Waiting on God

 

 

We are not alone, and we will never be lonely, as long as we spend quality, quiet time with Jesus, the lover of our soul every moment of our day (1 John 4:10). He is closer to us than any person will ever be because He lives within us. 

 

The Trinity of God loves to fellowship with us, receive our praises, and hang out with us in companionable silence. Our intimate union with Him is unrivalled, unique, and lasting. We have courage as we wait on the Lord because He strengthens our heart (Psalm 27:14).

 

Waiting helps us to focus on His will, rather than on our own goals and desires. Our purpose and direction are centered around His perfect plans for us. We sit quietly in His intimate presence and wait until His Spirit gives us peace about our next chore or decision.

 

We do not make a plan on the spur of the moment, unless God leads us and gives us the anointing to make a wise choice. We follow God’s peace within us. If we have no peace within, then we continue to wait and pray for His divine direction (Psalm 25:4-9, 37:7-9, 130:5). 

 

In our instant society, we find it irritating to wait. We get anxious, impatient, and grouchy. It is quite a challenge to keep those restless and discouraging thoughts under the Spirit’s control, and to praise God even for the negative aspects in our life. These new habits will put Satan in his place and let God work on our behalf. 

 

Once we decide that we only desire what God wants for our life, then joy fills our soul regardless of our circumstances. We trust and praise Him in the bad times, as well as in the good. We find deep peace, love, and joy under the shadow of His wings (Psalm 91:1-4; Psalm 17 and 18).

 

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that, if we start living a life of praise now, You can bless us in ways we never even imagined. Reveal to us the depth of meaning behind the words that we are crucified with Jesus; and that even though we still live on this earth, we live each day by His faith, because He died in our place to pay the penalty of our sins (Galatians 2:20).

 

Lead us into Your truth and teach us Your ways. You give us the daily benefits of Your salvation as we wait on You all day long (Psalm 25:5-9). Even though we still entertain carnal tendencies, You are renewing our mind with the mind of Christ and giving us His anointing to accomplish all that You call us to do (Philippians 2:5-11, 4:13; John 15:5-7).

 

Thought for the Day:

We can claim as many scriptures as we can find all day long, but God is not moved until we totally surrender to Him the desires of our heart; claiming promises is often our attempt to twist God's arm to work on our behalf; however, He is already working all things out for our good, so we can rejoice in life one moment at a time. 

- Romans 8:28; 2 Corinthians 1:20

 

 

 

 

A Good Marriage - Keys to Intimacy

 

 

Time and attention are two key ingredients in enjoying a good marriage. Paying attention to everything that our spouse does to make our life better, as well as complimenting them on their dedication and sacrifice for us, will make our intimate union all the more enjoyable and secure.

 

Everyone relishes the feeling of being appreciated, admired, and not taken for granted. However, we get so caught up in our own little world sometimes, that we fail to notice or to show appreciation for everything our spouse does to bless our life. 

 

We easily gripe when one of us fails to do what we expect, but how often do we thank each other for our selfless service to one another? We all need affirmation through encouragement, thoughtful little gifts, hugs and kisses, time spent in each other’s company, etc. 

 

Specifically thanking our mate for their random acts of kindness for us encourages both of us to be more proactive in our thoughtful gestures toward one another.

 

Depending on our upbringing and past life experiences, some people do not like hugs, touching, snuggling on the couch, etc. They prefer chatting and connecting mentally rather than physically. Both of these expressions of love and attention are valid and necessary.

 

Even a few moments of focused attention on one another each day will improve our relationship and fuel our emotional connection. Sharing a meal together; an unexpected phone call just to say, “I love you.”; a short love note tucked into a pocket, purse, or briefcase; a surprise visit to our spouse’s workplace; etc. all provide us with that feeling of belonging, cherishing, and care.

 

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for teaching us not to take each other for granted. Help us to truly cherish one another as You cherish us. Remind us to overlook our spouse’s irritating qualities by helping us to focus on their positive merits. You created Eve as a helper for Adam. You call on the husband to lay down his life for his wife, which encourages her to submit to the authority that You give to him.

