The Righteousness of Christ in Us

Jesus came to earth and lived as a carpenter's son, a big brother to his half-siblings, and an upstanding citizen of His community. He experienced the exact same trials and temptations that we face in our life; yet, without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

When Jesus died, as the perfect, sacrificial Lamb of God, He took our sins and nailed them to Calvary's cross. In exchange, He gave us His righteousness - His right standing with God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

If we feast on a diet of junk food for our body, soul and spirit, our faith gets weaker, and we reap the lack of nutrition in which we willfully partake.

Confusion reigns in our thoughts, and haste wreaks havoc in our emotions. Trivia bombards our nervous system with stress, and we drown in too many details of which to keep track.

Rushing through life, without noticing God's many blessings for us during our day, deprives us of joy that would otherwise flood our soul.

We use social media and texting to keep up with family and friends, more than we talk to God. Making an adjustment in our thought processes, habits and routine, helps us to switch our focus from the temporal to the spiritual.

When we realize our need for Jesus, repent of our sins, and call on Him to save us, our spirit, once dead in sin, is Born Again. Jesus moves into our spirit by His Spirit (John 16:7).

He floods our soul - our thoughts, emotions and will - with faith in His faithfulness, peace that surpasses all human reasoning, abundant joy that cannot be explained (1 Peter 1:8), and His unconditional love.

Prayer:

Father God, teach us that rather than allowing our to-do-list to dictate our life, You prefer that we submit to the direction of Your Spirit to guide us each moment of the day, according to Your will for us. We lay down our fears and insecurities at Your feet, and we ask You to fill us with Your Spirit.

You are not seeking perfect people with a faultless lifestyle. You want courageous overcomers that will totally trust You, and who are willing to surrender to Your power in our life. You work in us and through us to reach the dying world all around us. We want to walk in Your ways and to perform only Your will for our life.

Thought for the Day:

As God's Spirit sanctifies our soul, we learn to let go of the stress and demands of this life, as we enter His rest, regardless of our circumstances. 

- Isaiah 32:17

A Balanced Life

We are either in a trial, just coming out of a trial, or about to go into a trial (James 1:2-8). God's Word encourages us to get excited when we experience another trial. 

Rejoicing in misfortune is so foreign to our human way of thinking. It is one of the Bible's most puzzling paradoxes; although, most paradoxes are puzzling to our human mind.

Consider that we must die like a seed planted in good ground, so that we can live; we must give, so that we can receive; we must be last, so that we may be first, etc.  

God has His purpose intertwined in each of our trials. He uses the most frustrating, as well as the most devastating events in our life to mold our character into Christ's divine nature and to work out everything for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28; 2 Peter 1:4). 

As we sit alone in God's presence (Psalm 16:8-11), He brings balance into our life. He redirects our penchant to be too busy for our own good, and He changes our perspective and focus about tragic and intrusive issues.

During times of solitude, we write in our prayer journal. Jotting out our prayers helps us to find God's perspective about the positive and negative issues that we face each day.

As we put our thoughts on paper, we see more clearly what our subconscious mind is focusing on, and what is causing the negative emotions that plague our soul.

This helps us to empty our thoughts and emotions of pent up stress and grief, to restore a positive outlook on our life, and to better cope with the tribulation, which threatens to overcome us.

God's Holy Spirit helps us to know the will of God and to have the peace of God, so there is no more lunacy and stress warring in our mind!  Doesn’t that sound wonderful?

Prayer:

Father God, the carnal mind is enmity against You, because it is not subject to Your laws (Romans 8:7). If we live as carnal beings, then envy, strife, and divisions are common among us. Help us not to follow after the carnal thoughts, which fight against Your Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:3).

Teach us to walk by Your Spirit, and to be led by Your Spirit moment by moment throughout the day. Remind us that performing good deeds is a worthwhile quest (Romans 2:8-9), but only when they are performed in balance with Your will for our life.

Thought for the Day:

As we learn to censor our thoughts, we stop Satan from using them to subject us to His deception; and we cooperate with God's Spirit as He gives us the mind of Christ.

Living without Stress

Events from our past will cause us stress in our current life. Our issues that never got resolved will negatively influence our life now. Our negative thoughts and emotions will also harm our health.

Our current family and vocational situation may add to our stress. Our goals, dreams and desires may put us in a stressful situation in our attempt to fulfill them. Even the daily news spews out excessive amounts of stress.

