Fervent, Effective Prayer

Prayer is an ethereal concept that is often hard to grasp. We are communing with a celestial being that we have never seen and there is no proof that He even exists. 

Yet, even scientific studies prove that prayer changes things. The key element about prayer is that God answers them. We can trust Him with our most intimate needs.

Through prayer, the Holy Spirit heals our body, soul and spirit, even if we do not know how to pray. He searches our heart and actually prays for us according to the will of God (Romans 8:26-27). 

He renews our mind from carnal to spiritual thoughts, and enables us to crucify our flesh and to live a spiritual life (Philippians 2:13; Galatians 5:16-25). In prayer, God gives us His burdens and He places His cry in our heart (Psalm 145:19). 

God searches our innermost desires and finds the areas in our life where we need healing, enlightenment, guidance and love. He pours out His resources into our life and abundantly meets our every need according to His glorious heavenly riches (Philippians 4:19).

The Holy Spirit actually prays through us, if we will allow Him to do so (Romans 8:26; Ephesians 6:18). This does not mean to pray in tongues only, but also to pray in the Spirit in your native language. 

We do not know how to pray sometimes, but God gives us the burden on our heart, sometimes for people we do not even know. God responds to our prayers and often answers them while we are still praying (Isaiah 65:24).

Prayer:

Father God, we can make a real difference as we join together as the Body of Christ to pray for individual needs. Our united prayers are sweet incense to You as You hear them and respond to them with Your wisdom and strength (Revelation 8:4; Psalm 141:2). 

Thank You for caring about every area of our life and for working out everything, even the most horrendous circumstances, for our good (Hebrews 4:15; Romans 8:28). We will spend eternity giving You all the praise and glory due Your name.

Thought for the Day:

If we give Him our time, and if we realize our need to live dependently upon Him and seek His wisdom in our prayers, then the Holy Spirit will pray through us and accomplish God's will in the earth.

Amazingly Made

 

God knows everything about each of us. We were not hidden from His sight, even when we were formed in the dark, secret place of our mother's womb. 

He knitted our bones and organs together in the depths of the earth. Before we were ever born, He designed all of our days and kept a record of each one of them in His Book.

The Lord God interlaced all of the intricate parts of our spirit, soul and body in our mother's womb. From the hairs on our head to our complex inner organs, He created us all as unique individuals.

We are awesomely and amazingly made. Our individual cells, our DNA, our internal organs and even the correct mix of chemicals, which keep us alive, work together so perfectly.

He knows us intimately. Even as we stand up, sit down, leave and go to sleep, He distinguishes every detail of our life. He recognizes all of our habits. 

He perceives our current, as well as our future thoughts and words. He puts boundaries around us and guides us with His hand. There is no place to go to escape from His Spirit.

We cannot run from God. He is in the heavens, the depths of the distant seas, and in the early morning clouds. His hand is right there directing our steps. 

His light shines like the day even in the darkest times of trial. He loves us with an eternal love, which never ends (Lamentations 3:22). He is merciful even to the wicked, who misjudge Him and use His name in vain (Psalm 139:1-24).

Prayer:

Father God, we thank You for the vastness of Your wisdom that is more numerous than the sands of the sea. You are with us during each new day and Your mercy is new every single morning (Lamentations 3:23). 

Investigate our motives and discern the intentions of our soul. Analyze us and point out the areas where Satan can tempt us. See if there are any sinful tendencies in us and direct us in Your eternal ways.

Thought of the Day:

For authentic Born Again Believers, God brings to light the mysteries, which He hid from the time He created all things. 
- Ephesians 3:9

The Bread of Heaven

All of humanity is made in the image of the Trinity (Genesis 1:26). We are a triune being: body, soul and spirit. Prior to salvation, our spirit is dead in sin. 

We enjoy controlling our own life and we have no need or desire to think about God. In fact, thoughts about God, which intrude on our conscious mind, disturb us and make us feel uncomfortable.

We run from this conviction and reject people who cause us to feel this way. We forget that the “Hound of Heaven” is constantly pursuing us to draw us into His loving embrace. 

