Devotions - Prayer

The Church and Truth

By Bob / March 12, 2024

Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”!

.. the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15b).



Paul describes the role of the church in two dramatic words: the church is the

1. “pillar”
2.  The “foundation” of the truth.

The great reason for the existence of the church is to:
*** Introduce Truth back into a world saturated with error and fantasy.  WE WILL ALL DIE SOMETIME & THERE IS A HELL-THERE IS A HEAVEN!

The church recovers truth when it is lost. (And boy are we lost).
That is why all Moral Recovery in a nation always begins with the church, with the people of God.
***Their Testimonies of what Jesus has done for them personally!!!(Rev. 12:11).
Any Hope that we in this country will ever recover from this downhill slide into  despair lies in the presence of the church(Body of Christ) in our midst.

So the church is “the pillar and foundation of the truth.” The  Church is not a denomination-It’s all believers in Jesus Christ.

All believers are the household of God and are crucial pillars in representing the truth of God.

 

Without the Church:
*There is no conduit for truth
*Without truth, there is no hope.
* God has ordained that through the Church; His Bride, He will reveal Himself to the world.
***Let us not lose sight of this, and let us hold fast to Jesus and His Word (John 17:17).

 

Hebrews 12: 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.
We need God’s anointing in the place called church to help us to conduct ourselves.

Romans 12:5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.(His Church)!

 

We all need to be part of the  fruit-bearing stage. In it, God’s power is manifested in your life like never before.
***God takes ALL our experiences and uses them to build His Kingdom in and through your life.
*** Your obedience to this final call results in fruitfulness you could never imagine without the long preparation process.
What does God want to achieve through our lives?
*God has a plan that is so incredible we cannot comprehend it.
*It requires only that we love Him and follow Him.

Then we will become fishers of men like the world has never known.

“‘Come, follow Me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.'” Matthew 4:19



Matthew 6:33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.


” May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.”

God is Able, and God bless AmericaAMEN

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THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HOME

By Bob / March 8, 2024

Psalm 78 core message addresses the importance of the home and the vital role of parents.

*This is a Psalm of instruction covering Israel’s history from Egypt and the Exodus to the time of David.
*It records the failure of the people of Israel, but it also records the steadfast faithfulness of the Lord and His wonderful works and mercy.

 

Ironically, one of their greatest failures was their failure as parents.

Note the emphasis of Psalm 127:“Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, To retire late, To eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep. (Psalm 127:1-2)

 

Dads and moms bring ingredients into the home that are crucial to the spiritual and emotional stability of the home.
• Together they bring a blend of femininity and masculinity which in many ways reveal the image of God.
• These two influences together, especially when they are the product of godly parentage, are vital forces in shaping spiritually and psychologically healthy children.

• If I as a parent fail to communicate God’s truth to my children, then I am guilty of hiding from them the most important information in the world. TRUTH!
Psalm 78 stresses two great needs and responsibilities that I have as believing parent:

(1) I must put my trust in God’s Word above the ideas of men for all areas of life, including, the raising and training of my children.

(2) But if I am going to do that, I also need to communicate the character of the Bible as indeed the Word of God, an objective, inerrant, infallible guide and authority that always takes precedence over the ideas of men and the world.
The truth and instructions of Scripture are not designed for my hurt, but for my blessing.

Holy Father,  I confess my sin of not always being a parent or grandparent that reflects complete trust in You and thereby have hurt my children’s path to knowing You;  O Holy Father, let me hear Your Voice, that Your tone may be familiar while the noise of the world dies away.  May the music I hear be the sound of Your speaking; please give me ears to hear Your voice; In the Name of my Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

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Turn Back To God

By Bob / February 27, 2024

Let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord. Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven and say, ‘We have sinned and rebelled’”Lamentations 3:40-42a.

The path to a fresh start and a clear conscience begins with repentance. First, review every area of your life, and then repent of every sin.

What does it mean to repent? It means three things:

  • First, you take responsibility for your sin.
  • Second, you turn away from those things.
  • And third, you turn toward God and his grace.

