Devotions - Prayer
Though God loves us while we’re yet sinners, His Love relentlessly guides us toward wholeness in Him.
**” I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion. I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as the LORD.”
Hosea 2:19-20
* God’s love for us is unrelenting & unconditional. He doesn’t see us as we are, BUT what we can/will be.
*Gods way isn’t always the easiest way but the Best Way!!
*God will never stop loving, pursuing us. Surrender yourself to Him! “FREEDOM”
** The Pull of Sin and The Power of God
” Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, OLORD, my rock and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:13-14
I think we have all been here at one time or another. Due to the pull and power of sin on our flesh, we struggle with some behavior that we know is not pleasing to God.
Some really do struggle with gossip, negative attitudes, anger issues, pornography, adultery, and lying to mention a few.
*These sins are ALL controllable and yet they along with others pull on our flesh.
The Psalmist calls them deliberate sins; which could mean they are premeditated in one way or another.
The Psalmist gives to us, I believe, a key component to overcoming this battle. It is found in the word “meditation.” The Psalmist prayer was to have the meditations of his heart acceptable before God.
God certainly gives to each of us a free will, we are not puppets on a string. So, may God strengthen our ability to meditate upon Him because in doing so, He helps us to rise above sinful desires.
We meditate and He defeats. So stop trying to do what you can’t do (defeat) and work on what you can do (meditate).
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.
Sin is Also a “double pain” to God — The first part of God’s “double pain” is when we sin in His presence, against His light and love. The sin itself is not what grieves God, however, but the fact that He knows the consequences of our sin. God knows our sin is going to drive us to grief and misery!!!
The second part of God’s “double pain” is that our sin compels Him to keep His
Word in judging us. He has to stand by like a loving father and listen to our
cries of anguish as He disciplines us—ALL for the purpose of producing Godly
character in us!!!
At one time I came to a crisis—to the end of my rope. Slanderous things were
being said about me and after this had gone on for some time, I began to remind God of His Word:
* “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who speaks lies shall perish” (Proverbs 19:9).
** Lord you know my heart and I cannot fool you. Renew my mind my Lord, make me anew so that I will know what is right and act on it.
* “A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful (destructive) tongue” (17:4).
** It is not only wrong to be the one gossiping but just as wrong to listen to gossip and slander!
**Make sure your goals line up with God’s.
After some time, I cried out in despair: “Oh, God, how long will You let this
go on? The lies keep changing so much, I don’t even know what they are from day to day.
God, You are my defender and You say You will avenge Your people. But
I don’t see You working any justice.”
There are many righteous people today who are enduring awful trials because evil words are being spoken against them.
“Why, Lord?” I prayed. “Why do You continue allowing Your people to be hurt?”
The Lord answered “David, I am merciful, longsuffering and slow to anger because it pains Me to mete out My justice. If you could feel My pain, you would never, ever, desire to see My judgment fall. You would understand why I wait so long to bring it down. You know how painful it is to discipline your
children. It is the same for Me. It pains Me to chasten those I love!”
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
*The primary purpose of Jesus’ coming to this earth was not forgiveness of sins, but to give us eternal life.
Sin separated us from God so Jesus dealt with sin. However, His payment for sin was just a step toward His ultimate purpose of reconciling man to God.
If someone believes that Jesus died for their sins but doesn’t go on to enter into the close fellowship with God that Jesus made available, then they are missing eternal life.
Eternal life is not a length of life, but rather a quality of life. Eternal life is intimacy with the Father and Jesus (Jn. 17:3).
Many people have been done a disservice in being told that Jesus came to forgive us of our sins “period’. If it had been all that He did, it would have been wonderful–and much more than we deserved–but much less than what He actually accomplished.
Today, take full advantage of your salvation and go beyond the basic forgiveness of your sins into intimacy with Almighty God.
Be careful what you share with others. Your words will either build up or tear down everyone who hears you. Expressing your worry, discouragement, disappointment, and anger will result in defiling those around you, and you will be held accountable for every negative or idle word spoken. (Mt. 12:36) Set a new standard for yourself to only speak as led by the Spirit, and refuse to backbite, gossip, Lie, criticize, judge, or tear people down. The Lord is calling us, His Church, to a new spiritual level that can only be attained through righteousness and integrity. Don’t miss the opportunities to access these greater heights.
James 3:6 And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.
*Why is our tongue so important? What makes it do powerful?
*** The tongue reveals our sin.
*My new goal is to not handle myself like unbelievers when I am faced with problems, temptations to sin and stressful situations– BUT to be an example of a victorious overcoming believer— because people are watching me and I don’t want my actions to turn people away from God! I pray that God helps me be an example of faith everyday! And Know–We fight From Victory–Not for Victory! (1 John 4:4).
*David knew that I can be the biggest obstacle in my walk with Christ. I do not see my own faults nearly as well as I see others. This is why David asks God to declare him innocent of these. I pray that God will do the same for me.
* My power to keep from sinning is limited, but I can do all things through Christ. I need to remember to ask the Lord to keep my words and heart focused on Jesus!!!
Lord Forgive the sins I fail to see and keep me from hurting You and others by feeling my desires are more important than loving You and my brother or sister. God,There are things in my mind that seem innocent, but could be discerned as an error. I am aware that hidden faults exists – please help me continue in Your Word and stay on the course! Not only forgive my hidden faults, but keep me from those willful ones as well — although I may be tempted — please don’t let them rule over me so I can be innocent of great SINS. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight. In Jesus Name, Amen!
Read MoreYou are the only one who can unlock the door of your heart and allow God’s Love to enter in.
* ” So cut away the thick calluses from your heart and stop being so willfully hardheaded.” Deuteronomy 10:16
**YOU ARE JUSTIFIED BEFORE GOD!
Picture yourself standing before God’s throne with no excuse, no alibi.
* Satan, your legal adversary, is reading off the list of charges, with times, places, every shameful detail. He makes accusations of pride, prayerlessness,
covetousness, unfaithfulness, and your heart smites you because you have to
admit, “Yes, that’s me. I did it all.”
It looks hopeless for you. You know God’s eyes are too holy to look upon sin,
and His justice demands that you pay for your crimes against His holiness. You
are helpless.
BUT suddenly, here comes JESUS, your Lawyer, your Advocate. He stretches forth His nail-scarred hands and you know something is about to happen.
**JESUS smiles and whispers, “Don’t be afraid; none of these charges will stand. You’re going to walk out of this courtroom free and fully pardoned. When I’m finished, your accuser won’t have ONE charge left against you!”
**Best of all, JESUS, your Lawyer tells you He has adopted you as His brother. Then He tells you He is the Son of the Judge so you now belong to the Judge’s family, as well!
But there is still the matter of justice. What about the charges against you?
You listen in absolute wonder as your Advocate pleads your case:
*”Judge, You know that I fulfilled the law, living a sinless life.
*And then I took this person’s place, taking on all the punishment for his crimes.
* Through these nail-scarred hands and My pierced side, blood came forth to blot out ALL of his transgressions.
* All these charges were put on My back and I, JESUS paid the penalty for every one of them.”
Your Advocate then looks at your accuser and says, “Satan, you have no grounds to accuse My child. Each of his sins was placed on Me and I have fully pardoned them ALL.