Once we capitulate to His sovereignty, we wonder why we took so long to submit to His call and relinquish control of our life to Him. When we finally surrender to God, life is no longer a struggle (Romans 8:28; Hebrews 4:10).

Salvation is the first step in our walk with God. The next step is sanctification: the process of holiness. God’s Holy Spirit changes us from one stage of glory to the next (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Each stage brings us closer to perfect union with God (Ephesians 2:1-5). The more intimate our relationship with Him grows in the Spirit (John 4:24), the more intimacy we want with Him.

Some Believers are content with their fire insurance from hell and they live a shallow, carnal life, without this intimate union with God.

Yet others often feel like we are in a desert, so we thirst for more and more of His Living Water (John 4:14). We hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matthew 5:6). Our spirit longs to receive more nourishment from the Bread of Life (John 6:35).

Prayer:

Father God, even though we cannot sense you in our physical body, our spirit and soul – our mind, will and emotions – feel Your presence every day of our life (Deuteronomy 31:6). 

We form this union with You by spending time in Your presence as we go about our day, consulting You and relying on You as we follow Your Spirit’s direction. When we pray, remind us to listen, as well as to commune with You from our heart.

Thought for the Day:

Do not despair if God seems silent; He is simply enjoying your companionable silence.

The Pinnacle of Spiritual Heights

 

At the moment of our salvation we received the fullness of the Trinity with all of the spiritual fruit, power, strength and love we will ever need (Romans 8:11). The God of light in us is greater than all of the satanic spiritual forces of darkness, which formerly ruled our life (Ephesians 6:12). We receive a fresh filling of God's Spirit to do God's will during each moment of the day (Ephesians 5:18).

Regardless of our human failings and foibles, God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things (Hebrews 11:1-40). The indwelling presence of Christ in us allows us to execute greater works than Jesus did while He lived on this earth (John 14:12). His power and anointing in the collective Body of Christ multiplies His presence in the earth now that He sits at the Father's side (1 Corinthians 12:27; Mark 16:19).

Every trial we suffer proves our faith to be authentic and produces praise, glory and honor when Jesus returns. Although we have never seen the Lord, we know Him because He dwells within us. We love Him, because He first loved us. He fills our heart with wondrous joy and peace, which defies human logic and description (1 John 4:19; 1 Peter 1:5-9; John 3:18). Our union with Him sets us apart.

Our faith in Christ secures our eternal salvation. God is our righteous Father who wants obedient children to totally trust in and fully surrender to Him. The closer we draw to our Father God, the more we cry out for more intimacy with Him. We can never experience all of God until eternity; yet, we climb ever higher toward the pinnacle of spiritual heights.

Prayer:

Father God there is never a moment in our life when we are not in Your presence. We try to hide from You at times, ashamed of our behavior, but You are always there (Psalm 139:1-16). We never experience one negative or positive aspect of life alone, because You dwell within us. Daily, we ask Your Holy Spirit to control our every thought, word and deed for Your glory (Colossians 3:17). Compel us by our absolute love for You (Mark 12:30) and Your love in us for others (1 John 4:7) to share the Gospel of Christ with whoever will listen (Matthew 28:19-20).

Thought for the Day:

Walk in the Spirit and you will live in the love of God as you reside in the will of God.

God's Got It All Under Control

Regardless of our social, economic or religious standing, we often feel disappointment throughout our lifetime. It is clear that disappointment is no respecter of persons. We all foster expectations and we hope to achieve certain goals, which never come to pass. We sink into the pits of discouragement and flounder in the sea of despair. These negative emotions are murder on our body and soul (Proverbs 13:12).

The alternative is to surrender our expectations to God and to gratefully accept the conditions He allows to come our way. Then, we will live in serenity. God has a perfect plan for each life and only in the center of His will do we find perfect peace and contentment (Isaiah 43:1-2). Faith in God’s faithfulness will provide us with inner joy and tranquility regardless of our circumstances (Romans 5:3-4).

