Devotions - Prayer
1 Thess. 4: 7 God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives.
*One must understand that sex is good under the covenant of marriage.
Live holy lives not impure lives. To Reject living holy– means rejecting God.
*God gave us his Holy Spirit and the power through His Spirit so believers can live holy lives.
I need to remember always to allow the Holy Spirit to have control over my life and reject the impurity of sin especially impure thoughts.
For the root of impure thoughts comes from the heart and influence my actions.
2 Timothy 2:22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.
*You once lived a life you don’t want to go back too. You accepted Jesus, the Lord almighty, as your Savior. Don’t go back too your old ways.
Our purity will determine the extent to which God will use us and demonstrate His power in us.
Those who truly love God will seek to obey him, which is really what purity is.
Holiness is not the absence of sin, but the presence of God in your life.
Impurity has both long term and short term effects, especially if we continue to let it linger in our lives, and God isn’t happy with that.
2 Timothy 2:22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.
*If we are slaves to sin, we will never be free. Jesus’ standard is the one to live up to.
We must proclaim God’s holiness on earth, just as it is proclaimed in heaven.
*Holiness Is A Choice, Your Choice
We live in an environment that is driven by sex, money and power!! That’s a problem
Ephesians 5:3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people.
* Lust produces bad sex, because it denies Relationship.
*Lust turns the other person into an object, a thing, a non-person.
***Jesus condemned lust because it cheapened sex; it made sex less that it was created to be.
God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.
Father, Grant me power to reject impurity and not just in actions, but thoughts too. I choose right now to reject an impure life and ask by faith that the Holy Spirit would take control of my life so I would honor you as holy before all men. Thank You for all your gifts. In Jesus name – Amen
Read More“I will live in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6b).
Someday your body is going to die, but you aren’t!
Your body is going to end, but that’s not going to be the end of you. You’re going to live forever in one of two places: Heaven or Hell. They’re both real places. Your body is going to die, but you’re not going to die, because you were made to last forever.
How long is forever going to last? Forever!
Why should Christians be the most confident about the future?
“Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord”(2 Corinthians 5:6, 8).
You’re not ready to live until you’re ready to die. You don’t know how to live until you’re ready to die. Only a fool would go through life totally unprepared for something that everybody knows is inevitable. Read Romans 1:18-22
You’re going to die someday. If you’ve accepted Christ, then you’re going to go to Heaven. You’ll be released from pain, from sorrow, from suffering, from depression, from fear. “He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good — tears gone, crying gone, pain gone — all the first order of things gone” (Revelation 21:4).
For Christians, death is a transfer, a promotion. It’s on to better things and no more problems. Amen
Death: Luke 16:19-31 Choices. All of us have.
The same choices to make. Lazarus(Luke 23:43). The Rich Man. We can Choice Christ or we can live for ourselves with no hope for the future. Jude 24-25 too.
Read More“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5 NIV).
If you want to make healthy choices to be well and whole again, you have to learn to be meek. Matthew 5:5 says, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (NIV).
The Bible lists many benefits of meekness: The meek will be satisfied (Psalm 22:26); God will guide them (Psalm 25:9); they will become wise (Proverbs 11:2); they will be filled with fresh joy (Isaiah 29:19).
There are many, many others. The problem is, we misunderstand this term. None of us really know what meekness is. In fact we often confuse it with another term that sounds like it — “meek” sounds like “weak.” Nobody wants to be weak, so nobody wants to be meek.
But the truth is meekness and weakness are at the opposite ends of the spectrum.
Meekness is in no way weakness. In fact, the Greek word for meekness literally means “strength under control.” To be meek is not to be weak. It’s used to describe a wild stallion that has been tamed. That stallion still has all the strength it had when it was wild, but now its strength is under control. It is strength bottled up for the master’s use.
God doesn’t want you to be weak, but he does want you to be meek. The Bible teaches that it’s one of the keys to stress reduction in your life.
Here’s a simple definition of the word meek: Let go, and let God.
