Facing the Future

 

When we pay attention to all that God does for us throughout our day, we find our soul overflowing with love and gratitude to Him. We rejoice in Him, His provision, His peace and His joy that He showers us with each moment of our day. He is our source of rejoicing.

 

The Trinity of God is available to us every moment of the day, because God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit abides within us. He provides everything for us exactly when we need it – in His perfect timing and will. 

 

Each day is a new surprise, as we put our trust in Him with every hurdle we come up against. Thanks to God’s Spirit, we have fathomless riches because of who He is and what He does for us each day. This is all possible only because of what Jesus, the Son, did for us on Calvary’s cross. 

 

Once we totally surrender to our Father’s love, our supply of His blessings is instant and eternal. Jesus is our Good Shepherd. Our Father God intimately knows us, because He knitted us together in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139). 

 

We recognize the Holy Spirit’s voice, He leads us, and we follow (John 10:4). God’s Trinity goes before us, to ward off any approaching enemy, and we feel protected and secure in His love (Psalm 27:1-3). He makes a way for us over every towering mountain pass, flooded creek, and even the darkest valley (Psalm 23). 

 

God makes the crooked places straight for us (Isaiah 45:2), He knows ahead of time all of the events of our tomorrows, and He keeps us close to Him (Proverbs 18:24). We even slumber and sleep in His eternal peace. He provides all of our needs.

 

Since God knows what lies ahead of us, we thrive in His mercy, truth, and grace through every circumstance that we face. He heals us in body and soul and spirit, reduces the pain of our trials, and uses us as a testimony of His grace and provision (Philippians 4:19).

 

Prayer:

Father God, it is a comfort to know that we are not a nameless entity who drifts around in this stress-filled life until the day that we die. We are not strangers in the throng of humanity surrounding us, but we are known by You, provided for by You, saved by Your grace, and we will spend eternity in Your service. In the center of Your love, even death is not our enemy, because Jesus overcame death and He abides within us (1 Corinthians 15:19-23).

 

Thank You for walking with us and in us, during every step of our life on this earth. You are our Helper, Hope and Expectation. We need You to care for us each moment of the day, and we thank You for all You have done for us, in us, and will do for us in our future. We have the confidence to face whatever the future holds for us, because You are working our Your purposes for our life. We look forward to worshipping You, with the angels around Your throne (Revelation 7:11), for all of eternity.

 

Thought for the Day:

We do not know what the future holds for us, but we do know who holds us in our future; He knows the number of hairs on our head, He rejoices over us with singing, and He allows us to come boldly to His throne in our every moment of need. 

-      Luke 12:7; Zephaniah 3:17; Hebrews 4:16

 

Our Abba Father

 

Our Father God is kind, generous and loving (1 John 4:8). Paul called Him “Abba Father” (Romans 8:15), which means “Daddy”. We have this intimate relationship with God that is sweeter than the best of human fathers. I grew up in an abusive home. My bipolar father never got treatment and took his mood swings out on my mother, brothers and me. I was afraid of Father God in my early days of faith. I viewed Him as the terrifying, smoky vision presented as the wizard of Oz.

One day, as I entered God’s courts in praise and prayer, God reminded me about the little man behind the curtain in Oz, who actually controlled that smoking mask. God showed me that He is not a terrifying being, or selfish ruler of the universe, but the caring God who actually helps us to have faith and hope, and who provided our salvation through Christ. We enter His throne room without fear, and with confidence that He hears our prayers and works in our behalf (Hebrews 4:16; Ephesians 3:12; 1 John 5:14).

Our Father God gives us an effectual, abundant life now, as well as later in heaven. He provides us with a myriad of blessings each and every day. He does not lead us into temptation (Matthew 6:13); but with each temptations presented to us by Satan or the world, God gives us a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). He provides us with an abundant supply, safety and security as we look to Him to provide (James 4:2; Psalm 91). He gives us victory through Christ in us (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Satan accuses and torments us, but God gives every authentic Born Again Believer our identity in Christ as His beloved child (Revelation 12:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17). We are free from sin, and we are raised in Christ to live a new life, which is directed by God’s Spirit (Romans 6:4,10; Romans 8:14). We are God’s children and we fix our hope on Him as He perfects us (1 John 3:2-3). Every good and perfect gift in this life comes from Him (James 1:17). God abundantly meets all of our needs (Philippians 4:6,19).