When we compare our issues with the life of those who are persecuted for their faith, we gain a better perspective. When we prioritize our life with our standard as eternity, our temporal issues are trivial at best (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). Christians throughout the ages all faced discouragement (2 Corinthians 1:8-9); but authentic Believers have no need to surrender to discouragement. God give us glorious, indescribable joy (1 Peter 1:8).

A personal, intimate union with Christ provides us with the protection, guidance, comfort and strength of the Lord (1 Peter 5:10; John 3:16). As we submit to God's will, we realize that He is always in control (Ezekiel 38:4; Proverbs 21:1). Nothing, which occurs in our life, surprises Him, because He already planned an equitable solution for us (Romans 8:28). With God on our side, nothing will ever occur without His knowledge (Romans 8:31-32).

He is actually greater than the spiritual forces of darkness, which come against us (1 John 4:4). With Christ dwelling within us, our heart is no longer anxious or frightened (John 14:27). We can count it all joy when we face various trials and tribulation (James 1:2), because we see His hand working out everything to our advantage (Romans 8:28). The seeds of the ultimate miracle within our suffering and disappointment end up increasing our faith (Colossians 3:15).

Prayer:

Father God, our deepest sense of joy comes from a life surrendered to You (Hebrews 13:5). An optimistic unbeliever can radiate a positive attitude in negative circumstances, but they are still missing the joy and peace, which only You can provide (Philippians 4:7; Ephesians 3:19). We are a witness to a lost and dying world of Your protection and provision (John 16:33; Romans 8:28, 37). We gain strength in our weakest times from the presence of Your Holy Spirit within us (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). At the center of Your will, we find deep and lasting peace (Isaiah 26:3).

Thought for the Day:

Anyone, who is born of God and believes in His Son, has His faith dwelling within us, helping us to overcome the negative issues in the world. - 1 John 5:4-5

Knowing God Intimately

While visiting the hospital, I asked a lady I met in an elevator if she knew the Jesus who died on the cross, which was similar to the one she wore around her neck. She looked at me with widened eyes and declared, “Well, not personally, no I don’t.” I quickly encouraged her with the truth that He wanted a personal relationship with her, if she was willing.

There is a vast difference between the concepts of knowing about God and actually knowing God personally. When we intimately know God, we have eternal life (John 17:3). Earthly pursuits tie up our time and rob us of unity with God. Our Christian goal is to imitate Jesus in every time span and place in which God calls us to serve Him. We exchange our plans for His, and we live for Him one moment at a time.

Even at work or with the family at home and in services with our church family, God calls us to function in the ministry, which He planned for us to perform (Ephesians 2:10). Like the Apostle Paul, our main goal in life is to know God (Philippians 3:10). We live each moment of our life pursuing God’s Kingdom on this earth and living a lifestyle in harmony with Biblical principles.

God’s grace sustains us throughout life (2 Corinthians 12:7-12). He liberates us from the trauma of our past as we seek the root and cause of every negative emotion, which plagues our soul. In this way, God sets us free to serve Him with our whole heart, soul, mind, will and strength (Matthew 22:37). We may experience deep darkness in tribulation, but Christ is our life and light (John 6:47; Isaiah 60:19).

Prayer:

Father God, we want to intimately know the love of Christ and to be filled with all of Your fullness (Ephesians 3:19). Teach us how to walk worthy of You, so that we may please You in everything we think, say and do, bearing spiritual fruit and increasing in our knowledge of You (Colossians 1:10). Help us to share Your gospel of Christ with everyone who desires to know You.

Thought for the Day:

If we do not love, we do not know God, for God is love. - 1 John 4:8

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Childlike Faith

 

God made mankind in His image and likeness (Genesis 1: 26). God is a triune being...Father, Son and Spirit. He created us as triune beings with a Spirit, Soul and Body. Genesis 2: 7 states, "And the LORD God formed man (body) of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (spirit); and man became a living soul."

Due to Adam's sin, our spirit is dead within us at birth, until we ask Jesus Christ to be our Savior. Then the Holy Spirit breathes the breath of life into us and our spirit is redeemed. We cannot truly live integrated, connective lives until we are Born Again. Our body is our physical being that ends up in the grave at our death.