He is not guilty because his faith in the victory of My sacrifice gives him full pardon. You have no case!”
“NOT GUILTY”!-Yes-“NOT GUILTY”!
As the devil slinks out of God’s court, you can hear the Lord cry out: “Who
shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies” (Romans
8:33).
*The Lord chose you and will keep you.
* When you turn your heart over to Jesus– He says, “Your debt, created by your sin is paid in full and you need not make any more payments on it! Final Verdict– Not Guilty—Go in Peace”!
We have mistakenly given Satan too much credit. He does not have a limitless number of temptations that he can pull on us.
As 1 Jn. 2:16 says, there are three areas where the devil tempts us:
(1) the lust of the flesh,
(2) the lust of the eyes,
(3) the pride of life.
Jesus’ three temptations correspond to these.
By ascribing to Satan limitless temptations and abilities, we have built up our adversary to be bigger than he is. The truth is, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” (I Cor. 10:13).
Satan would like you to think that he is tougher than he really is. One of his greatest weapons is Intimidation, BUT he has been defeated. His teeth have been pulled— Now he can only roar as a lion seeking to devour uninformed souls who don’t know their authority in Christ (1 Pet. 5:8).
“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up”. (Gal. 6:9)
You will find yourself glancing back at past things for a moment before moving forward. However, there will be a temptation to relive old rejections and places of isolation and loneliness. **Refuse to allow these memories to cause you to get stuck in oppression or condemnation.
**The past has no power unless you remember so clearly that you put yourself in the same situation again.
*But, the purpose of looking back is to see how far you’ve come and how much you have overcome.
* Rejoice in this opportunity to take stock before taking the next step moving forward. You are an overcomer!
Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Since Jesus was the Word of God (Jn. 1:1), anything he would have spoken would have been the Word.
Jesus could have said “scat” and the devil would have had to go, yet He quoted the written Word of God three times. (Matthew 4:1-11).
This gives us great assurance that the written Word of God is sufficient for us. Jesus, in the face of the greatest temptations that Satan had to offer, did not need to say anything that was not already recorded in scripture.
It is likely that when Jesus returns to this earth and destroys His enemies, He will just speak the Word that has already been given in scripture. No wonder Satan tries to keep us from studying and knowing God’s Word.
* Even our good works will hurt us if they keep us from really knowing the scriptures.
God has given us this mighty weapon of His Word! When we speak the Word in faith, hell shakes. Satan and his minions have already experienced what the Word can do. They know its power. We need to know it, too.
1John 4:4 My dear children, you come from God and belong to God. You have already won a big victory over those false teachers, for the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world.
Knowing God loves us is the only thing that will give us true identity and security in this life.
* “Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever…” Psalm 73:25
Lord, Thank You for allowing me to dwell In Your Strength, and Your Power, and Your Might. Because your strength is in me I am blessed! (Psalm 84:5). Because YOUR strength in me, I can do all things! Because I have put on Your whole Armour (Faith, Truth, Peace, Righteousness, Salvation, Spirit, The Word), I am able to stand against the attacks of Satan. (Ephesians 6:11-17). For Greater are You that is in me that he that is in the world.
Lord, As I travel on this journey of life, You sometimes send me up mountains and through the valley of weeping. But You also provide comfort while passing through the valley of weeping by making it a well and providing rain as nourishment to restore my soul.(Psalm 84:6) You provide me direction and protection. You show me your goodness. You give me grace,mercy and glory. You promise not to withhold one good thing from me as long as I abide in you, obey you and trust you. (Psalm 84:11-12). These trials along the journey only take me from strength to strength and one day my journey will end at your throne! Praise Your Name! (Psalm 84:7)
AMEN
Revelation 3:20 “Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I’ll come right in and sit down to supper with you.
*I want to hear His voice. I want to understand His plan for me. Let me be still and hear His voice!
Standing in the Gap… we can pray for the people who are affected by the every day occurrences in life. For example: situations you HEAR about on the radio (floods, tornadoes, etc.), things you SEE on the street (people in need, people in fights, lonely people, children who are lacking proper care and instruction, homeless, etc), car accidents you pass on the freeway, ambulances that blare own the street, things you TALK about with family and friends. . . the things that disturb you and the people who challenge your patience . . . you get the idea. Pray right then . . . at the very moment you realize the need.
*God is looking for people to see a hole in society & step into the gap on His behalf.
*God is looking for people to stand up for Him.
*God is looking for partnerships in reaching out for His people on earth.
*May we strive for excellence in all that we do for the Master of the universe.
***Oh God give us Your heart for people so we can see their need and intercede!
1 Corinthians 3:7 It’s not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the center of this process but God, who makes things grow.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians 3:23-24).
I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before Me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. – Ezekiel 22:30
The people of Israel fell into sin when they worshiped the golden calf. It would not be the last time God’s people would fall into idol worship.
** They had forgotten the great things God had done for them.
** This angered God so much that He was going to destroy the whole nation.
*Only one thing changed God’s mind in the matter — Moses. Psalm 106:23 says, “…had not Moses, His chosen one, stood in the breach before Him to keep His wrath from destroying them.”
Moses was a man willing to stand in the gap, sacrificially, for those who were not deserving of such sacrifice. This sacrificial love by Moses is called for among His people today.
*Jude 23 Go after those who take the wrong way. Be tender with sinners, but not soft on sin. The sin itself stinks to high heaven.
The prophet Ezekiel described another situation in which God’s people fell into sin. God was ready to destroy the nation when He spoke to Ezekiel, asking him if there is a man willing to stand in the gap so that God would not have to destroy His people.
*Judah was a man who stood in the gap on behalf of his younger brother Benjamin.
* Joseph held his brother Simeon hostage as insurance that the other brothers would bring Benjamin to Egypt. Judah had a long history of a me-focused life, but in this instance he came forward to stand in the gap for his younger brother. He responded to the anguish of his father, Jacob, by personally guaranteeing the safe return of both Simeon and Benjamin. Judah’s sacrifice was rewarded (see Gen. 42-43).
Just as Christ did, we are to be those who will stand in the gap on behalf of others who are not aware of their own vulnerable condition.
It is a proactive sacrificial position.
Who is God calling you to stand in the gap for? Perhaps it is a mate, family member; perhaps it is a coworker who has not come to know the Savior; perhaps it is a wayward child!!
Are you willing to become the sacrificial offering to God to change His plans of judgment because of your willingness to stand in their place? Pray-talk to Jesus!
*This is a hard teaching. This is what Jesus did for each of us. When we stand in the place of another, God moves because of our willingness to stand on their behalf.
** If we don’t, His plans will go forward because He is a righteous and holy God who will honor His own word, even if it means destruction.
Are you willing to stand in the breach of the wall for someone today? Perhaps you are the only person who will stand on someone’s behalf
We all long to hear Jesus say “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
When we hear those words, it’s because of our intimate relationship and time spent with Him…. more so than what we DID for Him!
