Devotions - Prayer
“For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake…. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.” – 2 Corinthians 4:11-12
Death is the great mystery of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
*Death gives life.
*Jesus’ death on the cross gave life.
*The death of a vision brings new vision.
*The death of a seed gives new life.
*It is the central focus of God’s requirement for experiencing Him–death.
When Jesus extended us an invitation to experience salvation and a relationship with Him, it came with a great cost, our very lives.
Yet what we don’t realize is that until we relinquish our total lives, we really aren’t living at all.
Without this death we will continue to strive, manipulate, and fret over every detail of life.
It is when we finally say, “Yes, Lord, I am Yours completely,” that we experience real freedom for the first time.
This is the only time when Christ is fully seen in and through our lives.
The First Truth to Master Life says:
” I confess my spiritual and moral bankruptcy and agree with Jesus’ words: “without me you can do nothing.”
Result: I am fully accepted and welcomed into God’s Family.
I am “Accepted.”
*When this happens, I am fully accepted into God’s family. Upon receiving Jesus and His work on the cross, of bearing my sin and His victory over death through His resurrection—I have the gift of eternal life.
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“For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.” – Malachi 3:2b
The Lord has a specific manner of preparing His people for useful service.
*God desires to turn His children from rough, hard-edged stones into gems of gold and silver.
“He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years” (Malachi 3:3-4).
The refiner’s fire can only accomplish its purposes when the heat is turned up to extraordinary temperatures. It breaks down the metal in order for it to become moldable and shapeable.
*Only when the temperatures reach this level can the work be fully accomplished.
***So it is in our lives.
Why does God allow impossible situations in our lives? And how to deal with it?
When you pass through the fire it will not burn you.
Problems come because of the anointing of the Lord and it is attracted to you. If you find your self in problems it’s because God is preparing for something great.
Until the Lord completes His refining process, the offerings we make are not made in righteousness and cannot be acceptable.
Thank God that Jesus is our righteousness and that there is no righteousness apart from Him.
Still, the Lord continues to purge all that is not of His righteousness out of our lives.
*This comes through trials that bring each of us to the end of ourselves in order that He may only reflect that which is Himself.
When God takes you through the refiner’s fire, be encouraged because it is His overriding commitment to turn you from a rough, hard-edged stone to a precious metal.
He will do this through certain events in your relationships, and other circumstances in your life. Our job is to avoid trying to blow out the fire.
2 Chro 20:15 says the battle is not ours but the Lords, vs 17 says you will not need to fight in the battle but stand firm, hold your position and see the Lords salvation work, do not be afraid nor dismayed the Lord will be with you. Vs 20 says believe in the Lord your God and you will be established.
Lord, Continue to refine me each and everyday. Help me to never be comfortable or stagnant! Amen
See Psalms 139:23-24 for an additional prayer
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We must not only be “hearers” of God’s Word, but “doers” also.
When God brings someone to mind, be sure to follow through with whatever He tells you to do for that person.
“Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead…”James 2:17
Believer, Become What You Are
Romans 12:1–2, I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Believer, you died and the new you is alive, and you are God’s. *The whole of our Christian life is learning to become — by God’s Spirit — what we already are in Christ.
*These verses show us how this newness in us comes to life in our everyday choices.
We need to be honest with each other in sharing our shortcomings as well as our victories.
*When we are real and transparent with others, we give them the freedom to “remove their masks” in our presence.
“It is better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.” Proverbs 16:19
The key to success or failure lies in doing things at the word of Jesus.
Peter said, “at thy word I will let down the net.” God’s words always get results.
Luke 5:5, “And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.”
Serve the Lord with gladness!
As Jesus leads and guides you today, ask Him to show you someone who needs an extra special blessing that you can fulfill.
“And do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant.”Matthew 23:12
God hears our cries, and He answers our prayers so that He will receive all the glory as we grow together in His Word and journey toward living “so that” lives.
Heavenly Father, thank You for hearing the cry of my heart. Thank You for answering that cry because You are faithful to Your Word. Help me hear and obey so that You will receive all glory and honor and praise as I reach out to others in need. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Read MoreThere is an oxymoron throughout the Bible. It says that brokenness is strength.
*How can this be?
*How can brokenness be strength?
1 Samuel 2:1-10 Hannah’s heart rejoiced, not in Samuel, but in the Lord.
*She looks beyond the gift, and praises the Giver.
