Devotions - Prayer
Only God’s Love is powerful enough to illuminate the darkness in our hearts.
“For God…is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
2 Corinthians 4:6
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Psalm 139:14).
What measurements do you use to define your self-worth?
*Do you define it based on your financial assets?
*Is it based on what you have achieved professionally?
*Perhaps you define your value based on the number of children you have.
There are many things we can use to define our self-worth. However, the scriptures tell us there is only one measure for our self-worth.
Each of us has self-worth because we are made in the image of God.
And because we are made in the image of God, we are valuable.
Whenever you and I place a value in ourselves that is based on some other performance criteria, we have moved beyond God’s view of our worth as human beings.
You are never more valuable to God than you were the day you were born. Read Psalms 139
Basing our self-worth on how much money we have or our achievements is an easy trap.
We are bombarded with messages that say we are defined by what we drive, where we live, how many toys we own, and the size of our investment account. The media message is designed to create dissatisfaction and lust for what we don’t have.
Paul said the purpose for his existence was…...“to know Christ, and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10).
In what terms do you define yourself? Is it based on knowing Christ alone?
Colossians 2:2 I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. 3 In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Lord, help me to know You More. Amen (see JN 17:3)
Read MorePraying and Growing in your Relationship with Jesus Christ
Below is a 30-day plan created to help you in praying and growing in your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
You may want to do this as couples, families, groups or as individuals and As you are consistent in this, God will respond!
1) Every morning, for 30 days, read and react to the two texts from Ephesians:
a. Ephesians 2:1-10: this describes our two possible conditions:
1) to be spiritually dead, 2:1-3, or
2) to be alive in Jesus Christ, 2:4-10.
As you read this, every morning look for a new truth you can focus on through the day.
b. Ephesians 6:10-20: this gives us the armor of God to be victorious:
2) Each day of the week, focus on a piece of God’s Armor: Try this for four weeks and see what God is saying to you.
___________________________________________________________
Day 1 – Truth – read John 8:31-58. Through the day, concentrate on being truthful and letting Jesus free you from whatever binds you.
Day 2 – Righteousness – read 2 Corinthians 5:14-21. Through the day be an Ambassador for Jesus, knowing that God accepts you because of Jesus’ righteousness.
Day 3 – Good News – read 1 Thessalonians 1. Through the day, thank God for all the good that is yours since you “turned from idols”) addictions, bad habits, wrong activities, to serve God!
Day 4 – Salvation – read 1 Peter 1:1-12. Through the day, celebrate what God has done and is doing for you!
Day 5 – Faith – read Hebrews 11. Through the day ponder how 3 or 4 “heroes of Faith” from Hebrews 11 pleased God. Can you?
Day 6 – The sword of the Spirit – the Bible – read Hebrews 4:12-16. Face whatever you are covering up that is against the Bible and give it to God in confession. Ask God’s help to confidently move ahead.
Day 7 – Prayer – read Colossians 1:9-23. Through the day pray Colossians 1:9-14 for yourself and another believer. Center on Jesus.
3) Every night: Pray about how your day went – give it all to God.
Read a Psalm, for example: 1; 23; 32; 90; 91; 103; 139.
4) Find a prayer partner, someone you know and trust and cares about you. Meet at least one time per week. Read Philippians 2:1-18 together. Pray.
5) Meet at least once a week with fellow believers to worship, thank and praise God. Focus on Jesus. Read Revelation 4 or 5 or a Psalm: 90 – 100.
Pray on the Armor of God every day!
Lord, Thank You for Your Word which is Truth. Help me take the time to spend some time in Your Word. Speak to me through Your Word and show me more and more of Your Love. In Jesus Name, Amen
Read MorePsalm 40:6–8 Sacrifice and meal offering Thou hast not desired; my ears Thou hast opened; burnt offering and sin offering Thou hast not required. Then I said, “Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me; I delight to do Thy will, O my God.”
When the psalmist speaks there about burnt offering and meal offering and sin offering and so on, he’s speaking about the externals of religion and he’s saying, in essence, “That isn’t what God is really after. We may give all the externals and yet miss the real point.”
He says, “My ears Thou hast opened.”
We need to be able to hear God speaking to us personally.
It’s the voice of God that we need to hear and for that our ears need to be opened.
When we hear the voice of God, it reveals the will of God.
The psalmist says, “In the scroll of the book it is written of me, I delight to do Thy will.”
I believe that’s true for every person that turns to God.
There’s something written there in the scroll of the book which is God’s will in each of our individual lives.