 

Help us to appreciate the fact that affectionate touching is a great door-opener for more intimate touching. It may not lead to a culmination of physical expression at that moment, but it often does. Either way, eye contact, smooching, hugs, a touch on the shoulder, a kiss on the forehead or neck, and caresses will put us in the mood for more familiar contact. A grateful attitude to You for our spouse will also enlarge our love and appreciation for one another.

 

Thought for the Day:

Loneliness is a rapidly increasing problem in our society, and even couples complain about feeling lonely despite being married; we feel alone, because we are placed on the bottom of the list of our spouse’s priorities, and many activities and responsibilities take precedence over our relationship; therefore, a caring bond, sharing interests, a listening ear, showing love in our particular love language, a relational rapport, etc. will help us to feel like we really matter and are valued as a person.

- https://www.5lovelanguages.com/quizzes/

Beginning and Ending Each Day

 

Living the spirit-filled life includes encouraging our self with God’s Word, continually singing praises to God in our heart, and giving thanks to Him for all the incidents that we encounter in our life, even the negative circumstances (Colossians 4:2; Ephesians 5:19-20; Philippians 4:4-8). 

 

We also thank Him for the fellowship of Believers that He leads us to join in our service to His Kingdom and in our joint community (1 Corinthians 1:4). The Lord is our continual strength and shield. Our heart can trust in Him and rejoice, because He always helps us in our times of need. 

 

Our songs of praise to Him bless Him as well (Psalm 28:7). We are bountifully enriched by God’s blessings in our life; therefore, we can erupt in spontaneous praise throughout the day when we experience or remember His personal provision for us (2 Corinthians 9:11).

 

All that God requires of us is a joyful noise. We have no need of music lessons or college degrees or an award-winning voice. A squeaky, off-key melody from our heart blesses Him just as much as a trained virtuoso. He is our God, our Creator, and our Sustainer (Psalm 100).  

 

We can reject all satanic attempts to overcome us with his jaws of discouragement and anxiety (1 Peter 5:8). God’s peace guides us in our decisions, comforts us in our afflictions and losses, and replaces our human understanding. It also keeps our heart and mind steady, faith-filled, and thriving (Philippians 4:6).

 

We start and end every day with His praises on our lips. His mercy and truth endure through every generation and throughout eternity (Ephesians 5:20). We are a magnifying glass that enables those around us to see Him more clearly. Our thankful heart, for what He is and does for us, is a testimony for all to see (Psalm 69:30).

 

Prayer:

Father God, we come before Your presence with gratitude in our heart for all that You did, are doing, and will do for us. We give You thanks and share testimonies in the congregation of Believers about Your provision and protection in our life (Psalm 35:18, 95:1-3, 116:17, 136:26). By Your grace through Jesus Christ, we are enriched by You in thoughts, words, and deeds (1 Corinthians 1:4-5).

 

Help us to praise You for Your goodness and blessings in our life, so that others will see that You satisfy the longings of our thoughts, emotions, words, and choices. You fill our hungry soul with every good and perfect gift (Colossians 3:17; James 1:17-20). As we lift up our unsaved friends, family, acquaintances and neighbors in prayer and lift You up to them in our conversations, many will come to You and be glad (Psalm 107:8-9).

 

Thought for the Day:

As we contemplate all that God is and does for us, we always rejoice, pray without ceasing, and give thanks for everything that comes our way; our intimate union with Him sustains us through every circumstance, and we learn patience, perseverance and hope through them all. 

- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Safely Tucked under God’s Wings

 

 

Attempting to drum up more faith in order to survive the issues of life is exhausting and usually futile. Keeping our focus on God’s will and walking by the direction of His Holy Spirit helps us to effortlessly abide in Christ in each instance. 

 

This allows us to utilize the faith of Christ within us instead of manufacturing a semblance of trust in the unseen aspects of the Spirit. Disturbing or debilitating events threaten to rob us of our peace, yet we can walk in faith by reminding our self that we are safely tucked under the shadow of God’s wings (Psalm 91). 