*She rejoiced in the salvation of the Lord, and in expectation of His coming, who is the whole salvation of his people.
*The strong are soon weakened, and the weak are soon strengthened, when God pleases.
*Are we poor? God made us poor, which is a good reason why we should be content, and make up our minds to our condition.
Matthew 5:3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
*Are we rich? God made us rich, which is a good reason why we should be thankful, and serve him cheerfully, and do good with the abundance he gives us.
*God respects not man’s wisdom or fancied excellences, but chooses those whom the world accounts foolish, teaching them to feel their guilt, and to value his free and precious salvation.
* In order to use men and women to their fullest extent, the Lord has to break His servants so that they might have a new kind of strength that is not human in origin. It is strength in spirit that is born only through brokenness.
*Paul was broken on the Damascus road.
*David was broken after his sin with Bathsheba.
The list could go on of those the Lord had to break in different ways before they could be used in the Kingdom.
When we are broken, we see the frailty of human strength and come to grips with the reality that we can do nothing in our own strength. Then, new strength emerges that God uses mightily. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Do not fear brokenness, for it may be the missing ingredient to a life that emerges with a new kind of strength and experience not known before. Pray for a broken and contrite heart that God can bless.
We need to go to the Scriptures to renew our minds through the Holy Spirit. ***When our minds are renewed, our actions will naturally be consistent with our thought life.
Dear Lord, Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.Psalms 139:23
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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 MoreJoin 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 More2 Timothy 4:3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will reject the truth and chase after myths.
*Imagine what your spiritual life would look like if you only asked WWJD? instead of what is everyone else doing?
“The lions may roar and growl, yet the teeth of the great lions are broken.” – Job 4:10
*When we buy into the enemy lie, we believe only what we have chosen to perceive to be true.
*It usually has no basis of truth.
Such was the case when Peter looked on the waters during a night boat journey with the other disciples. At first glance, he and the disciples screamed with fear, thinking that what they saw was a ghost. It was actually Jesus.
Follow Christ and the Truth shall be revealed to you. If you don’t follow Christ, someone else, the Devil, will sell you his Agenda.
“Know the Word for Yourself!!!”
* If you want to live in victory, you must give God’s Word a place of priority in your everyday life. How else will we know Truth VS Lie?
Satan’s name means “accuser.” He travels to and fro to accuse the brethren. He brings an impressive front to all he does, yet behind that front is a weak, toothless lion with a destination that has already been prepared in the great abyss. He knows his destination, but he wants to bring as many with him as possible; so he often has a big roar, but little bite.
The next time some event comes into your life that creates fear and trembling, first determine the source.
*Look past the emotions and evaluate the situation in light of God’s Word.
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. (We fight FROM Victory–not FOR Victory)
Lord, I want to fully integrate Your Word into my life. I don’t just want to hear someone tell me the Word once a week, I want to know it for myself. Lead me and give me ideas to pursue Your Word consistently. I pray these things in His name. Amen.
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What makes an effective Christian leader today? Is it charisma? Is it ability? Is it communication and oratory skills?
God’s view of an effective leader has nothing to do with these qualities. They may be a part of an effective leader. However, the core attribute of a Christian leader is his integrity with God and his obedience to follow Him.
When this happens, God manifests His power in and through that leader.
Effective Leadership is to come under the Truth of the Word of God–resulting in our work being our worship and God getting the glory–resulting in success being measured by faithfulness to Christ, following Him in obedience.
The World would say:Effective Leadership is to Believe in self- so the workplace centers on man’s achievements alone–Resulting in, success being measured by pride in material wealth.
Moses was effective because he was willing to obey the commands God gave him. When Moses did this, God manifested His presence in him. The result was that people followed.
*They followed because they saw God working in and through the man.
*They saw that this man was worthy of following because God’s anointing was on him.
When people see the Lord’s power manifested in your life, they will have a healthy fear of the Lord.
They will look at you and say, “This person has something I don’t have that is worthy of more investigation.”
Your challenge is to seek the Lord with a whole heart, resulting in God’s power being manifested in the daily activities of your life.
If you’re not experiencing regular encounters with God, it’s time to ask why not.
*We don’t live day-to-day for the next spiritual experience, but we should see by-products of a life centered in God that is reflected in fruit from His presence in our lives. (Read Galatians 5:16-24 to see the difference between good and bad fruit)
One of humility’s dominant characteristics is a God-dependency and not a self-sufficiency.