And when God opens our ears and we turn to Him and surrender our lives to Him, we’ll make the amazing and glorious discovery that God has got a special plan for each one of us – something that’s written in God’s eternal book. Something that’s in the scroll for each one of us individually.
God never makes one person a carbon copy of another.
God has a specific, individual plan for each one of His children.
If He can but open our ears and we turn to Him and yield to Him, He’ll reveal it to us.
Read Psalms 139 this day to see how special you really are!
Lord, open my ears that I may hear Your perfect loving will for my life. Direct me daily and keep me on the path of everlasting life. Amen
Read MoreBusiness as Ministry
by Os Hillman
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24
The Bible is very clear that the purpose for our work life is to reflect Christ in and through our lives. It is an attitude that says our work is to have an overriding “ministry” objective to it. Our work is our worship to God. These two words even originate from the same Hebrew word, avodah.
Robert Laidlaw was born in Scotland in 1885 but grew up in New Zealand. Born to Christian parents, he committed his life fully to the Lord when he was 17. Laidlaw began working in a hardware merchant company as a traveling sales representative when he was 19. Later he had the idea for a mail-order catalogue business that sold everything imaginable including underwear, groceries, cosmetics, and farm equipment, all at bargain-basement prices. His concept proved successful and his business later merged with the Farmer’s Union Trading Company. He became general manager and held that position for 50 years.
But this is not the most significant thing that can be said about Robert Laidlaw. He understood that his work life was a tool to affect others for Jesus Christ. He began giving ten percent of his income early in his business life. Later, however, he entered this into his journal: “September 1919, age twenty-five. I have decided to change my earlier graduated scale, and start now giving half (fifty percent) of all my earnings.” This he continued for the next 60 years. [John Woodbridge, ed., More Than Conquerors (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1992), 351.]
The result of that commitment was countless numbers affected for Jesus Christ through the resources he gave to mission groups and other worthy Christian causes. He was personally involved in ministry. He wrote a small book that gave a thoughtful answer to basic questions about life and faith. It was titled “The Reason Why.” Many hundreds of thousands came to faith in Christ because of this 46-page booklet. He publicly spoke to many of his faith in Christ and became very involved in the Soldier’s and Airmen’s Association when World War II broke out. Robert Laidlaw understood what it meant to view business with an overriding ministry objective.
Does the Lord have complete control of your life? If so, you will be able to see your work life as an extension of His life in you. Let the Lord live in and through your work life today.
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God loves us the same as He loves Jesus.
God’s love is the key that opens the door to everything that God is. “God is love” (1 Jn. 4:8).
John 17:23 ” I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.”
God loves us the same as He loves Jesus.
**A true revelation of this will quicken our faith and allow us to walk in the fullness of God.
God’s love is the key that opens the door to everything that God is. “God is love” (1 Jn. 4:8).
God’s love is not one dimensional. There is width, length, depth and height to it, which can only be comprehended through the revelation and knowledge of the Holy Spirit.
In Ephesians 3:19, Paul prays for us to know the love of God which passes knowledge.
Since a true revelation of God’s love makes us full with the fullness of God, then a lack of being full of God must mean that we lack understanding and experience of God’s love.
The end result of having understanding and experiential knowledge of God’s love is that we will be filled with all the fullness of God.
In 2016 God has shown us that He has not equally distributed gifts, talents or intelligence, but He has equally distributed Himself to all that want Him as their Savior. Our sense of worth comes from knowing who we are as children of God.
“See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are” (1 John 3:1).
Lord, thank You for Your unconditional love. Help me daily to share Your love with others that they too will come to know You as their personal Savior. May they experience true love which only You the Heavenly Father can give. And help us not compare our love experiences here on earth with Your Perfect Love.. Amen
Read More“Give, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands — more than you can hold. You will be given so much that it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you.” (Luke 6:38 )
To reap a great harvest, you must plant generously in faith.
To plant generously in faith, you need to remember two promises of Jesus.
Luke 6:38 says, “Give, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands — more than you can hold. You will be given so much that it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you”.
The way you give to others is the way God will give to you. You need to start being generous in planting seeds in this life to harvest in the next.
Then in Mark 10:29-30 Jesus gives a guarantee about anything you give up for his sake. He says, “There is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time … and in the age to come eternal life” (ESV).
God says that anything that you give up of value for his sake, anything you sacrifice for his Kingdom will be returned a hundredfold.
You know how much a hundredfold is? That’s 10,000 percent interest. Do you know any stockbroker that will guarantee that? Only God and his Son can do that. They’ve been doing business with people like you and me for 2,000 years.
Jesus also in the verse above, emphasized persecution to make sure that people do not selfishly follow him only for the rewards.