* “And I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.”Jeremiah 24:7
Be reminded that the Lord has given you authority and power over all the works of darkness. The Lord has called you to rise up and defend your kingdom position against every attack of the enemy. Do not hesitate to do all that is necessary to bring destruction to the destroyer. The Lord has opened the way for you to move to a more productive level of spiritual warfare and victory. Go forth by the Holy Spirit to do battle.
*Luke 10:19 “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
*One desire – to see the Devil defeated not people.
*Minimize your losses, draw the line against the Devil. Don’t complain about past things move forward!
*The Devil knows the power of God’s word spoken to you and comes to test that Word.
*Don’t meditate on ungodly words spoken over you and circumstances surrounding you.
*You do not battle against circumstances, sickness, and people, but FOR faith in God’s Word spoken to you.
The Devil does not question God speaking a Word to you, but he tries to convince you it’s not true.
*Do not provide an opportunity or door for the enemy to gain a foothold.
Though the apostles had been given much authority and power to partner with Jesus in accomplishing the supernatural, they were not to lose sight of what truly mattered.
And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:5)
What is truly important is that people experience Salvation!!!!
We cannot be so distracted with the ‘work’ of our ministry that we lose sight of this. All the knowledge, spiritual authority, experiences and power do not mean anything if people miss the opportunity to spend eternity with Jesus.
Of all the things I can accomplish– being a part of someone’s ‘day of salvation’ is by far the most important!
God requires our obedience, we are forever in his presence when we obey.
(See Colossians 3:22).
Jesus, may I always remember what You value most. Help me to always remember that Salvation and someone gaining Eternity with You is by far the most important thing! Thank You Jesus for Your Perfect Love for Us. Thank you Jesus for standing in the Gap between humanity and God. Thank you Jesus for loving me even though I put you in second place at times. Thank you Jesus for embracing me with your arms of redeeming grace. Amen
Read MoreGod’s Love is faithful to the absolute. He will never leave you or forsake you.
* “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE:
Luke 1:37, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
God’s Love is one-sided. God doesn’t say, “I’ll love you if you’ll love Me”. Instead He promises, “I’ll love you no matter what”!
* “…neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
What a statement! If we just believed this, how different our lives would be!
From birth we are trained to know our limitations. You can’t have this. Don’t touch that. Don’t put things in your mouth. You can’t touch the fire. On and on the list goes.
As we grow up, it’s actually a sign of maturity to recognize our limitations and learn to live within them. There are limits to everything. It’s a fact of life.
**BUT God has no limits. When we enter into the realm of the supernatural, we have to take off all the limits. We have to Renew our minds(Ro. 12:1-3) with the Truth that God is not like us. God can do anything!!!
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
*The power that God is using to work in and through us is the same power that was used to raise Christ from the dead! It’s not that we need more of Gods power to accomplish His will, we simply need to be surrendered and yielded to the power that’s already there.
We have an awesome God whose power is so great that we can’t even comprehend it. He created the universe and it didn’t even tax His ability. Yet many times we find ourselves wondering if our situation is too hard for the Lord. We can’t see how even God can pull us through.
*Philippians 1 :29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.
*When we go through hardship, we always feel that it’s been inflicted on us. We won’t think it’s been granted to us.
*Think of it as—We are building bridges from earth to heaven. There will be difficulties and challenges. Are we going to face it or run away from it?
1 Peter 4:1 Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,
*We have to arm ourselves to suffer. So that we can sail through the difficult times.
The Lord said to Jeremiah, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?” (Jer. 32:27) The answer is a resounding NO! The only thing that limits God is our unbelief.
Deuteronomy 7:1-26:
*Very powerful! This scripture shows us how powerful God is, shows that he brought victory to our lives.. God chose you and I cause we were literally nothing..God made us something, something victorious, a child of the mighty God that is from ever lasting to ever lasting! Praise God!
Today, let’s honor God by believing that nothing is too difficult for Him.
Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
*Jesus faced the greatest Goliath of all, our sin and failure.
*The Cross tells us that God is Faithful even in our failure.
*God has made us to be conquers. More then that He has made us to love and worship Him. God wants us to trust in Him and love others like He loves us.
God chose You—–His Masterpiece!
Nothing in this world or under the world can separate us from the love of God.
*Faith gives us the assurance we can’t see.
*He never stops loving you. He is absolutely committed to you.
God I praise you for the love…your perfect love you have for us….it truly casts out all fear….I will accept God’s unconditional love for me even though I have done stupid things in the past in which I think that I shouldn’t deserve His love. Yes Lord-Thank You for loving me unconditionally. Nothing can separate me from You. I have tripped up many times and yet You still love me. That is amazing and I thank You for Your Grace. Lord, may I not always take the path of least resistance, may I take the path that brings you the most glory. If suffering comes because of my obedience, may I count it a privilege. Father, thank You that You are for me and not against me, that in You I have a future and a hope! I long to bring glory and honor to Your name, Jesus, and You said that when I bear much fruit then I would do so. Lord, teach me and help me enter in to all that You have for me, and let my life be an encouragement to those who need Hope for a brighter day. I recognize that it is only by faith in Your great name that I can ever fulfill Your destiny for my life. I will trust in You Lord! Amen.
Read MoreControl is at the core of that which is opposite the cross—-Self-Rule.
The Lord desires to increase our faith if we will continue to ask, trust and believe.
* “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.”
2 Timothy 2:13
“Jacob named the place Peniel (which means “face of God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.” The sun was rising as Jacob left Peniel, and he was limping because of the injury to his hip” Genesis 32:30-31
*Jacob was broken to be Blessed; crippled to be Crowned!!!!
*God is the Potter and we are the clay. He will shape us according to His design for us.
When God puts us on the wheel, He begins to apply the pressure of circumstances–sometimes gently caressing the clay and often more firmly. The Potter may even have to break us and start over.
Jacob was a man who was a controller. He connived and manipulated his way to get what he wanted.
It was a generational stronghold passed down through his mother, who encouraged her son to play a trick on his father, Isaac, by pretending to be Esau.
This trick led Isaac to give the family blessing to Jacob, which meant Jacob would eventually inherit the land God had promised to Abraham’s seed.
Jacob also learned control from his uncle Laban who caused Jacob to work for 14 years to take Rachel as his lifelong mate.
One must ask which was more ugly in God’s sight, the self-centered nature and worldliness of Esau, or the control and manipulation of Jacob?
Control is a problem for men and women. As an example some women use sex to control their husbands. Many men use power and force to control their wives.
** Control is at the core of that which is opposite the cross—-self-rule. “The ME”
What delivers us from this fleshly nature of control?
*************A crisis!!!!!
* Jacob’s crisis came when he was faced with the prospect of meeting a brother who said he would kill him the next time he saw him.
* Esau had built his own clan and was about to meet Jacob and his clan in the middle of the desert. Jacob was fearful, so he retreated. There he met a messenger from God who wrestled with him.
*Jacob clung to God and refused to let go of this angel.
* It is the place where Jacob was given a painful but necessary spiritual heart transplant.
**From that point on, Jacob would walk with a limp, because God had to dislocate his hip in order to overcome Jacob’s strong will.
For believers, God often has to “dislocate our hip” through failure and disappointment.
Sometimes it is the only way He can get our attention. Our nature to control and manipulate is so strong that it takes a catastrophic event to wake us up.