The truth of humility being the key to greatness or success was not new.
Jesus gave this truth new meaning by walking in humility as no one ever had before. (Read Matthew 5 3-11 for Jesus Character which we so need ourselves)
Humility is trusting in God and not in ourselves.
*Pride is self-sufficiency and self-exaltation while humility is self-denial and dependence upon God.
*Pride is the only reason that strife comes (Prov. 13:10); so remember, humility is the key to walking in love with our brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Lord Continue to humble me daily that I may totally depend on You!!!!! Amen
See 1 Corinthians 4:6 on how not to be prideful!
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 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)
Men often use God to achieve fortune, fame, honor and respect.
*Talent, personality and cleverness are used to advance God’s kingdom, but He is not impressed.
*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.
*God’s Word comes to us with some impossible challenges:
-“Resist the devil.
-Walk in the Spirit.
-Come out from among them.
-Love your enemies.
-Leave behind all your fears.
-Put down your lustful desires.
-Let no sin have dominion over you.”
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.”
Prayers
* Father take over the battle of my life and let your enemies be scattered in Jesus name Isaiah 41:14-16
* Father as we are gathered here, let your healing power flow to us in Jesus name. Luke 5:17
* I command every gate standing before me to be lifted up that the king of glory may come into my life. Psalm 24:7
* I have the Key of David… Father open to us doors of promotion, favour, opportunity, breakthroughs, healing, Fruitfulness, prosperity And close the doors of sickness, accidents, death, shame, failure, poverty, diseases, sorrow
*God, Your Word speaks hope and life to me. So I give You the praise, the honor, and the glory, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Psalm 142:3–4 When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way. In the path where I walk men have hidden a snare for me. Look to my right and see; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life.
I wonder whether you’ve ever felt like that: “No one cares about me. They don’t mind whether I live or whether I die. All I have is problems. I’m walking in a path and there are hidden snares on it. There are problems I don’t really understand and I don’t know how to solve. I can’t see any source of help. I look to the right, I look to the left. No one bothers about me. I’m just a speck of dust in the universe. I’m just a name on a list somewhere. There’s a birth certificate in some dusty office that relates that I was born, but no one cares.”
That’s not altogether true. There is someone who cares. There is someone who knows your way. That’s what the psalmist said, “When my spirit grows faint within me it is you who know my way.”
You may feel lonely, neglected, uncared for. You may not understand your own way, you may not know the problems that lie ahead, you may not have an answer to them all, but there is one who knows: it’s the Lord. He knows your way.
- He is with you;
- He will see you through if you will turn to Him in prayer.
- You are not forgotten, you are not neglected, you are not unwanted.
- He made you, He cares for you, He’s with you.
HOW DO YOU THINK JESUS SEES YOU?
- Ephesians 2:10: You are His Masterpiece.
- Psalms 139: He knit you together in your mothers womb.
- Ephesians 1:4: He knew you before the world was formed.
Jesus said that the greatest commandments are to love God wholeheartedly and to love others (Matt. 22:37-39). Ironically, it is only when we humbly serve others that we experience God’s fullness in our own lives.
Many try to achieve happiness by striving after their own desires. The result? Tired, unsatisfied people.
True contentment happens only when we walk closely with Jesus. He shows where we can humble ourselves and take care of others. These actions, done through His strength, will be blessed.
AMEN
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“Blessed is a man who perseveres under the trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12
The sin that makes God cry is being committed daily, not by pagan workers of iniquity but by multitudes of Christians—
**the sin of doubting God’s love for His children.
Jesus Christ was God in the flesh, and according to the book of John He wept when those closest to Him doubted His love and concern. (John 11:35)
*That was God incarnate at the tomb of Lazarus, crying over friends who failed to recognize who He was.
Jesus spoke to God in the presence of those around him. He wanted them to see that God is in the midst of their pain and hurt.
**God is present in our pain and suffering. He mourns with us when we are sad; he limits himself to feel these losses with us. He does listen to our cries when we are hurt.
Jesus says: “Here I Am.”
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away .” Revelation 21:4
Time and time again Christ’s dearest associates on this earth doubted His love for them.
*Think of the disciples in a storm-tossed boat that was taking on water.