Our soul is our mind, will and emotions. Our mind is renewed into the mind of Christ (Romans 12:2), our will is submitted to the will of God (Philippians 2:13) and our emotions are controlled by the Spirit of God who dwells within us (James 1:19). Our soul also contains our Inner Child, Inner Parent and Inner Adult.

David spoke of the Inner Child of the soul when he stated in Psalm 131:2 , “Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother's milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.” So often, we lose the innocence of childhood and adopt a prideful and rebellious mindset.

As we grow up in this life, we surround our self with defense mechanisms to prevent others from perpetrating their sins on us. We mature quickly and develop strong emotions, which we use to protect our self. Unless we nurture that childlike aspect of our soul, and allow the faith and unfettered trust of a child to reign in our hearts, we cannot fully please God (Matthew 18:3).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, help us to remember that in order for You to fulfill our soul, we first need to be filled by Your Spirit. Our spirit must be born again by asking You to be our Savior and our Lord (2 Peter 3:18). Then, our Inner child will feel more secure, and adopt that childlike faith, which You desire from each of us.   

Thought for the Day:

Unless we are Born Again and become as little children, we have no hope of entering the kingdom of heaven. - Matthew 18:3

God's Truth or Satan's Consequences

There is no mystery in life for the Born Again Believer. The Spirit will prompt us each moment as we ask for His direction, wisdom, insight and inspiration in every task we face. The Bible teaches us about nine fruit, which the Holy Spirit gives to us as He chooses (Galatians 5:22-23). He also gives us gifts for the benefit of God’s Body (1 Corinthians 12:7, 31; 14:1,39).

The Spirit also protects us from the devil, who roams the earth seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).  Satan comes as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) to deceive us and to sidetrack us from experiencing God’s Truth. His counterfeit tactics will give us the impression that what we are experiencing is from God, when it is actually drawing us away from God.

One way to detect whether an experience is from God is if it brings peace or confusion. Satan is the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). If you hunger after more of God, then you are safe. If you want more of a person or a certain experience, then it is Satanic. If your experience does not align with God’s Word or if you feel a red flag in your spirit, don’t walk away...run!

God inspires us to go deeper into His Word while Satan encourages us to spend more time on our self and to neglect God’s Word, our family and our church family. As we sit in God’s presence and walk in His Will, then His Spirit empowers us to do the works, which God chose for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). As we pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), we commune with God throughout the day.

Prayer:

Father God, give us discernment by Your Spirit to know when something is of You or Satan’s counterfeit. In these last days, he wants to draw away as many people from You as he can. He is sending false prophets into the world to preach a false doctrine and to cause people to focus on their self instead of on You. Help us to relinquish everything in our life, which hinders us from growing in our relationship with You. Remind us to walk in Your truth each moment of the day, so that we do not reap the consequences of an evil life.

Thought for the Day:

Doing things God’s way is much more productive than doing them to the best of our human ability.

Giving God Control

 

There are people who live in every generation who want to know God. They explore several venues provided by Satan and his minions, and many are taken captive by empty philosophies and spiritual sounding half-truths, which come from human traditions and the god of this world, rather than from God Himself (Colossians 2:8). These people stop short of the truth; and, instead, cheerfully believe a lie.

Then there are those who claim to know Christ as their Savior, but they have not made Him the Lord of their life. He is their helper and their insurance policy in times of trouble; they trust Him and they believe in Him, but He is not their Master and King. They have not yet come to a place of absolute surrender of every known area of their life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

However, if we want to live in a place of perfect peace, we will keep our mind constantly in tune with the Spirit of God (Isaiah 26:3). We will do the works, which God created for us to do. We will seek His pleasure in all things, rather than to seek our own pleasure in this life (Ephesians 2:10). Believers realize that the temporal, earthly aspects of this life are all passing away and only the eternal components will last.