That is the essence of meekness. It is surrendering, submitting, and agreeing to what God wants to do in your life. It’s letting God be God in your life. Let go, and let God.
I don’t know a phrase that will do more for your health physically or emotionally than this phrase. If you’ll begin to practice it in your life, it will relieve stress and eliminate worry. If you’ll let go and let God, it will defuse anger and end your hurt and resentment. Amen
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Join us for communityfestmn.com Aug. 22 5 to 8 -Baptisms come and join in.
Only because of Jesus are we able to extend unconditional forgiveness. If we love and serve Him, He will give us the grace we need to forgive others.
“…for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 2:10
We’re called to confess and repent of our own sins, and we’re called to unconditionally forgive the sins of others.
“…forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions.” Mark 11:25
The Old Testament story of Joseph and his brothers holds a potent message for New Testament Christians.
This story of one man’s forgiving love for his sinful brothers is a beautiful picture of God’s love and grace for sinful man.
Now the fact that Jacob loved Joseph so dearly did not mean that he loved his other sons any less.
He had faithfully cared for and blessed all his children.
They had received the same loving guidance and discipline, yet the older sons became jealous over what appeared to be one brother’s favored position.
Joseph seemed to get everything his heart desired, including a fancy coat of many colors. He was more blessed, more favored, more coddled—and it made them angry and jealous.
Have you ever been guilty of envying a brother in the Lord who seems to get everything he wants?
*His prayers always seem to be answered quickly.
*He never appears lonely, unloved or unneeded while you feel forsaken and alone.
*The roots of bitterness and jealousy begin to grow.
This is dangerous ground. The moment we believe our heavenly Father loves us less than He loves someone else, we open ourselves to all kinds of evil.
*Whenever we complain about our circumstances, whether aloud or silently in our hearts, we accuse God of neglect.
Beware! This is the very attitude that brought so much trouble to Joseph’s brothers.
Sometimes we are called to experience rejection for the Son of God living in us.
When we carry the cross of Christ, the world and even our families sometimes look at us as though we have a few marbles out of place.
Lord: Help me to follow You , live for You, live in You. Show me Your mission for me and help me to do it. Help me to put You first above everything else for your Glory and my joy. Amen
Read More“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” – 2 Corinthians 10:4
*A stronghold is a fortress of thoughts that controls and influences our attitudes.
*Strongholds color how we view certain situations, circumstances, or people.
*When these thoughts and activities become habitual, we allow a spiritual fortress to be built around us. We become so used to responding to the “voice” of that spirit, that its abode in us is secure. All of this happens on a subconscious level.
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete (2 Corinthians 10:3,5-6).
The steps to freedom come when we repent of our sins.
** It is through the power of the cross that we no longer need to be held in bondage.
For me, besides salvation, being set free from strongholds is the most important discovery in my entire Christian walk.
*My relationship to Christ changed immediately.
* I began to hear God’s voice through the Holy Spirit inspired Word.
* I began to trust Christ in areas I never thought possible.
*I could truly experience the love of Christ for the first time.
*I was set FREE and had a great PEACE.
*Life went from my selfish needs to having a heart to see others set FREE and experience this PEACE.
*Got an understanding of the Effects of the Power Behind The Lords Table.
1. The power of the blood of Jesus Christ has broken the power of death and hell.
2. The power of the blood has positioned us in a place of authority.
3. The power of the blood set us free from all demonic powers.
4. The power of the blood cause us to reign in life.
5. The power of the blood means guaranteed victory for the believer.
Real life is only in what is built on eternity. Are you building around a world whose reward is in this lifetime, or an eternal one?
*Hebrews 5:8 Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.
God, sometimes the situation in front of me seems impossible, but You have brought me through difficult times in the past, and I know You can do it again. As Psalms 139 says ” Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.”
In Jesus Name I pray, AMEN
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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“But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.” – Matthew 7:26
A wise man:
* Hears and pays attention to Gods word.
* He yields his heart to the instruction of other believers.
* He speaks Gods word to others and has conversations with others.
* A Godly man is able to teach and is teachable.
* He applies what he learns or gleans.