Yet God did not reject Jacob for these character traits. In fact, God blessed him greatly because He saw something in Jacob that pleased Him. He saw a humble and contrite heart beneath the cold and manipulative exterior of Jacob’s life, and it was that trait that God needed to develop.
*God did this by bringing about the crisis in Jacob’s life that led to total consecration.
This event was marked by Jacob getting a new name, Israel.
* For the first time, Jacob had a nature change, not just a habit change.
* What will God have to do in our lives to gain our complete consecration to His will and purposes?
*As we cry out to the Lord repeatedly concerning our situations, we shall see Him move on our behalf.
A new day dawns! Jacob–Israel–walks on the rest of life’s journey with a limp. *Every step was a painful reminder of the transformation in his life.
* Each step was to be a step of faith and not self-reliance.
**He was broken to be blessed; crippled to be crowned.
That painful circumstance in your life, the frustrated plans, the family strife, the financial struggle, the physical sickness–it could be a host of things–pressures you have prayed and asked God to remove. You think your prayer is unanswered and the blessing has been withdrawn. Well Maybe– It might be that your prayer is being answered in a better way and the blessing you desire is coming disguised as a burden.
**The darkest night in your life may yield to the dawn of your brightest day! It did for Jacob.
Watch for the temptations that suck you back into an old spiritual condition, particularly that of fear or obsession. You will recognize it when it comes because you will feel restricted by it. Refuse to allow anything to cause you to retreat emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. Maintain your liberty. The price has been paid for your freedom at the Cross.
* Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
The Christian faith operates through love; and the measure of one’s love is demonstrated by the extent to which one keeps Christ’s commandments. “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (Jn. 14:23). The Father’s love is conditional; it is based upon our obedience to His Word.
A similar hope is given to us in the sixth beatitude: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Mt. 5:8). Let us therefore cry out as David did in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
After this experience with God, Jacob became lame because the Lord had touched him in his thigh.
Jacob was originally very strong-willed and independent, but from this time onwards he had to “depend on the Lord”.
This dependency upon the Lord is also seen in the Song of Solomon 8:5, “Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?” Certainly, the purpose of the wilderness is to bring us to that place of holy dependence upon our Beloved.
Also, Isaiah 33:23 is a wonderful promise to those who are so afflicted. It declares: “the lame take the prey.” This verse implies that those who have been weakened by God can win the battle and obtain the spoils.
Isaiah 33: 22 For the LORD is our judge, our lawgiver, and our king. He will care for us and save us.
If you feel that your far from God, pray to God and ask him to give you a new heart.
Guard your heart with; Prayer, hearing the truth and reading the Bible.
I need to learn how to repent like David but not just repent but do my very best not to repeat the same sin over and over. I need GOD to take control and for Him to help me take control of my flesh and learn not to let my flesh defeat me, but I must learn how to defeat my flesh.
Prayer Today: Read and meditate on Psalms 51….Amen
“Do not be angry and frustrated!
Do not fret! That only leads to trouble!”
(Psalms 37:8).
James 4:1-10 James addresses the “Root Issue” of all frustration here.
*” Where do the conflicts and where do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, from your passions that battle inside you”? (James 4:1).
“What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy?”. (James 4:5).
*When reading James this AM-it hit me that– The same Spirit at work in me is the same Spirit at work in you.
*“For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:18 NIV)
*Did you catch that? The same Spirit at work in me is the same Spirit at work in you. There is only One Spirit. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit throughout the body of believers to accomplish HIS purpose for HIS glory.
“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you too were called to the one hope of your calling,”(Eph. 4:4).
*Is there another believer with whom you have trouble getting along? Remember, the same Spirit at work in you is the same Spirit at work in him or her.
The Holy Spirit has been sent to be our teacher, but we have to show up at class and expect to receive (Jn. 14:26). He’ll even show us things to come (Jn. 16:13).
“When the disciples saw Him(Jesus) walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.” Matthew 14:26
Have you ever had some unexpected event happen in your life that caused great fear?
*Sudden calamities can result in great fear unless we know WHO is behind the event.
*Such was the case for the disciples when they were out in their boat at night. Suddenly, they saw a figure walking on the water and assumed it was a ghost. They feared for their very lives. But as the figure got closer and closer, they could see that it was Jesus. **Their Fear turned to joy because now they knew whom they were confronting.
This seemingly life-threatening event turned into one of the great miracles of the Bible.
*Peter was invited to walk on the water — and he did just that.
Many times we have events in our lives that appear to be ghosts. For me, it was a period in my life when I experienced family loss, loss of my finances, and my business’s — all in a matter of a few months.
These were the ghosts that instilled fear and great turmoil in my life. Feelings of unworthiness, shame and guilt. But after 10 years in a desert experience, God revealed His true purposes for these events.
*God turned them from being a place of fear, to a place of miracles.
*He led me to a totally new calling in my life, and He demonstrated to me that He was behind the storm that led to these new discoveries. God never left me—He was Leading me into a deeper Relationship with Him.
* The events were real. The emotions I went through were real. I had to hold fast to the reality that Nothing can touch us without passing through God’s sifter.
***Through all this I now have the Faith and Trust that what God allows, is only that which is necessary to touch us. And if it does, it has a Purpose. But we may not know it for a while.
Are there some “ghosts” in your midst? Look beyond the appearance and let God turn your ghosts into a miracle!!!
God said to Moses, “I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these miraculous signs of Mine among them that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed My signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord” (Exodus 10:1b-2).
God has a reason for everything He does.
These delays were designed to bring greater Glory( a display of God’s perfection–Jesus IS the Glory of God) and were to be a lasting legacy of God’s miracle-working power for generations to come.
When the people were freed, God again hardened Pharaoh’s heart to go after them. This action of God to harden Pharaoh’s heart was to set the stage for an even greater miracle — the parting of the Red Sea.
*The people were angry with Moses for bringing them to the desert “to die.” But God said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the Israelites to move on” (Ex. 14:15b).
There was only one place to go by this time — the Red Sea.
As we know, God parted the Red Sea, and another greater miracle took place.
Moses learned several lessons that each of us must learn.
* God’s Promises are True, but His timing is not the same as ours.
* God always wants Greater Glory than what we might be willing to give Him. * * God puts obstacles and adversity into our lives in order to build perseverance and faith.
Why has God put the mountain in your life at this time?
***To demonstrate His power through your life. To show His glory!!!! Jesus!
When we become Christians, our identity changes forever as we become identified as “Children of God”.
*Our value no longer depends on things like athletic skill, beauty, brains, or the opinions of others, because it is rooted in Christ.
*When we understand His work on the cross and accept His love, we can weather challenges to our identity on earth.
* Our “True identity” is as a perfectly loved and accepted child of the living God!
*Allow God to direct your mind, your life, your heart, your all.
*God wants to move US from wanting for my pleasure to wanting for His glory.
* God is committed to your development.
*Don’t be ashamed of the hole God dug you out of. Talk about where you came from and save a soul. “Your Testimony”
” Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. (Romans 5:1).
Verse that explains our Antidote to frustration:
“You are from God, little children, and have conquered them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world”.(1JN 4:4).
Psalms 34:18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he delivers those who are discouraged.