Believers are living stones, fitted together into the dwelling place of God (1 Peter 2:5). We walk worthy of the calling He gives us (Ephesians 4:1). We avoid sin and deprivation by walking toward the Light of life (John 1:4; Matthew 5:16). Jesus died in our place and gives us the victory over both sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:57). We have faith in His faithfulness and walk in His divine power within us (2 Peter 1:3).

Prayer:

Father God, I totally surrender every part of my life to You. I want You to have it all. I want to walk in Your divine will and to do the works You created for me before I was ever born (Ephesians 2:10). I devote my every waking moment to You to use at work, at home and at play. Fill my heart with Your love for those You want to love through me.

Thought for the Day:
Everything in our life, which we surrender to God’s control, will come back to us refined and renewed.

In His Presence

All power belongs to God. Evil men try to usurp His authority and oppress His people, but they will come to their end (Psalm 62:9-10). His loving kindness is readily available to us. His joy, peace and love envelop us every moment of our life. He relates to us in proportion to our belief in Him and our faithfulness to Him (Psalm 62:11-12).

Our Heavenly Father reaches down and touches our soul, forever changing how we view life and respond to circumstances; yet, we ignore Him unless we have a problem, which we cannot handle. God is the rock of our salvation. He wants us to patiently linger only with Him. He calls us to wait on Him in silence (Psalm 62:1-2). However, we are often too busy to spend time with Him.

If we do enter His presence, our life would improve dramatically. In His presence, we are never seriously shaken. He is our hope and our stronghold (Psalm 62:5-6). Our deliverance and future rests on Him. He is the rock of our strength and our refuge in any trouble. We can trust in Him at all times. He listens when we pour out our heart to Him. He is our almighty sanctuary (Psalm 62:7-8).

Our soul cries out, even craves for the presence of our Living God. More than anything else, we desire to dwell in His courts. Even our body longs to be in His presence (Psalm 84:2). We groan along with all of creation for the revealing of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the ruler of the universe (Romans 8:19-22). We long for His imminent return to rule and reign over the new heaven and the new earth (Revelation 21:1).

Prayer:
Father God, every pursuit in this life pales in comparison to spending time with You. Our fulfillment is found only in Your presence. You are the very air we breathe (Psalm 136:25). You gratify our cravings and You fill our famished soul (Psalm 107:9; 103:5). Remind us of the joy of a life in service to You. Teach us that amassing this world's goods will only take away from time better spent with You.

Thought for the Day:

The more we wait on the Lord, the more deeply we come to feel His presence in our life.

Unified Prayer

 

Praying together for a common cause evokes spiritual power, which puts thousands to flight (Deuteronomy 32:30). We do not have to band together in one room at any certain time, but if we will all commit to pray without ceasing as the Spirit leads us, we will see God move in a mighty way (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). It pleases God to allow His Spirit to move within and through His Saints.

God teaches our soul to pray for the persecution, nominal faith and lack of spiritual power of the church worldwide. He burdens our soul for the situation in world governments. He grieves our soul with sorrow over the condition of the poor and needy (Mark 14:7). When we pray a unified prayer, directed by God's Holy Spirit, Jesus prays right along with us and God grants our requests (Matthew 18:20).

Knowing the mind of the Spirit and searching our heart, Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God interceding for us (Romans 8:27, 34). The steadfast love of our Almighty God never ceases (Lamentations 3:22). He waits upon us to make our requests known to Him in prayer (Philippians 4:6-7). He grants us anything we need by His glorious heavenly riches, as long as it is according to His will (Romans 8:28; Philippians 4:19).

Prayer:

Father God, Your mercies are new every single morning. Great is Your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:23). We know that You listen to the cries of the destitute and You will not ignore our needs (Psalm 102:17). Remind us to pray with a discerning mind and a grateful heart (Colossians 4:2). We know that there are certain spiritual strongholds of darkness that we will not be delivered from except through prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29). Teach us how to pray, unified by Your Spirit (Matthew 6:9-13).

Thought for the Day:

The early church constantly joined together in unified prayer.

- Acts 1:14

Who Needs God Anyway?