Stress puts us in an unnatural state where all of our bodily functions are effected. Our immune system is compromised, and our organs are required to work harder than God designed them to function. We get sick easier and more often.

Finding a balance in our thoughts, words and actions will help us to stop the stress, and we feel healthier and more at peace. Stress in our life is not normal. Stress is a killer and has no place in our life.

In contrast, the peace that God gives us, is far superior to anything our world has to offer (John 14:27). Jesus encourages us not to permit our heart to be troubled or afraid (John 14:1).

As we allow the peace of Christ to rule in our soul- our thoughts, feelings and choices - God give us His rest. We yoke up with Him and do only what His Holy Spirit leads us to do, which calms our soul and allows our breathing to slow to an even pace (Matthew 11:28-30; Colossians 3:15).

Stress is released out of our soul, because the Lord is our Helper. Therefore, we have no need to fear the future or concern our self with what others may think of us or do to us (Hebrews 13:5-6; Romans 8:38-39). When we are afraid, we can put all of our trust in the Lord (Psalm 56:3).

Prayer:

Father God, stress weighs down our soul, but encouragement from You and Your Saints cheers us up (Proverbs 12:25). As we walk in humility before You, You lift us up in due time. We put all of our faith in You, because You prove to us Your faithfulness over and over throughout our lifetime (1 Peter 5:6).

When we feel anxiety rise in our heart, we give it to You in prayer, because we know that the devil desires to render us unable to serve You with our life here on earth (1 Peter 5:7-8; Philippians 4:6-7). Your correction and leadership take away our fear of failure and comfort us in all of our times of need (Psalm 23:4).

Thought for the Day:

As we cast all of our cares on our Savior, He sustains us and never allows His authentic Believers to be shaken; the Lord of peace Himself gives us peace all of the time and in every way, as we consult Him in all of our ways, because He abides within us.

- Psalm 55:22; 2 Thessalonians 3:16; 

Proverbs 3:5-6

Set Apart for God

As authentic Believers we are a holy people, unique, peculiar, set apart for God. God calls us to walk in holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:7). With Christ abiding in us, we can accomplish this feat.

We are in this world, not of our own choosing, but because of God's plan for us (Ephesians 2:10). However, we are not part of this world (John 17:16). We walk in God's will by communing with Him all day long (Proverbs 3:5-6).

We do not need to kneel, or to be in our prayer closet - our war room - but we seek God's will as we live out each moment of our day. As we walk in His ways and follow His Spirit's direction, we grow in His wisdom and favor (Luke 2:52).

We balance our life, in order to rid our life of distractions and over-commitments that sidetrack us and rob us of the joy of living in the center of God's will.

God's Word encourages us to guard against allowing worldliness to divert us from following after God's purpose for our life (Ephesians 5:15-16). He always gives us wisdom as we seek Him to order our day (James 1:5).

Jesus ascended into Heaven so that His Spirit could take His place in our life (John 16:7). The Holy Spirit is our comforter and our guide (John 14:26). He leads and we follow.

God uses His Spirit to sanctify us, as well. He continually works in our life, until the day that Jesus returns for His pure Bride without a spot or wrinkle (Philippians 1:5; Ephesians 5:27).

Prayer:

Father God, we commit our life to Your service. We want nothing more out of this life than to worship You in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24). You are the hand, and we are the glove. We are lifeless without You within us, using us for Your purpose and for Your glory.

We want to live worthy of Your calling on our life (Ephesians 4:1; Colossians 1:10); so that when we see you face-to-face, we will hear You say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." Our life is for Your glory, not for our own advancement financially or professionally. We thank You for all that You provide for us.

Thought for the Day:

God puts fresh wind in our sails in order for us to have the energy and anointing to accomplish all that He planned for us to do before the foundation of the earth.

- Psalm 51:10-12; Ephesians 2:10  

Living, Moving and Experiencing Life in Christ

Wherever the Spirit of God leads us, He is there with us. If we are wise enough to listen to His guidance, He works in us and through us. We live, move and experience life, not through our human reasoning, but through Christ in us (Galatians 2:20).

We are more than enough, because Christ abides within us. Jesus is our Living Water and our Bread of Life. We have no lack, because He supplies all of our needs from His glorious riches (John 4:10, 6:35, 7:37-39; Philippians 4:19).

Our self-life died with Jesus on Calvary's cross, and we now abide in Him as He dwells in us. We live, move and experience life through His eyes and by His direction (Acts 17:28).