 

God’s Spirit replaces our carnal nature with His fruit, and Christ in us leads us to live in a surrendered and undivided commitment to God (Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Corinthians 3:18). Laying down our goals, self-will and pride enables us to make God paramount in our decisions. 

 

He rules by His Spirit over every area of our life according to His perfect plans for us. He goes before us and exerts His power to overcome our enemies and to provide His anointing for us to accomplish our service for Him.

 

His contentment, peace, and joy permeate every fiber of our soul. When people look at us, they see Jesus instead (Acts 6:8-9). We bask in God’s love that He exemplified when Jesus sacrificed Himself for our salvation (Ephesians 5:1-2). 

 

The power of God’s divine life works in us, through us, and for us as we traverse the course of our day. Jesus restores for us everything that Adam and Eve lost for us by their prideful disobedience in the Garden of Paradise. We abide in God’s Word, and it abides in us (John 15:7).  

 

We live in the Vine as His branches, and we hang out as branches do, while God’s Spirit produces His fruit in our life. This fruit is created for the enjoyment of those who come to God’s throne, seeking sustenance for their daily walk with the Lord. 

 

When we share God’s truth with others, this allows us to receive more wisdom and strength from the Lord (John 15:4). Then we readily forsake the world, the flesh and satanic lies that vie to draw us away from God’s best for us (Romans 8:28; Philippians 3:8-9).

 

Prayer:

Father God, when we are so full of our own worth, plans and talents, we leave no room for You to fill us with Your divine life. However, when we humble our pride and forsake, as Paul did (Philippians 3:8-14), our worldly wisdom and experience in exchange for Your Truth, we discover Your treasure that You hide in each of us (2 Corinthians 4:7-10).

 

The power of Christ within us removes from us all desire to practice sin (Galatians 5:16,25). We have no more tendency to live as slaves to sin, but to live as slaves to Your righteousness instead (Romans 6:18). Help us to hunger and thirst for holiness and to gain from You a clean heart that thwarts any idea or activity that interferes with our intimate relationship with You (Matthew 5:6).

 

Thought for the Day:

God knew us before He knit us together in our mother’s womb; therefore, rather than working for God, we develop a dependence on the Holy Spirit to do the works through us that God planned, before we were even born, for us to accomplish with our life.

- Psalm 139:13-16; Ephesians 2:8-10

 

 

Using Words Wisely

 

I cherish words more than any other aspect of life on this earth. I love my husband and family, pets, flower garden that feeds pollinators, and the Body of Christ, but I thoroughly enjoy writing and learning new words and using them. 

 

I also love God’s Word and delve into it throughout the day and night. I will be devastated if I ever lost the Word of God through persecution of the church in America. That is why I hide His Word in my heart, usually not word-for-word, but the gist of favorite verses is committed to my memory.

 

Many of the verses I know were set to music in my past by Christian brothers and sisters, which makes it easier to remember them. I want to make God's Word a priority in my life, so if we ever lose the written word, my spirit and soul can find nourishment from the words I hid in my heart (Psalm 119:11).

 

As I type out the posts for my blog, I save the document after each sentence. In the past, I experienced the catastrophe of losing inspired words from the Lord, simply because I forgot to save them before some mishap caused me to lose them all. As they say, “Once burnt, twice smart.”

 

Using words of profanity or continually voicing negative words may express the emotions in our soul, or they make us feel like we fit in to the culture around us, but they often grate on the ears of those who must hear them. 

 

If we follow the advice of Philippians 4:8, we will think with and use words that are factual, decent, unbiased, wholesome, worthy of praise, divine, encouraging, and admirable. This allows joy to fill our heart, and we reap benefits in our spirit, soul, and even our body.

 

Prayer:

Father God, let us never take Your Word for granted. Our freedoms in America over all these years lulled us into a sense of security that is no longer guaranteed. Many other countries across the globe lost their freedoms in small increments over time, and we are losing them also. There is not a Christian nation left in our world today, including the USA.