 

 

 

The reason secular religions are so popular today is that they do not require us to give up control of our life. They give us permission to attempt to perfect our own self through a series of mantras, religious activities and self-denial. In contrast, authentic Christianity requires total surrender of our entire body, soul and spirit to the ministrations of God's Holy Spirit.

Surrender is much harder for the human mind to accept than the concept of working for one's own salvation. Most people are too busy for God anyway, except when life gets too hard to handle. When we get in distress or some type of trouble, we quickly turn and run into God’s everlasting arms (Deuteronomy 33:26-28). We soak up all of His love and comfort until we feel strong enough to face life.

We use Him like an Aladdin’s Lamp to grant our three wishes. Then, we leave God in our prayer closet and come out with the false confidence that we can do all things on our own again. We quickly get side tracked by life and its demands and forget all about God until we need Him again. We even forget to thank Him for His blessings in our life (Luke 17:17).

God desires fellowship with His creation. All of nature knows this and even the trees of the fields clap their hands in praise to our Creator God (Isaiah 55:12; 1 Chronicles 16:30-34). Most people, even some Christians, are not conscious of God’s continual presence in the life of a Believer. Only authentic Believers relinquish our will to God and submit to His plan and purpose for our life (Ephesians 2:10).

Prayer:

Father God, even though You never give us more temptation than we can handle without giving us a way to escape (1 Corinthians 10:13), You often give us more trials than we can handle in order to prove to us that we need You in our life. These trials are never more than You can handle, however. Teach us to walk in Your Spirit every moment of the day and to perform only those works, which You created us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

Thought for the Day:

Self-effort is the enemy of an intimate relationship with God.

An Alien Within

Prior to coming to Christ, we determined our daily routine by our priorities. We valued, worked toward and pursued anything that would assist us in reaching our goals. We developed this habit, day in and day out, living by our human reasoning and working to please our self and to secure our future. Then, the Spirit of God moved in and encouraged us to entirely shift our mind-set.

Prior to Salvation, our flesh formed habits as we trained our thoughts, attitudes, words and actions to respond and react in certain ways to the challenges and trials of life. We were used to living independently of any restraints or parameters for our behavior (Romans 8:7-8). We served our self and made sure we would come out on top (Romans 1:25; 2 Corinthians 5:15). We did good deeds for others, but we wanted the praise.

Salvation sets up a dichotomy in our life, which causes a tug-of-war within our soul. God wants us to put to death the carnal deeds of our flesh, so that we can live an abundant spiritual existence (Romans 8:13-14). Yet, our flesh wants to maintain the status quo and control our own life. The tie-breaker is God’s Spirit, who rebirths our human spirit, which was formerly dead in sin (Ephesians 2:5).

Now, our old nature is dead and we are Born Again by God’s Spirit. Spiritually alive, we partake in the divine nature of Christ (2 Peter 1:4; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3-4). The nine fruit of the Spirit replace our formal carnal character (Galatians 5:22-23). We no longer live independently, but in dependence on God’s love and will.

Our former traits, alien to God’s ways, still influence our thoughts, words and behavior. However, we can crucify these independent and willful tendencies on a daily basis (Matthew 16:24-26), and obey the will of God instead. We willingly submit our old fleshly habits to the work of God’s Spirit within us (Romans 8:12-13). We restrict the deeds of our flesh by renewing our mind and surrendering our life to Christ (Romans 12:2; Mark 10:28-29).

Prayer:

Father God, by Your saving faith, a gift to us from Your mercy and love, we receive Your Holy Spirit who influences and transforms us. You draw us to Your heart and You renovate every aspect of our life by Your Spirit. This free gift is priceless and we thank You for the sacrifice Jesus paid for our eternal life (Ephesians 2:8). Teach us to walk in Your Spirit every moment of our life (Galatians 5:16-25).

Thought for the Day:

Each day we walk in more victory over the flesh by dwelling in the Spirit and following God’s desires for our life. - Galatians 5:16-26

Just the Way We Are

Living in fear of someone discovering our true identity often drives us just this side of insanity. We dread someone else realizing that we are just "not enough". Not pretty enough, not smart enough, not strong enough, not kind enough, not capable enough...not enough. Jesus came to give us good news. We all fall short of the glory of God.

