Abiding in Peace

Peace has no root in the reality of this world (Colossians 3:15; Philippians 4:7), because life is perilous and hopeless at best. Anxiety, fears, turmoil, etc. plague our mind, ruin our health and break down our relationship with God and our loved ones.

When we realize that Christ abides within us by His Spirit, we also realize that we can accomplish any feat, which He calls on us to perform (Philippians 4:6; Matthew 6:25-27). This security promotes health in our body, rest in our soul and maturity in our spirit.

As we walk in His Spirit, He brings faith and peace into our soul as He drenches us with His love (Galatians 5:15-25). We see a correlation between the health and peace in our soul and the fulfillment and prosperity in our whole life (3 John 1:2).

All inner turmoil ceases as we live each moment of our life in sincere mindfulness of Christ in us (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3-4). When we lose our peace from God, and we are not living in God's forgiveness, then we cannot enter into His rest.

Knowing without any doubt that God forgives us for our transgressions brings peace to our soul and health to our body (James 5:14-16; Luke 10:34). Praying for each other also helps to keep us healthy in mind and body (John 5:14).

We humble our self by asking for prayer from our church family, and the united prayer of God's righteous Body has a powerful impact on the spiritual warfare raging all around us. 

As the Body of Christ, we share one another's burdens, and we cry and rejoice right along with one another (Romans 12:15). We exhort each other to cast our burdens on the Lord, and to take His yoke upon our shoulders rather than the yoke of our own making.

Journaling our prayers helps us to clearly see the negative emotions causing most of our difficulty, as well as to chronicle God's answers to these prayers. Also, we can write the date He answers each prayer in the margin of that part of the journal.

This increases our faith as we look back over the pages and the many notations of God's supply for all of our needs. These journaled prayers enable us to learn to trust God more and to obey His Holy Spirit's direction for each moment of our day.

Prayer:

Father God, Your grace is sufficient for us to overcome any trial we encounter in life, or to find our peace from You in spite of them. This helps us not to grow weary of the turmoil life attempts to snare us with, especially as we keep our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). Thank You for giving us Your presence and Your Spirit to see us through each issue in life.

You are our comfort, peace, wisdom and strength to stand up and to take one step after another. Thank You for writing down our name in Your book of Life, for giving us Your Son to pay our sin debt and for filling us with Your Spirit to guide us on the path in life that You prescribed for us before we were even born (Ephesians 2:10).

Thought for the Day:

God knows what we endured in our past, what we are experiencing right now, and what we will face in the future; and He has His perfect plan for us through it all.

God Shall Supply

There is no limit on the ways and means God will use to bless His children. We may go through trials in life, but there is a seed for a miracle in each one of them. They always have some good quality that blesses us in the end.

When the tax collectors threatened to put the widow’s sons into indentured service, she cried out to God for help. She had no idea how God would solve this problem, but she knew He is worthy of our trust and praise.

God sent the prophet Elisha to meet her need. After she followed his directive by collecting every available pot and jar she could find from all of her neighbors, the widow started pouring oil from her tiny oil jar as he directed.

The oil did not stop streaming out until the last jar miraculously filled to the very top. After selling the abundance of oil, the widow paid her bills and spared her sons from a life of slavery for someone else’s profit.

She also had oil for herself, the prophet and her family. What if she told the prophet she was too tired to gather all of those pots and jars? What if she decided not to bother her neighbors? What if she had quarreled with her neighbors and no one agreed to lend her a jar or a pot? She would have missed out on the blessings of God.

She may have considered the prophet a little crazy for telling her to do such a silly chore; but due to her obedience, she received a blessing and saw a miracle from God in the midst of her trial.

As we obey the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit and trust Him no matter how silly His directions sound, He will supply all of our needs according to His glorious riches (Philippians 4:19). God gives us the anointing of His Spirit to do all that He calls upon us to accomplish.

Prayer:

Father God, sometimes I feel too tired or weary to get out of my chair and obey Your Spirit. I receive the unction to obey when I realize that I would miss the benefits of Your supply and deny someone else the blessings that You have in store for them.

Give us the anointing of Your Spirit to do all that You call us to accomplish. Also give us the energy to rise up with wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31). Thank You that You care for us and already provided for every need we will ever have. Thank You for Your Spirit to lead us every moment of every day in the center of Your perfect will for us.

Thought for the Day:

God never promises to provide more than we need, but He does declare that He will supply all of our needs according to His glorious riches. - Matthew 6:33

Alone with God

God recommends that we spend some time sitting alone with Him in silence (Lamentations 3:28). This is totally foreign to our normal daily schedule, and is hard to do at first.

We so often rush through life meeting deadlines and using up every ounce of human effort we possess. We slug caffeine to wake us up, and then rely on pills to quell the headaches produced by our hectic lifestyle and to put us to sleep at night.