Isaiah 41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you! Don’t be frightened, for I am your God! I strengthen you – yes, I help you – yes, I uphold you with my saving right hand!
Your Love for each of us is SO amazing God and I thank You for showing me it in Your word trough the Holy Spirit. Thank you for choosing to give us knowledge but also for giving us free will to fully accept and love You as our Heavenly Father giving us that Peace.
Lord, today I claim the victory I have in you. I have faith that I am victorious because You live in me. Amen
***Jan. 24 at Christ Church at 7PM will be an informational meeting to kick off our NEW Moving Forward Group. Come for a great night of testimonials of “what God is doing in and through individuals.
**Revelation Bible study starting Jan 26. Go to web address below and go to calendar-scroll down to Thurs. And open “Community Wide Bible Study”.
AT THE END OF YOUR ROPE
” I will cry out to God and call for help!
I will cry out to God and he will pay attention to me. In my time of trouble I sought the Lord. I kept my hand raised in prayer throughout the night. I refused to be comforted”.(Psalms 77:1-2).
*Chapter 77 is a great Psalm ! Your not alone! Even the great men of God felt these feelings and doubts.
*Ever cried out “God where are you”?
* Symptoms of God’s seeming absence.
a) I feel like praying does no good. PS 77:1
b) I can’t sleep PS 77:4
c) I dwell on how good things used to be. PS 77:5
d) I fear things will never get better PS 77:7 -8
2) SOLUTION: the power of positive memory. PS 77:10-12
Rejoice and be glad for the Lord has wonderful plans for you fulfilling His eternal purpose through you!
* ” Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:19
Paul wrote “. . . that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises
the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9). He said, in essence, “The Lord brought me to
the end of all human help, the brink of death. It was a place so hopeless, only
the God of resurrection power could have rescued me!”
What a wonderful place to be—at the end of your rope! I have always said that when you hit rock bottom you bump into God!
Yet, if you listen to most Christians in the midst of their suffering, you hear, “I’ll make it somehow. I’m hanging in the there. I just live one day at a time.”
Since childhood we have been spoon-fed the concept of self-sufficiency: “Take
it like a man! Men don’t cry!” How many times have you tried to work out all
your troubles?
How often have you been flooded with temptations that overwhelmed you?
Please don’t misunderstand me. I believe God wants us to fight the good fight of faith, but the Lord has a way of allowing us to be “pressed out of
measure.”
* Nothing you try works.
* Nothing you have read seems to help. *No counsel of others makes any sense. *Suddenly, you are forced into a crisis that obliterates all your trust in yourself.
**You have no hope—except to give up
all human hope. You are forced to trust God—and you see that the only way out
is to trust!
Paul clearly is saying to us, “I had the sentence of death in me. I was
tested beyond measure, at the end of all hope.
* And it was all so I would no
longer trust in myself!
* I had to turn to God, with faith that He alone could save me out of my sufferings!”
WHEN WE CHOOSE NOT TO BE OVERWHELMED BY THE SITUATION,
GOD WILL OVERWHELM US WITH HIS UNENDING PEACE!!!
**When we choose to be faithful to God, He will show Himself faithful!
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Romans 8:28)
“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
What is this way of escape?
* It is coming to the end of your own strength and turning absolutely to God! *It is saying, as Paul did, “I do not trust in myself anymore!”
***The way of escape is simple, childlike faith in God.
*It is trusting Him totally to see you through it all, resigning yourself and saying, “God, I put everything on You!”
***To be fully free, we must have the desire, the ability, and the opportunity to do what will make us happy forever.
*With No regrets.
*And only Jesus, the Son of God who died and rose for us, can make that possible.
*We were not created to stay the same. We, as Christians, were created to be changed. To be transformed. To be different. To be changed.
**” And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit”. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
*Get rid of stinking thinking. Let Jesus remove the veil that covers your eyes from the truth. Turn to Him and he will set your heart free.
The enemy has launched an attack to blanket your spiritual environment with heaviness. The first sign of this intrusion will be a sense of oppression or even depression without a reason. Be on guard against gloomy feelings and be ready to rise up and fight your way through to victory over this onslaught. Re-establish yourself in the peace and joy atmosphere in the Lord’s kingdom.
**Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me, says the LORD.
*When we allow Jesus to be lord of all—when we cast all our cares upon Him,
fully trusting in His Word and resting in His love—our appearance should
undergo a deep change. A quiet calm should begin to radiate from our
countenance.
Father GOD: I am victorious; the enemy has no authority over my ministry, my health, my wealth, or my relationships. Lord continue to remove the veil that covers my eyes from Your Truth. Thank You that the more I Turn to You, the more You will set my heart free. Fill me this day with Your Love!
” Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice! Let everyone see your gentleness. The Lord is near! Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus”.(Phil. 4:4-7). In JESUS name Amen
What is God’s greatest plan for your life? To make you into a holy vessel brimming with truth, humility and [Agape] Love.
*”He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Micah 6:8
*Gifts to Give God: 1). Walk upright 2). Be caring 3). Love 4). Walk in forgiveness 5). Walk in humility
We Have Victory in JESUS!
” 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.” 1John 4:4
Whatever you’re facing in life, or whatever is coming in your future, God has already given you the faith for it. It may not look like it, and you may not feel like you have what it takes to overcome, but faith in God isn’t based on our circumstances or how we feel.
The enemy would like for you to believe that you don’t have a chance in life, that you’re too weak, too poor, too whatever. BUT God has a different view of you. God sees you through the eyes of LOVE.
**God sees not what you can be, but what He has invested in you, not what you or others may see.
Seeing yourself the way God sees you leads to a life of overwhelming victory.
**But it takes faith. You can’t just hear that God loves you and sees you as His child, you have to Believe it.
** It takes faith to move forward and overcome the challenges of life. And faith does you no good if you don’t know how to release it. You have to release your faith in order for it to work.
We release faith through our Words, Actions and, of course, through Prayer. It’s up to us to act.
The apostle Paul was one of the most mature Christians who ever lived, yet he wasn’t ashamed of his human frailties. He knew God loved him no matter what, and He understood that confessing his weakness was essential to walking in God’s Strength.
** “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses…for when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10
Remember: The enemy lies to us to make problems Appear Bigger than the solutions we carry!
**2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
Our death to sin and resurrection to life with Christ, is already a reality in our spirits but will only become a physical reality when we KNOW and Believe it.
(See Ephesians 2:1-10)
In the same way that Jesus died unto sin once, and death no longer has dominion over Him, the person who recognizes their death with Christ unto sin, will not allow sin to rule over him anymore.
** Christian’s who are struggling with sin have not fully recognized that they are dead unto sin.
***Hebrews 10:16 “This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” 17 Then he says,
“I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.” 18 And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.
*As christians we are suppose to walk in the fruit of the spirit at all times
” But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…” Galatians 5:22,23
* Be a hearer and a doers of God’s word.
Your present vision will be established as you embrace the challenges of this season. The Lord’s people will not perish for a lack of vision in this season. Rejoice and be glad for the time of the victory and the Day of the Lord’ power is at hand.
