Devotions - Prayer
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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” My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ. ” Colossians 2:2
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27).
Are there things that make you laugh when you think of the miracle that would be required for it to take place?
Ask God for the miracle you need today.
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt. 11:28).
God reveals His truths to us in stages and not all at once (Isa. 28:9-10).
The truths of God are mysterious only to those who do not soften their heart by seeking God with their whole heart. As Jeremiah 29:13 says, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”
The piece of armor known as the “sword of the Spirit” is the only piece of armor that has the ability to cut, wound, and hurt our enemy, the devil. (Read Armor of God Eph. 6)
It’s not the Bible lying on your coffee table that makes the enemy flee, but it is the Word of God hidden in your heart, activated by the power of the Holy Spirit, and spoken in an appropriate situation.
*The Word by itself doesn’t make us free. It is the Word we know and speak that will deliver us (Jn. 8:32).
Why is the Word so effective? It’s because it is the WORD of God. It has authority, because it is indeed the WORD of God.
*God’s Word supersedes all authority of the church, of reason, of intellect, and even of Satan himself.
*It is the Holy Spirit that wields this Word as it is spoken in faith.
*Speaking God’s Word in faith brings the Holy Spirit into action.
In Luke 4, when Jesus was tempted of the devil for forty days, it was the Word of God, that Jesus used to defeat the enemy in the time of His temptation.
*Jesus constantly met His temptation by quoting from God’s Word as He repeatedly stated the phrase, “It is written.”
Likewise, the Christian soldier must avail himself of God’s Word by placing it in his heart, so that the Holy Spirit may bring it forth at the appropriate time to accomplish a complete and total victory. It’s yours.
Thank You Jesus–that through You – We Fight FROM Victory—-not For Victory. Amen! (see 1 John 4:4)
Read MoreFor One Cause—CHRIST!
“ 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)
HOW TO RESTORE A BROKEN RELATIONSHIP
1 Talk to GOD before talking to the person.
In doing so, you may find a change of heart or the other person may have changed without your help.
This may provide you the clarity you need.
2. Always take the initiative.
Make the first move; don’t wait for the other party. By delaying it deepens resentment and makes matters worse.
Acting quickly reduces the damage.
3. Sympathize with their feelings.
Listen first. Hear what they are feeling. Focus on their feelings and not the facts.
Begin with sympathy; not the solutions.
4. Confess your part of the conflict.
Admit your own mistakes. Determine how much of the problem is actually your fault or issue.
5. Attack the problem, not the person.
You cannot fix the problem if you are fixing blame. Choose between the two.
How you say things is as important as what you say.
6. Cooperate as much as possible.
Sometimes it costs us our pride; often our self-centeredness.
Do your best to compromise, adjust to others and show preference to their needs.
Lord, help me guard my heart above all else, for it determines the course of my life. Help me restore relationships that I may serve the Body of Christ as You have intended me too. Lord, continue to teach me about Your perfect Character through the Beatitudes in Mat. 5:3-12. Help me to become more and more like You each day. Amen
Read More“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear” (1 Corinthians 10:13a).
At times the road before me seems long, steep and challenging. I can feel lost. Uncertain. Afraid. Sometimes I’m not sure I have the strength for the journey.
It’s in those times that God wants me to remember I’m not traveling alone. He is my ever-present guide. He knows where the road leads. He can see what lies ahead. And that’s not all.
God also knows my concerns. He knows what I feel. The pain I cannot explain to someone else … God knows. The fear of the unknown—He knows. And He offers me Himself.
Perhaps you feel overwhelmed today. You may be experiencing some sadness, loss or worry. You may find that God has called you to a difficult path. “Surely,” you think, “God has an easier road for me to travel.”
The truth is, we aren’t wise enough to assume another path would be best for us.
*Maybe the easier road won’t make us into the person God intends us to be.
*Perhaps the difficult road is a path of grace—protecting us from the worst.
*Maybe this road is about learning something new about God or ourselves.
*Could it be the difficult journey is the path that prepares us for a greater purpose or a greater faith in God?
Out of all the possible paths, God knows the best path.
Our key verse reminds us, “His ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.”
**Because of this, we can take the path God has laid out for us today. We can trust, and not fear, in His infinite wisdom and love. And we can be certain that God will never lead us down the wrong road.
Do not be troubled by these times of perplexity. They are normal experiences coming to all in the life of faith.
Lord, because You will never lead me down the wrong road, I can trust You when I need to make decisions about my family, my career, and my health. Thank You for Your wisdom and guidance. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
“Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah.” – Judges 11:29a
We’ve all heard stories of individuals who have overcome extreme hardship during their childhood years.