We depend on self-effort to deal with whatever life throws at us, mistakenly thinking that nothing will ever get done if we do not do it our self.

We forget that God does not leave us abandoned in this world. He does not call us to work for Him, but rather for us to allow Him to work in and through us.

When we sit alone, we are never lonely as long as the Spirit of God resides within our spirit. When we craft deliberate times during our day to be alone - "all-one"- with the Lord, He readily meets us right where we are.

We are united with Him, engulfed by Him and filled through all of our being with Him (Ephesians 3:16-19, Amplified Bible). We can be one with God during every facet of our day.

It is easy to be alone with Him while walking on the sunny beach listening to the lulling cadenced of the swishing surf and the call of gulls floating on the breeze.

However, we can also be alone with God while driving in rush hour traffic commuting to and from work, and also as we move through the routine of our daily life.

God is always within us, ready to commune with us whenever we give Him the chance. All it takes is for us to silence the cacophony within and without; and then to focus all of our attention on His Spirit in us.

Prayer:

Father God, help us to enter that quiet place within our spirit all throughout the day, no matter what responsibilities claim our time, so that we can focus on You and enjoy fellowship with You. We do not need to go into our prayer closet and remain there all day. We simply enter our spirit and walk through life listening to Your wisdom and to the direction of Your Spirit.

Our soul waits silently for You, because You are the source of all of our peace and joy. Our soul finds rest only in You; and our salvation comes from You. We thank You for saving us in spirit, soul and body, and we appreciate all of Your love and care for our every need. We even thank You when You do not speak to us, because it reminds us that You love to spend times of companionable silence with us.

Thought for the Day:

The essential ingredient for growing more intimate with Christ is to spend silent times alone with Him throughout our day. 

A Happy Marriage - Agape Love

In every marriage the feelings of love fluctuate and even wane over the years. However, love is an action, not a feeling. As we show love by loving actions, the feelings often return.

Agape love, God's love in us, is always ready to make allowances for the human beings in our life. We trust in God alone and we endure whatever comes by our hope in His love for us, which never ends (1 Corinthians 13: 7-8).

God's love in us for one another allows us to enjoy more intimacy with Him and our loved ones. It helps us to eventually feel emotional intimacy and the mental closeness of swapping ideas. We share friends in common to enjoy as well.

We participate in the same hobbies, sports, clubs, fun activities, artistic involvement and church programs and outreaches, etc. We adopt a similar world-view, priorities and goals in life.

We enjoy each other's company and participate in mutual affectionate play. We want to spend more and more time together, pleasing each other in unhurried physical trysts.

As Agape Love grows, affirming one another's positive qualities is easier to do; and we find fewer issues over which to bicker or disagree. We brag about one another to other people rather than complaining or cutting each other down.

Appreciation, gratitude, understanding one another, and cherishing each other breeds the ability to dwell together with understanding, love, respect and preference of each other over our self.

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that a simple walk around the block encourages communication between us and our mate. We have time to talk that is unhindered by chores and children. We chat about troubles, trials, worries, the children, household and work issues, troubled friendships, hopeful promotions and pay raises, etc. Remind us that we can actually pray about all of these issues with one another as we walk. As we walk, inspire us to pray for our neighborhood to come to Christ.

Help us to schedule couple time to have fun, to turn off the TV, to share a cup of cocoa and a sweet roll, to look in one another's eyes and foster romantic thoughts and gestures, to hold hands and snuggle often, to read Your Word together every day, to laugh or cry or just fall asleep together. We rely on You to keep or to make our marriage great and to move us on in spiritual and emotional maturity.

Thought for the Day:

Successful marriages do not happen by chance; they take hard work, they involve choices to include one another in decision making and couple time, they require honest care and nurture by both parties of the couple, etc.

Doing All for God's Glory

We usually feel pride about all of our accomplishments during our lifetime, until we realize that it is God who always gave us these victories. Even as a non-Believer, our success came from God (1 Corinthians 1:31).

As a Born Again Believer our body is the temple of the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 6:19). When God moves in and dwells within us, we reflect His glory, which resides within us, to the world around us (2 Corinthians 3:18).

He created us for His glory, not for our own goals and plans (Ephesians 2:20). Everything we do, even if it is as simple as what we eat and drink, is all done for the glory of God (Isaiah 43:7; 1 Corinthians 10:31).

We do not need to worry or stress over how to hear His voice and to walk in His ways. We simple pray and then sit quietly and wait on Him. He will direct us as we remain open to His peace within us.

By His death on the cross, Jesus demolished our need to strive to be good. He is the radiance of God’s glory and God’s exact representation (Hebrews 1:3). We actually died with Christ and our life is now hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3; Galatians 2:20).