* Wisdom becomes the application of knowledge.
*He seeks to build and establish something that will last and is not temporary.
There were two kinds of people in the days of Jesus.
1. Some heard the words that Jesus spoke and were awed by His wisdom and understanding, but did nothing about what they heard.
2. Others heard those words and acted on them.
Jesus said that those who heard the words but failed to put them into practice were foolish and likened them to building a house on sand.
How foolish, indeed, it would be to build a house on sand.
The person who followed what Jesus taught was a person who would be sure to weather life’s storms.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” (Matthew 7:24-25).
You never know how well your house is built until it is tested by the elements.
*Torrential rains reveal the quality of your roof.
*Wind and cold reveal how well your home is insulated.
*Heat and sun reveal the quality of your paint and siding.
All these elements reveal whether a solid foundation has been laid to make your home a secure and lasting place to live.
*Many of us find that we have given only lip service to God’s commands.
*We are faced with the reality that our foundations are not strong enough to weather life’s storms.
When God sends a storm it’s to expose what’s not sturdy. Some of this stuff was pretty but not sturdy.
Lord, I pray –Knowing You are always listening.
Philippians 4:6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Thank You Jesus! Amen
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“Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.” Psalm 34:5
Perhaps the simplest way to understand shame is to think back on a moment when you experienced it.
You may have felt embarrassment, discomfort or self-consciousness.
Shame can also express itself in much weightier emotions, like when we feel humiliated, inadequate, injured or abused.
So many people live under the weight of shame without realizing it because we’ve been conditioned by culture and life experience to accept that feeling as normal.
Shame is simply always there; it’s that familiar yet profound feeling that we don’t measure up.
• Maybe you regularly view life through the lens of other people’s expectations (real or imagined), and you’re beginning to buckle under the pressure.
• Perhaps a friend betrayed you, one of your parents was emotionally or physically absent, or your loved one has a secret addiction, and you think it’s all somehow your fault.
• Maybe you’re stressed about your children and how you handle things at home.
The voice in your head says, I’m not a very good mothe/fatherr. Maybe you feel like a failure because life got hard, and now your dreams seem out of reach, or you just don’t know who you are anymore.
Maybe you go through life with ever-present feelings of inadequacy; you worry what other people would think if they knew the real you. Shame lurks in all of these things.
In spite of the overwhelming nature of shame, there is good news. The promise of Scripture is that when we look to God, He transforms our shame into something beautiful — a sparkling, splendorous joy.
It may take time, and there may always be moments in life when we experience shame, but when our identity is centered in Christ — not only knowing who we are in Christ, but knowing who He is in us — we can discard the dark covering of shame and rise in radiance. In other words, we may have shame, but in Jesus, shame no longer has us.
Whether you’re simply having a “not enough” moment, or you’ve been hiding in shame for years, have hope. You can overcome shame, because your Overcomer(Jesus at the Cross) already has for YOU!
1 Peter 2:6, “For in Scripture it says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’”
Dear heavenly Father, I praise You because You not only remove my shame, You faithfully transform it into something beautiful and new. And while I don’t fully understand it, I know You have the power to help me overcome shame because You’ve already done so on the cross. Open my heart to experience Your love and mercy. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Spiritual Warfare Verses: John 12:31, 1 Corinthians 15:55-57,
1 John 4:4, Ephesians 6:1-16, Philippians 3:10 and 1 John 5:4.
Read MoreYou cannot have lasting joy if your heart is not healed.
Have you put away the Old Person and are you living fully as a NEW person in Christ?
Colossians 3:3 Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life-even though invisible to spectators-is with Christ in God. He is your life.
Our PAST is JUST our testimony and nothing more. In God we are NEW, we are walking as the inner man (Holy Spirit) and no longer by flesh.
Eph. 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
“And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.” – Joshua 5:8
God requires each of us to be circumcised in heart( Paul’s words in Romans 2:29 and 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 – ‘real circumcision is a matter of the heart’) before we are allowed to enter and receive the blessings that await each believer in the Promised Land.
This circumcision can often be very painful.