God uses us in our vocation, our neighborhood, our family, our community, our church family, etc., in order to achieve His will in us and through us. We are actually living in God's Kingdom right now.

God's Kingdom is righteousness, peace and joy, which comes to us when we walk in the Spirit (Mark 1:15; Romans 14:17). We function in the spiritual realm when we walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:15-25).

We rejoice as we see Christ in us pour out His life through us to a lost and dying world. The issues in this life, which we used to think were so important, fade away and lose their meaning in our life.

We are ambassadors for God's Kingdom, sharing the Gospel of Christ at every opportunity that God provides for us; so that He can make His appeal to them, and love the world through us (2 Corinthians 5:20).

Prayer:

Father God, You are our all sufficiency. Without You, we have nothing, with You we contain everything we need for a life filled with joy and peace, regardless of the circumstances in our life. Thank You for allowing Your rivers of living water to flow out of us to a dry and thirsty people living all around us (John 7:37-39).

Use us for Your glory each moment of our life and let Your light shine out of us as a beacon to our family, friends, and community all around us. Remind us that as Your holy temple, with Christ dwelling in us by Your Holy Spirit, we can view our world as You see it, not to fulfill our desires and goals, but to further Your Kingdom on this earth.

Thought for the Day:

We can look to God and hear His voice through each moment of our life - doing His will, walking in accordance with His Spirit and sharing His love and His Gospel with everyone we meet.

Inspired by God

At Salvation, Jesus makes us a new creation. Our old nature, habits, abusive language, negative actions, thoughts and emotions slowly fade away as God's Spirit changes us from one stage of glory to the next (2 Corinthians 3:18).

We get so impatient when our carnality rises up and we make a mistake, hurt a friend or embarrass our self. It is hard to accept our humanity. However, God loved us while we were still sinners (Romans 8:5), so we can accept our self as well - just as we are.

God wants us to praise Him for our "hurts, habits and hang-ups" that prove that we are human. As we surrender these areas to Him, His Spirit makes all things new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

He who started a good work in us will finish it, day by day until Jesus returns for His bride (Philippians 1:6). He makes us a blessing regardless of our faults. We are His Temple (1 Corinthians 6:19), and He is perfecting us as the Bride of Christ without any spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:27).

Just like He did for Job (Job 42:10), God restores to us what Satan stole from us - our childhood, youth, resources, family, health, vocation, etc. Through our trials, Christ is manifested in us and through us. We are uniquely His.

Jesus was a man; He worked as a carpenter's son most of His life. Yet, even though He was also God, He learned obedience through what He suffered (Hebrews 5:8).

He begged our Father to release Him from carrying our sins to the terrible crucifixion and death on the cross (Matthew 26:39), but set an example for us all, by willingly doing our Father's will in all things.

Jesus abides in us by His Spirit. His divinity dwells in us along with our humanity. This gives us the same opportunity that Jesus had to live, move and have our being in the Spirit (Acts 17:28).

This fact allows us to stop trying to be good; and instead, to focus on Christ in us. We rejoice in the God of our salvation (Habakkuk 3:18). Through Christ in us, we are already redeemed. Our ticket to heaven is already paid for by His blood.

Prayer:

Father God, teach us to focus on Christ in us rather than our own foibles and idiosyncrasies (Colossians 1:27). Remind us that Your Spirit transforms us into the image of Christ in our thinking, feelings, and actions. They are now inspired by You (2 Corinthians 3:18). 

Please use our weaknesses as an example of what a Spirit-filled Believer looks and acts like. Our humility, grace and dependence on You alone, motivates others to follow us as we follow Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). Allow us to bring many others to heaven with us.

Thought for the Day:

We do not earn our status in the Son; He already guaranteed that position by sacrificing His life in our place.

Controlling Life

A person with a controlling attitude gets that way due to abusive, insecure and fearful circumstances in their past. If our current relationships and lifestyle provide us with security, we are much less controlling.

However, if we continue to live in uncertain situations or are not confident in the love of those in our life, we will attempt to keep our self safe by using control.

Controlling parents often produce controlling adult children. Controllers use manipulation, guilt, persuasive words, belittling, bargaining, etc. to attempt to keep our self safe.

We are endeavoring to escape from the pain of our past, but in reality we are reaping more pain for our future. We do not believe that we deserve good things to happen to us.

Our attempt to control our life, and the people in it, produces the opposite effect that we are trying to achieve. Rather than to feel more love, we push people away and actually receive less love.