Our hope in this life and in eternity is in the glory of the Lord within us (Romans 5:2). When Christ, who is our life, appears to set up His Kingdom on the earth, then we also will appear with Him as His glorious Army of Saints (Colossians 3:4; Revelation 19:14).

Once we totally surrender our life to God through faith in and obedience to Jesus Christ, He guides us and fills us with the fruit of His Spirit. As love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, self-control and faith permeate our personality, the glory of God is manifested through us (Galatians 5:22-23).

Prayer:

Father God, until Your sanctifying process does its perfect work in us, we all slip out of the Spirit and into the flesh from time to time, especially if we try to live the Christian life in our own strength. Remind us that we can do nothing to create these conditions in our life. If we try, there is a danger that people will label us as a hypocrite, because our flesh and spirit war against one another (Galatians 5:15-25).

However, as we live in unity with You, and enter into Your rest, Your glory is manifested in us and through us (Isaiah 60:1; Luke 10:27; Acts 1:8). Daily, we grow more like Christ by the transforming work of Your Spirit's power within us (Romans 8:30). Therefore, Your glory grows more radiant in us as well. We give You all of the praise, glory and honor, and we live in gratitude to You all of our days.

Thought for the Day:

We humans fall prey to delusion and we often seek false gods; we veer off the straight and narrow road and join the masses on the wide road to destruction. The only remedy for this is to enter into God’s rest by humbly repenting of our sins and accepting Christ's sacrifice as our own. - John 3:16-18

Our Living Hope

The distresses of life are the result of Adam’s sin. Life on this earth is only a shadow of what is to come and provides us with little hope unless we are Born Again by God's Spirit (1 Chronicles 29:15).

Without hope, life is impossible to live. A hopeless existence crushes our soul, and affects our body and spirit as well (Job 17:15). Many people say that God is no help to them in their times of trouble; but the truth is: God is our only hope.

Our living hope is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. We have an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that never fades away.

When we see the fruition of our hope, we feel totally alive and blessed (Proverbs 13:12). This gift is reserved for all Believers in heaven and on earth.

Even though we grieve in our trials in this life, we rejoice in the fact that it is only for a little while – a vapor compared to eternity (James 4:13-14). Total surrender to God is the key to escaping our misery.

He holds us up when we fall and lifts up everyone who is discouraged and calls on Him. We can be strong and live in courage without fear, because Christ in us fights for us against all of the negative aspects in our life (Joshua 10:25; John 5:6).

We are protected in trials by the power of God. His hope fills our hearts with joy and peace. By the power of His Spirit in us, our hope abounds (Romans 15:13).

We trust in His complete salvation - spirit, soul and body - which is ready to be revealed at the end of time (1 Peter 1:3-6). However, God gives us rest in safety in this world as well.

We can lie down without fear. We are secure in our hope in Christ (Job 11:18-19). We hope in the Lord, even in the difficult times in life (Job 13:15). The Lord takes pleasure in those who hope in His mercy (Psalm 147:11).

Prayer:

Father God, our hope rests in You. Your victory over death and your eternal salvation provide a living hope for us regardless of our circumstances in our life on earth. We look forward to spending the Millennium serving You and then rejoicing in You for eternity with all of Your Saints.

Thank you for suffering the death on the cross in our place, for taking up Your life again in Your resurrection (John 10:17-18, 15:13), for coming for Your Bride before the day of God’s wrath, and for coming again with Your Saints to set up Your Kingdom on the earth.

Thought for the Day:

Due to Jesus' victory on Calvary's cross, we have the hope of eternity and we can live life on this earth with a steadfast and immovable mind-set; this positive attitude enables us to succeed in our work directed by the Lord, which is our labor of love for Him and the world around us, and is never in vain.

- 1 Corinthians 15:54-58

Run, Devil, Run

As Christians we know that God’s Word is the absolute truth on which we base our life. Through His power within us, we live according to His precepts without compromise (Colossians 3:3-4).

Through the power of God’s Spirit (Acts 1:8), we stand against the temptations of the flesh, the world and the deceitfulness of Satan’s wiles, which strive to draw us away from God’s truth (James 1:13-16).

Trials and temptations are opportunities to honor Christ with our life (1 Peter 1:7), and to prove that we can live by our convictions (Romans 5:1-5).

We cannot take our faithfulness for granted, however; because our adversary the devil is a roaring lion, roaming the earth and looking for people to devour (1 Peter 5:8).

Therefore, we trust in Christ’s grace to give us the wisdom and the strength to stand strong and to overcome, so that we shall come forth from the fire of life as pure gold (Job 23:10; Philippians 2:12-13).