Luke 10:19 “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
The devil knows that if he can get us to think about something, we are only a step away from actually doing it. He knows that our minds are “command central.” It is here that we reason. It is here that we remember. It is here that we dream.
Our minds are the hard drive, the place where everything originates.
***Satan knows that it is only a short step from a thought to an act.
Eph. 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
We need to understand that the devil works with two very close allies: the world and the flesh.
*“The world” is the world system that is hostile toward God. It is living for personal gratification, OUR own will above all else.
*Then there is the flesh. When the Bible speaks of the flesh, it speaks more of the depraved, fallen human nature in which we are gratifying sensual appetites.
**Galatians 5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
*A stronghold is an area where we are held in bondage, any part of our lives where satan has imprisoned us.
* As long as we believe things that are not true, we will remain imprisoned by those strongholds.
*The Word of God(ALL TRUTH) is the weapon that sets us free from the strongholds.
The enemy will try anything to separate us from God and keep us from fulfilling our destiny in Him. That is why we need to put our spiritual armor on every day.(See Ephesians 6). We need to be in His word and spend quiet time listening to His voice.
AGAIN: We need to be in His word and spend quiet time listening to His voice as the Holy Spirit inspired Word speaks to us.
* We have to be humble and open to correction.
**Ephesians 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.
Colossians 2:13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
God, I. Know and Believe that You love me and that You have given me the power to overcome. As Your child, I will act on the faith You have given me every day, trusting in You and overcoming any obstacle that comes my way. Thank You Jesus for your Love, defeating Sin at the Cross- enableing us to Know and Believe that in You- JESUS
We fight FROM VICTORY- not FOR Victory! In Jesus Name Amen!
We love others by being real and genuine with them. If we are being transparent with God (on the inside), He will enable us to be real and genuine with others (on the outside).
* “…in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you.”
2 Corinthians 1:12
Freedom and Boundaries
“Now the serpent was craftier than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?'” – Genesis 3:1.
God is big on giving man freedom and boundaries:
*Freedom to manage what He has entrusted to us.
*Boundaries to protect us from evil.
***The boundaries in the Garden of Eden were not set for the purpose of limiting Adam.
** Man got into trouble when he questioned those boundaries.
God had provided everything he would need for life. He also entrusted man with responsibility to manage and work the Garden. God gave him freedom in that responsibility. God knows we were made to express ourselves creatively through our work.
Each of us must have freedom and boundaries in our life.
When ever you are hired for a job, you must have the freedom to make certain decisions. You must have the authority to manage things within your area of expertise. You must also have limits within your area of responsibility. Life is the SAME in-Marriage, Kids, Family, Friends.
**You need to know where those limits are and stay within them. Both freedom and boundaries are always under the umbrella of God’s authority.
Jesus understood these boundaries. When He was tempted for 40 days by the devil after being baptized, He was challenged by satan to go outside His freedom and boundaries. (See Matthew 4:1-11.) Satan said that He had the power to turn a stone into bread. Jesus was hungry and easily could have justified using His power to feed Himself. However, Jesus understood He could do nothing outside the boundaries of God’s will for His life.
It was God’s will for Jesus to be tempted and to withstand the temptation. God was showing His Son that “man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Mt. 4:4b).
You and I are tempted every day to go beyond our God-ordained boundaries. *Whether it is solving financial problems that have arisen through debt, making wrong decisions due to pressure, or manipulating someone in order to achieve our ends, it all represents rebellion toward God.
**Ask God to show you His freedom and boundaries for your life.
***These are meant to enhance your life, not hinder it!!!
* We are who we are– through the thoughts we have.
* Take your thoughts captive – know your Bible.
** Thoughts » habits » circumstance**
* When was the last time you thought about what your thinking about?
* Peace comes by fixing our thoughts
1) You can change your thoughts.
2) Fix your thoughts on what is true, pure and noble.
3) Think about things that are worthy of praise.
* Don’t doubt your purpose here and now!
* Choose a few promises and speak them over your life for 2012.
* God doesn’t do it for us, we have to use our faith and take Action.
* Think big, dream big for 2012
* Bring your thoughts under the obedience of God.
You Are so so Worthy. You are God’s Masterpiece. Let go and let God. Let God have the strongholds that are holding you back from being ALL that God has intended.
*A stronghold is an area where we are held in bondage, any part of our lives where satan has imprisoned us.
* As long as we believe things that are not true, we will remain imprisoned by those strongholds.
*The Word of God is the weapon that sets us free from the strongholds.
***Effective Weapons: preaching, teaching, books, tapes, seminars, small Bible study groups, private studies, prayer, and praise.
***Praise helps us keep our mind on God, His power, and the good things that are happening in our lives.
***Prayer reflects a Relationship with God and shows that we depend on Him.
*Jesus promised to always be with us (Matthew 28:20). We can win with our weapons because they are spiritual weapons.
Examples of strongholds are “God doesn’t love me”, “His promises don’t apply to me”, “He could never forgive me for what I did”, “I don’t have to change because God made me that way”, “I don’t have to forgive because what that person did to me was unforgivable”, “God doesn’t work that way anymore”, “I’m un-worthy”, I’m the black Sheep of the family”, and “I can’t share the gospel because…” To mention a few.
The enemy will try anything to separate us from God and keep us from fulfilling our destiny in Him. That is why we need to put our spiritual armor on every day. *We need to be in His word and spend quiet time listening to His voice. Set up Boundries in your life that allows you the TIME to spend with Jesus-LISTENING
AGAIN: We need to be in His word and spend quiet time listening to His voice.
* We have to be humble and open to correction.
When our strongholds are broken down, we can glorify God more freely and openly. We are set FREE!
“You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made YOU alive with Christ, for he forgave ALL our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
(Colossians 2:13-15)
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 and for us To Heal!
“It is better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.” Proverbs 16:19
Do you have a proper understanding of who you are? Do you understand that it is God who has given you the ability to work and achieve? He is the source of ALL good things. Ask God today if your life models this belief.
The Lord has never had anyone who was qualified working for Him. It’s by God’s grace that He uses any of us.
**Anyone who claims to be used of God because of his great holiness is either deceived or a deceiver.
*** It’s our faith in the grace of God that allows His Love to flow through us.
Be free of all bondage and keep your heart pure before the Lord. Then, you will be able to discern spiritually. However, anything that creates darkness in your soul will cause you to dump down in the flesh and will cloud your spiritual perceptions. Be on guard, for this is a time when seductions to choose flesh over Spirit are rampant. Obtain and maintain purity.
**Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Let’s Bring Back Jesus this Christmas!!
“A Vision without Action is only a Delusion”. Moving Forward!
Most people have forgotten what the meaning of Christmas really is. It’s a time to celebrate something very important— the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ— that’s right the “Star” of the show!!! Not santa claus, shopping, material gifts,Parties without Jesus etc.
*If we ALL make room for Jesus this Season with family and friends— who knows what could come from our circumstances!
*We all sin, Christians and non-Christians, but what we do after sinning is what matters.
Psalms 51: 7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
* No matter who you are, God can use you.
* No matter what problems you face, God is with you.
*No matter what He promises, God can do.