Repentance does not mean rationalizing your sin. You don’t say, “It was no big deal.” It was a big deal, or you wouldn’t have remembered it. You don’t say, “It happened so long ago” or “It was just a stage I went through” or “Everybody does it.” It doesn’t matter! You cannot rationalize sin, minimize it, excuse it, or blame others. That is not true repentance.

Pay attention to this: The greatest holdup to the healing of your hang-up is you.

You’re not waiting on God; you’re not waiting on anybody else. God wants to heal the hang-up in your life, but the greatest holdup to your hang-up is you.

The Bible says in 1 John 1:8, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us”(NIV).

Would you like to get rid of the self-defeating habits in your life?

  • You will stop defeating yourself when you stop deceiving yourself.
  • It all starts with gut-level honesty and recognizing that something is wrong, no matter how much you want to rationalize it and excuse it.
  • You need to admit it, confess it, and get it out of your life.

E’s of Decision Making”…Glorifying God in the Gray Areas…(got this from a Bible Study friend, not sure of author)

Edification…Will this activity produce a spiritual benefit?

Enslavement…Will this activity lead to spiritual bondage?

Exposure…Will this activity expose my mind or body to defilement?

Esteem…Will this benefit others, or cause them to stumble?

Evangelism…Will this activity further the cause of the Gospel?

Ethics…Will this activity violate my conscious?

Exaltation…Will this activity bring glory to God?

Armed with these basic principles every believer can navigate the gray areas with integrity.  Amen

 

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Hope for the Lonely

By Bob / February 24, 2024

Psalm 68:6 God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
To be lonely is a very sad condition; yet in today’s world there are millions and millions of lonely people.
Even though the population of the earth is increasing rapidly and even though so many people live in large cities, those large cities and this highly populated earth of ours are filled with lonely people.

• You see, it’s possible to be lonely in the midst of a crowd.
• It’s possible to be lonely in a big city.
• I know, because I’ve met so many people like that.
Now loneliness is not God’s plan for man’s life.
Right at the beginning of human history God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” So for the first man he planned a mate. That’s God’s attitude.
• He wants to take us out of our loneliness.
• He wants to set us in the family of God.
• He wants to give us human friends and human fellowship.
• That’s His plan. God sets the lonely in families.

But there’s one kind of person that God cannot help out of loneliness: the rebellious live in a dry sun-scorched land.

So if you’re lonely just bear in mind that God cannot help you until:
• you lay down your rebelliousness,
• till you renounce your pride and your self-will and independence
• and turn to God for His mercy
• and then He’ll have mercy on you and He will set you in His family.

Step one of the 8 Truths to Master life:

1. I confess my spiritual and moral bankruptcy and agree with Jesus’ words: “without me you can do nothing.”

Result: I am fully accepted and welcomed into God’s Family.

I am “Accepted.”

*When this happens, I am fully accepted into God’s family. Upon receiving Jesus and His work on the cross, of bearing my sin and His victory over death through His resurrection—I have the gift of eternal life.

Isaiah 55:1. “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink—even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk—it’s all free!”
Luke 5: 31 Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.
Romans 3:18-26, 2 Corinthians 5:17

Lord, thank you for the Body of Christ the Church which has helped be get rid of my loneliness.   We all need relationships and I pray that if we are not in a small group we will reach out and get into one for Your Glory and our joy.  Amen

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WORRIES OF THIS LIFE

By Bob / February 18, 2024

Mark 4:7 7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain.
18 The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, 19 but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.

Don’t allow the things of the world to steal the Word of God from You. There is so much that surrounds us it is so easy to fall into wanting and desiring the things of this world—-everyone wants a nice home, nice cars, nice clothes, everyone wants more money so that they can get more and more and more and more, (again I tell you, there is nothing wrong with wanting to have nice things, it’s when we allow the desire to have these things to take precedence over God the Father is when it becomes wrong).
When these things are allowed to become more important than seeking the Father then we have made them to become idols in our lives.
*It’s not just the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches that choke the word of God out of us: it is the lust of other things as well.
Because of the finished work on the cross, we have Jesus within us—which we need to keep the word from being choked.