As we stand our ground against Satan's wiles, we find more and more victory in our individual and corporate life (2 Corinthians 10:4). We learn to walk in God's Spirit, and to lean on Him alone for anointing, wisdom and direction (Matthew 11:12).

We follow Jesus' example and gain ascendancy over Satan by quoting the word of God (Romans 4:17; Job 12:28; Mark 11:23). We do not submit to his lies or allow him to infiltrate our spirit or soul.

Our King Jesus will cast Satan into hell permanently when He takes up authority over the nations of the earth. At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow to worship Him (Philippians 2:10). We always triumph over the devil through Christ in us (2 Corinthians 2:14). 

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, with You residing within us, and by the power of Your Holy Spirit we do not have to give in to the temptation to sin. Help us to be vigilant in times of temptation to see Your provision for our way of escape. Keep us from choosing to sin and help us always to choose righteous thoughts, words and deeds instead.

Thank you for dwelling within us and giving us the goal of walking in sinless perfection and for the opportunity to intimately dwell with You now and in eternity. You fill us with Your presence and Your Spirit to enable us to overcome the temptations each moment of every day and to live for Your glory now and for all eternity to come.

Thought for the Day:

God's formula for ridding our self of the devil's heckling (James 1:13-16):

1. Submit our life to God

2. Resist the devil

3. Watch Satan RUN

Living in Perfection

The gift of grace, which we receive at salvation washes away all of our sins (Ephesians 2:8). We did not earn salvation and we cannot improve upon it (Galatians 3:1-3). With salvation there is no condemnation for anything we ever think, say or do (Romans 8:1-2).

So why should we strive for holiness and perfection when a place in heaven is already guaranteed to us? Grace does not give us permission to continue sinning. Although grace abounds in our soul, that is no reason for sin to flourish (Romans 6:1-2).

The Bible holds up a standard of holiness and perfection for every Believer who is washed in the blood of the Lamb (1 Peter 1:15; Revelation 7:14). We sell our self short by believing that we cannot live up to this Biblical standard.

The law of the Spirit of life sets us free from the law of sin and death that used to be the norm for our life (Romans 8:2). This freedom allows us to live in victory over sin every single day, and to live a purified life.

Living in perfection is possible, because Christ lives within us and he is perfect (Matthew 5:48). It is also possible if we choose to live by the Spirit every moment of the day. Enoch walked with God and God took Him (Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5). I want to follow Enoch’s example.

We are crucified with Christ. Our fleshly desires are dead, and He is living within us (Galatians 2:20). If we live by the Spirit, we will never fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). God promises to rescue His children from any temptation, which is greater than we can bear.

His grace gives us a way of escape from them (1 Corinthians 10:13). We simply need to look for His help. Living a life of holiness is our tribute to Christ for the sacrifice He paid by becoming a man and dying on the cross in our place.

Prayer:

Father God, we give You the honor due to Your name by following in Jesus' footsteps of sinless perfection (2 Corinthians 7:1). We persevere in holy living until we come to the place of complete maturity in our spirit and soul (James 1:4). By Your abounding grace, it is possible to live one minute without sinning.

If one minute, then we can go five minutes. If five minutes, then we can live one hour without sinning. If one hour, then we can live one whole day for the glory of God. If one day, then one lifetime can be lived in the perfection of Jesus Christ, who lives His life in and through us. Help us, Father God, to dare to get out of Your way.

Thought for the Day:

A life of sinless perfection is achieved…one moment at a time.

Stop Blaming God

It grieves me when we humans attribute to God the results of the choices made by individuals, some of whom claim that God is the inspiration for their misguided words or behavior.

God is blamed when illness robs us of a loved one, senseless murders rage in the streets, terrorists seem to gain a strong foothold in parts of the world, innocent children are kidnapped and sold into slavery, our house burns down and we lose all of our earthly treasures, etc.

God's perfect plan is for us to live in Paradise with Him and to enjoy the unspoiled environment there; but Adam and Eve chose to believe Satan's lies and forfeited their dominion over the earth to this fallen angel whose whole goal is to triumph over God.

God's design gives human beings a free will, and every negative circumstance is caused by the lack of judgment or selfish ambition of some person who disregards the needs and rights of those on whom they perpetrate their gross immorality or unfeeling actions.

Our Father God gave us a conscience, which we sear by degrees, and this eventually causes us to find no fault in our horrific behavior. People listen to Satan's lies and we set our self up as God and make choices that lead us into this sinful behavior.

It is unconscionable to blame God for human illness, which comes from toxins in our food, water and environment caused by human greed, consumerism and miscalculation.

Evil human choices spring up from our misguided desires and behavior. Even inadvertent weather patterns or financial collapses are due to excesses which people demand or perpetuate by our own corrupt goals and ideology.