 

We look forward to Christ's imminent return; but if You tarry any longer, America may fall into ungodly hands, and we may lose our hard-won freedoms. Help us to hide Your Word in our heart so that it will sustain us in our times of trials now and in the future. We totally surrender our life to You, and we maintain our faith in Your faithfulness today and always.

 

Thought for the Day:

The Word of God speaks to our spirit and soul like no other words we could ever read or hear; it sustains us through every trial, strengthens our heart, encourages and comforts us, builds up our faith, and gives life to our spirit, soul and body. 

- Psalm 119:116; Hebrews 4:12-13

 

 

 

 

 

A Good Marriage - Adjusting our Focus

 

 

Through the years of our marriage, we may entertain a mindset, which slowly fills with a series of bad feelings toward our spouse’s negative habits, hang-ups, attitude, worldview and behavior. This makes it hard to feel love for them or to cherish their place in our life. 

 

We adopt negative attitudes toward our mate, and we allow bitterness to grow in our heart and destroy our relationship. Once we accept Jesus’ sacrifice and forgiveness for us, God does not demand punishment for our sins. He forgives us freely, and we can continually forgive our self and our spouse too (Colossians 3:13).

 

We learn to understand or appreciate the root causes of our spouse’s idiosyncrasies and to unreservedly forgive their lapses in judgment or behavior (Romans 3:25-26; Ephesians 1:3-10). We are human too, and we need this same consideration from our spouse as well.

 

Everyone longs to be special to someone else, unconditionally loved in spite of our foibles, affirmed as a person of value, etc. We all want to know that we matter, are cared about and understood, as well as appreciated and cherished. As husband and wife, we are in a perfect position to provide this type of atmosphere for one another.

 

A thoughtful person is always appreciated - one who is not self-absorbed, but who spends time with us doing the things that we love to do. We may not share this type of relationship with our spouse right now, but we can each decide to do at least one thing with the other that makes our mate happy, and then let that habit grow over the years.

 

We can also change our focus about our spouse’s irritating qualities by making a list of their positive traits and noticing and complimenting them each time they act in constructive ways. No one likes to be lectured, looked down on, criticized, etc. We all need to feel affirmed, liked, and loved above all others.

 

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that you are long-suffering with us, and living with this same patient attitude toward one another can help us to bond together in love and unity. Teach us that living up to our commitment to one another helps us to strengthen our commitment to You as well. You mean everything to us, and You are the center of our focus in life (Colossians 3:3-4).

 

Help us to see that preferring one another (Romans 12:10), rather than maintaining a self-centered lifestyle, will enable us to see the good in one another and to appreciate and delight in one another. Enable us to learn that complimenting and thanking each other is the way we can remain focused on the good in each of us, rather than to harp on the negative aspects of our spouse’s choices, attitude and behavior.

 

Thought for the Day:

Choosing the mate that God provides for us is imperative; if we like our future spouse as well as love them, we can be assured that we will be friends for a lifetime; love and hate are the two sides of the same coin, but when we like each other too, this helps to keep the coin flipped over on the love side, rather than on the hate side.

 

The Perils of Consumerism

 

Consumerism is an addictive habit for many, a source of bitterness for those who cannot afford what others enjoy, and often a distraction from our dedication to God and His purposes for us. There is too much tragedy in our world to add to it by coveting what our workmate, neighbor, or family member has. 

 

In today’s society, we are more polarized than ever before in race, gender, worldview, life philosophy, opinions and convictions. Theft, physical abuse, murders, home invasions, etc. are on the rise. Thieves do not even wait until the cover of darkness; they will break into a home at any time, even when everyone is at home. 

 

Admiring a person's wife or personal possessions is not enough for them (Deuteronomy 5:21). They want, without working for it, what the other person has; and they want it now. At times, desperation will fuel a person to use desperate means to provide for their family; however, some people are just too lazy to work.

 

Contrarily, The Bible encourages us to rejoice when someone rejoices and to show empathy when someone suffers loss (Romans 12:15). If someone buys a new home, outfit, recreational vehicle, etc. then we rejoice with them. If another person cannot even afford groceries, we can step up and help them by purchasing a grocery gift card for them.