Maybe we did not feel loved by our parents, we experienced mental, emotional or physical abuse in some form, and/or we were constantly criticized and made to feel that we never measured up.

We felt betrayed by people that we trusted, and we continually formed relationships with abusing or distant people. We never developed a sense of security, trust, or felt unconditionally loved.

Our peers may have rejected, ridiculed or bullied us. We choose a mate that is physically, emotionally or mentally abusive or unavailable, or one who is easy to manipulate, or one who has unrealistic expectations of us that we try to live up to.

Our personality may lend to more introspection and sensitivity, so that we are easily hurt or offended. We see the glass as half empty, we lose hope and expect bad things to happen to us, and we have little or no self-esteem or self-worth.

People are human. We do our best, and no one can expect us to do more than our best. Rather than controlling others, we can develop the habit of agreeing to disagree, or to come up with a third option on which we can both agree.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for teaching us that the only way to break this cycle of fear and insecurity is to realize that our worth is in Christ; and that He is the lover of our soul, our provider, our security and our champion against all of life's troubles and trials.

Remind us that attempting to control others and circumstances is futile and illusive. Help us to do our best, and to allow others to do their best. Teach us to give them the benefit of the doubt, and the freedom to be the person that You made them to be with all of their foibles and idiosyncrasies.

Thought for the Day:

What we once thought was important may eventually be inconsequential when compared to what God provides for us; we learn not to rely on our human reasoning or abilities, and to give others the freedom to fail or to let us down, because now we are relying on Jesus to meet all of our needs. - Philippians 3:7-9

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit

Jesus showed His concern about the issue of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The writers of all four gospels give us this account. This shows me that His words about this topic really impressed the apostles (Matthew 12:31-32; Mark 3: 28-30; Luke 12:10; John 20:19-24).

The great concern over blaspheming the Holy Spirit is that it is the only unpardonable sin (Mark 3:29). In the context of this verse, Jesus just healed a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute (Matthew 12:22-23).

The Pharisees knew that Jesus possessed power they did not hold, and they were jealous of His anointing. Therefore, wanting to take the focus off Christ, they accused Him of using Satan's power to heal the man.

This ludicrous comment proved their inconsistent spiritual mindset. Why would Satan cast out his own demon? This is when Jesus made it clear that giving Satan credit for the work of God's Spirit is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:28).

This has always been true (Matthew 12:32). Some people have tasted the things of God and then decide to reject Christ; but some go one step further and blaspheme His name, discount His deity, and attribute his works to Satan.

God turns these apostates over to a reprobate mind (Romans 1:28; 1 Timothy 4:1). They dedicate their life to harsh criticism of the Christian world and Biblical beliefs; therefore, sadly, they will spend their eternity in perpetual damnation for rejecting Jesus Christ as their Savior (John 3:18).

Prayer:

Father God, Your love, wisdom, power, authority, righteousness and justice are above reproach; yet, the humanistic mind rejects You and Your Word. They accuse the Biblical writers of being male chauvinists, and they say the Bible is an archaic book of fairytales, with errors and inconsistencies.

Your authentic Believers know, without a doubt and from experience, that Your Word is true, powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). There is life in every anointed Word. Thank You for working out circumstances in our life so that we accepted rather than rejected the work of Christ in our life (John 3:16-17).

Thought for the Day:

Those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit, and who give Satan credit for God's work, are apostates, and do not get another chance to repent; sadly, after their death, they will face God's judgment for rejecting the sacrifice that Jesus made for them on Calvary's cross.

- Hebrews 9:27; John 3:18

 

A Good Marriage - Acceptance with Tolerance and Understanding

Kindness is one of the fruit of the Spirit. Random act of kindness is one of the mantras of today's society. When we hear this, we usually transfer our focus to the general public around us.

Yet, showing kindness to those in our own household is the best place to start. Then, we move on to our church family, our workplace, social media, the market place, the doctor's office, heavy traffic, etc.

Kindness is a very hard mannerism to develop; but once we do, this characteristic is a permanent one. We may have lapses in showing kindness due to weariness, frustration, anger, disappointment, broken promises, etc.

This is to be expected, and accepted with tolerance and understanding; especially if we or our loved one lapses from kindness into irritation for a few moments or for a longer period of time.

First, we check our own attitude and behavior, and see if we are causing the mean-spirited words or actions of our mate. It is better if we honestly share how we feel with one another rather than to hide behind anger or silence.