God does not interfere with our preferences, and we all end up reaping the consequences of the poor choices, ambition and endeavors made by us, our neighbors or strangers who move into our communities.

Yet, God ultimately wants only what is good for us. He offers us hope and a blessed future in life and in eternity, if we will simply walk in His Spirit (Jeremiah 29:11; Galatians 5:15-25).

Prayer:

Father God, help us to walk in Your ways and to delight in Your will for our life. If we focus on our spiritual walk, listening to the Spirit and following His lead on a minute-by-minute basis, we find success, fulfillment and people who admire our walk and want to follow us as we follow Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Your Word divides between our carnal flesh and our growing spirituality, even to the depths of our joints and marrow. The Bible exposes our innermost thoughts and desires (Hebrews 4:12) and cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1: 9). As we meditate on Your scripture our soul is joyful, our spirit is holy and our body is healthy.

Thought for the Day:

We cannot blame God for events in life that are caused by human error and are the result of poor choices made by people throughout eons of time.

The Freedom of Humility

The first key to freedom in Christ is humility. If we keep blaming others for our failings, nothing ever improves and we are never set free from the bondage of the past.

Humility is absolutely transforming. The humility to admit that we are powerless leads to surrender. This surrender blazes the trail to serenity. Serenity is peace, which transcends our circumstances.

This deep peace paves the way to joy, which does not depend on what is going on around us. Happiness is a fickle human emotion that ebbs and flows with the tides of life.

However, the joy of the Lord is our continual strength (Nehemiah 8:10). It gives us the energy to follow the Spirit’s leading as we live in the moment throughout the day.

A Christian sister reminded me that she is a teacher; and, therefore, must plan her calendar. She wondered how she could plan and still live in the moment.

We can plan our life as the Spirit gives us direction, but living it moment by moment takes away our regret over the past and our worry over the future.

People also wonder how to pray without ceasing and yet continue to live up to their daily responsibilities. We certainly cannot stay on our knees in our prayer closet all day long.

Some people say this means that we live in an attitude of prayer. I assert that we are actually called to pray about each moment as God gives it to us. We ask Him what He wants us to do, and we follow His Spirit’s leading as we do it.

Then, we pray about each new endeavor throughout the day. Life flows much more smoothly with prayer, because we live it in the center of God's Will.

Prayer:

Father God, the easiest was to develop humility is to apologize. This will humble us before You have to bring someone to humiliate us. Please remind us that humility creates inner freedom in our soul. It is such a relief to let go of what we have been trying to hide, deny, or hold on to, and to acknowledge that we are not perfect.

Apologies with excuses and justifications are not apologies, although it is helpful to explain to others why we acted or spoke as we did. This explanation is not an excuse, but gives clarity in communication. No matter whom it is, help us to say, “Please forgive me for  … (and to name the issue). Most of all, we humble our self before You and give You all of the praise and glory due to Your name.

Thought for the Day:

Humility admits that we cannot, and acknowledges that God can; so that we can live each moment in the center of His will.

Complete Unity with Our Father God

The Word of God is a two-edged sword, a fire and a hammer (Jeremiah 23:29; Hebrews 4:12). It breaks up strongholds that Satan erects to hinder our spiritual growth, and it is a lamp to guide our way in life (Psalm 119:105).

God's Word abides forever (Isaiah 40:8), and strengthens us with hope, peace and joy (Nehemiah 8:10). We owe God an eternal debt for giving us His Word throughout the ages, and for not leaving us clueless and comfortless in this stressful and fearful world.

The only way we will experience rejection in our relationships in this world is if any opinion of us other than God's is too important to us, or if we set our heart to receive some earthly reward, or if we believe Satan's lies rather than to rely on the truth of God's Word.

Jesus walked in complete unity with Our Father God. He spent hours in solitude and prayer, so that He would have the spiritual unction, power and fortitude to face His days full of ministry.

He is the perfect example for us. He submitted to God in body, soul and spirit, controlled and guided by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:16-19, Amplified Bible). His aim in His life centered on living and doing only the will of God - even submitting to Calvary's cross.

Saints throughout the ages teach us that the purpose of trials in our life is to realize that our true joy does not come from worldly pleasures. This causes us to dwell in the shadow of God's wings and to sit in His lap as His adoring child.

Prayer:
Father God, remind us that human acclaim can quickly turn to demeaning, demoralizing and depressing criticism. Placing our trust in this world's provision will only disappoint us. When we are attacked by this world's systems, having our self-esteem squarely planted in our salvation in Christ deflects the arrows meant to pierce our heart. Total surrender to You gives us esteem and care by Your Body as well as by Your Spirit that abides within us.

