Devotions - Prayer
Our God is so great that every star is counted and named. And yet He cares about us personally. He cares about the little things and the broken hearted among us. What an awesome God to be able to worship.
“[God] determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.” Psalm 147:4–5
Here the Scripture gives us a beautiful picture of the measureless wisdom, knowledge and power of the Lord.
*No human astronomer would dare to calculate the number of stars in the universe.
We know that it runs into millions and billions, but God knows the number of the stars and He calls each by name.
God’s understanding reaches out to the farthest corners of the universe and He knows exactly what’s going on with each star.
God controls its movements.
Astronomers can compute mathematically where each star was thousands of years ago or where it will be thousands of years from now because the stars are so absolutely accurate and reliable in their movements.
But don’t let us attribute that to some unseen, mechanical force.
The force, the wisdom, the power behind the movements of the stars is the force and the wisdom of our God. His understanding is infinite.
We marvel today at the achievements of computers, but let me tell you that God is greater than all the computers put together.
There’s nothing going on anywhere in the universe that He doesn’t know about, that He doesn’t control.
**He’s the Creator, He’s the Controller of the entire universe, and He’s our God.
As we learn to love God, He makes us an open, cleansed vessel so He can love others through us.
God has knowledge of all things at all times.
Isaiah 40:28 Have you never heard? Have you never understood?
The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. 29 He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.
God sees us as we really are. He knows our thoughts, motives, and desires. God Knows.
God is in control so what’s happening to me is happening for my good.
*Our God is a God of Love.
*He knows what’s best for us.
*It doesn’t matter what you are going through, “God Knows”.
If you give God a chance he can deliver you. God Knows.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me…Then I will teach transgressors Thy ways, and sinners will be converted to Thee.” Psalm 51:10,13 AMEN
“God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him”(Romans 8:29 MSG).
You are wonderfully complex (Psalm 139:14). To fulfill God’s purpose for you, you have to look at every dimension of your life and understand the factors that influence your identity.
The Bible says we are created in the image of God. No other animal was created in the image of God! Dogs have instinct but don’t know the difference between right and wrong. Elephants have no moral compass. But you get to choose to do right or wrong.
The freedom to choose is man’s greatest blessing and also his greatest curse, because we make stupid choices all the time that harm us and everyone around us.
The wild card can change the suit and number of the other cards you are dealt.
- You didn’t choose your chemistry, but you can choose what you do with your body.
- You didn’t choose your connections, but you can make new relationships and mend or nurture the ones you already have.
- You can choose how you respond to your circumstances, and you can choose to stop believing the harmful things people say to you.
Your identity is shaped by your choices. What choices will you make today that will positively affect the rest of your life?
Lord, thank you for your Holy Spirit and your word to teach me all the promises you have for me. Help me more each day to see “how You see me”, not what the world says. Amen
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When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God. – Exodus 31:18
Throughout the Bible, the word testimony is used in many ways. Testimony comes from the Hebrew word eduwth, which means “witness.”
The Ark of the Covenant contained the Ten Commandments, written and inscribed personally by God and given to Moses on Mount Sinai. These became known as the testimony. The ark was a divinely inspired structure that was to be used as a witness to the people of Israel and the whole world of God’s power and majesty.
These divinely created tablets were a witness of God’s activity on earth with man.
Throughout the Bible, God looked to create testimonies with His people.
-At the Red Sea, He created a testimony through Moses.
-God created a testimony through Joshua when He parted the Jordan River and allowed the people with the Ark to cross on dry land.
-When Lazarus lay dead for days, Jesus came and created a testimony of His ability to raise the dead.
Jesus is still looking for those who are willing to have a testimony created through their lives. One of the major characteristics of a God-ordained testimony is for something to happen that cannot be explained in the natural.
In other words, if you can make it happen through your abilities, it is not a testimony about God, but about you.
God wants to create a testimony in every aspect of your life – your family, your work, your church, and in your community. He is waiting to put His finger on your next endeavor to reveal His power through your life.
Look carefully at the events where God might want to create a testimony out of an impossible situation.
He delights in using His children for this purpose because it brings Him glory.
I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:10-11 – Acts 21:11-12 Amen
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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Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” Hebrews 4:16.
You don’t have to be hesitant or shy about coming to God for forgiveness. The Bible says, “Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most”.
