Glorious Freedom

 

Faith is an ethereal concept, wispy, something that we cannot get a grip on. The meaning of faith seems to elude us at times. The hard part about faith is that in order to have it, we cannot doubt (Matthew 21:21). Jesus said that faith is the substance of the things, which we hope for (Hebrews 11:1). Faith helps us to believe that our hopes are real. How does faith do that? It causes us to put our trust in God alone.

Jesus chided people for their unbelief (Matthew 17:20). He actually marveled when He found great faith in people (Matthew 8:10; 15:28). He spoke a great deal about faith. Jesus told His disciples that faith is actually a cure for fear (Matthew 8:26). He builds our faith with statements such as the fact that God clothes us like the grass in the field, because we are of far more importance to Him (Matthew 6:30). 

When Jesus saw the faith of the sick people who came to Him, He immediately healed them (Matthew 9:22, 29; Luke 7:50). He even healed people when their friends or family had faith for them (Matthew 9:2; 15:28). When we are full of the faith of Jesus, we can do the great deeds, which He directs us to accomplish (Acts 6:8; Ephesians 2:10). Many people come to Christ when they see us living out our authentic faith (Acts 11:24).

Actually, we do not have to manufacture great faith devoid of all doubt; we simply need to live by His faith (Galatians 2:20; Acts 3:16). Satan’s demons attempt to distract us or discourage us, but God is the author and finisher of our faith (Acts 13:8). His faith heals us in body and soul (Acts 14:9). We comfort each other by sharing our mutual faith in God with one another (Romans 1:12). Our faith pleases God (Hebrews 11:6)

Prayer:

Father God, You multiplied the number of Believers in the early church, and You continue to do that same thing all over the earth and throughout the ages of time (Acts 16:5). We thank You for opening the door of faith to the Gentiles, as well as to the Jews. You make no difference between them and us, because You purify our hearts by faith (Acts 15:9). In this life, we enter Your Kingdom through much tribulation, which helps our faith in You to grow (Acts 14:22).

Thought for the Day:

God gives us faith as He turns us from the darkness of this world to His light, and from the power of Satan’s stranglehold on us to His glorious freedom. – Acts 26:18

Eternity's Secret

So often, the overwhelming difficulties in our life hang like anchors around our neck. We are usually devastated by many of our trials. Eternity has a secret, however, and once we learn it, life takes on a whole new meaning. God declares that He is involved with us in every issue of our life (Matthew 28:20). He does not want us to depend upon our human might to solve our problems by our self. He uses these conflicts to build Godly character in us and to further His Kingdom in the earth. Then Jesus successfully settles every one of them for our eventual good (Romans 8:28).

We can embrace every negative issue with faith and peace, knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ dwells within us with all the power of the triune Godhead (Colossians 1:27). He gives us healing, courage, wisdom and divine revelation to resolve them, or He instructs us to leave them in His capable hands. This is how we dwell in serenity all the days of our life. It is important for us to understand that God already arranged for a solution for these issues prior to them ever happening. He knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10), and He has a perfect plan for our life (Romans 12:2).

Let us live life in full awareness of the immense potential available to us through our union with Christ. Jesus within us breaks the chains of every type of satanic or earthly hindrance that attempts to steal our spiritual freedom from us (Psalm 107:14). He encourages us to take His yoke upon us, and to learn from Him; so that we can find rest for our soul (Matthew 11:29). Jesus is poised to deliver us from the bondage of every negative emotion, wound and circumstance we experience and to bring us astounding joy that is beyond words and full of His glory (1 Peter 1:8).

Our supply for each circumstance, and the wisdom to deal with it comes from Christ in us, our hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). I recently learned that scientists discovered 10 “colors of noise” in our world, ranging from white noise, which has equal amount of energy in all frequency bands; to black noise, which refers to silence with occasional spikes of sound. This calls for us to adjust our “headphones” to hear only the voice of God and to block out all of the worldly and satanic static in the chaos of life swirling all around us.

We can look at our problems as adventures rather than as challenges. God works them all out for our good, just as He promised He would (Romans 8:28). Jesus, in the full power of His divine nature, dwells within each authentic Believer. His divine nature in us infuses us in body, soul and spirit. Once we realize this, we rise above the dissonance of our concerns and we enter a new realm of being led by the Spirit of God. Every negative circumstance, which life throws at us, can be overcome by faith in God through Christ within us.

Life is not about you or me. It is about proclaiming God to the world. He provides us with the energy and power to teach and admonish others about what we learn from Him (Colossian 1:28-29). We live a life of thanksgiving and praise to God for His willingness to sacrifice His Son for our redemption, and for demonstrating His glory in creation and in our everyday life. Jesus, the Word, is the physical manifestation of God’s glory. He exhibits his glory and divine character in and through every one of us who lives a completely surrendered life before Him.

Prayer:

Father God, awaken our sleepy soul and raise us from the dead. Remind us that Christ lives as a light within us, showing us the way You would have us to walk in this world. Help us to pay attention to how we live, so that we use Your wisdom in everything we say and do. Remind us to make the most of the time You give us and not to foolishly use time for our own selfish gains. Show us Your will for our life and help us to walk in it (Ephesians 5:14-17).

Thought for the Day:

When we see our problems as God’s opportunities, it changes our focus and attitude about them.

 

 

 

Thank you, Peter Dehart, for the use of your photo.