*Children of alcoholics, orphans who never have parents, loss of parents to a fatal crash, childhood disease – these are all difficult circumstances to overcome.
Jephthah was a man who overcame his obstacles and refused to allow his circumstances to prevent him from becoming great in God’s sight.
*He was born to Gilead, a result of his father’s adulterous encounter with a prostitute.
*Jephthah’s half-brothers decided to reject Jephthah, and drove him away from their home saying, “You are not going to get any inheritance in our family because you are the son of another woman.”
*Imagine the rejection this young man felt as he was cast away from his own family.
This experience taught Jephthah to become a hardened warrior. Today he probably would have been part of a street gang?
As he got older, his reputation as a warrior became known to those in his country, so much so that when the Ammonites made war on Israel, the elders of Gilead went to Jephthah and asked him to be their commander.
Jephthah had to fight off those feelings of rejection from previous years.
“Didn’t you hate me and drive me from my father’s house?” he responded. He overcame his hurt and pain, and responded to the call God had on his life.
It is said that if we were to help the butterfly remove itself from the cocoon, the butterfly would not be strong enough to survive.
**It is the struggle that prepares the butterfly to become strong enough to fly.
**Without the struggle in the cocoon, it could not survive as a butterfly.
The Lord prepares each of us in similar ways.
*Some of our childhoods seem to have been harsh and born from a seemingly unloving God.
*However, the Lord knows our struggle and will make our life an instrument in His hand if we will choose to follow Him with an upright heart.
*Jesus does make all things beautiful in His time if we are willing to be patient.
Lord, I’m so glad I don’t have to say that right thing to get Your attention. Thank You for Your Spirit that lives in me and leads me—in my daily activities and even in my prayers. Please show me verses You want me to pray so I can see Your Word come alive in my circumstances and become active in my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
1 Thessalonians 5:16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Read MoreTwo wonderful absolutes.
1. The first absolute: GOD REALLY LOVES ME.
*God is not in the business of condemning His children, failures or not. He is a loving Father, wanting only to lift us out of our weaknesses.
*Sometimes we recognize His great love only when we hit bottom. You will have won a great victory if you can be convinced God loves you even in your wounded, crippled condition.
*Our strength is renewed by His everlasting love.
*Just rest in that wonderful love. Don’t panic. Deliverance will come.
2. The second absolute: IT IS MY FAITH THAT PLEASES HIM THE MOST!
“Without faith, it is impossible to please him” (Hebrews 11:6).
*God counts our trust as righteousness. “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness”. (Romans 4:3).
God delights in using failures—men and women who think they can do almost nothing right.
**God sends us to conquer nations but the first battle we have to win is the one against ourselves.
*That’s when we get to know him and we build the foundations of our relationship with him! (JN 17:3)
*His strength is perfected in our weakness, our inability to obey His commandments in our own strength.
*God calls us to a life of holiness and separation.
*God tells us we can be free from the bondage of sin.
When our heart begins to cry, “Lord, how can we do such great, holy things?”
That is when our Lord takes over!
God comes with such a comforting message:
-”Lay down your weapons.
-Quit trying to be so self–sufficient and strong.
-I am your weapon and your strength.
-Let Me do what you never can do.
-I will give you My righteousness,
-I will give you My holiness, My rest, My strength.
–You cannot save yourself or please Me in any way other than by receiving the blessings of the cross by faith.
–Let Me be in charge of your growth in holiness.”
* Father take over the battle of my life ……… Isaiah 41:14-16
*God, Your Word speaks hope and life to me. It is always right on target and speaks into my life and current situation. I hold onto Your Word and pray for Your strength and courage, for health and peace as I walk through this. And I raise it all up to You, I lift it up to You, trusting and believing in You for what is to come. So I give You the praise, the honor, and the glory, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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We mustn’t say, “I will choose to love this person if it kills me,” but rather “I will set myself aside and allow God to love this person through me.”
“But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven…”Matthew 5:44
A pure and contrite heart is being formed within us as we continue to walk out our eternal sanctification.
“Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, but humility goes before honor.” Proverbs 18:12
A negative thought first crossing our mind is not sin. But if we choose to bury that thought in our hearts or turn it into a negative action, sin is the result. We need to take that thought captive and immediately relinquish it to God.
“…we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ…” II Corinthians 10:5
Painful memories grow strangely dim when we allow the Holy Spirit to light the candle of God’s Love within our hearts.
“…but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14
Paul chose to look at life from a heavenly perspective. That’s why he could write:
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body (2 Cor. 4:8-10).