*Circumcision requires losing our OLD way of life.
*The process of spiritual circumcision may mean a loss in areas that have been a part of our lives in order to DRAW us to the Savior and away from self.
****God understands this. Consequently, like the people of Israel, we must WAIT until WE ARE Healed from the past before we begin to be effective in our calling.
Loving God the way He wants us to love Him is not an emotion or feeling. It simply means Choosing to set “self” aside in ALL areas-not some!
Hebrews 5: 8 Though he was God’s Son, he learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, just as we do.
John 12: 24 “Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over.
Dear Lord, I’ve sinned and I let it distance me from You. My faith is not about my strength, but living in Your love and strength. Restore the joy of my salvation. Fill me up with Your love. Cleanse my heart and draw me close as I reach for You. Heal me Daily Lord to better serve You. Oh how Great to Live a life with You Lord within me, then living in the World without You. Thank You for your unconditional Love!!! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Read MoreGod’s Love for us is the same yesterday, today and forever.
“…you who have been borne by Me from birth, and have been carried from the womb; even to your old age, I shall be the same, and even to your graying years…I shall carry you…” Isaiah 46:3-4
Don’t lose hope. You might be hurting now, but out of every disaster, God can bring a new beginning. Believe in God, and watch Him show His glory in your life.
When you read the story of the death of Lazarus (John 11:1-45), you have to ask the question, “Why did Jesus delay in coming to see Lazarus?”
After all, Jesus had gotten word two days earlier that Lazarus was deathly ill. Why did he wait for two days to go see him? Did he not care?
Yes, Jesus cared. The Bible says he loved Lazarus. Then why did Jesus delay?
There are times when we pray and God doesn’t come through the way we expect him to come through. The healing doesn’t come. The answers don’t come. We cry, we pray, the tears flow, and we wonder, does God care about me?
Yes, he does! The same one who wept at the grave of Lazarus weeps for you. Jesus tears represent his sympathy to us as our Savior and High Priest.
***And not only that, Jesus went to the cross for you and me. He died for your sins. He’s prepared a place in heaven for you. What more could he have done to show his love and care for you and me?
In God’s own time and His own way, God will make a way when there seems to be no way. Whether you’re well or whether you’re sick… whether the answer comes as we expect it or not.
No matter how long you wait, GOD is never late.
There are 3 reasons God waits:
1. God is glorified.
*John 11:3 -it’s for the glory of God
– you can always pray,”God, be glorified in this.”
2. Faith is fortified.
*John 11: 26- Do you believe?
– God wants to use your trial to lead to more trust in Him.
3. Ministry is multiplied. “Testimonies” for what God has done!
God, My heart is overflowing with the truth and wisdom you have placed there today! And with such massive love and gratitude for Your compassion and love and healing! Thank you for taking the sadness and replacing it with joy! May I glorify you each day above All else. Amen!
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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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The Book of Proverbs Are For Work, Life and Living
The writers of proverbs want the readers to:
internalize God’s truth. OR: get God’s Word in your heart.
Below are thoughts on books 5, 6 & 7 of Proverbs.
Proverbs 5 – Watch Out for . . . . . . . Look forward to . . . . !
- Watch out for sex without love. Proverbs 5:1-14
- Look forward to true love in God’s ways. Proverbs 5:15-23
This is a very abbreviated statement of the Song of Solomon
Don’t wait to see what happens. Prepare for temptation by deciding NOW how you will act when you face it. (11-13)
Strategy For Effective Living
Begins with … God’s Wisdom ….. Respecting and appreciating who God is; reverence and awe toward God.
Requires … Moral Application …. Trusting in God and his Word; allowing his Word to speak to us personally; being willing to obey
Requires … Practical Application …. Acting on God’s direction daily
Results in … Effective living …. Experiencing what God does with our obedience
Proverbs 6 – Get up and get going – BUT – Watch out!