These are the promises of God. You can believe them or not. But if you don’t believe God’s promises, I have to ask you this: Why do you believe Jesus will save you and take you to Heaven? That’s the same Jesus. Why do some people trust God with their eternal salvation, but they don’t trust God with their finances?
It only makes sense to trust him for both and to plant generously in faith so that you can reap a harvest.
Read MoreMatthew 21:21 “Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.”
Jesus makes it very clear that we must have faith and doubt not.
Every believer has faith, but most believers also have an abundance of doubt that negates their faith.
*It is when we purify our faith and only believe, that victory comes.
How you View God and how you view yourself will determine your success.
Every Christian is at war. There is a perpetual struggle against Satan.
*Our enemy goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8).
*Those who resist the devil will see him flee (Jas. 4:7).
The only ones whom he devours are those who don’t actively fight against him.
The mind is the battlefield where thoughts and reasoning’s that are contrary to God’s Word, need to be captured and submitted to Christ, our Commander.
*Our battle against the devil takes place right between our ears.
The spiritual weapons given to us are designed for the express purpose of taking EVERY thought captive and making them obedient to Christ.
Keeping our minds completely stayed upon the Lord is an obtainable goal.
These weapons of ours are for the casting down of two things:
1. Imaginations
2. Every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.
**Both of these areas are dealing with the mind.
Focus on the good in every area of your life.
Failure to recognize God’s blessings in every day living will cause fear and anxiety.
Recognizing God’s hand in even the smallest thing will cause peace and keep our hearts and minds following hard after the Lord.
Instead of talking to God about how big your problems are, talk to your problems about how big your God is!
Don’t let the devil steal anymore of your joy.
*Block your ears to his deceits!
*No one but the Lord knows your future.
***And as a loving Father HE only has good plans for you!
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Father, thank You for Your Word which is life to my spirit. I receive Your strength today and choose to speak to the mountain before me. Thank You for victory on the cross and for Your Resurrection so I can move forward in the good plan You have for me in Jesus’ name! Amen.
Read: 1 John 4:4 and see we fight FROM Victory—not For Victory!
Read MoreMatthew 5:9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.
The Father is the great Peace Maker. But, that peace came at a great cost.
Colossians 1 teaches us that the cost to God of reconciling (making peace) with us was Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross.
Jesus has enabled anyone who will trust Him for forgiveness and healing and freedom, to be at peace with God.
2 Corinthians 5:20. “So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
Only when our hearts are ruled by God’s Love are we given the hope that transcends emotion or circumstance.
“…we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts…” Romans 5:3-5
Proverbs 1:33 But whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.
One thing that people all over the world today are striving for is security, but here is an offer of total security.
You’ll live in safety; you’ll be at ease, without fear of harm. Not merely will you be physically safe, but you’ll be free from worry and anxiety and care.
What’s the secret?
*The secret is listening to the right voice.
*That’s the voice of divine wisdom speaking through the pages of Scripture, offering that promise of total security and ongoing, uninterrupted emotional stability and peace.
How can you find that?
*You can’t find it in the world’s system, in the world’s provisions.
*The world can offer temporary stability, temporary security, but nothing that’s permanent.
***The only pathway to permanent stability, security, peace of mind is to listen to the voice of divine wisdom speaking through the pages of Scripture and then to do what wisdom enjoys.
John 14:27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
*The peace can only be made with our dependence to God.
Thank You Jesus for Your word! THE BIBLE (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)! I believe the Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of life, the doom of sinners, the happiness of believers. I Read it to be wise. Believe it to be safe —-Practice it to be holy. The Bible gives light to direct you, food to support you and comfort to cheer you. Amen!!!
Read More“John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light” (John 5:35).
The moon is lovely on a clear night only because it reflects the light of the sun. It has no qualities by itself to reflect its beauty.
Without the sun shining onto its surface, you and I would never see the moon. It would simply be a dark object in the sky.
A diamond is designed to reflect the light to reveal its true value.
The cut of a diamond determines its brilliance.
There is no single measurement of a diamond that defines its cut, but rather a collection of measurements and observations that determine the relationship between a diamond’s light performance, dimensions and finish.
Jesus came to bring the light of His love and grace to each of us.
However, we are born into a world dulled by the sin created by Adam and Eve that makes our lives dark until we meet Jesus.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Rom 3:23-24).
Jesus contrasted in many parables that those who allow His life to live in them will live in the light amidst darkness. When you invite Jesus Christ to live in your heart it is as though a light is shining upon your life in order to reflect the glory of God’s Son through you.