Facing our distrust and confessing our woundedness will promote unity and intimacy in our relationships. Devotion and commitment to each other is the cornerstone of any good marriage.

These characteristics help us to bear with each other with patience, and to show love and compassion for their trials, even when they mistreat us in the process.

Reminding our self about why we fell in love will help to rekindle that spark that brought us together. It helps us to focus on longevity, and to overlook temporary set-backs in our day-to-day interactions.

Making a list of what we appreciate about one another is a good way to keep our focus on the positive aspects for the long run, rather than to allow present circumstances to drive a wedge between us.

Prayer:

Father God, create in us a clean heart, and renew a sound mind and attitude within our soul. Help us to walk in Your Spirit, especially when our spouse slips back into the flesh. Remind us to express our appreciation to one another on a card, poem, email, text or even verbally. Help us to develop the humility we need to confess our faults to one another, and to prefer each other over our self.

Draw us to Your heart and help us to see one another with Your eyes of compassion. Help us to have mercy that is new every morning and not to carry grudges and anger over into the next day (Ephesians 4:26). Your Spirit is transforming us with the mind of Christ and we can view each other as You see us, forgiving each other, even while we are still upset with one another (Romans 5:8).

 

Thought for the Day:

Through Christ in us, we can refuse to take words and behavior personally, but to give our slights and our hurt to Him; so that He can transform our emotions into empathy and grace for one another in our times of need.

All Things are Made New

We are never more fulfilled than when we are walking closest to God through Christ in us. God changes our nature from carnal, earthly flesh to one full of purity, Godliness and spirituality (2 Corinthians 3:18).

He gives us a way out of every future temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13). He walks with us every moment of every day, giving us His strength to go through every trail and to deliver us through it (Philippians 2:12-13).

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 (Psalm 139:13-14).

He knitted our bones and organs together in the confines of the womb. Before we were ever born, He designed all of our days and He keeps a record of each one of them in His book (Psalm 139:16).

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 internal organs, He created us all as unique individuals.

We are awesomely and amazingly made. Our individual cells, our DNA, our physical organs, our thoughts and our emotions are all the correct mixture of chemicals, which keep them all working together so perfectly.

God 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 (Ephesians 2:4).

With our mind focused on God, we walk in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3). Our deepest affections are reserved just for Him. Daily, we enter His rest and luxuriate in His loving presence.

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). We are a new creation, sanctified with the mind and divine nature of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Investigate our motives and discern the intentions of our soul. Analyze our soul, 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. Keep us holy and acceptable to You always (Psalm 139:23-24).

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; when we surrender our life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ we enter the realm of abundant life, which He promises to those who love Him. - Ephesians 3:9, John 10:10

Wings Like a Dove

Life bombards us with circumstances beyond our control. Each time we find a place of rest, something or someone beyond our influence interrupts our serenity.

We often believe that we have to maintain power over every aspect of our life in order to remain safe. Sometimes, we respond to adversity by fighting back or by grumbling and complaining.

In resorting to this negative behavior, we actually lose our peace altogether (1 Corinthians 2:5). Worry takes our mind off the here and now, and keeps it either as a prisoner of the past or trapped in an imagined, and improbable future.

Psychiatrists say worry can also cause anxiety, apathy, headaches, decreases in our immune system, increases in blood pressure, insomnia, and even bad habits such as grinding teeth and biting nails.

When our heart is in anguish within us, when the terrors of death assault us, when we are trembling with fears that attack us, and when the horrors of life overwhelm us, we want to run far away and hide.

We want to snuggle under our covers and sleep our life away. We wish we had wings like a dove, so that we could fly away and be at rest. We long for a place of shelter far from the tempest of issues and emotions that are currently storming our life (Psalm 55:4-8).

Since it is often impractical to hide, sleep or fly away, we can patiently accept each circumstance as a new challenge to our faith, and an exciting adventure planned for us by our precious Lord.

God’s power manifests in our weakest moments. We can actually boast about how weak we are; because then, instead of showing off our own power and abilities, we live as a demonstration of Christ's power from within us (2 Corinthians 12:9).

We can follow Paul’s example and learn to be content in whatever state in which we find our self (Philippians 4:11-13). As we dwell in this secret place of the Most High, He will lead us, guide us and make all things work out for our good (Romans 8:28).

God is always with us, working on our behalf. He is all we need. We all have our individual idiosyncrasies, hang-ups and flaws. God loves us regardless of our brokenness and fears (Romans 5:8).  He uses them for His glory (2 Corinthians 12:10).