An Angel spoke to Mary in Luke 1:37 “For nothing is impossible with God.” And Mary’s response: ” “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”
Lord, I pray today you renew my heart so that I can live in your perfect will and take Time each day to Listen to You. I want a clean heart, free of doubt. Help me to bring Jesus Back to the CENTER of Christmas and every day of my life. *Help me to trust You and put Your Boundries up in All roles of my Life.
I know The key to that is to spend time feeding my hunger…by getting full on Your Perfect Word…Knowing that Your promises are not made by man. In Your time Lord, Your Promises will manifest and come to fruition. Help me Meditate on Your Word daily…all through my day…in my thoughts and my actions… My faith and dependency upon the Lord relies on the intimate time that I share with You Lord. In these times, I must converse…I must talk AND listen! I must hear AND follow…
Thank you for this day to have the opportunity to Glorify You Jesus! Amen
Continue to walk in the “Light” reflecting Jesus and His Agape Love in all you say and do.
* “…for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness…But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love…”
1 Thessalonians 5:5-8
Sometimes the enemy whispers, “You don’t really love yourself, and that’s why you can’t love others”. This way of thinking only reinforces our root problem of self-centeredness, and Satan rejoices.
** “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh…”
Romans 13:14
Jesus was speaking to a crowd of just ordinary folks. Yet Christ said to them, “You are the light of the world.” And today, you are the light of the world. That’s how God intends to get his work done on earth today: through you!
It’s not just pastors and missionaries who are the light; it’s everybody who loves the Lord.
You see, the world doesn’t understand. The world looks at Christians and thinks, “They don’t count.” God takes an ordinary person and uses them to share His message to people who needed Him.
When we share our faith, we spread His light.
Jesus describes what we are in this passage – the light of the world, not the light of the church.
That means we have to get beyond the church walls and take the light out to where it is dark.
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
You were saved to shine!
* Don’t hide your testimony or be ashamed to take your Bible to work, lunch or even Church.
*Don’t be afraid to pray over your lunch.
* Let others know that you love the Lord Jesus.
Jesus also talked of the strength of collective light. Each house in a city with its lights on cast a glow across the sky.
As Christians come together, there is a glow for the Lord that we cannot create individually. We shine brightest when we shine “together”. UNITY
How can we shine for God?
Jesus says that we are to let our lights shine before men in such a way that they will see our good works and glorify God. That’s how we do it. We live for God.
Can you imagine how dark it is going to be ten years from now, should the Lord
abandoned us? Romans 1: 24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie.
Romans 1:18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who Suppress the Truth by their wickedness. 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.
Romans 12:16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes.
Yet, I ask you: As you see the darkness deepening on all sides, do you believe
it will exceed the light of the gospel? Are you afraid the darkness is going to
squash it, snuff it out?
No—never! God’s people must never be intimidated by the darkness and fury
of the enemy. The Bible says Jesus is going to rise and shine in the darkness
no matter how dark the world becomes! “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined” (Isaiah 9:2).
We live in a time of widespread death and darkness. But God says that in such
times He will shine His light the brightest: “I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them” (Isaiah 42:16).
*If you let Him, God will guide you step-by-step on a path that He custom-designed for you.
****The Lord alone is the Light for our path, the sight for our blinded eyes, and the pathway to purpose and peace for our lives.
No darkness will ever stop God’s light! So get your eyes off the darkness,
off the sin, off the fury of violent people, and believe the Lord for the
bursting forth of His shining light!
“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.(1John 1:5-7).
We cannot walk daily in victory if we do not get the Word in us daily. We won’t know how to respond when there is an attack against us.
Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. We are MORE than conquerors through Jesus.
Jesus has already overcome.
“More than conquerors” means having “Decisive Victory”.
To those of you who have fought the good fight, I tell you honestly that you have punched through hindrances and dispelled the darkness so that you are able to see with more clarity and walk in more freedom.
The battle has been fierce and your adversary has been tough, but you have risen up in faith, stayed the course, and overcome. “Rejoice in victory”, says the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
* Only through the faith of God do we truly live.
* To put all my faith in God and to let him work in my life.
John 16: 33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
God, I am amazed at how much my life has changed by just putting all my faith in you. You have worked in my life and I see that. Thank you Jesus for all you have done. Lord Continue to brighten the lights of all us believers so others will come to You “THE ONLY TRUE LIGHT” for Your Glory and our joy! Amen
Read Romans 1:16-32 and see what happens if we surppress the TRUTH!
Temptation Our Own Evil Desire!
Paul’s identity was not based upon himself, but upon the person of Jesus Christ. Each and every day we must remind ourselves: It’s not I…BUT Christ.
** “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Philippians 3:20
God created and designed us with a desire and the ability to desire but when the enemy tainted it, the original design that God created to glorify Him became our own stumbling block to growth! The Bible says:
“But every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire (lust,passions).”. (James 1:14).
God is not tempting us but it is ourselves that tempts ourselves, we draw ourselves away from God’s purpose and will because of our own perverted desires.
Yes the enemy can lure us BUT we will not be enticed if we don’t allow him to entice us.
For because He Himself [in His humanity] has suffered in being tempted (tested and tried), He is able [immediately] to run to the cry of (assist, relieve) those who are being tempted and tested and tried [and who therefore are being exposed to suffering]. (Hebrews 2:18 )
Jesus Himself was tempted in EVERY WAY— because He was full of the Spirit, Jesus didn’t succumb to His carnal desires! Let’s be like Him, always full of the Holy Spirit having divine empowerment from God to withstand temptation!
*Matthew 26:41 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”
*We may be able to understand entering into temptation as succumbing to its power. BUT We don’t fall until we give in to it.
People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction (1 Timothy 6:9).
Paul is telling us how, in every age, this subtle peril lays hold of our hearts. *First it comes in the form of simple temptation.
* Open a magazine, and there is a picture of a gorgeous automobile. It makes you drool to look at it.
That is temptation, and that is what we are up against. It creates in us a hunger to have what others have.
It is amazing how easily we can convince ourselves that we, like everybody else, have a right to things.
*But that is not the worst. There is another stage. Paul says that those who want to be rich “fall into a… trap.” Notice where the emphasis is: It is on the Desire to be rich.
It is the love of money, not money, that is the root of all evil.
We hear all the time that money is the root of all evil, but it is not.
* Money is a very necessary commodity in life; it is impossible to get along without using money in one form or another.
It is “the love of money” that the Scripture is talking about, the desire to have more and more of it, the craving for riches, the constant planning of how to get another buck.
You say, “What is a young man with a family supposed to do? Isn’t he supposed to try to provide for them?” Yes, he is, but what is his objective? Is it to earn money, OR is it to be a good, faithful worker, using his gifts and abilities to the Fullest Degree for the Glory of God in the scene in which he is placed?
That is something the world never thinks about.
Paul says that when you fall into temptation and give way to this lust for more things, you create a trap for yourself.
*** By that, he means that your possessions will soon begin to possess you. Everyone who has had any success in obtaining some of the things they desire soon discovers this, because their possessions demand that they take care of them.
Possessions also change your relationship with others. You discover that people are treating you differently because you have something that is a symbol of prestige or status.
People no longer treat you for WHO you are; they are treating you for WHAT you have, so you become suspicious of your friends and your friendships.