Prayer:

Father God, Thank you for renewing our mind and for perfecting us in holiness (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 3:18). Remind us to walk in Your Spirit, so we do not fulfill the desires of our flesh (Galatians 5:16-25), because our flesh is dead and buried with Christ in baptism (Colossians 3:3; Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12). Help us to shed Your light from within us on all of humanity around us, because they are dying in darkness and sin (Romans 5:8).

Thought for the Day:

What we do in the flesh does not make us who we are in the Spirit. God will transform our flesh to walk in newness of life.

 

 

The Express Image

 

 

Our life can bring God glory or shame. God calls us as instruments for His righteousness (Romans 6:4-11). Jesus was the express image of the Father (Hebrews 1:3). Through Christ in us, because of our union with Him, we also become God’s express image in the earth (1 Corinthians 6:17). As branches grafted into the Vine of Christ, the life of the Vine flows through each one of us (John 15:1-17). The fruit of His Spirit provides us with God’s divine character (Galatians 5:22-23).

God is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, meekness, self-control and faith; and by the fruit of His Spirit we manifest these same character traits. We are His temple and His Body, fitly joined together to demonstrate His life in the earth (1 Corinthians 3:17; Ephesians 4:16). With the life of Christ in us, He enables us to walk in the Spirit and to please God in all that we say and do (Galatians 5:16, 25; 2 Corinthians 5:9).

We seek God and His Christ with all of our strength; we continually seek His presence night and day (Psalm 105:4). We love Him with all of our heart - our soul: our mind, will and emotions, and with our physical strength (Mark 12:30). As His life flows in and through our life, we grow in the knowledge and wisdom of God. His glorious might strengthens us for every good work, and we bear much fruit for His Kingdom (Colossians 1:10; John 15:5-8).

God teaches us His ways, and we walk in His paths. We settle into His presence and walk in His will by His name forever (Micah 4:2,5). In everything, we give thanks to our God, our Father, and Jesus Christ, whom He sent (1 Thessalonians 5:18). As we draw near to God, He draws near to us (James 4:8). We end up hungering and thirsting for nothing but His presence and righteousness in our life, and He fills us with Himself (Matthew 5:6).

Prayer:

Father God, we totally surrender to Your life within us. We seek after no other purpose than Yours for our life. You will not leave us, and we will not turn back from following after You. Where You show us to go, we will go. Where You lead us to stay, we will stay. We will serve Your people, for they are our people as well (Ruth 1:16). We desire only to do Your will; therefore, place Your desires in our heart (Psalm 37:4). We rest from our works (Hebrews 4:10). We only want to do Your works, which You prepared for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

Thought for the Day:

We do not have to step aside to allow God to work, because He works in us and through us, using our unique identity in Him for His purposes.

Praying up a Storm

 

If we allow our thoughts to randomly flit through our mind, we run the chance of making decisions that do not honor God and that will tend to bring us hardship and shame. Satan and God both influenced our thoughts (1 Timothy 4:1). Our thoughts, even our subconscious thoughts that we are not aware of at the time, influence our feelings. Our heart is deceitful and wicked, and we should submit both our thoughts and our emotions to God at all times (Jeremiah 17:9). We can control our thoughts by using them to pray each moment of the day. We control our emotions by sharing them honestly and kindly before they build up and explode.

We start in a place of aloneness (all-one-ness) with God. God has the perfect formula for prayer. Vain repetition in prayer does not honor God nor does it help us in any way (Matthew 6:7). Quoting scripture to God in an attempt to force His hand to provide what we want is useless and insulting to Him. We can use Bible verses in our prayers, but not to twist God’s arm to do our will. Sit in a very still and quiet place with your journal. Submit all of your thoughts and emotions to the Lord (2 Corinthians 10:5).

As you do, jot them down in your journal. You can even write out your prayers in your journal. Pray for everyone the Lord brings to your mind, issues in your life about which you need His wisdom, besetting sins that trouble you, negative emotions that crowd out His joy in your life, world news, unreached people groups, the persecuted church, government officials, etc. Whatever the Spirit brings to your mind. Another way to pray is when you see someone who reminds you of someone you know, pray for that person you see, as well as the person you know.

When you hear an emergency vehicle siren, pray for the people impacted by that emergency: for God to meet their needs and to reveal Himself to them. As you travel in the car, pray for the people with Christian symbols or bumper stickers on their car; if they are bold enough to display their faith, they could use your prayers. When someone dials the wrong number and they get you instead, tell them the reason they called is for you to tell them that God loves them and has a perfect plan for their life. Then, pray for that person as the Lord brings them to your mind.