We depend more on our affirmation from You than from accolades from the world around us (1 Corinthians 11:1). Any trial this world or the devil throws in our path, and which cripple us to our knees, are met with Your peace and joy to see us through them. Help us to walk in Your ways and to delight in Your will for us moment-by-moment throughout our day.

Thought for the Day:

It is not God who withdraws from us, but we who withdraw from Him; yet, as long as we abide in the Vine, as He abides in us, we will overcome our trials victoriously and enjoy the fullness of Christ in us, who is our hope of glory. - John 15:4-5

A Fork in the Road

Many times in life we come across a fork in the road. We have a choice to make - which way to go. We often make a pro and con list that will give us a bird's eye view of how we feel about the situation.

We tend to rely on our human reasoning to make the decision, which is often heavily influenced by our desires, insistence or manipulation from another person, the world's philosophy or Satan's manipulative lies (James 1:14).

We forget the good advice from God's Word that exhorts us to do His will each moment of our day (Proverbs 3:5-6). We tend to pay more attention to our own desires, much to our detriment, and to go our own way, directed by our self-centered goals and using our God-given talents for our own purposes.

Even if we have carnal success in our endeavors, we are never really satisfied. Our victories are hollow and our joy is fleeting. God has a perfect will for us in this decision, and it benefits us to pay attention to His Spirit's direction (Galatians 5:15-25).

Living in the center of God's will is the happiest place on earth. We may falter at first as we are learning to discern His still, small voice within us (1 Kings 19:11-13). If we get discouraged and give up, Satan wins yet another spiritual battle in our life.

We may make a few mistakes as we learn the difference between His thoughts and the many other voices in our mind. Yet, once we make a habit of walking in God's Spirit, we learn to differentiate it from our own thoughts by the peace or unrest in our spirit.

Regardless of our faltering attempts, repentance restores our connection to God's Spirit and God hears our call of dependence on Him and honors our faith.

Prayer:

Father God, teach us to pay attention to the direction of Your Spirit every moment of our life. Do not allow us to wander from the straight and narrow road that You designed for our success and protection. Help us to resist the temptation to rebel against or to ignore Your voice, to compromise our spiritual convictions or to disobey Your Word.

Keep us from the allurement of our flesh, the devil and the world to do our own thing, to strive to reach our own goals and to seek the glittering rewards offered to us if we will stray from Your will for our life. This broad road always leads to destruction of our body, soul and spirit. We make a commitment to depend only on You, and we give You all of our love and allegiance, as we totally surrender to Your will for our life.

Thought for the Day:

Heeding the promptings of God's Spirit throughout our day will help us to prosper in body, soul and spirit and to find true fulfillment and peace that comes only from living in the center of God's will.

God Satisfies Our Soul

Our whole being finds fulfillment only in the everlasting arms of our Lord God. His love is better than anything that life on this earth provides (Psalm 63:3); and we cannot help but lift up our hands in praise to Him as we glorify Him with our every thought, word and deed.

Through His salvation, He satisfies our soul and makes us secure in this sin-filled world (Psalm 23:3-4; 63:1-5). Our spirit is no longer dead in sin, but dances through life, alive in Christ forevermore. We bathe in His love, rest in His peace and sing because of His joy in us, as He rejoices over us with singing (Zephaniah 3:17).

Our fellowship with Him is in perfect and complete harmony and unity due to His mercy, love and grace (1 John 4:19). We walk in His light and enjoy fellowship with His Body now and throughout eternity (1 John 1:7).

Clinging to our pride and rebellion, our addictions and our insecurities only brings us trouble and devastation; but surrendering all to Jesus gives us the faith and security to thrive in this war-torn world.

When we reach out to Jesus, turn away from our sinful lifestyle and submit to His authority in our life, we find satisfaction and healing in His love. God heals our pain associated with all of our relationships, even those filled with disappointment and trauma. 

He helps us to humble our self and to reconcile with those in our life that caused us pain. We forgive one another and bless each other with God's encouragement and love.

God's perfect love is what our soul longs for and that which heals our broken heart and drenches us like a waterfall in this discouraging and broken society. We live as sojourners and pilgrims until He is ready to take us home with Him for eternity.

Prayer:

Father God, You created us so that our eyes are the windows of our soul. We often answer glibly when someone asks us how we are, because we know they do not really have time to hear our honest answer, nor are most of them concerned with how we really feel. Help us to look into each other's eyes and to see the true feelings emanating from them, to take time to really listen, and to show concern and ask how we may help to improve each other's lot in this life.

Remind us that we have to start by taking a searching inventory of our self in order to understand exactly how we do feel. What does our spirit need to grow in Your grace? How is our body and soul - our thoughts and feelings, which affect our choices? You are patient with us, and Your kindness is everlasting. You love us beyond words. You strengthen us and shower us with so many blessings that those who know us stand in awe of You (Psalm 86:15).

