Devotions - Prayer
God’s Love always remembers and seeks out the brokenhearted.
* “…to comfort all who mourn, to grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning…”
Isaiah 61:2-3
Psalm 106:13 Yet how quickly they forgot what he had done! They wouldn’t wait for his counsel! 14 In the wilderness their desires ran wild, testing God’s patience in that dry wasteland. 15 So he gave them what they asked for, but he sent a plague along with it.
That’s a description of Israel in their relationship with God during the forty years in the wilderness.
God had performed mighty miracles on their behalf.
*He’d redeemed them out ofEgypt.
*He’d made provision for them in all their desert wandering.
**But Israel had a short memory.
* They soon forgot what He’d done for them.
*They didn’t wait for His counsel.
*They didn’t wait to see what God wanted to do next, but they were guilty of greed and lust.
*They asked for meat and it says God sent them their request.
The record shows that He sent them an abundance of quails that fell all around their camp and they were actually knee-deep in quails.
*But note that final commentary which is so tragic: God “gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.”
*Their bodies were filled, their souls were empty.
*Let us beware that we do not make the same mistake that we forget God’s goodness, that we do not wait for His counsel and that we ask to satisfy our lusts, and we even receive – but our souls become hungry and bare.
* Let’s wait for God’s counsel. Let’s not force our will upon God.
Sometimes we can do that and God will yield, but it’s to our own great hurt.
Romans 1:18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.
21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires.
Narrow your focus, refuse to allow your attention to be scattered in all directions. And, do not allow your focus to be on your trouble or current dilemma.
This is a time to look squarely into the Lord’s face, deliver your prayer with earnest faith, and trust Him to answer. Release yourself from all anxiety and worry.
* John 6:20 But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.”
Help me Lord to learn from Your word the sins of Your people so that I will not sin against You. Continue to remind me what You have done to deliver me in the valley when I get back on the mountain so that I don’t suffer spiritual decline. Lord, I Know now through experiences and Your Word–that Sometimes the wisest move I can make is to wait a little bit longer in each situation to understand Your Wise counsel. Thank You for Your patience with me! Help me Lord to keep by Total Focus on You and You alone. Amen
Read MoreGod’s Way of Agape is the only way that leads to life, but are you wiling to walk it?
* “For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.” Matthew 7:14
” He opened the rock, and water gushed out; like a river it flowed in the desert.” Psalm 105:41
That’s a picture of God’s provision for His people, Israel. In the forty years of their wandering through the wilderness, a dry and barren land where there were no pools, no rivers, no streams, where water was almost non-existent.
* God provided water for them in abundance.
* God provided it in a most unlikely way. He provided it out of a rock.
*God Himself was the rock and out of Himself there came His provision for His people in abundance.
It was important that Israel knew how to approach the rock.
*At one time Moses was commanded to strike it. At another time he was commanded to speak to it, and when he approached the rock in faith and obedience, out of that seemingly hard and unyielding rock there came an abundance of water that flowed like a river in the desert.
It’s often so in our lives, where in a time of barrenness when provision seems lacking, but God is there. He’s there in the form of a rock. He’s there in a form of something that seems hard and unyielding, something that we could complain about.
But when we recognize God in it and approach Him in faith and obedience, then the rock becomes the source of our provision.
All the benefits bestowed on Israel as a nation, were shadows of spiritual blessings with which we are blessed in Christ Jesus.
Having redeemed us with His blood, restored our souls to holiness, and set us at liberty from Satan’s bondage. Jesus guides and guards us all the way. He satisfies our souls with the bread of heaven, and the water of life from the Rock of salvation, and will bring us safely to heaven.
* Jesus redeems his servants from all iniquity, and purifies them unto himself, to be a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
“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
We are all in missions. Some are called to foreign lands. Some are called to the jungles of the workplace. Wherever you are called, serve the Lord in that place. Let Him demonstrate His power through your life so that others might experience JESUS through you today and see your vocation as worship to His glory.
Matthew 25:23 “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'”
*Success is not what you have but what you do with what you have.
*Do it with God’s way, not the way of the world.
*There is a Giver to every Christian out there. The gifts are spiritual gifts because the Giver is the Holy Spirit.
It’s not a reward or a purchased item. The gift is for the receiver to use in a ministry to others.
Thank You Jesus for Giving each one of us gifts to be used for Your Glory and our Joy. Help each of us approach our rock in faith and obedience, and then out of that seemingly hard and unyielding rock there will come an abundance of water which flows like a river in the desert. Thank You for being My rock of salvation. Amen
If we are not loving with God’s Love, we are spiritually dead.
“If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead.”. 1 John 3:14
All Christians have God’s Love within them, but not all Christians are willing to set themselves aside and become a free-flowing stream of Divine Love.
* “I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.” Revelation 21:6
The longer I walk with Jesus, the more I am convinced that repentance is not
just for sinners, but also for believers.
It is not simply a one-time thing, but something God’s people are called to do until Jesus returns.
Every Christian who maintains a repentant attitude brings upon his life God’s special attention.
Indeed, repentance opens up something to us that nothing else can.
* If we walk before the Lord with a repentant heart, we will be inundated with incredible blessings!
A repentant heart is soft, tender and pliable, is and easily molded by the Holy
Spirit. It responds to and acts upon godly reproof.
The number-one characteristic of a repentant heart is a readiness to
acknowledge GUILT.
* It is a willingness to accept blame for wrongdoing, to say,
“I am the one, Lord. I have sinned!”
If there is no admitting to sin, there can be no repentance:
“For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. ” (2 Corinthians 7:10).
“God whispers in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, and shouts in our pains.” -C.S. Lewis
If you are not willing to acknowledge you are never wrong, you are saying you don’t need to repent.
Before Pilate released Jesus into the hands of murderous priests and elders, he wanted the world to know it wasn’t his fault. He called for a basin of water,
dipped his hands into it and declared himself innocent of Christ’s blood before
the angry mob:
“When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was
made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it” (Matthew 27:24).
The phrase, “See ye to it” here means, “Make sure you all know my hands are
clean. I have done nothing wrong and I am clean from all guilt.”
Pilate’s hands were not clean, of course; he was about to hand over the Son of
God to murderers. This kind of thinking shuts a person off from any possibility
of repentance.
* Had a prophet approached Pilate the next day, preaching, “Repent
or perish!” the ruler would have been aghast. “Who, me?” he would have asked.
“I’ve done nothing wrong. How can I repent when I haven’t sinned?”
John writes: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us. . . . If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a
liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:8, 10).
Repentance: 3 movements
1) Change of Mind:
* Pause and reflect on your life Ps 145:8-9. Be slow to anger. Have compassion in all like what our God is like. God is a God of love.
2) Change of Heart:
* Do not just deny any wrongdoing. Repentance requires humility and contribution. Accept responsibility. Integrity.
3) Change of Life:
* Changed minds and hearts lead to change in our life.
Repentance is costly.
‘Costly Grace’ it calls us to discipleship to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly to God because it cost Him the life of His Son.
Biblical discipleship must affect the way we live our lives– So that we do not repeat our sin or wrongdoing.