When our prayer goes unanswered, or we get the answer we do not want we like little children throw temper tantrums and say “God does not answer my prayers” or “God does not care”.
Do not allow the things of this world to steal the treasure that God has given to you.

Ephesians 4:31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.
32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

***Do not believe the lies the enemy whispers do not allow him to choke the Word from you.
*Pray asking the Lord every day to cleanse us of ALL unrighteousness, to wash  in  His blood, ask Him to keep our mind right and help us to resist the devil.  Amen

 

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How Are We Like Sheep?

By Bob / February 16, 2024

God is our friend, and He always will tell us the truth. Not only that, but He wants to reveal His secrets to us.
In Psalms 25:14 we read, “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him. . . .” God wants to speak to us.
In fact, Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).
Here Jesus compares us to sheep is not a compliment, by the way. Sheep are among the dumbest of all creatures.
Most animals, in many cases, will survive if released into the wild. They will learn to fend for themselves and make it. But a sheep released into the wild cannot survive.

  • Sheep have no survival skills whatsoever.
  • They are totally dependent upon the shepherd – just like we are.
  • The sheep come to know that when the shepherd speaks they should follow because his plan for them is better than their plan for themselves.

It may be that one of the reasons we don’t know the will of God in certain areas is because we have not applied what is clearly the will of God for all areas.
Obedience to revealed truth guarantees guidance in matters unrevealed.
Establish yourself in strong faith by believing in Jesus and believing that He will reward those who seek Him.

Every difficult situation that you encounter has the potential to strengthen your faith and provide a firm foundation for victory.

Know that the Lord is with you to give you wisdom and bring you through. Only believe!
When you walk in the Lord’s My ways, you will set an example that others can follow if they want to live in peace and blessing. Those that live and walk in the Spirit are able to access everything that is available to them through faith. It is worth it to make the changes necessary to live in righteousness and always do good.
Psalms 37:3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Amen

See Colossians 2:2-3 for what is the mystery of God.

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GOD HAS A PLAN FOR ME!

By Bob / February 15, 2024

God Has A Greater Plan for Me—Since this is true — since nothing happens outside God’s will and plan(Read Ecclesiastes 7:14) — then my daily challenges are under his sovereign control, too.
*God knows about my tantrums, Sickness, and the everyday-stress of getting through each day.
*He is not surprised—All the events of our lives that feel out of our control are actually in God’s control.

 

Lamentations 3:37–38 says, “Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?”

 

*God is in control of every circumstance and every event of our lives, and he uses them, often in some mysterious way, to change us more into the likeness of Christ.


When my days are long and everything seems to go wrong, I know it has all happened for a reason. (Romans 8:28–29).

 

This is what God is about.  He is not in the business of making my life comfortable and free of any stress. He has something greater planned for me: my holiness.

In the midst of the chaos, I see Jesus and how much I need the gospel each and every moment.
The God of grace who saved me from sin is the God of grace who will help me have patience.

 

Every challenging situation becomes an opportunity for me to trust him — to obey, to learn, to grow, to rely more on his grace.

So when the air condition breaks and I get a flat tire, instead of despair there is hope. Life doesn’t feel out of control if we know “Who is in control”.


We can trust and rest in God’s sovereignty, knowing that he is using our every stress for our transformation and his glory.

“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13b-1

Lord, help me Focus on encouraging love in one another, not pointing out their faults.  Let love cover my mistakes  because Jesus forgives all mistakes and sins– that is why Jesus died for us.  Thank You Jesus! Amen

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HAPPY VALENTINES

By Bob / February 13, 2024

EXPERIENCE 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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LUST OF THE EYES

By Bob / February 8, 2024

The phrase “lust of the eyes” is found in 1 John 2:15-17: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

What is this “lust of the eyes”? Simply put, the lust of the eyes is the desire to possess what we see or to have those things which have visual appeal.
This coveting of money, possessions, or other physical things is not from God, but from the world around us. John emphasizes that these physical things do not last; they will pass away. In contrast, the child of God is guaranteed eternity.

The Ten Commandments addressed the lust of the eyes in its prohibition against coveting.