 

We often find it easier to weep with others than to rejoice when someone is blessed, especially if we decide that it is a greater portion of blessing than we received. The key here is to realize that God will provide us what we need, when we need it. Achieving God’s plan and purpose for our life is much more fulfilling than amassing this world’s good.

 

Prayer:

Father God, if the truth is known, a bigger house, a new recreational toy, a more luxurious vehicle, a closet full of new outfits with shoes to match, etc. will make us happy for the moment, but they soon lose their glitter. Then we are stuck with high payments that drain our finances and are downright irritating after a while. Remind us that every good and perfect gift comes directly from You. You are the Father of Lights, and You bless those who walk in your ways (James 1:17).

 

You even bless the sinner, which causes grumbling among the ranks of those who faithfully serve You. Yet, through this action You show us that You willingly allow Your rain of blessings to fall on the just and the unjust alike (Matthew 5:45). Remind us that consumerism is a trap of the devil to keep us from serving You with our whole heart; and, at times, these choices may put us in financial or legal peril as well. 

 

Thought for the Day:

God’s ways are perfect, and we want to have more of the mind of Christ and less of the mindset of this world, so that we can serve the Godhead with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength; God shows His love to thousands of generations, which come from those who love Him - blessing our children and their children throughout the ensuing years, even beyond the day of our death - which is actually the day of our eternal deliverance from the corruption of this earth. 

- Luke 10:27; Exodus 20:6; Philippians 2:5

 

God as Creator

 

God as Creator

 

Astrophysicists and other scientists agree that all matter found in our earth and universe since the beginning of time – including the key elements in people, animals, plants, the earth, stars, and the multitude of galaxies – was created at the moment of the formation of all things. In all these years, this has not changed.

 

Many believe that energy concentrated into a very tiny point, which then exploded with immeasurable force that created matter. This matter then propelled outwardly into the expanse of the universe. Of course, they call this the “Big Bang,” but Bible believers call this God’s creation.

 

The problem with the Big Bang is that it is still a theory with a missing link for which scientists and archeologists have searched for all these years to no avail. Yet, God’s account in Genesis has no missing links, as it describes so beautifully the order that, through His spoken word, God put into place for us to enjoy.

 

As Creator, God owns the heavens and the earth (Psalm 24:1-2, 89:11). The prophets and historians in the Bible wrote many verses and promises, which remind us that God is our Creator. All that remains is for each one of us to believe the veracity of God’s Word and to trust Him with our whole heart.

 

All creation stands in awe of our Creator God. He commanded that our world come into existence, and it still stands fast on its tilted orbit at the perfect degree which sustains our life on this planet (Psalm 33:6-9). The visible and the invisible things of God are all created by Him (Colossians 1:16).

 

Prayer:

Father God, You are worthy to receive our praises, as well as all the glory, honor and power. You created all things for us to enjoy, starting with the Garden of Paradise. You fashioned all things, and by Your will they all still exist (Revelation 4:11). As beautiful as this sin-cursed world is, it is nothing compared to what You have in store for all Believers (John 14:2).

 

Through Your creation every human being birthed into this world can see the clear evidence of Your invisible qualities, as well as Your eternal power and divine presence among us. No one has a valid excuse for their unbelief (John 3:18; Romans 1:20). We are humbled by Your generosity and loving kindness to each one of us.

 

Thought for the Day:

All of creation preaches the validity of God’s existence, the goodness of His intentions for us, and the reality of the hope we have in Him, which causes us to stand in awe of Him, and to feel grateful to be called and chosen by Him to live for eternity as His adopted children. 

– Psalm 118:8; Ephesians 1:5-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17; Romans 1:20; 1 Peter 2:9

Unity in the Spirit

 

 

Church conflict and disagreements cause members to choose sides. It tears the body of Believers apart and offers a poor witness to new Believers, the unchurched, and our community who are watching us closely. They expect us to be different, and really, we should be.