Repentance:
1. Dictionary meaning: to regret, resolve not to continue wrongdoing.
2. OT: Turning away from sin to righteousness, from idolatry to true true worship from sin to moral behaviour.
3. NT: Change of mind and change of behaviour.
U-turn is a good vision of what Repentance looks like:
Biblically the word repent has to do with making a deliberate decision from sin, idolatry or moral wrongdoing.
*When we do wrong and God shows us our sin it leads us to repentance through Jesus.
* I will be thankful for the Godly sorrow that I encounter because it does lead to salvation.
Father, thank you for correcting my character even when it hurts. Lord help me see and be truly sorrow for my mistakes and not blame other people or circumstance…… And I ask You Jesus for forgiveness… This way, by faith, I know I will change my life….It may hurt but it leads to healing!
Psalms 139:23 Search me, OGod, 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. Amen
Have you been through fire in your life?
*If God allows you to go through anything in your life, there is a reason.
*God has a purpose and a plan.
Fire, as defined in Malachi 3:2. When God allows you to go through something, he’s working in your life.
If we genuinely want to be all that God wants us to be, we have to allow Him to take the impurities out of our lives. We have to be grateful for the fire.
Knowing the result and purpose of the refining process empowers us to “count it all joy” and to keep pressing on with hope and in expectancy!
“But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes.” – Malachi 3:2.
Soap cleanses the outside, FIRE cleanses the inside. And the Spirit of God does both!
*When you sin, repent!
* In-depth repentance brings in-depth cleansing. Don’t feel bad about feeling bad, feel good about it. Be glad your conscience is still sensitive and responsive to God.
*What you never want to hear God say is what He said about Ephraim: ‘Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone’ .
The fact that God is convicting you of sin is proof of His love for you.
*God can forgive your sin but He cannot overlook it.
*Unconfessed sin disrupts your fellowship with Him.
*Forgiveness is about more than just escaping the penalty of sin, it’s about restoring your fellowship with God.
You say, ‘Won’t God get tired of me sinning and repenting?’
*If Jesus told Peter to forgive his brother ‘seventy times seven’ would He do less for you?
The Bible says: ‘”Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool’.
When you sin and try to hide from God you only prolong your misery.
*So the moment you become aware of your sin, confess it, then leave His presence confident that He has forgiven you.
You’re not a loser, you’re a learner.
Alexander Pope said: ‘A man should never be ashamed to own he has been wrong, which is but saying in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.’
As difficult and painful as it may be to go through at the time, it remains truth that whenever Father sets to work on refining us, it is always for our own good.
In His unfailing love and mercy He carefully and attentively refines us that we may remain in right relationship with Him and be able to draw ever nearer to Him (continually presenting ourselves to our Father as living sacrifices).
Oh how He loves us! Oh He loves us!
The Lord has a specific manner of preparing His people for useful service.
*God desires to turn His children from rough, hard-edged stones into gems of gold and silver.
“He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years” (Malachi 3:3-4).
The refiner’s fire can only accomplish its purposes when the heat is turned up to extraordinary temperatures.
*It breaks down the metal in order for it to become moldable and shapeable. Only when the temperatures reach this level can the work be fully accomplished.
So it is in our lives.
Until the Lord completes His refining process, the offerings we make are not made in righteousness and cannot be acceptable.
Thank God that Jesus is our righteousness and that there is no righteousness apart from Him.
*Still, the Lord continues to purge all that is not of His righteousness out of our lives.
This comes through trials that bring each of us to the end of ourselves in order that He may only reflect that which is Himself.
When God takes you through the refiner’s fire, be encouraged because it is His overriding commitment to turn you from a rough, hard-edged stone to a precious metal.
*God will do this through certain events in your relationships, and other circumstances in your life.
*Our job is to avoid trying to blow out the fire.
With God, it’s a simple choice. You can let Him clean HEARTS now, or clean HOUSE later.
Let us each be encouraged: though weeping may endure for a night, JOY COMETH IN THE MORNING, FOR HE MAKES ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL IN HIS TIME…
*This is a time when you have to continue to press through stubborn difficulties.
* This is an opportunity to persevere and still stay strong in your faith. It may
seem like breakthrough will never come, but I’m telling you that it will. Don’t give up. Continue to trust the Lord for the answer to your prayers. The Lord sees what you’re going through, and He hears you. Be strong and courageous.
Isaiah 59:1 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor
His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.
You have entered a season of blessing in which the doors will open for opportunities to advance spiritually and naturally. You will be surprised and delighted as you progress through this extraordinary time in fires.
It is a time of revelation and resolution as things that have seemed to be beyond your ability to grasp will now be within your reach and will create a sense of freedom that you have longed for.
Draw near to the Lord, for He will give light, discernment, and truth where things have seemed to be murky.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Let us each be encouraged: though weeping may endure for a night, JOY COMETH IN THE MORNING, FOR HE MAKES ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL IN HIS TIME… Thank You Jesus for Loving US SO SO much! Lord as I have come through the fires, I look back and praise You for them. I Praise You for all that You have brought me through, for every impurity You took out of my life and for every blessing I have. Lord, Thank you for being in control! Amen
Read MoreTo experience the “fullness of God” is to have his supernatural Love. Wisdom and Power flowing into and out of our lives.
* “But I have received everything in full, and have an abundance…” Philippians 4:18
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up… (Ephesians 4:11-12).
Bless the Lord by blessing someone less fortunate today through Your……Time, Talent & Treasures
* “And if you give yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness…and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.”
Isaiah 58:10-11
Your gift may fall in one of the two major divisions within the body.
*There are certain gifts that might be called General Support Ministries, from which the whole body receives benefit.
* Then there is another division of gifts, which might be called Working Gifts.
The support ministries exist for the equipment of the saints for the work of the ministry (that is contact with the world) and for the building up of the body of Christ (that is maintaining the health of the church).
*Who is to do these two things?
*The saints, the people!
That is God’s intention. It is not the job of the pastors. (Acts 6)
Their work is something different. Pastor’s are to train and equip, and motivate the people to do this work.
It is the people who are to do the work of the church.
Anything less than this is a distortion of what God intended the church to be like.
* Many churches have become identified with buildings, great massive cathedrals and imposing structures, and these were referred to as the church.
*The popular thinking fastened upon the building as the identifying symbol of the church, instead of the PEOPLE.
Along with that idea there came a gradual transfer of responsibility from the people to the clergy to do the work of the ministry.
Soon Christianity became a spectator sport, very much akin to the definition I recently heard of football—eleven men down on the field, desperately in need of rest, and forty thousand people up in the grandstand desperately in need of exercise!
How do you find the gift that you have?
*The answer is you find spiritual gifts just as you find natural talents.
*You musicians, how do you know that you have the gift of music?
*What you enjoy doing is usually what God gives you the privilege of doing, for the exercise of spiritual gifts is a joyful thing to do. People take great pleasure in exercising these gifts.
One important indication is to see if others recognize the gift in you and encourage you to use it. It is important that others recognize your gift.
Open Your Gift!
But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. (Ephesians 4:7).