We do not pray in order to force God’s hand to do our will, but we follow Jesus’ example and pray according to His will (Luke 22:42). As we seek God’s will, our thoughts and heart become one with His. We are dead and our life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3-4). It is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us. We do not have to summon our faith, because we are filled with the faith of the Son of God (Galatians 2:20). Obedience to God’s will is the common denominator of all people of faith in the Bible. Their example gives us a peek into the life of people of prayer.

Prayer:

Father God, we all long to hear Your voice. You are our Abba Father and You desire nothing more than to commune with Your Body each moment of our day. Remind us to listen more and to talk less throughout the day; so that we can be led by Your Spirit to accomplish the works, which You prepared for us even before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 2:9-10). Help us to discern Your Spirit from the voice of the flesh, the world and Satan, which all try to negatively influence our thinking and behavior. As we read Your living Word, allow the verses to penetrate our heart and to sanctify our soul (Hebrews 4:12).

Thought for the Day:

We have confidence that God hears us in our prayers when we ask according to His will. - 1 John 5:14-15

Experiencing God's Glory

We define God’s glory as His manifested presence, character and power. God revealed His glory in creation, and in His dealings with His people throughout the ages of time. God’s ultimate revelation of His glory is in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20; 2 Corinthians 4:4, Colossians 1:15). When the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, we beheld the glory of God (John 1:14). Jesus’ death and resurrection made God’s glory available to every authentic Believer (Matthew 27:51). If we draw near to God, He will draw near to us (James 4:8).  

A life of sin separates us from God. He hides His face from all sin (Isaiah 59:2). However, God entices everyone to come to salvation through the Good News of Jesus Christ, so we can share in God’s glory (2 Thessalonians 2:14). When we repent of our sinful lifestyle and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have the opportunity to experience the fullness of God’s glory (2 Thessalonians 2:14). We can develop the habit of praying without ceasing by communing with Christ within us every waking moment of our day and night (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

The glory of God in Christ shines in us (Ephesians 5:14). However, we often get too busy to give God much of our time. We live in stress and unhappiness, wondering where God is in the midst of our pressured life. Would you want Jesus to visit some of the places you go to, to see what you look at, to hear what you listen to, or to be imposed upon by the people you spend most of your time with? God is justified when He punishes unrepentant sinners, because they condemn themselves by their unbelief (John 3:18).

Nevertheless, the Lord is compassionate and gracious to us all (John 3:16). He is slow to anger because of His abounding love and faithfulness. He loves the whole world and forgives the wickedness, rebellion and sin in anyone willing to ask for forgiveness (Exodus 34:6-7; John 3:16-17). Now is the time to stop this sin-filled lifestyle. Our circumstances have the ability to overwhelm us to the point of ill health. Once we choose to stop the merry-go-round of life and get off, then we can completely surrender to the will of God each moment of the day.

When we awaken from our sin-induced slumber, we are Born Again from the consequences of Adam’s sin, and from the death of a carnal lifestyle. When we allow Christ to remove the veil of sin from our eyes, we can see more clearly and reflect the glory of the Lord. His Spirit makes us more like Him and changes us into His glorious image over our lifetime (2 Corinthians 3:18). This is when we fully realize that Jesus lives in us, accompanies us throughout life and wants to live through us to further His Kingdom in the earth.

Christ in us gives us the opportunity to live in God’s presence continually (Psalm 105:4). Although our body is subjected to death because of Adam’s sin, the Spirit of God gives us eternal life because of the righteousness of Christ in us (Romans 8:10). Moses personally saw God’s glory; but Born Again Believers actually experience more of His glory than Moses did (Isaiah 60:1). All the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form dwells in Jesus (Colossians 2:9). Jesus is actually the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:8).  This same Christ lives in us by His Holy Spirit; therefore, the glory of God dwells in every authentic, Born Again Believer (Exodus 23:21; Isaiah 40:4; Colossians 1:27). 

Prayer:

Father God, You do not give us a spirit of fear, which keeps us in bondage. You give us Your Spirit of adoption, so we can live as Your children throughout eternity (Romans 8:16). You give us the right to address You as, “Abba, Father,” “Daddy God” (Romans 8:15). Thank You for making us joint-heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:17). Even if we are required to suffer with Christ, You planned it so that we will also share in His glory. This reduces the pain of our suffering in this earthly realm, because we realize that trials produce in us Your eternal glory (Romans 8:18).

Thought for the Day:

Even creation yearns for the manifestation of the sons of God, because creation knows it will be delivered from the bondage of corruption and from the curse of Adam’s sin, and it will be given glorious liberty with the children of God. - Romans 8:19, 21