The less we have, the more we depend upon God (2 Corinthians 3:5-6). If we draw our security from the Son Himself, instead of some weak reflection, which the world offers us, our inner rest will last for eternity.

Prayer:

Father God, we may experience discomfort now and then from a fiery trial, a disappointing loss or a daunting challenge; but we will always have Your Sonshine, which never fades away. When we trust in You, we will never experience the depression of hopes dashed against the cold reality of a fading life.

We will rest in the solid constancy of Your never-changing Son, because You never fail us nor forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5-8). Jesus constantly makes intercession to You for us during every moment of our life (Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34). Satan may bombard us with doubt and anxiety; but if we look to You for our salvation, Your perfect love will cast out all of our fear (1 John 4:18).

Thought for the Day:

Difficulties come in life, but when we are weak, then Christ in us is strong for us; He is constant, and always shares His love and wisdom with us regardless of our circumstances.

Forgiveness is Ours

Jesus bore our sins in His body on Calvary's cross. This allows us to die to sin's allure; and to live in His righteousness.

We are made holy by the blood of Christ. His wounds heal us in body, soul and spirit (Hebrews 13:12; 1 Peter 2:24). By the blood of Jesus, we now have the power to overcome the flesh, the world, and the devil with his lies (Revelation 12:11).

The blood of Christ allows God to draw close to us, and us to Him (Ephesians 2:13). Jesus shed His blood for us as part of the New Testament relationship between God and mankind (Luke 22:20; Matthew 26:28).

Jesus' life in us is by the power of His blood (Leviticus 17:11). He did once and for all what the High Priests could not do for Israel when they sacrificed the blood of animals according to the Old Testament law (Exodus 12:22).

God does not judge our righteousness by looking at our human effort, our degree of morality, or our religious activity. He forgives us only because we accept the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross (Leviticus 17:11; Matthew 26:28).

If we say that we have no sin, we are lying to our self. However, if we confess our sins, God faithfully and justly forgives us and allows us to walk in His light (1 John 1:7-9).

Thankfully, Jesus died that grievous death to pay for us the penalty of our sins. Without his shed blood, we would have no forgiveness for our sins and no spiritual life in us at all (Hebrews 9:22; John 6:53).

His blood cleanses our evil conscience from sin and gives us access to the holy presence of God (Hebrews 9:14; 1 John 1:7). It also brings us healing (Isaiah 53:5), protection for our family (Exodus 12:13) and blessings to our children (Job 1:5).

Prayer:

Father God, You designed our body so that our blood carries oxygen and nutrients to every cell in it; therefore, if the body is deprived of blood, it dies physically. You also provided us with Jesus' shed blood, or we never would have received forgiveness for our sins (Hebrews 9:22). Sadly, anyone who deprives him/herself of the sanctifying work of Jesus’ blood remains eternally dead spiritually.

Thank You that Jesus’ finished work on Calvary cleanses us from all unrighteousness and fights the infection of sin that tries to infiltrate our spirit. It also provides us with a multitude of blessings. Unfortunately, we often overlook or fail to value them; so please remind us to be grateful for all that You do for us.

Thought for the Day:

For Salvation, we believe with our heart, and we confess with our mouth that Jesus died to pay the penalty of our sins; He is now our Risen Lord, and by the blood of Jesus, we have boldness to enter the presence of God at any time.

- Hebrews 10:19; Romans 10:10

Yet Not I, But Christ

The devil used to be our father (John 8:44). Now, through Christ in us, we are acceptable to God - a living sacrifice to Him, that does not need to be ashamed (Romans 12:1; 2 Timothy 2:15).

Jesus is our all in all; He is our life (Colossians 3:11; Colossians 3:4). His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Through Him, we can accomplish every good work, which He designed for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

As we work out our own salvation, it is God who gives us the desire and the wisdom to complete this feat. He effectively works out our salvation in us, through His presence in our life (Philippians 2:12-13).

At salvation, we are crucified with Christ, nevertheless we are still human. Yet, we do not live our life according to our human reasoning, but through Christ, who abides in us and lives in and through us (Galatians 2:20).

The life that we now live as a human being is lived by the faith of Jesus, who loves us and gave His life for us (John 3:16-17). We do not need to give our self another moment of our attention.