* The apostle suggests clearly that the power of the church lies in all Christians discovering and intelligently exercising the spiritual gift that was given to them when they became a member of the body of Christ.
In so many places the Church has forgotten it is a body and has tried to operate as another human organization; therefore, it has no more power than any other human organization at work in the world.
But Paul reminds us that the secret of the operation of the church is that each Christian has a gift.
It is our responsibility to recognize and fulfill that gift we each have.
If you are a Christian, if you have new life by the Spirit of God by faith in Jesus Christ, you have a spiritual gift.
*The church begins to live and exercise its impact and influence upon society when you begin to exercise your gift.
Do you know what your gift is? Have you ever asked yourself this question:
“What is the gift God has given to me since I am a Christian? What does He want me to do as a general area of ministry?” Do you know how to recognize a gift? Do you know how to develop it once you know what it is?
*The impact on the church in this area is directly related to how you answer those questions.
*Your own joy and fulfillment as a Christian depends on how you answer those questions.
All our flowery words about Jesus are not enough. Our Actions must match our words in order for it to become truth.
* “Even so you too outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Matthew 23:28
As believers we tend to measure our success on whether we have achieved a certain position or stature in life.
Even as Christians the temptation to believe that someone is blessed if they have achieved prominence is always confronting us.
In His discussion with Peter, Jesus was getting at the very heart of the matter of a person’s calling.
Peter was worried about whether his friend John was going to get the same lot in life as he was.
Jesus told him it should not be his concern.
* He was to concern himself only with one thing: his own calling before God.
Are you tempted to compare yourself with where others are in their life? Are you dissatisfied with where God has you right now?
Be of good cheer-“[be] confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6)
Salvation is not a reformation, but rather a regeneration, a new birth, a new creation, that can only be accomplished by a creative miracle of the Holy Spirit. Because of the new birth, He sees us through Jesus. Celebrate Life!
Remember we cannot do everything. God never intended it to be this way. We must stick close to His purpose in our life while encouraging others to discover their purpose and to use it in the Kingdom.
Lord, I am grateful to be a part of Your body and to partner with You in Your Kingdom work. Help me Lord, to encourage others to step out in faith and to walk in the purpose You have given them. Father, what a magnificent plan and program for this world to be helped, changed, and delivered in its utter need. God, grant that I catch something of the excitement and the challenge of using my gift/gifts. Lord thank You for the spiritual gifts you have given me. Let me not only discover them but use them to edify Your body and glorify Your Son in the power of the Spirit for Your Glory. Amen
Read More*Some things must die in order to be productive.
“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” – John 12:24
Death and Birth of a Vision–Almost every significant thing God births He allows to die before the vision is fulfilled in His own way.
*Abraham had a vision of being the father of a great nation (birth). Sarah was barren and became too old to have children (death). God gave Abraham and Sarah a son in their old age. He became the father of a great nation (fulfillment).
*Joseph had a vision that he would be a great leader and that many would bow down to him (birth).
Joseph’s brothers sold him to some merchants and he became a slave. Later he was falsely condemned to spend his years in prison (death). God allowed Joseph to interpret the dreams of the butler and baker and later the king, whereupon, he was made a ruler in the land (fulfillment).
*Moses had a vision of leading his people out of the bondage of Egypt (birth). Pharaoh as well as his own people drove Moses out of Egypt after Moses’ first attempt to relieve their bondage (death). God gave Moses signs and wonders to convince Pharaoh to free the people and bring them out of Egypt and into the Promised Land (fulfillment).
*The disciples had a vision of establishing the Kingdom of God with Jesus (birth). The very ones He came to save killed Jesus, and the disciples saw Him buried in a tomb (death). God raised Jesus from the dead, and the disciples performed great miracles until the gospel had spread through all the world (fulfillment).
*A grain of wheat has a “vision” of reproducing itself and many more grains of wheat (birth). The grain dies in the ground (death). A harvest springs up out of the very process of “death” in the ground (fulfillment).
Romans 13: 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Has God given you a vision that is yet unfulfilled?
*If that vision is born of God, He will raise it up in His own way.
*Do not try to raise the vision in your own strength.
Like Moses, who tried to fulfill the vision of freeing the Hebrews by killing the Egyptian, it will only fail. But wait on your heavenly Father to fulfill the vision.
*Then you will know that it was His vision when He fulfills it in the way only He can do.
Be on guard and remain fully and solidly positioned in the Lord’s presence.
For, the enemy has released an attack to get you off track and to scatter you to the wind. His strategy is to cause you to get emotionally invested in things you have no control over. Yours is not to try to control but to trust God in those things.
Refuse to allow the devil and his plans to get you off balance. Stand strong
and resolute in the Lord’s purposes. God is with you and for you.
Nahum 2:1 He who scatters has come up before your face. Man the fort! Watch the road! Strengthen your flanks! Fortify your power mightily.
Holy Father, let us come often into your presence, so that your light and goodness will protect us from temptation to sinful activity. When we focus on your goodness and love and try to walk the paths you have for us, such things will seem unappealing and out of place, But help us to Stand Strong with and for You, Jesus for Your Glory. Give us thankful joyful hearts that want to serve others and share Your LOVE. Amen.
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If we choose to walk God’s Way of Agape, everyone around us is going to notice the way we live…and especially the way we love.
“I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, because I hear of your love, and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all the saints…” Philemon 4-5
Ephesians 5:1. Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
* In order to imitate God I must walk in love. Walking in love looks like the walk of Jesus.
Everywhere he walked he put the needs of others about his own. He never walked anywhere without the needs of others being obvious to Him, and responding to those needs immediately with Action.
Everywhere I walk I must give the fragrant smell of selflessness. When I put others about myself is an offering that pleases God.
Being a Christian isn’t about making a weekly trip to church. We need to develop the character of God so others can actually see Jesus working in a practical way.
Galatians 5: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Mark 1:41, “And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him…. and he was cleansed.”
*Only Mark records this important statement that Jesus was “moved with compassion” in the healing of this leper.
There are three other instances in the gospels when Jesus was moved with compassion which resulted in healing (Mt. 14:14; 20:34; Lk. 7:13; and once in deliverance – Mk.5:19).
The difference between seeing a person healed or not healed many times is this all-important ingredient of love.
As can be seen from Mark’s account, two things happened:
(1) the leprosy departed.
(2) the man was cleansed.
Jesus not only removed the disease but restored the damaged parts of his body. This leper was healed as soon as Jesus spoke.
The Word of God is the will of God, and it reveals that it is always God’s will to heal.
Jesus often healed people by touching them, and others received their healing as they touched Jesus.
You can transmit the power or the anointing of God through the laying on of hands. Let Him use you today to touch others.
“Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul.” – Psalm 143:8 *Despite David’s many setbacks he continually sought to know and do God’s will in his life.
*Like many of us, his will got in the way of a sinless life.
“Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground” (Psalm 143:10).
Do you need direction in your life today? If so, David provides the best example of gaining direction. Set aside the morning hour to draw close to His presence. There, you will sense His unfailing love for you.