Exodus 20:17  commands, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” Coveting can include a desire to have people, possessions, or status.

Satan uses the lust of the eyes as one avenue of temptation. Part of the reason Eve listened to the serpent in the Garden was that she looked at the forbidden fruit and saw that it was “pleasing to the eye” (Genesis 3:6). Satan used a visual image to help entrap her.

Satan tried a similar tactic on Jesus. One of his temptations in the wilderness was an attempt to make Jesus covet earthly power. Satan used a visual: he “showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor” (Matthew 4:8). He then promised to give them to Jesus—for a price. Of course, Jesus did not succumb to the lust of the eyes, and Satan was defeated (verses 10 and 11).

We must follow Jesus’ example and, in the power of the Holy Spirit, resist the lust of the eyes.
All that glitters is not gold, and the child of God knows that fame, fortune, and finery quickly fade (Proverbs 23:5). Our focus is not the newest product or latest fashion. Our goal is not to keep up with the Joneses.

Instead, our goal is “to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings” (Philippians 3:10). Our eyes are set on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2).

Our view is to eternity NOT the temporal pleasures here.

Again:  The phrase “lust of the eyes” is found in 1 John 2:15-17. But ‎our goal is “to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings” (Philippians 3:10). Our eyes are set on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). Our view is to eternity!  Amen

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What Does “Holy” Mean?

By Bob / February 2, 2024

I believe one crucial ingredient to healing our moral confusion is the recovery of the biblical idea of holiness, which includes private morality but so much more—the very life of God IN us.

Holiness is not just for advanced Christians but stands at the beginning and center of God’s call on our lives: “Be holy, because I am holy” (Lev. 11:44; 1 Pet. 1:16 also 1 Thess. 4:3&4).

Holy: “set apart” or “dedicated” to God—to belong to God. “I will be your God, and you will be my people,” says Yahweh (Lev. 26:12; Heb. 8:10).

Thus, prior to any consideration of morality, biblical holiness describes a unique relationship that God has established and desires with his people. (Jn 17:3)

 

This relationship has moral ramifications, but it precedes moral behavior.

*Being set apart for God. 

* Being set apart from the evil acts of sin.

*As God’s people, Living on the side of the Cross we have been cleansed from our sin.

*The sacrifice of Jesus has made us clean in the sight of God.

*We have been made holy through Jesus.

**We can now interact with God because of this great gift.

So we being made holy through Jesus—we need to STOP acting like sinful, unsaved people.  Amen!

 

We are to honor God with our every breath and our every thought.

1 Peter 1:15 Instead, be holy in all that you do, just as God who called you is holy.  16 The Scripture says, “Be holy because I am holy.

The Bible is holy because it is the Very Word of Almighty God, but what does holy mean?

 

To begin to understand what holy means, we must first consider God.

¨      God is not like us. He is higher (Isaiah 55:8-9).

¨      God does not think like we think

¨      God does not do like we do.

That higher form of thought and action is what holy is.

 

We could just pass it off and say God is holy because He is God, and I am not holy because I am not God. If we did that (and some of us do), we would be neglecting a very clear command in the Holy Scriptures: “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15).

 

*Holiness is elevating God in our minds and recognizing that He fills the earth and knows our every thought (Psalm 139:2 and Psalms 19).

 

Holy living can be as simple as asking ourselves what God wants us to do before we do it. Just before we consider losing our temper, passing along some piece of malicious gossip, or possibly saying a cuss word, stopping to think, “Will this honor God?”

To be holy is to recognize that God exists and that He will reward those who look for Him in every facet of life (Hebrews 11:6).

Being holy is a process, and that process, like a journey, begins with the first step.

Guide me Lord Jesus to become all that You have planned for me and may my actions honor YOU!   Help me become more Holy for Your Glory and my joy.   Amen

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KNOWING GOD’S PLAN

By Bob / January 27, 2024

John 1:23,  John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.'”
John knew who he was and what he was called to do. This was one of the keys to his success.
Unlike most of us, John did not have an identity crisis growing up. He knew God’s plan and purpose for his life from the beginning and he spent his entire life preparing for it.