Jesus calls you to be a vessel to reflect the brilliant light of His love to others.
Our workplace is a great place to reflect His glory.
How are your reflective qualities? Ask Him to make your life a continual reflection of His light to others.
Only when we come to the “end of ourselves” will we be able to accept God’s unconditional gift of Love.
“I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13
Lord, because of Your great love for me–help me to be a better brighter light for my family and the workplace. Let all my actions and words come from You and not me. Amen
Basically, having an eternal perspective means that as we make decisions or take actions, we consider how they will impact us and others in eternity.
Rather than thinking about how a decision will look in 30 days, we think about what it will look like in 3,000 years (and beyond).
When trying to decide how to run our business or allocate our resources, we do not merely look at how it will affect our retirement, but also how it will impact eternity.
Scripture Example
Whenever possible, I want to go to Scripture to get our direction. Let’s look at Paul’s words to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:7-8.
Rather, train yourself in godliness, for the training of the body has a limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
…The Life To Come
Notice how Paul acknowledges that godliness has benefits for our present life in this world while also for the life to come! This is the perfect example of having an eternal perspective. Training the body also has benefits here, but not so much in the life to come.
So if Paul is recommending this kind of eternal perspective mindset to Timothy, why would it not work in the business world? Why would it not make sense for us to think the same way as we approach every aspect of our lives today – work, school, church, etc.?
Critical To Following Jesus
I am convinced this kind of thinking from an eternal perspective is critical. In fact, I do not believe we can effectively follow Jesus Christ and think otherwise. For us to attempt to truly follow Jesus while only thinking about the short-term results of our actions or decisions may just be impossible. I think Luke 9:62 fits here:
Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Not Easy!
The difficulty in this thinking from an eternal perspective – and I promise you there is difficulty – is that the world does not think this way. Because of this, the rewards of this world often come to those who think short-term. In this context, short-term is any time-frame on this side of eternity.
Eternity In Our Hearts
Recognize that God put eternity into our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11) and that is how He expects us to think.
*The more we think from an eternal perspective, the more our decisions and actions will reflect i
Lord, create in me an Eternal Perspective, looking to You and Your word for my direction each and every day through the Holy Spirit. Amen
Read MoreMatthew 24:12 “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”
The only reason that an abundance of iniquity would make anyone’s love for the Lord wax cold, is if he were not separated from that iniquity.
As with Lot, a righteous man can vex his soul from day to day by hearing and seeing the unlawful deeds of the ungodly (2 Pet. 2:8).
We have to deal with the world’s system and those in it, but we need to be careful and maintain proper balance. We should shun relationships with those who influence us negatively more than we influence them positively.
Marriage is one area where this principle is especially true. There is no closer union in life than the marriage relationship. A believer who marries an unbeliever is directly violating this scripture and is toying with disaster.
The Lord should be the most important person in our life.
*How could we possibly become “one” with a person who doesn’t love our Lord?
It is folly to think that after marriage an unbelieving spouse will accept the Lord. Although that does happen, it cannot be guaranteed.
In fact, statistics are overwhelmingly against this happening. Regardless of that possibility, a believer who marries an unbeliever is directly violating God’s instructions here. It is not a good start to any marriage to spurn God’s Word.
Being unequally yoked with unbelievers just doesn’t work. Believers and unbelievers are as different as :
- Righteousness and unrighteousness,
- Light and Darkness
- Jesus and Evil
- One has faith and the other has none.
- One is the temple of God and the other an idol.
- Any Christian who doesn’t see this conflict is deceived.
- Lord, Thank You for your Word and the hard truths that come from it to help us in our journey here on earth. Forgive me for the mistakes I have made and direct my feet onto your path. Give me more wisdom and discernment to do Your will. Amen
Forget Regret
Leave your mistakes and regret in the past. They don’t define your value, then or now.
When you stay in the past you become stuck and unable to move forward.
We all have made mistakes with our job choices, friends and relationships. The consequences can hit us pretty hard.
Give yourself the gift of forgiveness and keep moving forward.
Learn from Failure
Learning from failure and having regret are two separate things. Regret is an emotion; a feeling of disappointment along with a modest amount of shame or guilt.
But to look back at a circumstance and figure out what went wrong gives you some very important information.
This review allows you to evaluate what worked and what didn’t, and more importantly, why.
Ask for Help
You are not alone. It may feel that way sometimes, but there are many people who would extend their hand and lift you up if asked. Often times we are afraid to ask because we don’t believe we are worthy to receive the help.
Believe You are Worthy
Whatever your goal, your dream, or your desire, you are worthy of achieving it.