*His direction for your life will be a natural by-product of this time of communion with Him. Ask God to lead you by His Spirit today.
Lord, I pray that those I pray for will see the fruits in me for Your Glory and my joy. Ever remind me that I am Your child and I need to behave in that manner. Lord let me give the fragrant offering of selflessness everywhere I go. Help me to be attentive to the needs of others and not just sensitive to my own needs. Help me be a better listener! Amen
Let’s us have this boldness to believe and ask Jesus to heal those that are sick!
Jesus chose to lay down His Life so God’s Love could be poured forth from Him to us.
* “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His Life for the sheep…No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative.” John 10:11, 18
THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF HOW TO ASK JESUS FOR SOMETHING:
Matthew 8:2, ” And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean. 3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed. Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”
*This leper had it right — it is up to God whether or not to give us what we ask in prayer. If Jesus was willing to heal the leper, it would happen.
*Faith, is trusting His will, knowing he cares so much.
*Faith begins where the will of God is known.
John 4:46-54
*Crisis faith– man in need because his son is dying. Crisis is sometimes what we need to come to a real trust in God.
*Confident faith- confident that Jesus had the ability and will heal his son. We need to know that God has the power, and that He is not afraid to use it for us.
*Confirmed faith– Jesus confirms his faith. “He is healed, go home.” Keep record. Remember what God has done for you, and if He said no, look back later and recognize that He knew what He was doing when you didn’t.
*Contagious faith– whole family converts. When you can testify to God and His grace and mercy, faith spreads like wildfire.
When all four of these things come together, you have something that destroys barriers and walls that people set up to keep God out.
Leprosy was a hated disease and its symptoms are described in detail in Leviticus 13:1-46.
This leper believed Jesus could heal him, But Doubted His willingness to heal him. (Sound familiar?)
Jesus showed him His willingness to heal, and since He is no respecter of persons, He established a precedent for us (Rom. 2:11 For there is no partiality with God).
This leper did not know God’s will concerning healing, But this is not the case with us.
*The Word of God is the will of God, and it reveals that it is always God’s will to heal.
Isaiah 53:5, makes it clear that when Isaiah said “with his stripes we are healed”, he was speaking of the physical healing of our bodies.
*Jesus provided for physical healing as well as forgiveness of sins.
*Jesus has already healed us of the greatest disease of all, that of SIN, giving us the medication of redemption and forgiveness. How much more easily then will He heal us of our physical pain and illness.
Jesus paid the price for our healing Amen.
Jesus Physical healings:
*Matthew 9:22 But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well. And the woman was made well from that hour.
*Mark 5:34 And He said to her, Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.
* Luke 8:48 And He said to her, Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.
James 5:15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
*Many scriptures mention the healing of our bodies in conjunction with the forgiveness of our sins.
*Healing is a part of our salvation, just as much as the forgiveness of our sins.
Nowhere do we find Jesus refusing to heal anyone. In light of Jesus’ statement that He could do nothing of Himself, but only what He saw the Father do (Jn. 5:19 and 8:28-29), His actions are proof enough that it is always God’s will to heal.
There are certain things Jesus suffered for us that we should not suffer.
*Jesus died for our sins so that we would not have to pay for them (Rom. 6:23). *Jesus took our sicknesses and diseases so that we could walk in health (Mt. 8:17; 1 Pet. 2:24).
*Jesus became poor so that we, through His poverty, might be rich (2 Cor. 8:9).
If God be for us, then no one can successfully be against us.
The Lord has made every provision for you to walk in all He has provided for you today. Don’t put it off a minute longer.
*Take time to evaluate where you’ve been and to remember the things that you learned through your experiences.
*Do not give in to the temptations that come for you to be a victim of the difficulties you have endured, but rather use those lessons as a platform and a launching pad into greater wisdom and spiritual effectiveness.
Those things have made you stronger and have the potential to increase your faith if you maintain a proper perspective.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Father in heaven, I yield myself to You today. Search me and know my heart. Use me for Your glory. Let me be a beacon of Your love and light everywhere I go. Show me who to pray for and let Your healing virtue flow through me in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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This devotion, part 3 is Dedicated to my Best Friends that have lost a dear Nephew in his 20’s and to all the rest of us that have lost a young person in our lives.
When you loose a loved one–We don’t come with any glib answers. Let’s face it. This is tough stuff. We’re stunned. We’re hurting. We don’t understand. BUT! What JOY I have BECAUSE OF JESUS!
A new body for my new spirit is promised because I BELIEVE! Eternal life with JESUS is my destiny!
Oh Lord, I will tell YOUR STORY everywhere I go to everyone I meet! For heaven rejoices even the more for the one who receives YOU!
1 Timothy 1.
*Our past failures should remind us that we are all sinful (v.13-14)
A. REPENTANCE unlocks Gods GRACE and MERCY!
B. Mercy is Not getting what you DO deserve (v.13)
C. Grace is getting what you DON’T deserve. (v.14)
*Our current struggle with sin should keep us HUMBLE (v.15)
* Jesus redeems our past to make us an EXAMPLE (v.16)
* Jesus should get glory for anything we do that is ADMIRABLE (v.17)
I am a sinner who has sinned against God first and others second.
1 Timothy 1:15 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all.
*God’s grace can change anyone.
*Grace is the core of it all. God’s grace covers our sin.
Luke15:23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.
Luke 15:10 In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”
*God’s love is unconditional! God wants his children to come home.
*God is eager to show us his love, we must be willing to except his love and live in a way that honors him. Come home to you Father and Creator!
* God’s Grace can never be anything but a gift not conditional. A gift that came at a great cost.
*Paul found grace on the road to Damascus.
*Have you found grace?
** God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love and sound judgment.
Hebrews 7:25 Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.
John 6:37 However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.
Saul to Paul:
1. 1 Tim. 1:16- worst of sinners
2. Eph. 3:8- least of God’s people
3. 1 Cor. 15:9- least of apostles
Paul worst of sinners:
1 Timothy 1: 16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.
*In this we are united . That Jesus came For us that need Him
*Because of what He has done for me, who am I to be judgmental? Unkind? Unloving?
*Because He has shown me mercy, even at my worst, I will serve him. He has called me out by name and has given me freedom. Jesus came to save the lost…even a sinner like me.
* I will remember that I am in the same camp with Paul as being a huge sinner that has been saved through God’s Grace patience and love.
Paul least of God’s people:
Ephesians 3:8 Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.
*I will lead knowing that it is God’s plan for me.
*In the Word of God there are rich mines of truth that we may spend our whole lifetime in exploring, and yet we shall find that we have only begun to view their precious stores…. There are unsearchable riches for us. It will take us all eternity to comprehend the riches of the glory of God and of Jesus Christ ….Christ has said: “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink” (John 7:37). Have you exhausted the fountain?
Paul least of apostles:
1 Corinthians 15:9 For I (Paul) am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.
*Humility was the secret to Paul’s greatness. When we are humble we work harder. We realize that we don’t deserve what we have. A humble person will work any Job and do it well. Seeing every moment as a gift, an opportunity, he allows the grace he has received to fuel him to greatness. Here we see life after a man is spiritually awakened to his condition as an opportunity to catch up and win a race. A race perhaps against his sinful nature, where he surpasses the things that could have haunted him. As he vigorously labors in a new course instead of ruminating about his past he uses every opportunity to make things new, leaving the looming shadows
of the past behind.