Thought for the Day:

Our success in this dark and pain-filled life comes from trusting in God alone to help us to live victoriously over the evils present all around us; as we call on Him to empower us, so that we can keep a daily, vigilant watch over our body, soul and spirit; this enables us to live serenely in His everlasting arms.

Victory in Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual warfare is a very real issue and continually goes on all around us. It all started when Satan rebelled against God and tricked Adam and Eve into giving him the dominion of the earth.

This warfare is not in the earthly realm, but in that which is not seen, except by the Spirit of God within us. That is why so much of God's Word warns us to keep watch and to be vigilant about the roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8-9).

Satan wages war against the Saints of God. It is personal and it is in our face, even when we do not realize it. Satan loves to whispers lies to our soul - our mind and emotions; and he rejoices when we buy into them, and they affect our choices and relationships. Especially if we sell out on Jesus.

Our whole body, soul and spirit are effected by the pollution of the devil's lies; and we usually do not even know we believe them or that many of his fabrications are buried deep within our subconscious mind.

God gives us His Body to rely on, because two are always better than one. If one of us falls, the rest are alert and come by our side to help us up. When we add God's presence and Spirit into the union, we have a three-fold cord that is not easily broken.

God also gives us a supportive mate if we are wise enough to wait on His timing and way, and not to rush into a relationship or rebound from a former one into one that is much worse (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).

The good news is that Christ in us is stronger than Satan and his dominion in the earth (1 John 4:4). Jesus gives us strength, wisdom and spiritual discernment; and He protects us from the evil one (2 Thessalonians 3:3).

We reign victoriously over Satan influence in our life. Once we recognize his penchant for lies, we can resist them and walk in God's truth - unaffected by any demonic influence.

Prayer:

Father God, we are so amazed to realize that Your Body is worldwide. Authentic Believers of every tongue, nation and tribe are our spiritual brethren; and we will spend eternity with You and with one another. How privileged we are to be counted among Your Saints; that You know us and that we know You. Thank You for taking on a human form and dying in our place, so that we can live to serve You.

You satisfy us each new morning with your steadfast love, and we sing for joy because You chose us before the foundation of the world to dwell in You and for You to abide in us (Psalm 90:1). Let each of us in Your Body dwell together in unity and fulfill the ministry for which You called us; so that Your Body will not be maimed and halt by spiritual warfare, but whole, vibrant and a force to be reckoned with in the spiritual world (1 Corinthians 12:12-26).

Thought for the Day:

The Trinity is our Creator, Savior, King and Guide, and we long for Him as a wanderer who is eagerly seeks out water in an arid, parched land. His love for us is better than life, and Christ is our whole life; therefore, we lift up our hands and sing with our lips in praise for His glory. - Psalm 63:1-5

Contentment with Godliness

Discontentment is reaching a world-wide plague in today's society. We are rarely satisfied with our self, each other, our church, our job, etc. We live with extreme stress most days in many areas of our life.

Yet, God Word exhorts us that godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6-7). Learning to live in contentment is a difficult task for most people.

Some carry it too far and end up apathetic with little motivation or passion for life at all (Amos 6:1). However, striving for more possessions, a better job, a new home or car, etc. may cause contention between us and those in life about whom we should care the most.

Living at peace with everyone is sometimes hard to do, but it does bring a measure of contentment to our life (Romans 12:18). We cease from our carnal labors and enter into God's Sabbath rest (Hebrews 4:9).

The only striving the Bible suggests that we partake in is to “strive to enter through the narrow gate” (Luke 13:24), to “always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men” (Acts 24:16), and to “strive together in prayers to God” (Rom 15:30).

If we "grab" or strive for more out of life, because of discontentment with what we have, God will withhold them from us. However, when we sit contentedly at His feet, ready to receive whatever He thinks is best for us, He gives us all good things to enjoy (James 1:17).

Prayer:

Father God, You promised to give us our daily bread and all that we need to survive in this natural world. You clothed the lilies of the field and the birds of the air (Matthew 6:26-34), and we thank You for providing for us just as richly. We trust in Your goodness and we marvel at Your abundant mercy and grace toward us.

We strive for unity with You each moment of the day and then we enter into Your rest and receive Your provision for us of every good thing that we need. We want to be led by Your Holy Spirit and to live in contentment, rather than to strive for more of this world.

Thought for the Day:

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him".

-1 Corinthians 2:9

A Good Marriage - A Softened Heart

Over the years of most marriages, the little foxes of neglect, abuse and broken promises mount up in our mind. They cause resentment, anger and bitterness. Then, bitterness defiles the whole relationship (Hebrews 12:15).