We can totally focus on Christ in us and follow the leading of His Spirit each moment of our day. When we do this, He will take care of all of our needs by giving us His wisdom and power to solve every issue, as He provides for us (Matthew 6:33; 1 Peter 5:7).

There is no need to work for God (Ephesians 2:7-8), but simply to allow Him to work through us, in order to accomplish His will for us each and every day (Ephesians 2:10).

Every authentic Believer has a spot in the Kingdom of God in which to serve at the pleasure of our King Jesus. Jesus, through God's Spirit in us, gradually transforms us into holy, pure, blameless and perfect vessels for His use.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for taking us, the "walking dead" who were in bondage to depravity and sin, and giving us Your new life. You made it possible that Christ is not only with us, but abiding in us as well (Galatians 2:20). That is such a glorious mystery.

We are so grateful to You that this is a fact that we can believe, and on which we can count. We pray that You use us as a magnifying glass, so that when people look at us, they see Christ in us, rather than us. We do not want any glory for what You accomplish through our life. We only want more intimacy with You.

Thought for the Day:

Through Jesus' sacrifice for us on Calvary's cross, God brought our spirit from the grave into glory with Jesus, and allowed us to sit with him in the heavenly realm; therefore, we are no longer satisfied with living in and focusing on this earthly realm, because there is true freedom only in Christ and His Kingdom. 

- 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:6

Living Outside of God's Will

Whenever we live outside of God’s will, incalculable anguish and desolation are inevitable both in this life, as well as in the next. As we pray without ceasing all through the day, God's Spirit is ever present to instruct us.

He gives us the advantage of having the opportunity to live in His joy and peace on earth and for eternity. Those who refuse His offer choose to spend eternity suffering more than they are ever hurting now (John 3:18).

Sometimes, people give up trying to discern God's voice after only making a few attempts to follow His will. They are frustrated, because they somehow cannot hear His directions.

Others do not even try to consult God for His plans (Proverbs 3:5-6), because they are afraid that they will miss out on some illusory yearning that they counted on satisfying (Ecclesiastes 5:1).

If only they had waited a little longer and walked with God a little further, the effort of their obedience would bring more lasting rewards than they are expecting to receive without Him (1 Samuel 13:13).

God's blessings always exceed our expectations and desires. They are abundantly more amazing than anything that we could ever request from Him or imagine in our mind.

We may not know ahead of time where God is leading us, or what the outcome may be; but as long as we know and trust Him, we can freely follow Him and His will for each moment of our day.

God's blessings are always much better and more fulfilling than anything we can provide for our self. Once we totally surrender to God, even the angels is heaven rejoice for us (Luke 15:10).

Prayer:

Father God, help us to take our eyes off the results of our efforts, and to realize that obedience is what You are looking for from us. Help us to love You with a heart of full devotion, not distracted by the temptation of worldly pleasure, praise, glory or earthly benefits.

We want to do Your will in everything that we think, say and do during each and every day of our life. We give You the glory for every positive consequence we receive from our efforts in life, and we return back to You, all of the praise that we receive.

Thought for the Day:

God gives His presence to us, so that we may have the faith to give our self totally to Him.

Pursuing God

Getting side-tracked by worldly distractions on our pursuit of God is a common malady in today's world. We purpose in our heart to spend time alone with God, but issues often arise that demand our undivided attention.

We wistfully remember times past, when God's sweet presence filled us with His love, peace and joy; and we want to experience that fullness again.

We feel the draw of God's Spirit on our spirit to come away with Him, but earthly endeavors crowd out our time and energy. Our soul - our thoughts, emotions and choices - hungers after our Beloved Father God.

Yet, Satan makes sure that our mind wanders and our affections are torn. We cannot even finish the train of thought in our prayers before demonic activity highjacks our attention.

God desires to liberate us from the demands of our temporal life and to set us free to soar with Him in the spiritual realm. He wants to remove us from our busyness and to give us His rest (Hebrews 4:10).

Our duties are always with us, but abiding with God throughout the day is of paramount importance. God wants our undivided, focused attention, with our vision and thoughts on nothing other than His will for us, as well as on His goodness and grace.

In God's presence is fullness of joy and pleasure forevermore (Psalm 16:11). He molds us by His grace and replaces our carnal flesh with the fruit of His Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). As we contemplate His glory, He shapes us into the image of Christ, our Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Prayer:

Father God, You comfort us, inspire us, direct us and love us in the depths of our soul. As we jealously guard our time with You, You fill us with Your presence. We constantly acknowledge You in all of our choices and decisions, and we continually give You praise and glory for Your abundant blessings for us. We enjoy Your company, comfort and companionable silences.