Take 100% Responsibility
Except in rare and unfortunate circumstances, you are responsible for the quality and condition of your life.
- Sometimes we choose to do nothing when we get hit hard because it’s just easier and less painful that way.
- But the real pain is only deferred.
Know What You Want
This isn’t about the how, only the what. In order to move forward in life, you need a firm foundation to step from. Understanding what and where you want to go in life will provide your vision and spirit – your foundation. The how will figure itself out when you know you want to keep moving forward.
Trust
There are no accidents without value.
When you get hit hard and land on your back, look for the reasons and for the value in this. Open your heart and trust this happened for a reason. Trust the experience is happening for a reason and be open to making adjustments in order to keep moving forward.
Want it More
How badly do you want it?
How badly do you really want to achieve what you are working so hard to accomplish? To walk through the pain; to get up and keep moving forward knowing there may be more pain ahead, is a test of your determination and resolve.
Keep the Faith
Faith: A strong belief in something without proof or evidence
At the end of the day the one thing that tells you to keep going; to get up tomorrow and to keep moving forward, is your faith.
Lord direct my path in 2018-2019. Help me move forward with life giving You all the Glory. Help us each to be your hands and feet for the lost, that just One may come to know you. Amen
TAKEN FROM: Alex Blackwell is the Founder of The BridgeMaker. His book, Saying Yes to Change
Read Moreby John Piper
Even when we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:5)
The great missionary hope is that when the gospel is preached in the power of the Holy Spirit, God himself does what man cannot do: he creates the faith that saves. The call of God does what the call of man can’t. It raises the dead. It creates spiritual life. It is like the call of Jesus to Lazarus in the tomb, “Come out!” (John 11:43).
We can waken someone from sleep with our call, but God’s call can summon into being things that are not (Romans 4:17). God’s call is irresistible in the sense that it can overcome all resistance. It is infallibly effective according to God’s purpose — so much so that Paul can say, “Those whom [God] called he also justified” (Romans 8:30).
In other words, God’s call is so effectual that it infallibly creates the faith through which a person is justified. All the called are justified. But none is justified without faith (Romans 5:1). So the call of God cannot fail in its intended effect. It irresistibly secures the faith that justifies.
This is what man cannot do. It is impossible.
- Only God can take out the heart of stone (Ezekiel 36:26).
- Only God can draw people to the Son (John 6:44, 65).
- Only God can open the heart so that it gives heed to the gospel (Acts 16:14).
- Only the Good Shepherd knows his sheep by name.
He calls them and they follow (John 10:3–4, 14). The sovereign grace of God, doing the humanly impossible, is the great missionary hope.
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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 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.
**God is the source of all good things. Ask God today if your life models this belief.
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.”
When you Fall in love with Jesus it is no longer about his power it is about His person!
Heavenly Father teach me that I must go out into the deep with you, where I will experience you than like never before. Thank You Jesus that we fight FROM Victory and NOT For Victory. (1 JN 4:4) Amen
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“For the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2
Let go of everything that is beyond your ability to control.
There will be things that will not work out the way you desired or intended, but the Lord’s ways are higher than your ways.
The Lord knows the beginning from the end, and He is giving you opportunities to align yourself with His purposes for your life.
Move with the flow of His Spirit to come into divine order so that His purposes will be established in, around, and through you. Do not be afraid.
Isaiah 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.
Refuse to be drawn away from that which is vitally important to your spiritual well-being. Even as many things demand your attention and resources, you must continually guard your heart.
Maintain integrity and be true to yourself.
Psalms 26:11 But as for me, I will walk in my integrity; redeem me and be merciful to me.
*God’s Giving is an overflow of His character(Matthew 5:3-12 Beatitudes) and an example of how He calls us to share what we have with others.(Testimonies of what Jesus has done for us—The Cross, the Gospel)
*God gives lovingly. (Exodus 34:6)
*God gives freely. (James 1:17)
*God gives abundantly. (Psalm 132:15)
*God gives wisely. (Romans 16:27)
#3 of 8 Truths to Master Life. (You can get all 8 at):
www.movingforwardwithhope.com
I sincerely ask the Holy Spirit to show me what I need to do and empower me to follow through in obedience.
Result: I am released from my need to control everything.
I am “Free.”
*The reason for this is that I now trust God, Who knows all, and He has promised those who are meek, that they will inherit the earth. Faith is God has freed one from the burden of trying to push, manipulate or force, in order to get one’s way.
Jeremiah 9:23,24. “This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Lord, help me daily to release my need to control everything. Help me come to you for direction in all my ways and thoughts—for Your Glory. Amen
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