All these complications occur when the love of money starts to possess you. That is the trap involved.
God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.(James 1:12-15).
What the Lord has started in you, He will also continue and complete. That is not to say that your success will be automatic; we have to cooperate with what God is wanting to do in our lives. Our faithfulness may always be suspect, but God’s faithfulness is never in question. It is always God’s will to continue and complete the good work He began in us.
In your most recent personal course of corrections– refuse to give into temptation or get discouraged when you don’t see immediate answers or solutions. You are on the right track, when you are Trusting Jesus and following His Leading. Just keep moving forward with patience and obeying the Lord’s voice and His leading. You will see that “Divine Purpose” is being accomplished. You are God’s Masterpiece!!!
*Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
1 Corinthians 10:13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
Rise up in faith to know that no weapon formed against you will prosper. It doesn’t matter what the enemy brings against you, YOU belong to the Lord. You will have to take a stand and resist his maneuvers, but the Lord has already given you the power to defeat him soundly. Refuse to allow his tactics to overwhelm you or bring discouragement. It is the Lord’s will that you obtain and maintain the victory. Read 1John 4:4 We fight From Victory-not For Victory.
**Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD.
Look forward, finally, and hope for the coming of the Lord. Your best things are yet to come. The second coming of Christ will soon be here. The time of temptation will soon be past and gone. The judgment and reward of the saints shall soon make amends for everything. REST in the HOPE of that day. Work, watch, and look forward–one thing, at any rate, that day will make abundantly clear. It will show that there was never an hour in our lives in which we had our hearts too thoroughly focused on Christ.
*How do you avoid temptation – “pray”
The Lord’s Prayer says:
*And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one. (Matthew 6:13)
*Prayer reflects the condition of the heart. Prayer is a reflection of the intimate relationship between Father and His children. When we hold the WORD of our Father in our hearts we do not have to speak for Him to hear us.
*Make your temptations a constant focus of prayer.
Thank You, Lord, for the practicality of these words. May they help me correct my viewpoints and resist the badgering, bloated misconceptions of the world around me. Thank you for coming to me and helping me not to fall into temptation. You know my weaknesses and I will come to you for your strength to get through the time of trial. Please remind me to continually pray all day so I will walk in the Spirit and listen to You. I love you with an everlasting heart. Amen.
*Galatians 5:16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. *Revelation 3:10 “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world.
*Hebrews 5: 7 While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. 8 Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.
15) For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16) Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
This scripture reminds us how great our Lord is. That as the Son of God he lived a perfect life and died for our sins. What a great God we have. Now when we pray we should first and foremost bring Glory to God our Father. We should then pray for others. THANK YOU JESUS-WE ARE SO honored to have a high priest that has been through ALL the temptations that we have to face!
Read MoreRemember: The enemy lies to us to make problems Appear Bigger than the solutions we carry!
**2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
When it comes to the Christian life, we will either gain or lose ground. We will either win or lose.
** But we have to be involved in the spiritual battle.
The Christian life is not a playground, but a battleground!!!
It is up to us to fight the good fight of faith. So we need to suit up and learn the principles from God’s Word that teach us how to be more than conquerors in Jesus Christ.
**1 Timothy 6: 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
First, we need to put on the full armor of God as we engage in the spiritual battle. Ephesians 6:11 tells us, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”.
The phrase “put on” carries the idea of doing something once and for all. It speaks of permanence.
The full armor of God is not something we put on and then take off again. We are to keep it on all the time.
Second, we need to be aware of the fact that Satan is NOT the equal of God. The devil would like us to think that whatever God can do, he can do, as though they were two sides of the same force.
1John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
*To have Jesus in you. In your heart. Then you have it all!!!!
Although Satan is a powerful spirit being, he is far from God’s equal. You see, God is omnipotent. God is omniscient. God is omnipresent. God can do anything that He wants to do, anywhere and anytime.
Satan is NONE of those things. He has limitations as to what he can do.
Third, we need to realize that the devil will primarily attack us in the realm of the imagination. The apostle Paul mentioned this in 2 Corinthians 11:3: “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ”.
The devil knows that if he can get us to think about something, we are only a step away from actually doing it. He knows that our minds are “command central.” It is here that we reason. It is here that we remember. It is here that we dream.
Our minds are the hard drive, the place where everything originates. Satan knows that it is only a short step from a thought to an act.
Eph. 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Last, we need to understand that the devil works with two very close allies: the world and the flesh.
*“The world” is the world system that is hostile toward God. It is living for personal gratification, our own will above all else.
*Then there is the flesh. When the Bible speaks of the flesh, it speaks more of the depraved, fallen human nature in which we are gratifying sensual appetites.
**Galatians 5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
***Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
“All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of all respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered”. (1 Timothy 6:1).
*The Bible never looks at people as being worthless. The Bible’s view is that humans are God’s creation made in God’s image, and, though they have fallen, they are not worthless.
*Satan thinks people are worthless; he regards them with scorn and despising. *Christians are to treat each other and all other people as “worthy of full respect”, so that the name of God will not be defamed.
We love others by being real and genuine with them. If we are being transparent with God (on the inside), He will enable us to be real and genuine with others (on the outside).
* “…in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you.”
2 Corinthians 1:12
Beloved, rise up in faith to know that no weapon formed against you will prosper. It doesn’t matter what the enemy brings against you, you belong to Jesus. You will have to take a stand and resist his maneuvers, but the Lord has already given you the power to defeat him soundly. Refuse to allow his tactics to overwhelm you or bring discouragement. It is the Lord’s will that you obtain and maintain the victory, which is “IN CHRIST”.
**Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD.
One of the main weapons the Apostle Paul speaks of IS the Gospel, which is the Sword of the Spirit, (the Word of God). It’s the Word backed by God’s Spirit that can pull down and crush the strongholds of Satan.
*2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
**Every Christian is at war. There is a perpetual struggle against Satan and his kingdom from which there are no “leaves” or “discharges.” Our enemy goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8).
*You cannot walk daily in victory if you do not get the Word in you daily. You won’t know how to respond when there is an attack against you.
* Does your belief come from the scripture or man?
If you don’t know scripture to back up what you believe you could be wrong because the enemy is deceiving us!
*Those of us who are under the blood of Jesus who know who we are in Christ and what His blood has done for us–need not give into the devil–we tell the devil to flee. Those who resist the devil will see him flee. (Jas. 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.).
The only ones whom he devours are those who don’t actively fight against him.
*” He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed”. (1 Peter 2:24).
Thank You, Lord, that You have placed me where I am for a purpose. Help me to treat those around me as “worthy of all respect”. Give me wisdom and guidence to Know that we fight From Your Victory at the Cross-NOT for Victory. GOD: I ask that I continue to grow in Your Word, Your Honor, and Your Truth. For I now truly know that greater is HE that is in me. Thank You for taking me from glory to glory to glory, higher than I ever imagine. through Your grace and mercy I can DO ALL THINGS THROUGH JESUS Christ. Purify my heart Lord. Create in my a clean heart. Forgive me of my self focused ways and give me a passion for your will. I give up to your Word. I give in to your voice. May I stand. May a little bit of me die to you today, and a little bit more live for you. Amen.
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