We want to focus on You and commune with You without ceasing all throughout our day (1 Thessalonians 5:17). You call some of us to the ministry of intercession, and Your Spirit prompts us to lift up certain ones in prayer. Yet, we also spend time alone with You throughout the day in the midst of our job, family, ministry and other endeavors.

Thought for the Day:

Much is accomplished in the spiritual realm when we continually walk in the Spirit and consistently abide in the presence of God moment by moment throughout the day.

The Meaning of Unconditional Love

Enabling is a growing problem in today's society. We do not insist that people stand on their own two feet, nor do we give them the tools to accomplish this feat.

We do everything in our power to fix the problems in the lives of other people - especially our children. We bail them out of hardships, hand them resources that they do not earn, and rarely ask anything from them in return.

We do not teach them to manage money that they earn, to set their alarm to keep them on time for appointments, to think about the needs of others before their own needs, or to appreciate what is done for them and given to them.

We see a need, and out of compulsion, we fill it. This is not usually wise. Even Jesus only helped certain people as He saw our Father God directing Him to give His healing, wisdom and provision.

Jesus did not help everyone. If we give aid to someone outside of God's will for us, or for that person, we are thwarting God's purpose for their life and ours.

We often enable, rescue and assist in unhealthy ways. Instead, God exhorts us to consult Him in every area of our life, to follow the leading of His Spirit, and to always allow Him to work in and through us.

Our unconditional love for one another is commendable. It authenticates our faith and proves to the world that we are followers of Jesus Christ (John 13:34-35). We share His Gospel and spread hope, love, peace and joy to everyone we meet.

However, this does not always mean that we bail them out of their predicament; but it does mean that we pray for them, and that we obey the leading of God's Spirit in each instance.

Prayer:
Father God, help us to be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us to explain our trust in You; but also help us not to react with humanitarian compulsion, and to play the savior to the world around us. Teach us the balance between enabling and unconditional love.

Help our walk to be so righteous before You that anyone who slanders us will in turn be ashamed of their behavior (1 Peter 3:15-16). Thank You for creating us in the image of the Trinity and for engraving our name on the palm of Your hands (Isaiah 49:16).

Thought for the Day:
God's Spirit in us is infinitely greater than the many boundaries confining our human abilities; therefore, as we are led by God's Spirit each moment of our day, we accomplish the greater works that God calls us to perform.
- John 14:12

A Good Marriage - A Joyful Life

As God loved Jesus, Jesus loves us. He wants us to remain in His love by keeping God's laws, just as He remains in Our Father's love by keeping them (John 1:9-10).

We celebrate God's unconditional love for us, and we love others with this same love. We are a safe place for hurting people, a place where grace is always present. Misjudged, desolate, shattered people will flock to our fellowship.

When we learn to love our mate as Christ loves His Bride, we will live a joyful life (John 1:11-12). We totally surrender to God's will for our life and we walk in His ways. This enables us to put one another first and to serve each other with Agape love.

We do not need to earn God's love or prove that we deserve it. God gives it as a free gift, and we love our mate with this same type of love, considering his or her needs above our own.

We give God and our mate our whole heart, never wavering from our commitment to one another, even when conflicts arise. This makes us resilient through our misunderstandings, and our differences of opinions and direction.

We can also write each other frequent love notes via cards, emails, texts and messages. I've known wives who write a love note in lipstick on the bathroom mirror, and husbands who have flowers or a live plant with a card delivered to their wife at work.

Making time for one another will insulate our love during negative issues and disagreement. As we pray together for God's will in every situation, He always leads us to an equitable solution that we can both support.

Prayer:

Father God, teach us that if someone wins, someone else has to lose. It is only when we seek Your will together that we both win. Help us to discover the resolution to our issues as we prayerfully work together. When we consider one another's thoughts, feelings and needs, we are much more willing to compromise.

Help us to see that keeping our issues private, rather than airing them out to any willing listener or on social media, is of paramount importance. You make it clear that divorce is not in Your will for us, so help us to stay in love by putting each other's needs first. Give us words of encouragement for one another, and teach us to view our life impartially rather than one-sidedly.

Thought for the Day:

Our attitude and philosophy of life will influence our feelings of love for one another; so keeping a positive attitude will make it easier to see life from our mate's point-of-view. 

- Philippians 4:8