There is no one good enough, not even one (Romans 3:10-12, 23). Even people with a high opinion of their self have issues with insecurity. We all have little nagging doubts, which corrode our confidence and whittle away at our self-esteem. We live under a cloud of negative self-talk. We hide behind superficial masks, in hopes that no one will ever uncover just how deficient we really are.

Once we come to Christ, we can stop pretending, stop striving to be good and throw our self on the mercy and grace of God instead. He accepts us just the way we are (Romans 5:8). We need no pretenses with Him. He loves us in spite of our failings. God is our Father who cares for us, nurtures us and provides for all of our needs: spiritually, physically and in our soul - our mind, choices and emotions.

Our Heavenly Daddy gives us a sense of security as we dwell in Him and He dwells in us. His love fills in the gaps in our self-esteem and changes our opinion about our deficiencies. We no longer need to fear life and its consequences, to listen to any negative self-talk or to believe anyone else's negative opinion of us. We are complete in Christ (Colossians 1:27, 2:10).

Prayer:

Father God, we drink from the living water of Your Word, which calms our soul and fills our spirit with godly character, Jesus' divine nature and the fruit of Your Holy Spirit (John 7:38; 2 Peter 1:3-4; Galatians 5:22-23). When fears creap in to cripple us and render us ineffective for You and for a productive life, we can run to Jesus, who is the Rock that is higher than we are (Psalm 61:2). He gives us power over these demonic attacks and He strengthens us to prolifically bloom where You plant us.

Thought for the Day:

God provides His people with a Sabbath rest from our weary labors; for when we enter God's rest, we stop spinning our wheels and trust Him to bless our lives with His fullness. - Hebrews 4:9-12

A Secure Life

 

Every trial in life threatens our stability. Physical illnesses, emotional trauma and mental stress take their toll. Sometimes they cause us to lose our job, home, mate, family, bank account and our security. We have nowhere to turn and we end up defenseless, scared and lonely.

Our human independence drives us to deal with life's stresses on our own. We pridefully believe that we can conquer every obstacle without anyone's help. In his day, Paul called people like this "foolish" (Galatians 3:1-3). God did not redeem us to forsake us (Isaiah 43:1). We cannot save our self for eternity and neither can we save our self on a daily basis.

There is only one stable place on this earth, and that is in the loving arms of our Heavenly Father. He sacrificed His Son in order to pay the penalty of our sins and to give us free access to His throne (John 3:16; Hebrews 4:16). He invites us to call upon Him anytime. He will answer us, give us security in our soul - our thoughts, choices and emotions - and work out our circumstances for our ultimate good (Jeremiah 33:3; Romans 2:28).

As authentic Born Again Believers our house is no longer built on the sand of Satan's lies, but on the solid Rock of Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:26; Psalm 18:2). Jesus is our chief cornerstone and He keeps us secure through all of life's stormy trials. God's Spirit within us provides us with a solid foundation (Matthew 7:24-27). As we cast our burdens on our Father God, He tenderly cares for us (Psalm 55:22; Proverbs 16:3; 1 Peter 5:7).

We cannot be good, holy or spiritual enough to deserve God's blessings; therefore, He loved us while we were still sinners (Isaiah 43:4; Romans 5:8). As we trust in Him, God manifests His glory in and through us during our entire lifetime (Titus 3:4-6; Ephesians 2:8-10). Once we enter God's rest, we no longer strive in our human carnal efforts (Deuteronomy 33:12; Hebrews 4:9-12).

Prayer:

Father God, if we consider more than this one moment of time, we will feel remorse for our past and fear for our future. As we realize that in this one moment we are blessed beyond measure, we can dwell in peace with our confidence in You. You give us peaceful dwellings, secure homes and undisturbed places of rest now and for eternity (Isaiah 32:17-20). Only in You do we have a secure life.

Thought for the Day:

Regardless of life's circumstances, nothing can separate us from the love of God. - Romans 8:31-39