 

The atmosphere in our fellowship is so much more inviting when the Body of Christ dwells together in unity – even if this requires us to agree to disagree (Psalm 133:1). Our dedication to God and our commitment to our church family is a testimony to the world that He really does dwell within us (John 13:35). 

 

We may live on this planet, but our citizenship is in Heaven (Philippians 3:20). Our great High Priest is also our Lord and King, and He gave His life to allow us unlimited access to our Father’s throne (Hebrews 4:16). Praying together increases our unity with one another.

 

The bond of Christ’s sacrifice and His love for us brings unity to our church family regardless of where we live, or how old or young we are (1 Corinthians 1:10). When we stand together in our faith by the Holy Spirit, we think, act, and believe as one integrated Body (Philippians 1:27, 2:2).

 

While the Holy Spirit sanctifies each one of us, we learn to conduct our self as an example of the gospel of Christ. We prefer one another above our self (Romans 12:10), and we search God’s Word together to come to a similar understanding of God’s desire for our particular church (Acts 17:11).

 

When one of us suffers, we all suffer; and when one of us rejoices, we are all happy for that one (1 Corinthians 12:26). As authentic Believers, we are an example of those who worship God in spirit and in truth both individually and corporately (Colossians 1:15).

 

The Spirit unifies us with the Father through Christ (John 17:21-22). We share in the unity of the triune God; and we live as an example to the world of a God of love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, meekness, self-control, and faith (Galatians 5:22-23; John 17:21-22).

 

Prayer:

Father God, help us as Your Body to put on the mind of Christ, to speak the words given to us by Your Holy Spirit, and to follow Your will for each moment of our day. Remind us to find the glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character gives us hope. 

 

Hope prevents us from experiencing shame, because Your love has been poured out into our hearts through Your Holy Spirit (Romans 5:1-5). Your purpose for our life is to be conformed to the image of Your Son (Romans 8:29). Restore our relationships within Your Body and unite us as a testimony of Your life and love within us. 

 

Thought for the Day:

Every Born Again person in every tongue, tribe, and nation from every generation since time began will all spend eternity with one another in God’s presence; until then, we all share the same vision to live Godly, and the same purpose to save souls, and the same unity with the triune God.

- John 3:3, 17:21; Galatians 5:22-23; Titus 3:5-7

 

 

The Tempter’s Job

 

The Tempter’s Job

 

Satan and his demonic forces are seeking to steal, kill and destroy what we are and what we have (John 10:10). We all have obstructing temptations, and Satan is a creative strategist who knows how to use our fleshly desires against us, and to manipulate us into his grasp.

 

The Tempter’s job is to tempt (Matthew 4:1, 13:25-39; 1 Thessalonians 3:5); so, we really cannot fault the devil for drawing us away from God’s perfect plans for us (1 Corinthians 2:12; Ephesians 2:2). The main item he uses to hook us by his deception is our flesh, in which dwells no good thing (Romans 7:18), with a healthy dose of our pride, selfishness, and rebellion. 

 

As we submit our soul – our thoughts, emotions, and choices – to the leadership of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Spirit conforms our mind into the mind of Christ, and we have a whole new way of looking at life, our needs, and our choices (Romans 12:2). The ball is always in our court, and the choice is always ours to make. 

 

The good news is that Satan can only influence an authentic Believer if we are willing to be his victim. God uses our temptations to give us the opportunity to submit to Him rather than to satanic forces.

 

We break God’s heart when we choose to sin, rather than to walk in His Spirit and avoid iniquity. He enables us to make the correct choice, because of the power of His Trinity within us that is greater than Satan and all his deceiving spirits (1 John 4:4; 1 Corinthians 10:13). 

 

Demonic forces use our own desires and lusts to draw us into sin and away from God’s blessings in our life (James 1:14-15). If we fail to avail our self to God’s help, and we fall to temptation, there is always forgiveness once we honestly repent. This means that we walk away and leave sin behind us.

 

Prayer:

Father God, the cry of our heart is to serve You with our life. Help us to plug into Your joy, which is our real strength (Nehemiah 8:10), so that we can draw near to You, resist the devil, and he will flee from us (James 4:7). We want to be a beacon for Your glory in our home, family, neighborhood, and community. Give us Your divine appointments so that we can reach the lost for Your glory.