If Paul who accomplished so much for the furthering of Christ’s Kingdom had a profile like this, what’s our excuse?
Also consider Moses had a temper, Noah got drunk, Gideon was a coward, Rahab a prostitute…
Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.
1 Corinthians 15:22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.
The Spirit, however will live forever if we live as God would have us live and are faithful to His teachings. The physical death is not the end; it is the beginning of a joyously life without end.
2 Corinthians 1:4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.
God, I am reminded this week that you are super patient with me and that I do not deserve your mercy or grace. I pray that I am able to extend that same grace and mercy to others. Father thank you for loving me and for sending your Son Jesus Christ to come and save a sinner like me. Thank you for your mercy and love. May I show your light in this dark world so others may also come to know your Love. Loving and Trusting You, Jesus- always!Amen.
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This devotion (part 2) is Dedicated to my Best Friends that have lost a dear Nephew in his 20’s and to all the rest of us that have lost a young person in our lives.
The greatest “WHY” in the Bible was uttered by the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross when He said “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46
*Because Jesus gave himself on the Cross, we can trust Him to have answers to ALL our other “WHY’S”.
We left off yesterday with this Question.
Where will you go when it’s your time to die?
In the passage, Jesus said to Mary and Martha in John 11: 25-26: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies. Do you believe this?”
Jesus didn’t merely say that there is a resurrection. Jesus claimed that HE IS the resurrection. The fact that He would rise from the dead was the guarantee that others would too. We often think that this is the land of the living, and that when we die we go the land of the dead.
The opposite is really true – this is the land of the dying, when our life here is over, we are transferred into the land of the living – either to a place of eternal joy or to a place of eternal torment. There are really only two possible destinations.
There’s only one requirement for entrance into resurrection life — it’s not a matter of trying to be good or even going to church — the only requirement is that you personally believe that Jesus exchanged his life for yours by absorbing your sins on a cross and that He rose again so that at the moment of your death you will rise too. (Ponder this. It’s Easter this weekend-He Has Risen!)
“To KNOW Jesus is to have eternal Life! (John 17:3)
Romans 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
*It states that Jesus took the form of a human, meaning He is fully human and fully God, and defeated sin and took our place. Which is why we have no worry of hell or God’s wrath because Jesus paid it all.
* When trouble comes, remember that, God has not forgotten about you!
*When trouble comes, remember that, God still loves you!
*Feelings of insecurities: Helplessness-Isolation-Fear of the future-Pessimism.
Help us Lord to: Let GO & Let God!!
God uses all things (even illness) for His glory. (Romans 8:28)
But even though my condition tempted you to reject me, you did not despise me or turn me away. No, you took me in and cared for me as though I were an angel from God or even Christ Jesus himself. (Galatians 4: 14)
*Paul was struck with an illness that is undescribed in Scripture. We can guess that they would have prayed for his healing, but he was not healed. God used that illness for Paul to preach to the Galatians.
*As joint heir with Christ, I want to live in freedom. I want to be able to stand firm in Christ and not be burdened by the yoke of slavery (sin). I want to live my life by the fruit of the spirit –Knowing I will face temptation on every side.
I know that God loves me and that my flesh is not always obedient. BUT GRACE!
Jude 24 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. 25 All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.
*When we get to Heaven and stand in His glorious presence, it will be joy unspeakable.
Isaiah :55:6 Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.
*Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. “For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”. (Matthew 26:41)
*Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. (Colossians 4:2)
*Never stop praying. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
Look up, says the Lord. Again, I say, look up! You have been looking too close to yourself and your own concerns so that you have not discerned what the Lord is doing.
You must see and know what the Lord is doing as well as what the enemy’s plans are against you. This is a time when the Lord will again bring you to new heights spiritually so that you can see and discern with greater clarity. He also is releasing an anointing that will increase your ingenuity, the power of your creative imagination. Position yourself to make the most of this next move.
Psalms 5:3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes (Ephesians 6:11).
* Paul says the battle is not against flesh and blood; it lies deeper than that.
*The basic problem is that this is a battle between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan and that people themselves are the battlefield.
* The battle is visible not only in the wars, revolutions, and crime waves that fill our newspapers, but it is also seen in the inner tensions and fears of individual lives, in the neurotic problems, all addictions to sin, and mental illnesses that afflict us today, in family fights and church struggles. It is even visible in nature, where all of life competes in a ruthless, deadly struggle to survive.
The whole race has fallen under the control of satanic forces, which Paul calls, “the world rulers of this present darkness” (6:12).
*We are not set free to live unto ourselves. We are set free in order to battle.
*That is the call that comes to all Christians.
*We are not set free in order to enjoy ourselves.
*We are set free to do battle, to engage in the fight, to overcome in our own lives, and to become the Channels by which Others are Set Free.
How do you do this? Paul’s answer is in one phrase:
“Put on the whole armor of God.” Full provision has been made that you might win in this battle. This is the amazing thing we must learn.
God has made full provision for us to fight these forces that hold the world in their grip.
Remember: We Fight From Victory not For Victory! (1 John 4:4).
We need to be Praying(talking to Jesus) through our circumstance which means simply this:
*The strength, power and encouragement we receive from the Lord while shut in with Him must see us through the trials ahead.
* The Victory you get in the secret closet, with the Lord, has to give us Victory on the battlefield. (Life)
*What exactly do you get from our time of prayer if not something that can see Us through the battle?
* “Praying through” means waiting for the total completion of your prayer. *Many of us Christians see only half-answered prayers because we do not allow what we received from the Lord in prayer and Word to carry us through our current trial.
Let us Never Forget, prayer is not finished—it is not “completed prayer”—until it sees us through to the other side of our trial.
*We have not “prayed it through “until we have “lived it through” our trials by the strength we received in God’s presence.
Under the control of satanic forces human beings are uncomfortable and unhappy but also completely unable to escape by any wisdom or power of their own.
*But the good news is that some have been set free through the coming of that “stronger one,” Jesus Himself, who came, as John tells us, “to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8b).
Through Jesus- deliverance is obtained. Through the amazing mystery of the Cross and the Resurrection, Jesus has broken the power and bondage of Satan over human lives.
*Us who individually receive and acknowledge this (totally God’s Grace and Gift) are set free to live in the freedom and liberty of the children of God. Praise God for the ones that make it.
But through the years of personal experience and the years of listening to others; the Battle is a daily-hourly Struggle and we really don’t totally HEAL until we Grieve properly and then start giving away to Others in NEED– the Knowledge, Truth, Love and Discernment we experienced through it all. This is Called “Our Testimony” of what Jesus has Done for “ME”!
*Revelation 12:11 And they have defeated him(satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.
*Jesus has broken Satan’s power over us.
It is not enough to only seek God when we face our troubles. The victory for you and me WAS WON when Jesus took our place on the Cross.