At the throne of grace, you will not find scolding, punishment, or rejection. When we come to God with our sin, we receive his mercy, and we find his grace.
What’s the difference between mercy and grace?
- Mercy is forgiveness for all the things you’ve done in the past.
- Grace is the power to change in the future.
You need both.
- You need mercy for all the things you’ve done wrong in the past (forgiveness).
- And you need grace, the power to change, in the future. God says that when you come to him with honesty and humility, you will receive his forgiveness.
Let me tell you how not to get God’s forgiveness.
You don’t beg God. He wants to forgive you more than you want to be forgiven. You don’t have to beg.
You don’t bargain or bribe. “God, I’ll never do it again! I’ll live this kind of life. I’ll tithe 20 percent.” You don’t bargain. You don’t bribe. You don’t beg.
You just believe.
What do you believe? You believe God’s promise in Hebrews 4:16.
How do you do it? You just confess. Confession is not saying, “God, I’ll never do it again.” It’s saying, “You’re right, God. It was wrong. I was wrong.”
The Bible says in Romans 5:1,“Since we have been justified (that is, acquitted of sin, declared blameless before God) by faith, let us grasp the fact that we have peace with God … through our Lord Jesus Christ” .
What does it mean to be justified? It means “just as if you’d never sinned.”
Wouldn’t you like to have a heart that’s washed clean? No matter how deep the stain of your sin, God can take it out.
Lord, I confess and repent for not coming to You with all things. You are the way, the truth and the way. Help me daily to be in continuous prayer with you . Amen (see 1 Thes. 5:16-19)
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To walk with Christ is to walk in love.
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you…”Ephesians 5:1-2
Obedience To The “Heavenly Vision”
Acts 26:19 “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.
What is heaven’s mission “It is to spread the Gospel”
John 15:8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Today people are non-stop in their daily lives, but are we really LIVING or EXISTING?
Life with each generation seems to become busier than ever, even with technology where we thought it would accomplish more with less, well, we all know where that has taken us!
If we lose “the heavenly vision” God has given us, we alone are responsible—not God.
We lose the vision because of our own lack of spiritual growth. We put down the Word of God and that is our start of backsliding.
If we do not apply our beliefs about God to the issues of everyday life, the vision God has given us will never be fulfilled.
The only way to be obedient to “the heavenly vision” is to give our best for His glory.
Jesus was never to busy.
It is essential that we live and “walk in the light” of God’s vision for us (1 John 1:7).
Personal Ambition and Pride must die.
We learn that we do not live to build up ourselves any longer.
***We live only to be an instrument of the working of Jesus Christ. And we must learn the truth which Jesus taught his own disciples when he was here in the flesh, “Without me you can do nothing…” (John 15:5b).
You can do what? “Nothing!” You may do a lot in the eyes of the world. What you do might be esteemed there.
**But in the eyes of God, without him it is nothing.
Lord, I pray that I will learn the lesson, and that I will be willing to be a person no longer holding onto control of the program myself but quite willing to follow where you lead, and to trust in your life in me to be all that it takes to do all that needs to be done. Yes and may I only boast of you and Your work through it all. Amen
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One thing will give you the victory: Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.
**And faith is being satisfied in all that God is for us in Jesus Christ. (see Hebrews 11 the Faith Chapter)
John 8:32 “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that God’s Word was given to us “for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
*That is God’s method of pruning us, and He doesn’t need the devil’s help.
*His word will make us “perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
Joy changes everything, including our battle against evil.
One thing will give you the victory: Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.
**And faith is a being satisfied in all that God is for us in Jesus Christ.
* You’ve got to stoke that engine every morning so that the evils that are clawing at you loose its fangs.
You can’t have me, I’ve seen Jesus this morning.
*Lust, you can’t have me.
*Greed, you can’t have me.
*Fear of man, you can’t have me.
*Bitterness and anger, you can’t have me.
Yes—I’ve seen Jesus this morning.
The battle against evil is transformed by the way you think.
Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Lord, I know I cannot progress spiritually as long as I hang on to bitterness and offenses of the past. I realize through Your word and experiences that when I refuse to let go of the past, I am sowing seeds of separation. Lord, I Choose today to forgive and release those who have hurt me. Thank You for Faith—Faith in You Jesus! Thank You for Freedom!Amen
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When our lives get so busy that we are not listening or responding to His gentle touch, He must take more aggressive measures to get our attention.