We harden our heart toward one another to prevent further hurt. We find more and more excuses to work longer hours, join one more club or get involved in one more civic or charitable event in order to avoid each other.

We ignore one another; we stop doing the little things that nurture our relationship; we answer each other in crisp, formal tones rather than with cherishing looks and words. We grow impatient with each other's idiosyncrasies and habits and mumble under our breath or start to disparage and nag each other.

The breakdown of our relationship actually started on our wedding day, or possibly during the wedding planning stage. We did not realize how hard marriage is - the blending of two lives, two sets of goals and expectations, and two needs for support and fulfillment.

It takes time and effort to open our individual schedules to include each other fulltime. We take each other for granted. We stop dating, we stop focusing our attention on one another, and we stop listening or caring about our spouse's needs.

When children come along, we neglect each other even more; we lose patience when the babies demand more of our spouse's time and attention than they give to us. We often disagree on disciplining methods and parenting styles.

A destination for the family vacation may also cause major disagreements, turmoil and disappointment. We may not enjoy spending time with our mate's parents, but are forced to spend every vacation with them or have them come visit and stay in our home for prolonged periods of time.

We forget that we are both human with limitations and physical and emotional needs. All is not hopeless, however; we can soften our heart toward each other and humbly apologize for our part in the stalemate between us. Then, we continue repairing our relationship by caring about one another again as we stop disdaining and losing patience with one another.

Prayer:

Father God, remind us to prefer one another and to make it our habit and goal to bless each other regardless of our feelings. The heart is desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:-10), and it cannot be trusted. Help us to see love as an action, rather than as a feeling. Seeking You together is the only way to remedy this challenging chasm between us, caused by the wounds of our relationship.

Help us to make time in our busy schedules to communicate with each other. Teach us to honestly, but lovingly share our feelings and needs and to really listen to and care about one another. As we forgive and look past our differences, show us how to appreciate each other and to prefer one another. Remind us to connect with the person we fell in love with and to rekindle the spark that drew us together.

Thought for the Day:

God gave us to each other, with all of our differences, failings and shortcomings in order to find help for our weaknesses and support from one another's strengths. Our mate is His gift to us, and He reminds us that we are friends and not enemies; we can change our focus, let go of bitterness and appreciate and cherish each other.

Freedom in Forgiveness

Forgiveness is one of the hardest practices humans employ; yet, it is one of the healthiest and freeing disciplines that we can utilize. If we do not forgive, then God cannot forgive us (Matthew 6:14).

We cannot control other people or the circumstances of our life, so unforgiveness simply feeds the negative emotions within us. This affects our body, soul and spirit. It pollutes our soul with resentment, bitterness and anger; dwarfs our spiritual maturity; and makes our body sick.

Unfortunately, bitterness will defile our whole life. It destroys marriages, affects our children and causes our body to succumb to every illness drifting through the air. It even influences our other thoughts, our body language and our physical and emotional attractiveness.

We feel that if we forgive the perpetrator, we free them from the debt they owe us for our pain; but if we continue to nurse unforgiveness towards the perpetrator, this somehow affects them. They are usually oblivious of their guilt and our feelings have no effect on them, but are detrimental to us.

Bible truth advises us that turning our woundedness over to God allows Him to avenge us (Romans 12:19). He is much more skilled at this then we are; so it just makes sense to surrender retribution and our pain to Him.

Forgiving our self is undoubtedly even more difficult than forgiving other people. We carry shame around with us and beat our self up with it each time we remember the incident.

So, how do we achieve the freedom that forgiveness carries with it? We can takes some time to analyze the situation. Are we blowing it out of proportion in our mind, do we honestly feel that they meant to hurt us with their words or behavior, did they maliciously attack us for no reason?

Having a civil and honest conversation with the person may actually resolve the conflict. Even if they do not respond contritely or if they escalate the problem by abusing us further, this will remove the root of bitterness in our soul caused by the former episode and we can more easily turn the matter over to God.

Prayer:

Father God, surrendering the incident and the pain to You will diminish the memory of it and give us more clarity of thought concerning the wounds we feel. Teach us that by conversing with our offender, we can make them more aware of how their words and actions make us feel and this may discourage them from repeating the behavior in the future. If they fall back into this wounding behavior, help us to erect boundaries that will help us not to take their behavior personally and will limit the amount of time we spend with them.

Jesus suffered similar events in His life and He always chose to forgive. Help us to follow His example of loving our enemies and blessing those who spitefully use us (Luke 6:28). Your opinion of us is far more important in our life than the words and actions of other people. You are our good, good Father, and You love us beyond words.

Thought for the Day:

It is easy to collect the negative emotions associated with grievances in our relationships; yet, forgiving frees us from the negative effects they would otherwise have on our relationship as well as on our own body, soul and spirit.