 

If anyone does not have Your Spirit within them, they are doomed both now and throughout eternity (John 3:18, 15:5). Since we can resist temptation solely through the presence of Christ in us (John 15:5-7), strengthen our spirit and transform our mind to pursue only Your plans and purposes for us. We want to heed Your direction and to abide on the straight and narrow road that You provide for our safety (Matthew 7:13-14).

 

Thought for the Day:

Temptation is never a sin, because it comes from a source outside of our self; it is how we respond to the temptation that determines whether we please God with our thoughts, words, and actions or submit to the devil’s plans for us instead. 

– 1 Corinthians 10:13

A Good Marriage - Showing Gratitude

 

 

In a long-term marriage, we often fall into the trap of taking each other for granted. We make our own plans and go in different directions for most days of the week. If we do not carve out time to snuggle and chat each day, we can feel like a housekeeper and a paycheck before long.

 

When we know that we are appreciated, desired and enjoyed, we will go to any lengths to please our mate, lighten their load, and make them happy (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). Otherwise, we get discouraged, feel ignored, and grow weary and eventually even bitter. Jesus treasures us as His future bride, and He teaches us by His example to cherish each other.

 

Jesus is our perfect example of how to respond to negative words and persecution against us emotionally, mentally and physically. He used silence to take the wind out of His tormenters’ negative words and behavior. We can learn from Him how to respond to hurtful words and actions from one another.

 

Like two fencing partners, we can initiate and engage as well as to pull back and remain silent in order to deflect an argument and to keep from entering the “blame” game or retaliating with unkindness. God will help us to take a searching inventory of our soul and heal our wounds, as well as to see the extenuating circumstances that cause our spouse to react to us negatively.

 

Praying about God’s perspective on what is occurring in our marriage resolves issues in our own mind and keeps us from striking back in anger and accusations. Overcoming frequent battles may take time, but as we discuss them calmly, after we both take a “time out,” an analytical discussion will help us to find better ways to communicate in the future.

 

We may never reconcile all our dissimilarities, but we can learn to cherish these differences and to find common ground in other areas that will prevent disagreements from tearing us apart. Having a spiritual perspective on our incompatibilities helps us to dwell together in unity.

 

Prayer:

Father God, teach us how to write one another a loving letter about how we truly feel, rather than to make accusations about our mate’s words and actions in a disparaging manner. We want to communicate love and acceptance of one another, by just noting the behavior that hurt us and how it made us feel.

 

Then we can read each other’s notes and discuss ways that we can both change our behavior to improve in our manner of relating to one another. You are the Provider of every good and perfect gift in our life (James 1:17-21), and our spouse is our most cherished gift from You. When we have a conflict, help us to appreciate our individual good points, and to have patience with one another as we find a third solution on which we can both agree. 

 

Thought for the Day:

God loves us unconditionally, warts and all; He even loved us while we were still sinners; we can adopt this same benevolent attitude toward one another, show appreciation to each other, and continually help one another to make our daily life run more smoothly and effectively.

 

God’s Holy Spirit

 

The concept of our body serving as the temple of the Holy Spirit within us is quite intriguing. A temple is a place of worship, and a dwelling place for a deity. Every authentic Born Again Believer has the privilege of continually housing the Trinity of God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

 

This fact is significant for several reasons:

1.  We are never abandoned, forsaken or lonely. – Hebrews 13:5

2.  What we think, say, and do will bless or grieve God’s Spirit. God’s Word admonishes us to walk circumspectly for this very purpose. – Colossians 3:17

3.  We benefit from the ministry of the Spirit in a personal and intimate way. – Philippians 2:1; 2 Corinthians 13:14

 

Paul admonishes us to accomplish everything that we think, say, and do through the power of the name of Jesus Christ as we give glory and thanks to our Father God through Him (Colossians 3:17). As we live in the present moment, consulting the Lord in all our ways, we see positive results (Proverbs 3:5-6).