The soul is a “neutral” territory that can either be governed by our own thoughts, emotions, and desires, or else given over to the Lordship of Christ.
“For the one who sows to his own flesh shall form the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.”Galatians 6:8
How and Where God Speaks
“The hand of the Lord was upon me there, and He said to me, ‘Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you.'” Ezekiel 3:22
When God wants to speak a very important word directly to us without interruption from the noise of our busy lives, he will take us “into the plain.”
The plain is a place of no distractions and no other persons. It is a place of silence. It can be a place of great need as it often fails to have the normal provisions we are accustomed to.
In modern times, it often means a separation from our normal activities such as jobs or families.
The plain can also be a place where we discover afresh that God’s hand has been on us all the time.
When we are so busy with life, we sometimes forget that God’s hand is still there, gently leading our path.
When our lives get so busy that we are not listening or responding to His gentle touch, He must take more aggressive measures to get our attention.
Thus, the plain is one of those appointed times of one-on-one communication with our heavenly Father.
Each day God calls us to our own mini-plain in order to speak to us through His Word and for us to hear.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me (Psalm 51:12).
David is also asking for help.
“Lord, give me this willing spirit,” he says, and God immediately gives it. Then it must be acted on.
That is the point. Do not wait for a feeling to come that you are forgiven. God has said you are forgiven. Do not wait for a feeling of power to possess you.
God has declared He has already given you the power. As you believe Him (and that is what faith is), you can do what you need to do and what God wants you to do.
A VISION WITHOUT ACTION IS ONLY A DELUSION!
Lord, thank You for giving me all that I need for both forgiveness and power through the Lord Jesus. Thank you for Your Voice and speaking to me. Amen.
Read MoreJohn 17:17 ” Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.”
In this prayer, Jesus prayed twice that the Father would keep His disciples from evil.
Then He reveals the way that God will accomplish this – through His Word, the holy scriptures.
*Anyone who desires to live for God, reject the devil, and reject the world’s system, must know God’s Word.
Hosea 4:6 My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me(lack of knowledge). Since you priests refuse to know me,
I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children.
We must study the scriptures, for they reveal the will of God for our actions and attitudes.
To be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, we must be filled with God’s Word.
God’s Word is His will! Those who are ignorant of God’s Word will be ignorant of God’s will.
Psalms 119:89 Your eternal word, O LORD, stands firm in heaven.
The starting point for any Christian is understanding God’s will for his life. How can a person obtain such knowledge?
The first step is to desire it-be hungry.
Jeremiah 29:13 says, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”
*People ask the Lord for knowledge of His will but don’t receive it because they aren’t seeking with ALL THEIR HEART.
*No one who has ever sought the Lord with all his heart has ever been disappointed.
The Holy Spirit is the dispenser of God’s wisdom. It is through Him that we know the things God has revealed to us.
*One of the primary ministries of the Holy Spirit is to reveal God’s will to us.
There is no way we can walk worthy of the Lord and please Him if we don’t know His will.
Furthermore, we can’t be fruitful without the knowledge of His will.
God has provided all that we need to be successful and victorious in this life. Believe His Word.
I’ve always told myself that I want to do God’s will. But I have, for most times, been clueless about that ‘God’s will’.
1 Thess. 5:18 Be thankful in ALL circumstances, for this is God’s WILL for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.
“Be thankful in ALL circumstances”. Lord, help us to never grow beyond being thankful. Amen
Read More“Make Room for Jesus” Let Jesus be your “Centerpiece”!
The Good News is:
Jesus came to first proclaim good news to the spiritually hurting, that is to preach good news to US!!!
- Jesus came to Heal the broken-hearted.
- Jesus came to set people free who are bound by sin.
- Jesus came to open our spiritual eyes to our spiritual need.
- Jesus came to lift up those who are crushed by life.
- Jesus came to give us abundant life.
- Jesus came to lift us from physical realm of the senses to the spiritual realm to show us that there is more to life. Jesus came to give us His life for us(Mark 10:45)
Colossians 2: 2 I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.
*Christmas is about the love of God. God was willing to come down from heaven to die for us, it was the ultimate sacrifice.