2 Corinthians 1:4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.
Father, tear away the delusive veils by which I have allowed myself to be rendered powerless in this great battle. Help me to understand that I would have no possibility of fighting were it not for the delivering work of the Lord Jesus, who has come to bind the power of darkness.
Lord, You are worthy of a mind that meditates on You daily; a heart that loves You steadfastly, and a will that follows Yours. When You call, help me respond according to who I know You to be: Faithful.
I would truly be nothing and nowhere without you Lord. Thank you for restoration. Thank you for restoring and renewing me. Thank you for rest and peace and love and joy and comfort. I will position myself Lord so that you can work through me to bring yourself glory honor and praise.
Thank You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
End of part 2 see part 3 tomorrow
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This 3 part devotion is Dedicated to my Best Friends that have lost a dear Nephew in his 20’s and to all the rest of us that have lost a young person in their lives.
When you loose a loved one–We don’t come with any glib answers. Let’s face it. This is tough stuff. We’re stunned. We’re hurting. We don’t understand.
Some of US are searching for answers. I have learned that it’s OK to ask those questions. It’s natural and good to wonder why death happens.
Grief is never an easy burden to bear – and never more so when it comes to us in what we can only regard as an untimely fashion. It causes to arise within us many questions – questions about ourselves and what we might or might not have done to make things different – questions about the one we loved and just what it was that he/she experienced during all their days – and questions about God and God’s goodness.
1 Corinthians 15:22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.
Grief and loss will affect our overall health naturally. But prevention can lead to depression or excessive addictive behavior. Denying ourselves proper grieving will also interfere with our daily life. Changing the routines that allow us to live such as being a parent, a friend, co-worker etc.
Crying is a normal and natural part of grieving. It has also been found, however, that crying and talking about the loss is not the only healthy response and, if forced or excessive, can be harmful.
Can we prevent Grief? “NO” Grief should not be prevented because it is a healthy response to loss. Instead, it should be respected. Those who are grieving should have support to help them through the process. If we try and prevent grief we can develop serious health issues. Genuine laughter is one of the healthiest ways to treat a grieving person.
The grief that we experience over the loss of a loved one is understandable, but we should rejoice that they will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment, and ascend to heaven just as Jesus did.
The physical bodies that we have are temporal. Just as our time on earth is limited, the physical life will end.
The Spirit, however will live forever if we live as God would have us live and are faithful to His teachings. The physical death is not the end; it is the beginning of a joyously life without end.
Romans 8:18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.
2 Corinthians 4:14 We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you.
When in such grief – carrying a burden that not only seems to be, but in fact is, overwhelming. Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, knew such grief when he walked among us, he understood and took upon Himself our pain and our sorrow, our sin and our guilt, our fear and our anger, and – in the end Jesus died our death.
But then something special happened – something that Jesus believed would happen, hoped would happen, trusted would happen. Jesus rose to life again – a new and glorious life – a life which he said, before he died – that he would share with all who came to Him. It was with such a faith in God and what God would accomplish through Him, that Jesus said to His disciples before His death and His Resurrection: “Come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
*We, in our grief, in our pain, in our anger, in our doubt, in our confusion, come to ask God to take our burden from us and give us in it’s place the burden Christ spoke of.
We come in the hope that the shadow of death might be turned into the light of a new day. We come to ask God to be merciful to us and grant us new life. New life here – and the new life Jesus spoke of in the heavenly places above. Our HomeLand is in Heaven.
Our compassionate Lord never fails those of us who are grieving. I truly do not know how any would get through these circumstances without Faith and without Friends and Family lifting them up in Prayer and their unconditional Love!
Psalms 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? Verse 4 The one thing I ask of the LORD— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD’S perfections and meditating in his Temple.
* When Christ is our life regardless of the circumstances we have a consistent Savior who will ALWAYS be there for us.
Philippians 3:21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control. *Hope in Heaven results in Holy Living!!!
*The greatest “WHY” in the Bible was uttered by the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross when He said “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46
*Because Jesus gave himself on the Cross, we can trust Him to have answers to ALL our other “WHY’S”.
2 Corinthians 1:4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.
God’s steadfast character and everlasting Name are calling to listen carefully. * A call to our mind—to which thoughts respond. * A call to our heart—to which emotions respond. * A call to our will—to which actions respond.
* Our Great Physician makes better our physical and emotional needs. (Exodus 15:26). We respond … I will ungrasp my heart for You to Heal me Lord!!!!!
*When troubles call, we respond by putting our faith, hope, and love in Jesus. And around every corner and with every birth, and death, and life lived in between, we continue to call on the Only Name of the One who is faithful. JESUS!
One thing we do know: The death of a believer Does Not seem as tragic to God as it does to us.
To us it is separation and sorrow. To God it is:
1. A promotion.
2. A release from the Burdens of earth.
3. Early Furlough from the Battle Zone.
4. Relocation to a better climate.
5. Instant transport to the Celestial City.
6. To depart and be with Christ, which is far better then Human mind can think.
7. To be absent from the body BUT Present with the Lord!
8. The place Jesus prepared.
*John 14: 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.
A person doesn’t cease to exist at death; he simply leaves his earthly body.
*Our Loved one has beaten us to heaven and is more alive than ever, for God is not a God of the dead, but of the Living. We don’t understand all of God’s purposes, But we know HE doesALL things well, and we must simply leave it there, In His LOVE!
Revelation 21:4 He (God) will wipe every tear form their eyes, and there will be NO more death or sorrow or crying or pain. ALL these things are Gone Forever.”
I’ve learned long ago that it’s really senseless to either accuse God or to try to defend Him in these situations. But neither is it sinful to question God. Some of us are wondering why God would allow this to happen. It’s OK for us to ask these kinds of questions.
Ecclesiastes 3:2 reminds us that there is a Time to be born and a Time to die. While we don’t understand the why’s, we do know it is always God’s perfect timing.
In the shortest verse in the entire Bible-surrounded by family and friends, Jesus is deeply moved and asks where the body of Lazarus is. When he views Lazarus, he could have said something extremely profound. Instead, John 11:35 tells us what Jesus did — “he wept.”
Here is Jesus of Nazareth, the world’s most complete, most perfect man, attending the funeral of a friend and openly weeping, without embarrassment, without apology. In fact, those watching him said, “See how much he loved him!”
If you feel like crying over your loss, don’t hold back. If it was OK for Jesus to cry, it’s OK for you and me to cry. God feels our pain — he wants you to let it out — and to let Him in on your feelings.
*Jesus wants to help you work through everything you’re feeling.
*Jesus wants to be a part of your life.
*God knows what it’s like to hurt. One day He lost a family member too, His one and only son JESUS.
I have a question for you today. Where will you go when it’s your time to die?
‘May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace.’ Amen
(Numbers6:24-26)
End of part one-see tomorrow for part 2.
Read MoreWithout God’s Love flowing from our hearts, good works and sacrificial giving are of no benefit.
“And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love [Agape], it profiteth me nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:3
Dealing with the Pride of Life
1 John 2:16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.
In this Verse we see some specific references to “Pitfalls” we should be avoiding in our lives:
1. “the lust of the flesh”.
