of sin as anyone else’s.
If we fall, it should concern us but not surprise us. We should simply realize with Paul, that “in my flesh dwelleth no good thing,” get back into the spirit through confession and forgiveness, and go on with Jesus.
The Lord has never had anyone who was qualified working for Him.
Peter wasn’t qualified, and even at our best, neither are we. If we realize that we are nothing and have nothing, then we are prime candidates to be used by God.
Peter went on to become probably the best known of the twelve apostles. The Lord used him mightily.
But He didn’t want him, or us, to forget that it was Christ in Peter and not Peter himself who was great.
This also illustrates the extent of our Father’s love and forgiveness.
If God not only forgave Peter for his sin, but also reinstated and advanced him, then surely we have not pushed God’s grace beyond its limit. Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more.
God doesn’t see us as a failure – just a learner.
God can redeem the worst “failure” and work it together for good (Rom 8:28). We need to think like God.
Refuse to get upset. Maintain peace, stay calm and have faith.
This is all about learning to trust the Lord in the midst of chaos.
Stay the course and see His handiwork.
Psalms 9:10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
Lord, as I pray the Lord’s prayer this day with meaning, fill me with your Spirit and renew my mind, heart and soul. Amen (Matthew 6:9-13)
Read MoreRead the Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:8-11 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly (1 Timothy 1:8).
The Law is both good and useful in the Christian life.
*The Law is good and useful, but it has to be used rightly.
*The Law is good, of course, because God Himself gave it.
*The striking thing about the Law is that those Ten Commandments are the only part of the Bible God Himself physically wrote with His own hand.
*Moses did not write them.
*They were written by the hand of God on tablets of stone and delivered by angels to Moses on Mount Sinai.
In fact, God wrote the Law twice. After the first tablets were broken, Moses returned to the mountain, and God wrote the Law again.
That in itself ought to indicate that the Law is important and not to be done away with.
Furthermore, as you study those Ten Commandments, you discover that they:
* Reflect the character and holiness of God.
*They are an expression of the life of God, both in its outward behavior and its inward attitudes.
That is why the Law never will change.
*The Law represents God’s righteous demands for human behavior anywhere on earth.
*It is even written into the hearts of people who have never heard of the Ten Commandments.
That is why most human laws–laws we make for the control of our behavior in city, state, and national government–are based upon, and reflect, the Ten Commandments.
So the Law is not going to be done away with. Paul says it is holy, just, and good.
Further, the Law is useful. Even for us Christians, the Law has a place in our lives, Paul says, “if one uses it properly.” Not everything about the Law carries over into the Christian life, but there is an appropriate use of the Law in the Christian life. Our Lord Himself indicated that in the Sermon on the Mount:(Matthew 5:17-19).
Those words ought to make very clear what Paul insists on here in 1 Timothy that the Law is not eliminated.
The Law will always be there because it is holy, just, and good; it reflects the character of God.
So it does have a part in our Christian experience.
Ten Commandments for the Covenant Community
Exodus 20:1-17
Lord, thank You for Your Law, which reflects Your character. Teach me to use Your Law properly, in a way that is consistent with the gospel.
Psalm 40:1-3 “I waited patiently for the LORD; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.”
The most powerful truths are revealed in the darkest times. In fact, pain intensifies our need for God and can be counted as a blessing.
God knows. God hears. God will breathe life into the right choices that we make.
How we respond to pits and pain is our choice.
- We can surrender to the darkness and create an identity that feels at home in a pit or we can embrace the pain and learn from it.
- We can settle for a life defined by pain or we can harness the power of our pain and use it for good.
- We can try to ignore the pain and hope it all goes away or we can face it and let God heal the broken places.
Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8).
You’re never going to become a friend of God in your spare time. You have to make knowing God your number one priority in life. read John 17:3.
Are you doing that? Are you seeking God with all your heart every day?
Remember: You are as close to God as you choose to be. You’re going to become a friend of God when you want to become a friend of God.
You can’t blame anybody else. You can’t blame your wife, your husband, your parents, or your kids. You are as close to God as you want to be. And if you feel far from God, guess who moved?
You didn’t make him the number one priority of your life.
Knowing and loving God is our greatest privilege. And being known and being loved by God is our greatest pleasure.
I’ve noticed that you can tell what’s important to people by what they brag about.
- If their kids are most important, they brag about their kids.
- If their job is the most important thing in their life, they brag about their job.
- If travel and having experiences is most important, that’s what they talk about.
- If partying or buying new clothes is what you talk about most, guess what you value most?
- If playing videos is what you spend time on, guess what you value most?
- If talking about hobbies or sports all the time, guess what you value most?
- You brag about what you value most. see Jeremiah 9:23,
Why? Because that’s what life is all about. Knowing God is what matters most.
The God of the Universe loves you and wants to have a relationship with you. God shows no favoritism! Rom. 2:11.
Getting close to God will give you peace and perspective. Now that’s Good News! Amen
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Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
*God has a plan for everyone, but we just have to remember to let him lead us in the right direction and not let our judgment cloud His.
We should all live as ambassadors of Christ, and through our works glorify The Lord our GOD. Live by example.
God has a plan for you and only He alone can fulfill His purpose for you.
Psalm 138:8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever – do not abandon the works of your hands.
It’s good to know that God has a purpose for each one of us.
The Scripture there does not say that the Lord will fulfill my purpose; it says the Lord will fulfill His purpose for me. There’s a great difference.