Luke 2:7 She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
There was no room for the Lord who was born to die for us so that we might have full and complete forgiveness of sins through Him. He was wrapped in swaddling cloths which were used to bury the dead. It is sad that even still today people are still saying to HIM “No Room!”.
Christmas Choice
“Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.'” Luke 2:13-14.
Keeping “Christ” in Christmas is more than just a cliché. It is an intentional act of worship. It requires a heart of adoration, much like the angels had.
It’s Christmas——-the most wonderful time of the year to celebrate – The Christ Child who brought beauty into our broken world, light into our darkness, and peace for each day.
MERRRY CHRISTMAS! REMEMBER GOD’S AMAZING LOVE SHOWN THROUGH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST!
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This Christmas Eve, I ask—
1.”What would be your best gift of all to receive?”
After much thought about material things it finally came down to: “the need to needed” and the “assurance of God’s love” for me as well as my wife and family members. ” TO BE LOVED ” WOULD BE MY GREATEST GIFT to receive.
2. “What would be your best gift to give to Others?”
My goal in this –is to give my love I have received from the Lord to others and be bold this season to Lift Up JESUS and His unconditional love He has for all that ask. “TELL OTHERS I LOVE THEM”
So my grown-up Christmas list would have one simple wish. That every person would truly understand the outrageous grace gift that God offers to each one of us. All we have to do is open that gift in faith.
Christmas is when the gift came to earth wrapped in swaddling clothes.
I wish that everyone who hears the Gospel message would comprehend the one way love that God demonstrated. Instead of turning His back on sinners who deserved just that God chose to reach out to His creation with a radical plan for forgiveness. A plan that is unlike any other religion in history.
Man made religion always demands something to earn salvation.
God’s plan for redemption requires the lost to bring nothing to the table other than their sin and the need for salvation. Nothing.
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
This Christmas Serve your spouse, family and friends instead of waiting to be served by them. Everything starts with Love by responding in a Christ-like way.
Your- healthy relationships places focus on others and not yourself.
Father, open the eyes of my heart. I see that for that to happen there must be the bending of the knee, the imploring of the Spirit in prayer, so that truth becomes vital and compelling. Help me love my wife Laura and never treat her harshly. Help me Love from a Pure Heart Lord. Help me respond in a Christ-like way to love my children, Grandchildren, Family and friends. Amen
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ — to the glory and praise of God”(Philippians 1:9-11 NIV).
Think of somebody who irritates you — maybe somebody you’ve got a strained relationship with or who just rubs you the wrong way. Two questions for you:
- One, do you pray for that person?
- Or do you just complain and grumble and nag and nitpick?
If you prayed more, you’d have a lot less to grumble, complain, nag, an$d nitpick about. It’s your decision.
Does nagging work? No. Does prayer work? Yes.
So why do you do more of the thing that doesn’t work than the one that does?
Pastor Friend of mine always says: “It is better to Bless others then Blast them”.
Paul says in Philippians 1:4,“Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy”.
Paul didn’t just pray for people in his life. He prayed with joy!
- Positive praying is more effective than positive thinking. All the positive thinking in the world isn’t going to change your husband or your wife or your child or your friend or your situation.
- Positive thinking can change you, but it won’t change somebody else. But positive prayer can make a difference in someone else.
Do you want to know the quickest way to change a bad relationship to a good one? Start praying blessings for the other person! It will change you, and it can change the other person.
Paul even told us how to pray for others: “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ — to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11).
From these verses, we can learn to pray for the people in our lives in four ways:
- Pray that they will grow in love:“This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.”
- Pray that they will make wise choices: “… so that you may be able to discern what is best …”
- Pray that they will live with integrity: “… and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ …”
- Pray that they will become like Jesus: “… filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ — to the glory and praise of God.”
Pray these for yourself and anyone else in your life, and watch how God turns around the relationship you thought was hopeless. Nothing is impossible with God! Amen
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…So that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. Romans 6:6
Christian, why would you play with sin?
- Has it not cost you enough already?
- Burnt child, will you play with the fire? What! When you have already been between the jaws of the lion, will you step a second time into his den?
- Have you not had enough of the old serpent? Did he not poison all your veins once, and will you play at the cobra’s den and put your hand in the dragon’s lair a second time?