2. “The lust of the eyes”.
3. “The boastful pride of life”.
4. With the added warning that such tendencies are “not from the Father, but…from the world.”
In fact, we see the “boastful pride of life” running rampant in society—in people’s insistence upon “doing their own thing” in their own strength.
“I Did It My Way” seems to be the theme song of choice for so many.
*One of the greatest indictments of this kind of behavior in the Old Testament is God’s chilling statement to His people in Jeremiah 2:13: “For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.”
**What a grave error: deliberately rejecting God’s provision (something which actually works) in favor of a contrivance made by our own devices (something which doesn’t work)!
Over the years, I have been convicted about so many areas of my life in which I have engaged in the fool’s errand of refusing God’s ways to build things my way instead.
*That has resulted in the necessity to ask the Lord for help in correcting the errors, cleaning up the messes and unsnarling the tangles caused by my own misguided humanistic efforts.
Have you had to endure some similar experiences?
His Strength, Not Ours—If the Lord truly intends to use us, it is absolutely necessary for us to learn and relearn the very basic lesson of operating in His strength rather than in our own.
Everybody should want to be like God.
Do you know what the essence of the temptation was? (This is very important.)
* The desire to be independent of God. That’s the essence of sin.
* As long as you are desiring in your heart to be independent of God, you are in a dangerous position.
Nothing in this universe has any right to be independent of the Creator.
**The way that they thought they could get independence was by knowledge.
*The way we take or receive an anxious thought is by speaking it. Doubtful thoughts will come, but we do not sin until we entertain them.
It is imperative that we watch the words we say.
*Begin to speak words in faith that line up with God’s Word, then Positive Results will follow.
*If we speak words of doubt, we will eventually believe them and have the Negative things that these words produce.
*There are no such things as “idle” words which will not work for or against us.
*Death or life is in the power of every word we speak (Prov. 18:21).
*Please understand: the desire to know wasn’t wrong.
**But the desire to be independent of God was the essence of their problem.
Obadiah 1: 3 You have been deceived by your own pride because you live in a rock fortress and make your home high in the mountains. ‘Who can ever reach us way up here?’ you ask boastfully.
I know many Christians who have not dealt with this root desire to be independent of God.
** This is the pride of life: “I can manage my life without God. If I’m in a real emergency, I’ll pray; but generally speaking I can handle the situation.”
*That was my thoughts in the past-But God hit me hard with this verse in
Galatians 6: 3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.
For some people, the Holy Spirit is like an emergency vehicle. When there’s nothing else they can do, they pray. That’s not the way we were designed to live.
We were designed to live in hour by hour and moment by moment dependence on the Spirit of God.
Dear Lord, I confess my tendency to operate in my own strength. I ask Your forgiveness for the many times when my first response to a problem or a crisis in my life, instead of relying upon You, has been to turn to my own resources. Lord, I acknowledge before You that my strength is totally inadequate for anything I have to face.
Standing in Your presence now, Lord, I turn actively from my own strength, and I express my utter reliance upon You and Your power. Any action I take, I will take in Your empowerment and not my own. Thank You for opening my eyes to the folly of operating under my own steam. Kneeling before Your throne, I call this tendency what it is: the sin of independence from You. And I call upon You to set me free from that tendency, in order that from this day forward, I may walk in complete reliance upon You and Your strength operating through me. Amen
Isaiah 2:11 Human pride will be brought down, and human arrogance will be humbled. Only the LORD will be exalted on that day of judgment.
*Everything that is lifted up shall be brought low. Nothing can compare to the glory of God.
How are we to get ready for the Return of our Lord Jesus Christ?
*God calls us to keep on worshiping Him.
*We are to encourage one another to keep on walking with God. ‘Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching’. (Hebrews 10:25).
Let our pride be humbled and let the Lord be exalted as we await Christ’s Return in ‘faith’, looking to Him alone for our ‘salvation’ (1 Peter 1:7-9).
2 Samuel 24:1-25. “The spirit of pride”
David wanted to ‘know the number of the people’ (verse2). Why? He wanted to feel important – ‘the big man’.
*David was not giving the glory to the Lord. He was taking it for himself.
* Did God give up on David – ‘a hopeless case, too full of himself and his own importance’?
Of course not! The Lord, whose ‘mercy is great’, drew David back to Himself. David confessed his sin – ‘I have sinned greatly… I have done very foolishly… I have sinned and I have done wickedly’ (2 Samuel 24:10, 17).
David was accepted by the Lord – ‘The Lord your God accepts you’. He was brought from pride to praise (2 Samuel 24:23, 25).
This is what God has done for us. We are ‘accepted in the Beloved’- ‘to the praise of His glorious grace’ (Ephesians 1:6).
“But after he had taken the census, David’s conscience began to bother him. And he said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly by taking this census. Please forgive my guilt, LORD, for doing this foolish thing.”” – 2 Samuel 24:10
*We are to boast only in the Lord not in ourselves. He is jealous for His glory. So should we.
It just seems to be human nature. As we grow in wealth and ability, our confidence moves from complete trust in the Lord to trust in our resources.
Ask God today to keep you from trusting in your own resources. Ask Him how to balance trust and blessing from Him this day.
MATTHEW 6:24, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
Jesus is speaking of spiritual vision. If we keep our attention (eye) single upon Jesus, the Word, then all that we will be filled with is the light of His Word (Jn. 1:1-14; Ps. 119:105).
* The key to victory is this singleness of purpose (Phil. 3:13). The strength of the laser lies in the fact that all of the light is concentrated on one single point.
*Likewise, the strength of the Christian lies in how single his or her vision is upon Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith.” (Heb. 12:1-3)
You may have God and riches, but you can only serve one of them.
In Matthew 6:24, the Lord amplifies this by saying that we cannot serve two masters. Why is this so? Because we do not have the capability of faithfully serving both of them.
*You will cleave to one more than the other.
*You cannot serve both with all of your heart.
*We just don’t have the capacity to do our best in two areas at the same time.
*God wants singleness of vision, singleness of purpose. He wants us to serve Him with all of our heart.
Put God to the test today. Put Him first in every area of your life and see if He won’t provide all the other things for you.
The Lord speaks to those places where you have been scattered to bring them into alignment.
You have done your best to make all of the pieces fit, but you haven’t had all
of the pieces you need. The things that have been missing will come to you and be put in order. What you need now is patience, wisdom, and direction.
Keep your hope and faith alive.
*Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
1 John 2:16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.
*We need to remember that the things of this world are temporary... So what’s the point in focusing all our efforts & desires into being temporarily defined by our possessions when our identity in Christ is eternal?
Lord help us to be Content and Humble in every situation. Guide us by your Grace and Holy Spirit, to live our lives to the fullest of what is required in your name Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us not be hearers only but doers as well. Lord let us be a great example on how to be Merciful, Grateful and Thankful in everything that we do.
Soften our hearts and guide us in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to be better than what we ought to be.
Lord let us be more content, (1John 2:15-17) And not love the world or the things in the world. For all that is in the world- the lust of the flesh, eyes, and the pride of life- is not of the father but is of the world.