God has a plan for your life just as surely as he did for John the Baptist.

To succeed in life, you must find God’s plan for your life and then devote yourself to fulfilling that plan.

It is not enough to simply “do your own thing” and then ask God’s blessing upon it. Once you know you are doing God’s will, you never have to ask for God’s blessing. God’s will is already blessed.

The Lord created you with a purpose in mind. Your talents and abilities were given you to fulfill His purpose. Although you may find limited success using these talents for your own uses, you will never find your true potential until they are directed by and for the Lord.

The good news is that God wants to reveal His perfect plan for your life to you more than you want to know it. You can rest assured that if you ask for knowledge of His plan for your life, you will receive (Mt. 7:7).
He will show you His good, acceptable and perfect will (Rom. 12:1-2)

When we understand God’s love for us and His plan for us, then we can begin to realize the doors that He wants to open for us.
*But we’ll only realize these things when we’re constantly talking with Him, listening to His voice through His Written Word, and growing deeper in our relationship with Him.

God, remind me to bring my problems to You. I’m tired of living in my own strength. I need Your guidance and Your direction. As I seek You daily, I will put my trust in You. Amen

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I AM BANKRUPT

By Bob / January 21, 2024

The First Truth in the 8 Truths to Master Life.  

1.    I confess my spiritual and moral bankruptcy and agree with Jesus’ words: “without me you can do nothing.”

Result: I am fully accepted and welcomed into God’s Family.

I am “Accepted.”

*When this happens, I am fully accepted into God’s family.  Upon receiving Jesus and His work on the cross, of bearing my sin and His victory over death through His resurrection—I have the gift of eternal life. 

Isaiah 55:1. “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink—even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk—it’s all free!”
*Salvation is a gift from God. Gods thoughts and ways are far above our ways , when you accept his invitation. His invitation is for everyone “he that hath ears let him hear”.
Salvation is free a gift from God.

You said, “Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.” My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes (Job 42:4-6).

Notice the difference: “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.” The inner eye of the heart sees the nature of God. And the result? Job says, “I despise myself.”  That is repentance.

 

Job has never been in this place before. He is learning at last the hardest lesson of life, what God seeks to teach us all: the problem is never in others or in God; the problem is in us.
And it is a problem that only God can handle.

 

It looks as though God has humiliated Job and brought this poor, broken-hearted man down into the dust almost cruelly.
Yet it is not cruelty, it is love—because, at this point, when Job has finally given up trying to defend and justify himself, God begins to heal and pour into this man’s life blessings he never dreamed of.

 

Jesus said, Blessed are the poor in spirit, the men and women who are bankrupt in themselves, who stop counting on what they have to make it. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
God will begin to heal a life that repents before Him, and He will fill it with blessing and honor and glory and power.

None of the prideful things to which we cling will be worth the smallest portion of the glory and joy we have discovered in coming into a relationship with God Himself.
Thank You, Father, for this penetrating look at my own heart. How proud I have been, how filled with self-justification with complaints before You. Teach me to put my hand upon my mouth and admit to You that the problem lies so often with me so that You will heal and restore me.  Amen

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Experience Forgiveness

By Bob / January 20, 2024

Psalms 139:

1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
    and know everything about me.

7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
    I can never get away from your presence!

16 You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
    and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Ruth Bell Graham once said, “A great marriage is the union of two forgivers.

When you forgive your spouse, you are ultimately saying to them, “I choose to give up the right to punish you for how you have hurt me.”

When we forgive another person, it doesn’t mean we forget. And it doesn’t brush it away and pretend that it didn’t happen.

Forgiveness says, “I refuse to dwell on my anger and hurt.” It is an essential step to healing and restoring oneness.

Christ’s death on the cross—His forgiveness—restored our relationship to God. Trust that God can use your forgiveness to restore your relationship and change you both for the better.

Here are 4 steps that will help you express and experience forgiveness:

  1. Do it privately: Go to God in prayer and say, “God, I forgive _________ for hurting me. I choose to give up the right to punish __________.”
  2. Do it publicly and specifically: Go to the person and be specific, “I forgive you for ________.”
  3. Do it graciously: Keep the bigger goal in mind, which is restoring your relationship and rebuilding trust. That means giving up your right to punish!
  4. Do it generously: Acknowledge your own failings to maintain balance; not one of us is perfect! And once you’ve forgiven, refuse to bring up the matter again in a hurtful way.