- Did sin ever yield you real pleasure? Did you find solid satisfaction in it?
- If so, go back to your old drudgery, and wear the chain again, if it delights you. But inasmuch as sin never gave you what it promised to bestow but deluded you with lies, do not be snared by the old fowler: Be free, and let the memory of your enslavement prevent you from entering the net again!
It is contrary to the designs of eternal love, which are all focused on your purity and holiness; therefore do not run counter to the purposes of your Lord. 1 Thess. 4:4-5
Another thought should restrain you from sin. Christians can never sin cheaply; they pay a heavy price for iniquity. Transgression destroys peace of mind, obscures fellowship with Jesus, hinders prayer, brings darkness over the soul; therefore do not be the serf and slave of sin.
There is still a higher argument: Each time you serve sin you are “crucifying once again the Son of God . . . and holding him up to contempt.”(hebrews 6:6)
Can you bear that thought? If you have fallen into any special sin during this day, it may be that your Master has sent this admonition this day to bring you back before you have wandered very far.
Turn to Jesus afresh. He has not forgotten His love for you; His grace is still the same. With weeping and repentance, come to His footstool, and you shall be reunited in His love; you will be set upon a rock again, and your goings shall be established. Because Jesus Loves You-He made You to bring Him Glory and in return we will have PEACE! Amen
Read 1 Thess. 5:16-19 and see God’s will for you!
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In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
One of the things that made people such dynamic Christians is the fact that they chose to see life from God’s perspective.
In the worst of situations, they find new insights to praise and thank God.
The Bible tells us that we are to give thanks in everything, the good things AND the bad things. In Psalm 50:23, God says, “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me.”
In the hard times, thanksgiving is difficult. It is definitely a sacrifice to thank God in our troubles, but it is so very necessary.
Thanksgiving honors God, and when you and I honor God, He honors us (1 Samuel 2:30).
How is your thanksgiving factor? Are you facing tough times? Have you been griping and complaining about the things in your life that are hard, lonely and frustrating? Jesus is there:
- He knows about it,
- He is over it, and
- He cares for you.
Without question, Jesus has a purpose in every trial and tribulation.
Start today to live a life of thanksgiving. If you will do it, your attitude will change, the people around you will be blessed, and Jesus Christ will be glorified and honored.
Thank You Jesus, Help me share this joy of thanksgiving this Holiday with all I encounter. Amen
Give THANKS ALWAYS! Ecclesiastes 7:14 “Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life.”
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God’s Love gives us eyes to see Christ’s victory shining far above the earthly clouds of heartbreak and suffering.
“But being full of the Holy Spirit, he [Stephen] gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God…”Acts 7:55
Luke 12:48 ” But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.”
This verse is one of the clearest references in scripture about varying degrees of God’s judgment according to the knowledge of the person who committed the sin.
The whole chapter of Leviticus 4 is written to deal with sins committed in ignorance.
Jesus said in John 9:41, “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.”
Also, Romans 5:13 says, “sin is not imputed when there is no law.”
Paul said, in 1 Timothy 1:13, that he obtained mercy because he had sinned “ignorantly in unbelief.”
The sin he was speaking of was blasphemy, which Jesus taught was unforgivable if done against the Holy Ghost.
Therefore, we see that ignorance in Paul’s case entitled him to a second chance.
If he would have continued to blaspheme after he saw the truth, he would surely have paid the price. see Hebrews 10:26
This is not to say that a person who doesn’t have a complete revelation of God’s will is innocent regardless of his actions.
Leviticus 5:17 makes it clear that an individual is still guilty even if he sins through ignorance.
Romans 1:18-20 reveals that there is an intuitive knowledge of God within every person to the degree that they even understand the Godhead. This same chapter goes on to explain that people have rejected and changed this truth, but that God did give it and they are without excuse.
No one will be able to stand before God on judgment day and say, “God is not fair.”
He has given every person who has ever lived, regardless of how remote or isolated they may have been, the opportunity to know Him.
Your response to your circumstances will determine whether you will be victorious or victimized. Be strong and courageous. Let Jesus lead you to victory. see 1 John 4:4
2 Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
1John 4:4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.
Thank You Jesus for paying the price at the cross for us all. Help us give thanks daily for our Victory we have through You! Amen
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