Paul had experienced a level of opposition and suffering that you and I can scarcely imagine. People said they would do things but did not follow through. He could not depend on certain people. Yet he was not crushed, and he refused to give in to despair. He viewed his life as a continual process of dying. His goal was to live in such a way that the life of Jesus would be revealed in his response to adversity.
Beware of placing too much expectation on others. Realize that people will let you down from time to time, but do not let that impact your faith. Trust God to work even through these disappointments.
The Bible is clear that humans do not achieve greatness without having their sinful will broken. This process is designed to create a nature change in each of us, not just a habit change. The Bible calls it circumcision. Circumcision is painful, bloody, and personal.
JN 17: 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
Thank You Jesus for the gift of eternal life. Help me always see the Eternal Perspective in all my circumstances to bring You Glory and me Hope. Amen
Read MoreLoving God with “all our heart” doesn’t just mean inviting Him into our hearts. It also means allowing Him to be the motivation for all our choices.
“Nevertheless I am continually with Thee; Thou hast taken hold of my right hand. With Thy counsel Thou wilt guide me, and afterward receive me to glory.” Psalm 73:23-24
How to stay free from bondage and captivity.
*How can we stay in victory?
*How can we walk in a constant flow of not having to return to the things that once plagued us?
Sometimes the emotional baggage that we grew up with can cause us to have certain patterns of living.
For instance, some might have experienced a series of disappointments that must be fought against.
*Is there a way not only to break free but to stay free?
*Is there a way not only to gain the victory but to keep the victory?
*Is there a way for us to find glorious, overcoming, sustained, powerful, lifelong victory in Jesus Christ?
You might think it will take ten years of counseling to attain victory, or twenty years for the maturation process to take place in your life, but Jesus can come in and instantly set you free.
Jesus will not only set you free but He will keep you walking in that freedom.
We need to have the kind of mindset that says,
***“It’s not about me, it’s all about Jesus.
*** It’s not about my purposes, plans and ambitions, it’s all about Him.”
Set your eyes on Jesus and He will cause you to be raised up and set free and He will enable you to stay free in the things of God.
“We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).
Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Amen
Read MoreSome of the things God brings up from our hidden chambers have been lifelong strongholds of the enemy.
They may appear as “giants” when we seek to break free of them, but God is already the Victor! You will see His salvation if you faint not.
“But Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.'” Exodus 14:13
Remember:*EACH person is given something to do that SHOWS who God is! This gifting God has given each one of us is an OUTLET for the OVERFLOW of GOD’S LOVE in our lives for others.
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.
Coming Out of the Stronghold
“Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah“… – 1 Samuel 22:
When life beats down on us and we get to the place where we want to hide in a cave, God often places people around us who prod us into moving in the right direction.
God does not want us to remain in the place of discouragement. He wants us to move into the land of “praise.” Judah means “praise.”
God is preparing each of us to be the vessel He wants to use in the life of another person, but we will never be that vessel if we give up and hide in our cave of discouragement.
God has no favorites-–we are all equal and have Gifts that need to be used for the Kingdom of God.
Our attitude must move from discouragement to praise.
*It is when we move past discouragement to praise that we begin living above our problems.
God help me to put my trust in You today. To trust in my relationship with You and my knowledge of Your love, justice and righteousness. Amen
Read MoreHow can we lay down our lives for God if we’re not really sure He loves us?
* “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loves us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ…” Ephesians 2:4-5
“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13b-14
Our PAST can be a hindrance or a help in moving forward toward God’s purposes for each of us.
*For some, the past has meant pain and heartache, and grace is required so that we do not let our past dictate our responses to the future.
*If we allow our past to make us a victim, then we have not entered into the grace that God has for us.
*If we live on memories of past successes and fail to raise our vision for new things, we again are victims of our past.
Our past should only be viewed for what we can learn from it.
We must move forward and avoid viewing the negative or the positive for more than what we can learn.
Many have allowed their past to dictate their future.
God is always about doing new things in our lives. He gives fresh revelation of His purposes in our lives.
*Do not live in the past.
*Do not hold onto bitterness that may hinder God from doing new and exciting things in your life.
Put aside such thoughts and allow God to do a new thing in your life. Ask Him to help you see the new things He wants to do in and through you today.
“When your memories are bigger than your dreams, you’re headed for the grave” [Author unknown]
You can do nothing about the past, but you can be strengthened and encouraged in the present with the Lord.
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
God, regardless of what’s happened in the past, help me to look up from where I am now. I thank You for Your new beginning for me. I will boldly step into it and walk out Your calling for Your Glory and my Joy. Amen
Read MoreI 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
Paul understood his personal mission, which should be the personal mission of every believer in Jesus Christ. It is the one summary statement that best describes the purpose of our existence on earth and the goal of our Christian experience. It can be reduced to three important characteristics.