*Jesus was in the stern of the boat, sound asleep. Fearing for their
lives, His followers shook Him awake and then accused Him of out right unconcern. “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” (Mark 4:38).
*How their accusation must have grieved the Lord! That was God Almighty in their boat!
How could He not care?
***But whenever men take their eyes off the Lord and concentrate
instead on their circumstances, doubt always takes over.
*Jesus was astounded! He said:
“How can you be afraid when I am with you? How can you question My love and care?”
Christians today grieve the Lord in this matter even more.
Let us look for His exceeding mercy and love, admit the sinfulness of our unbelief, and recognize who He is!
In John 11:25 Jesus makes what may be His most COMFORTING claim of all:
“I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE“.
Lord, Help my faith to sit solidly on Biblical Truth. Thank You Jesus! Amen
Read MoreProverbs 4:18 The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
Righteousness in the Bible is a path. A path is something that we walk on, something we move along. It suggests motion, change, development.
Some people would like righteousness to be some kind of static condition. “Well, I’m saved! Here I am; I’m righteous. All I need to do now is sit in church and sing hymns until the Lord calls me home.” That’s a mistake. Any static condition in which you do not change, progress and develop is not the righteousness of the Bible.(Here are a couple of my favorite Bible verses that helps me here Hosea 4:6, Hebrews 10.26, Romans 1:18-25, Romans 12:1-3 so then 1 Thess. 5:16-19)
The righteousness of the Bible is a path. And we enter into that path through an encounter with the Son of Righteousness, the Lord Jesus Christ. And when He shines into our lives, that’s like the first gleam of dawn. It’s the beginning of light. And then, as we move on in that path, the words are beautiful: “The light shines ever brighter till the full light of day.”
If you are walking in the path of righteousness, today’s light is brighter than yesterday’s and tomorrow will be brighter than today’s. So do not settle down and say, “I’ve arrived,” because that’s a mistake, that’s a deception. (see 1 John 1:5-7)The path of righteousness leads us always on until we come into the full light of the noonday sun and to the full and final revelation of God in eternity.
So if you are on that path, keep moving on, and if you haven’t yet found the path, you need to meet the Son of Righteousness, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Read Colossians 1:9-14 for your prayer and put your name in for the “you”. 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
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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Men’s hearts are failing them for fear over the things happening on this earth (see Luke 21:26).
Even devout Christians are getting caught up in this wave of fear and anxiety about the future.
*People are afraid the ship is sinking.
*Mankind is yearning for security.
Does it all sound scary? Certainly everything appears to be falling apart, as far as the natural eye can discern.
In his honest moments, even the skeptic must admit that something apocalyptic is taking place in the world.
* How can Christians keep fear out of their hearts?
*How can they face all the news reports and anticipate all the calamities and disasters without being afraid for their homes and children?
*Do they pay off all their bills, salt away some reserves in the bank, then just try to ride it out while hoping that a better day will come?
*Do they buy a farm or a piece of land and flee to the country, hoping they can escape the coming tragedies?
*Do they let their motivation die andsurrender to fear?
*Do they abandon all their dreams and ambitions and become as hermits?
**** God has everything under control.
That is right, everything is under control! You and I, and everything that touches us, are under His control.
No matter how things look in this drunken world, all things are still working together for good to everyone who loves God and are the called according to His purpose (see Romans 8:28).
The future looks evil and foreboding, but David said, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me” Psalms 23:4).
The message for believers today is that the future is under His control, so we need not fear.
The best defense against the devil is to be so “God-centered” that we give no place to Satan.
David said, “If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there” (Ps. 139:8). Any time Satan’s oppression is there, God’s presence is present too (Heb. 13:5)!
It’s just a matter of which one we focus on. Focusing on the devil is a trick of the devil.
Our total ability in the Christian life is found in Christ. It is not our ability that makes us strong, but our availability to Christ that enables us.
Paul said, “For when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Cor. 12:10). He was saying that when he recognized his inability and, therefore, relied on the Lord, then the Lord’s strength flowed through him. We can do all things THROUGH CHRIST.
Colossians 2: 2 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, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Father, I know You want me to share the love I have found in You. Forgive me for the many times I have been too busy to see the needs around me. Break my heart for those who are in pain and feel hopeless. Encourage them through me, Lord. Fill my heart with Your love so that I can give it away. In Jesus Name, Amen.
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