*I may have one purpose; God may have another.
*God does not guarantee that He will fulfill my purpose, but He does promise that He will fulfill His purpose.
And then the psalmist goes on to say, “Your love, O LORD [and that means ‘your covenant-keeping faithfulness’], endures forever.”
When God commits Himself to us to fulfill His purpose in our lives, that is a commitment for time and for eternity.
***And then, maybe out of a situation of desperation, the psalmist says, “Do not abandon the works of your hands.”
We have a strong assurance as we read these words: “You made me; don’t abandon me.”
This is for each one of us. God made us; He will not abandon us.
God has a purpose; He’s going to fulfill it. Maybe it won’t be your purpose, but it will be His purpose.That purpose will stand sure and unshakable no matter what you go through.
John 15:8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
What is that Fruit? The Fruit of the Spirit. Fruit is something we can easily see. The evidence of Godly fruit is not found in word, deed, talent, success or accomplishment, but rather in the humble qualities of:
*Galatians 5:22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Lord, Help me see that my purpose is to glorify You through holy living and service. Amen
John 6:29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”
Pray that God will allow you to walk as Jesus did. Experience His power and love in your life today so that others will see the hope that lies in you.
“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)
When life gets overwhelming, do you ever wonder if God notices all you have going on? Does He see how hard you’re working and trying to take care of everyone and everything?
Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her'” (Luke 10: 41-42).
In that moment, Jesus showed Martha just how much He cared.
*Not just about how hard she was working, but about the rest He knew she needed.
*Instead of giving her what she demanded, Jesus showed Martha what she needed and the choice she could make to receive it.
Jesus helped Martha see that Mary hadn’t abandoned her to do the work by herself.
*Instead, Mary chose to walk away from distractions and preparations so she could take hold of something that couldn’t be taken away from her.
It was the one thing that would last even after Jesus was gone: time with Him resting in His presence, listening from His perspective, and listening to His promises.
1 Peter 5:7 says to “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”
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.
Christ is actively working within you and me to shape our character and empower our obedience.
Jesus lives to intercede for those who believe in Him (Hebrews 7:25). He makes requests on our behalf and brings our prayers before the Father.
Then, we see in 1 John 2:1–2 that Jesus is our Advocate when we sin. Positioned between us and holy God, Christ declares our righteous standing because of His sacrifice and our faith in Him.
What’s more, Christ is preparing a place for us in heaven (John 14:1–3). He is also arranging all the events necessary for His return.
We are His body—His eyes, ears, voice, feet, and hands—pointing others to Him
Jesus, help me seek You as much as I serve You and others. I want to balance my life and my workload with You, knowing with confidence that You care about me and are good at taking care of me! In Jesus’ Name, Amen
Read MoreMy only comment is: Does Halloween bring glory to God? No! It glorifies the devil! Nuff said.
Read the verse below and ask yourself what and where are your treasures?
Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Is your heart after–Earthly wealth, flesh, or is your heart after spiritual wealth?
If after spiritual wealth, then your heart and desire will follow.
If isolated from the rest of God’s Word, there are some scriptures that could be interpreted to mean that having money or wealth is wrong.
*However there are other scriptures that speak of riches as a blessing.
**The harmony between these two apparently opposite positions is that money is neither good nor bad.
*It is the love of money that is the root of all evil, and many have committed the sin of loving money who don’t even have a dime.
1 Tim. 6: 10. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
The “Love of Things” (covetousness) is idolatry, and this is what Jesus is addressing.
Because it is so easy to lust after money and the things it can provide, the Lord established a system whereby prosperity is a by-product of putting God first.
As Matthew 6:33 states, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”
We should no more reject the blessing of prosperity than we should covet it, which is idolatry.
The reason for not laying up treasures on this earth is so that we will not have our hearts drawn away from the things of God.
A key to success in the Kingdom of God is singleness of purpose. (Eternal Perspective).
We don’t have the capacity to do our best in two areas at the same time.
If we will simply put God and His Kingdom first in every area of our lives, He will add to us all the wealth that we NEED.
What is more valuable or important than knowing Him? (see John 17:3)
Father, I look to you for direction. You are the only one who has the way that will not fail. Teach me those ways so that your kingdom will grow and you will get the glory. Help me see too that: Every spending decision is a spiritual decision.
YES—KNOWING YOU IS OUR GREATEST TREASURE!!! Amen
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By John Piper
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)
The more real Satan appears in our day, the more precious the victory of Christ will become to those who believe him.
The New Testament teaches that when Christ died and rose again Satan was defeated. A time of limited freedom is granted to him, but his power against God’s people is broken and his destruction is sure.
“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)
“[Christ] himself likewise partook of the same things [flesh and blood], that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.” (Hebrews 2:14)
“[God] disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Colossians 2:15)
In other words the decisive blow was struck at Calvary. And one day, when Satan’s time of limited freedom is over, Revelation 20:10 says, “The devil . . . [will be] thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur . . . and will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
What does this mean for those of us who follow Jesus Christ?
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)
“Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies!” (Romans 8:33)
“[Neither] angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38–39)
“He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)
“They [the saints] have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” (Revelation 12:11)
Therefore, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you!” He has been defeated, and we have been given victory.
Our task now is to live in that victory and make Satan know his defeat.
Thank You Jesus! Help me live in that Victory each and every day. Amen
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