The world is passing away, and the lust of it, but he who does the will of GOD abides forever. Amen and Amen
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Jesus chose to lay down His Life so God’s Love could be poured forth from Him to us.
* “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His Life for the sheep…No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative.” John 10:11, 18
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE GLORY OF GOD!
*Glory: The manifestation of God’s Presence in the believer.(Splendor, brightness, excellence, pre-eminence).
*The Glory of God is beyond definition.
One human way to try define it is: “The Glory of God, as encompassing ALL of the Attributes of God” (His Characteristics, Holiness, Love, Grace, …..).
John 17:4 I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.
*Person Goal : wouldn’t we all like to work towards that stage in our lives where we can go to the Lord’s throne fearlessly, confidently and boldly declare that we aspired and succeeded in bringing Glory to the Lord on this earth by the humble and holy followers we chose to be, through making a change in our lives and the lives of others with the grace of our living God.
Luke 2:9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them.
*The only way other people are going to experience the reality of our Christianity is by our love.
*Not everyone sees our devotion to God, but the Love we Show Others is the visible evidence of our faith.
A Pastor Job Description
Colossians 2:1 I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally. 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.
4 I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments. 5 For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.
***This seems to be an echo of Jesus’ ministry where he wanted to show the love of the Father.
“But whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?”
1 John 3:17
“And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert [shelter] from storm and from rain” (Isaiah 4:6).
*The glory of God’s presence will be our shelter from the heat.
*The Hebrew word for heat means “drought, desolation, barrenness” and here it is used as a type of God’s judgment on an evil society.
In Revelation 16, the fourth angel of judgment is given power “. . . to scorch
men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God” (Revelation 16:8-9).
*The Spirit of God is real, He is alive and has all of the authority and power.
*God has the power to bless you, bless your house, bless your marriage.
*Jesus died for our sins.
*Keep the message of the gospel.
*He so loved me, God gave his only son so I would not parish.
*The glory of God is our defense, our covering—”. . . a place of refuge . . .from storm and from rain”— and we will rest in the cool shadow of Jesus’ wings.
*Already we are seeing the rain of Holy Spirit outpourings as well as
God’s judgments.
*The storm clouds are gathering but, thank God, there will be a
covering over His holy remnant church.
You may say, “I have no glory church I can attend. All I can find are man-centered churches. Where is my covering from the heat and storm?”
*Your dwelling place is the glory of God in your own heart.
* If Jesus is present in you, manifesting Himself to you, then you are covered in full.
* If you turn your heart and eyes toward Him, allowing His Word to reprove, convict and correct you, He will reveal Himself to you. He has promised it!
“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21).
God says, “I will be there with you. It doesn’t matter how bad it gets, I will
see you through. I will never leave you nor forsake you!”
Revelation 21:23 And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.
2 Corinthians 3:18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.
*To receive wisdom, we must allow God to remove our “veils“. These are the things we hide behind and use to try to give ourselves a sense of security or value apart from God. They include controlling behavior, pride, perfectionism, and a desire to glorify our kids or ourselves.
What are your “veils”? Have you arranged your life so you have become too comfortable with these blind spots? Has your parenting suffered as a result? It takes courage to ask the Holy Spirit to lift the veil that covers areas we need to change.
But to experience new life and Christ-like growth, we must be willing to let God remove the veils and let our sinful habits die.
*Allow God to remove your “veils” and invite Him to contend with your heart.
“Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
Thank you Lord for your Holy Spirit who comforts us always.
” For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.(Colossians 1:26).
May those who see the gospel of Jesus Christ as a mystery today have their minds and hearts opened to experience the presence and saving power of Christ!
Lord , a special Thank you for my wife and soul-mate, Laura this day, her Birthday! Bless her and show her more of Your love! Thank you for the years we have had together in sharing Your Love and Truth with others. It is such a blessing to be blessed to grow together IN You-JESUS! Amen
*If your not experiencing a growing life and awe in Christ, go pray and pray and weep to God until Jesus Christ is the greatest thing you have heard, and know, and ever will know! YOU ARE HIS MASTERPIECE! (Eph. 2:10)
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We all long to hear……”Well done good and faithful servant!”
*”But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Luke 14:13-14
Deuteronomy 10: 16 Therefore, change your hearts and stop being stubborn.
4 Reasons People Resist Change
*Change is hard. As you struggle with people it’s good to have a reminder of the reasons people work so hard to resist change.
Figure out which of these applies to you, and how to overcome it, and you’ll be well on your way to seeing the birth of a transformed person or group.
Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
1. Self-Interest.
*On a scale of 1-10, how well do you adapt to change?
Change is an unfair imposition on their territory. Silos and walls happen, and people want to control their turf. They need to exert control over their immediate surroundings, and want to feel like they have a say in their own future.
* Like it or not, we human beings are territorial and want some sense of our own power.
*How selfishness perverts your strengths.
*Ephesians 4:25 So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. 26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
2. Misunderstanding or a Lack of Trust.
*What people don’t understand, they will resist.
*Just because you see why people need to change doesn’t mean they will.
*Realize that you have knowledge they don’t have, so make sure you’re helping them understand ALL the issues and options.
Psalms 37: 5 Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you. Verse 7 Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act.
3. Differing Ways of Assessing Things.
*People have opinions, and may see the cost as greater than the benefits.
*Luke 14:28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?
The Cost of Following Jesus
*Galatians 5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
4. People Lack Confidence in the Decision-Making Process.
*Sometimes they don’t believe all the relevant info has been included in the process, or they don’t trust the person in charge of implementing the change. *If they’re not confident that the cost is worth it, they’ll fight against it.
*The key here is to be sure they’re aware or involved in process.
How to Overcome Resistance to Change—–Knowing WHY we are fighting change is half the battle.
*Most people struggle with change, so you need to figure out where they’re uncomfortable.
* When that happens, you can focus on what really matters – becoming the ministry, Business, etc. you were meant to be.
*This is a time when you have to continue to press through stubborn difficulties.
* This is an opportunity to persevere and still stay strong in your faith. It may
seem like breakthrough will never come, but I’m telling you that it will. Don’t give up. Continue to trust the Lord for the answer to your prayers. The Lord sees what you’re going through, and He hears you. Be strong and courageous.
*Isaiah 59:1 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor
His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.
*Deuteronomy 30:6 “The LORD your God will change your heart and the hearts of all your descendants, so that you will love him with all your heart and soul and so you may live!
*Whatever we do in life, we should plan out our course and “count the cost.” as we Move Forward. This is great advice for the vital things that we do; where we invest our time, thoughts and talents.
*In all things, I will first count the cost before launching off.
2 Corinthians 3:16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
Dear God, please help me in all things of importance to count the cost. To evaluate my life’s goals so that I have the confidence that I will be able to finish what I have started.
LORD – help us to genuinely trust and accept what Christ has done. May we live like we are free and not under the bondage of perfection. Yet help us strive for such -knowing we will never hit the mark on this side of heaven … Help us CHANGE to be imitators of You Jesus. Amen
Ephesians 5:1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.