- These verses are not a plea against generosity, but against overextending one’s financial resources and acting in irresponsible ways that could lead to poverty. Need a balance between generosity and good stewardship.(1-5)
- That which God hates! Proverbs 6:16-35
Things God Hates
- Violent People……………………Proverbs 3:31-32
- Haughtiness, lying, murdering, scheming, eagerness to do wrong, a false witness, stirring up discord 6:16-19
- Those who are untruthful……………………12:22
- The sacrifice of the wicked…………………15:8
- The way of the wicked………………………15:9
- Evil plans……………………………………15:26
- Those who are proud………………………..16:15
- Those who judge unjustly…………………..17:15
Proverbs 7 – The seductive nature of seduction. (Lust a warning sign of danger ahead)
- There is no new temptation! (Romans 12:2-renew the mind)
- Know: 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 – 2 Timothy 2:22
God has given us His Truth to experience His Blessing in life.
“ 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.” (Colossians 2:2) AMEN
Read MoreJesus was first and foremost a “servant”, and God has called each one of us to follow His example.
“Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” 1 Peter 4:9-10
The world is shouting to us, “You can show us a miracle!
* It isn’t the Red Sea opening up that impresses us.
* It’s not seeing the blind given sight or the lame healed.
** It’s that you can look at the darkest hour of your life, a situation that’s hopeless to all human reasoning, and yet smile with joy, singing praises to God.
**That’s the miracle we want to see.”
Mark 6:52, “For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.”
Most of the time, we think of a person with a hard heart as being someone who is in terrible rebellion to God.
*While it is true that a rebellious person does have a hardened heart, in this instance, the Word is referring to the disciples’ hearts being hardened.
The word “hardened” as used here, means “to make calloused, unyielding or cold in spirit, or insensitive to.”
The disciples were not God haters, but rather they had become so sensitive to the natural world and its limitations that they were overwhelmed to see Jesus supersede these laws.
*Therefore, they had a hardened heart.
If they had kept in mind the miracle they had just seen Jesus perform (the feeding of the five thousand), then they wouldn’t have been amazed to see Jesus walking on the water toward them.
Many of us are more sensitive to fear and doubt than we are to the truths of God’s Word.
This is because we have thought more on things that minister fear and doubt.
When our hearts are hardened we don’t realize the goodness of God and how powerful He is.
Romans 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Isaiah 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
Jesus, You are the only Way, Truth and Life. So I ask, “what “truth” is being suppressed”? Yes- Reality, as defined by God. Thank You Jesus. Amen
Jesus said in John 15:14, “You are my friends if you do what I command” .
- You can’t say you love Jesus and then go live like the devil.
- You can’t say you’re a Christian and then keep on living a self-centered life.
- You can’t say you’re a follower of Jesus and then pick and choose the verses that you want to listen to and ignore the ones you don’t.
- Jesus says you’re his friend if you obey him and his commandments.
Why do we obey God? Nonbelievers get this wrong all the time. They say, “I don’t want to be a Christian because I don’t want to obey God. You believers obey him out of guilt or fear or obligation, and I don’t want that for my life.”
Why do we believers really obey God? Because he loves us! He wants the best for us. He loves you like nobody else will ever love you. The Bible says the only reason there’s love in the world is because God is love.
- We don’t obey God out of fear or guilt or obligation.
- We obey God out of love because he loved us and saved us.
Some people say, “Because you’re a Christian. You can’t do any of the fun stuff the rest of us do.”
Just look at them in the eye and say, “I could take all the drugs I want to take. I could get stoned all I want to get stoned. I could drink all I want to drink. I could go to all the parties I want to go to. I could go to bed with as many women as I want. I can disobey my parents.” But here’s the difference: Jesus changed my “want to.” I didn’t want to do those things then. I don’t want to do those things now. They are cheap, phony thrills that seem to give a temporary kick to life but then they kick back. They may look like freedom, but they don’t last, and they lead to despair, not dignity — depression, not delight.
John 15:9-11 says, “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me … When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”
God doesn’t want you to obey him because you’re afraid of him. He doesn’t want you to obey him because you’re scared of punishment. God wants you to obey him because of love. It’s HIS love that leads to true joy. AMEN
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