- To know Christ.
- To know and experience His power.
- To identify with His sufferings.
All that flows from these three objectives becomes a by-product.
- Salvation is a by-product.
- Miracles are a by-product.
- Christ likeness is a by-product.
Paul’s focus was on relationship. He understood that the deeper the relationship, the more power he would experience. He also understood that as he grew in this relationship, there would be suffering.
Whenever the Kingdom of Light confronts the kingdom of darkness, there is a battle, and this often results in casualties.
Christ confronted these earthly kingdoms and suffered for it. Hebrews 5:8 Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.
If we are living at this level of obedience, we, too, will face similar battles; it simply comes with the territory.
Matthew 5:11 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.
- Does this sound like your personal mission statement?
- Is your focus in life centered on knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection?
- If not, press into Him today in order to begin experiencing Christ more intimately.
Lord thank you for persecution because it takes our eyes of earthly rewards, it strips away superficial belief, it strengthens the faith of us who endure and our attitude through it serves as an example to others who follow. What a testimony it can be to bring YOU the Glory! Amen
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So now the case is closed. There remains no accusing voice of condemnation against those who are joined in life union with Jesus the anointed. Romans 8:1
We each have moments when we start feeling overwhelmed by condemnation. Thoughts run through our heads like, “I wish I hadn’t done that,” or, “I could have done that better.”
You know, sometimes, after you’ve gone through the process of prayer, repentance, forgiveness, release, and so on, you have to choose to just shake it off.
If satan can’t keep you from repenting, he’ll try to trap you with a worldly sorrow that is non-productive; it paralyzes you with feeling terrible about yourself and a sense that you’ll never be anything significant.
But this is not God’s desire for you. Godly sorrow leads to repentance, and repentance leads to redemption.
When something like this happens, there are steps we can and should take – we forgive ourselves, we forgive others, we make things right if we need to. But then there comes a point where we simply have to shake it off. We can’t walk around dragging garbage and baggage.
We have one Justifier; we have a Redeemer. If we wallow in the mess we were caught in or a past situation, then we hinder the Redeemer’s anointing from activating in our lives. When we release it, God silences the accusing voice of condemnation, just as our opening verse says. “There remains no accusing voice”.
A little further in the Romans 8 passage, we read these amazing words: “You have received the spirit of full acceptance, enfolding you into the family of God, and you will never feel orphaned; for as He rises up within us, our spirits join in saying the words of tender affection, ‘Beloved Father.’ For the Holy Spirit makes God’s fatherhood real to us as He whispers into our inner most being.”
God wants to root out the orphan spirit in you and in the entire Body of Christ. He wants you to recognize that you are not a victim and that you don’t need to get caught in the trap of victimizing yourself. You are called to be whole, and you are unconditionally loved.
Father, I thank You that today we will feel totally accepted. Help us to reach a place where we feel accepted by You and by others. Thank You for uprooting the orphan spirit from our hearts. I thank You for this movement of the Holy Spirit bringing renewed passion for God as we recognize that we can feel close to Him, that we are 100% accepted. Help us remember that we are never alone and that God has never left us. We decree that we are not orphans; we belong to our heavenly Father. Amen.
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“Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the Israelites to move on.” – Exodus 14:15
Moses had brought the whole nation of Israel, approximately 600,000, to a dead end in the desert.
The only thing between Israel and Pharaoh’s pursuing army was the Red Sea.
Panic set in. The defenseless Israelites cried out,
“Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?…It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” (Ex. 14:11b-12)
God sometimes brings each of us to a “Red Sea” in our life.
*It may be a work problem that can’t be solved.
*It may be a marriage that seems to be failing.
*It may be a debilitating disease.
**Whatever your Red Sea, God tells us one thing: Keep moving forward.
The Red Sea was before them, yet God was angered at Moses and told him to “Keep moving.”
“But Lord, the Red Sea is before me.” “Keep moving.”
When we live by sight, we act on what we see. God sets this stage in dramatic fashion. God is into the dramatic. There is no way out without God here. That is just the way He wants it. No one will get glory except God.
There is great healing when we look past our own problems and seek to invest ourselves in others for the sake of Christ.
This is when our own Red Seas become parted.
*We begin to walk to freedom. But we will never experience the miracle of the Red Sea in our lives if we don’t first “Keep moving forward.
There is an issue that you must settle in your own mind and heart. There are just some things that you cannot fix or make different. You can only make decisions about the things that are yours to deal with, and that does not include other people and their choices.
Psalms 118:8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
Amen