 

We praise God for what we used to take for granted and we experience more joy and peace in our life, live with a more positive focus, and do even the most mundane task for His glory – even down to what we eat and drink (1 Corinthians 10:31). Fulfillment has as much to do with our body as it does our spirit and soul.

 

Prayer:

Father God, teach us how our habits affect our health, our looks, our energy level, our attitude, our emotions, our thoughts, etc. Prompt us to pay attention to the red flags You provide through our negative physical and psychological symptoms throughout the day. This allows us to either meet our needs, change our behavior, or bring our concerns to You for Your provision and sanctifying work.

 

Remind us that You bought us at a great price – the crucifixion and death of Your only begotten Son. Therefore, we can use every part of our body, soul, and spirit to bring You glory. Move us by Your Spirit to make wise and holy choices; to draw near to You and to resist the devil so that he will have to flee from us (James 4:7). We want to glorify You in all that we think, say, and do.

 

Thought for the Day:

The Holy Spirit attracts the unredeemed to place their trust in Jesus, convicts us of our unholiness, regenerates our human spirit, increases our intimacy with the Godhead, carries out our sanctifying process, guides us in our daily activities, teaches us what we need to know to live a Godly life, provides us with His anointing to serve the Lord, comforts us in our afflictions, and fills us with His gifts and fruit.

 

 

Spending Eternity Together

 

 

Every time a new person humbles him/her self, repents of their sins, and commits to trust Jesus with their life, we rejoice. Even all heaven rejoices when one sinner repents (Luke 15:7-10). The idea of spending eternity together with people from every generation and from every tribe, nation and people group is thrilling to me. 

 

Over my lifetime, I had the privilege of leading several people to faith in Jesus Christ. The first thought in my mind after they pray for salvation is that I cannot wait to spend eternity with them. Living as part of the family of God is comforting, supportive, nurturing and encouraging, and will also be an eternal privilege.

 

Many of my family, my extended family, my local church family, Saints that I have spent time with over the years, and new converts that dare to trust in the Lord with their whole heart will be with me forever. These people are not only convicted of their need of a Savior, but also converted in all their thoughts, words, deeds, attitude, worldview, and philosophy of life.

 

Some people pray a prayer in order to obtain a fire insurance certificate to save them from hell. God’s gospel and laws do not work that way. However, authentic Believers are my Christian brothers and sister both now and throughout eternity. Our fellowship will remain unbroken, even when our body dies and goes into the grave.

 

Sometimes, I am so overwhelmed by how special that makes me feel that I burst into tears of praise or giggles of joy. I matter; I have a forever family. God entrusted me with His important work, and even if I fail, I have forgiveness and another chance to get it right. I can do everything God expects of me by the guidance, wisdom and power of the Trinity of God who abides within me (Philippians 4:13).

 

Nothing in life or death can separate us from God both now and for eternity. We are members of one Body and Jesus is our head. We are the bride of Christ, co-heirs with Jesus of God’s Kingdom, adopted children in God’s family, members of God’s army, as well as lights set on a hill to draw others to the cross of Christ. 

 

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for giving us Your only begotten Son for our Savior, Redeemer, Lord, and King. We so look forward to crossing the threshold of this life and gaining an immortal body as we see You face-to-face. Until then, we joyfully serve You in any capacity into which You call us. Thank You that we can do Your will by Your Spirit, through the blood of Your Lamb, and in the name of Jesus, our Christ.

 

Teach us to do only Your will for our life, and to walk in Your Spirit. This gives us unending peace and joy and allows us to fellowship with Your presence within us at any moment of the day or night. We accomplish so much more with our day – in prayer, praise, partnering with other Saints, as well as with mission and evangelistic works. We want to abide in the center of Your perfect plans for us.

 

Thought for the Day:

As spiritual sons and daughters of God, we worship Him as our eternal Father, who prunes us into perfect branches of Jesus Christ, our Vine, by the transforming work of His Holy Spirit; with Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we are family in His eternal Kingdom and heirs of eternal life with all of the Saints from every nationality, that ever lived or will live on this earthly globe.