Forgiveness gives us the opportunity to re-establish our relationship and make things right with our spouse or a family member.

It removes the issue that creates isolation in a relationship and empowers us to grow in oneness.

10 Keys to Forgiveness:(Emmett I. Aldrich)

1)      Let Go of the Anger

2)      Don’t be Stubborn

3)      Stop Thinking of yourself as a Victim

4)      Focus on the Future

5)      Re-Learn to Trust

6)      Be Reasonable in your expectations of Others

7)      Expect that it will take time to Forgive

8)      Examine your Heart

9)      Let Forgiveness become an Everyday Practice

10) Ask God for Guidance

Lord, Help me see and experience forgiveness in my life, knowing You are the God of restoration.  Help me be patient, knowing Your timing is Perfect!

Help us dear God to put aside resentment, hurt, hostility and bitterness so that we may have reconciliation with those who have offended us, and whom we have offended. Amen

 

 

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Are You Horizontal or Vertical?

By Bob / January 19, 2024

 by Os Hillman

“Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight” (Isaiah 5:21).

Many of us have been trained to make decisions and respond to problems in a horizontal way instead of vertical.

  • Operating from a horizontal basis means we try to fix the problem through our own self-efforts by bringing greater pressure upon it through our reasoning or our natural skills.
  • Operating from a vertical position means we are seeking God for the answer and waiting for him to impact the problem.

Perhaps it is a spouse who fails to put their clothes away, or a boss who is overly critical, or an employee that you clash with. When we operate horizontally we attempt to shame or coerce the other to change their ways.

God knows the solution to the problem before it ever exists. Our responsibility is to ask God for help to solve the problem and to rely on Him for the outcome.

The minute we take on the responsibility, God quietly stands by to let us experience failure until we decide to seek Him for the answer.

One of the best examples of the contrast between a vertical and horizontal dimension in scripture is that of King Saul and David (see 1 Samuel 25). King Saul thought the way to preserve his kingdom was to kill David. While in pursuit of him there were several occasions when David had the opportunity to kill Saul, but David chose to wait upon God’s timing and await his own deliverance because he understood authority. David had such respect for those who had been put in authority by God over him that he would not take matters into his own hands.

Saul represents the exact opposite of this principle. He thought David was the problem and sought to get rid of him through force. As a result, he lost his kingdom because he chose to rule horizontally instead of vertically under God’s rule in his life.

No matter what problem you face today, stay vertical with God!  Amen

 

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Affliction

By Bob / January 18, 2024

Psalm 119:92–93  If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have renewed my life.
One thing is certain in this world, we’re not going to escape affliction forever. At some time or other, each of us is going to know the meaning of that word affliction. In the New Testament the apostles told the new Christian congregation that we must, through much tribulation (or affliction) enter into the Kingdom of God.

So don’t try to find a way through life that bypasses affliction, because if you do find it, it won’t take you to heaven.

But in your affliction, you need an anchor. And that’s what the psalmist says in those words that I read: If God’s law had not been his delight he would have perished in his affliction.

When the pressures, the waves and the billows swept over him, when it seemed that his tiny little vessel was going to be carried away on those monstrous billows, he had an anchor. It was God’s law and that kept him.

And so he says, with gratitude, looking back on that experience, “I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have renewed my life.”

As we turn to God’s law in the midst of our affliction we receive from it life, new life, life that wells up in spite of all the opposition and the pressures against us.

Out of God’s law and God’s Word there comes a life that is a stronger and more powerful than all the forces that oppose us.‎

Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Matthew 6:33 Seek the Kingdom of God, above all else and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

We need to put God first in our lives to fill our thoughts with His desires to take His character(Beatitudes) for our pattern, and to serve and obey Him in everything having Jesus first place in every area of our life.

In Matthew 6:34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries.  Today’s trouble is enough for today.”  Amen

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