A Surrendered Life

 

Once we are Born Again, we are one Spirit with Christ who dwells within us (1 Corinthians 6:17). He strengthens us to continually overcome the sinful desires and evil spirits that threaten and tempt our flesh (1 John 5:4; 2 Corinthians 2:14; Romans 8:37).

Every time Satan finds something to use to tempt us to sin, it is an idol in our life. These remaining secret unconfessed and unsurrendered sins still dwell in us, which the Spirit has not yet brought to our attention.

We brought those idols with us from our old life and they are still causing issues now in our new life (Genesis 31:34; 2 Corinthians 5:17). God calls us to willing lay down these secret sins as His Spirit draws them to our attention.

He will complete the work He started in our soul, just as He did in our spirit and will also do with our future immortal body (Philippians 1:6). Daily, He carries out His work of perfection until there is no longer any entrenched sin in our body or soul.

We simply enter Christ’s rest each moment of our day and submit to His Spirit’s mercy, grace and direction (Colossians 1:27, 2:2). As we walk in the Spirit moment by moment, we will never fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Galatians 5:15-25).

Then, God’s Spirit and the divinity of Christ within us renovate our thoughts, choices and emotions from carnal ones to those, which are spiritually minded (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:23).

Prayer:

Father God, without You in our life we are hopeless and undone (John 15:5). We thank You for giving us Your Spirit to perfect us day by day. We thank You for Jesus’ life and character that overcomes unrighteousness within us and presents us as a spotless Bride (2 Corinthians 4:7).

As we mature spiritually and enjoy a deeper and more intimate relationship with You, we will more clearly see Your purpose in our life. We learn to rejoice during trials and times of difficulty, because we know that patience is having her perfect work in us and seasons of great victory follow seasons of spiritual battle.

Thought for the Day:

Rather than box with the winds of adversity, we embrace them; the Bible has current answers for us regardless of the questions that plague our mind, if we will only take the time to search them out.

Light in the Darkness

 

Darkness can be terrifying, dangerous and even deadly. However, God shines His light out of darkness in order to reveal to the whole world the knowledge of His glory in the presence of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Jesus is the Light of the World (John 8:12). He gave Himself to us, so we can bear witness of God to others. He freely gives Himself to us and makes us the light of the world through His presence within us (Matthew 5:15).

Without Christ in us, the world would be doomed to eternal darkness. However, those souls currently cursed with the darkness are illuminated by God's love and hope in us (Luke 1:67-79). Some of them are intimidated or convicted by this light and reject us because of it.

Others are immune to the variation of light, because they love their darkness so much. They are proud of their dark deeds, applaud others who choose the same path they chose, and make it a habit to rebel against what they consider God's restraints on their life.

We simply need to take the opportunity to share Christ with as many people as will listen to what we have to say. We shine brightly in their dark world; and like a moth, many are attracted by the light of Christ in us.

They want what we have as we exhibit peace in our circumstances, joy in our trials and His rest in this world of unrest. We are not affected by the government or issues in this life, because we are actually citizens of Heaven instead.

We live above the chaos and darkness all around us, with glowing faces and confident lives - reflecting Jesus from within us. He is our strength and our true source of lasting joy.

Prayer:

Father God, through Christ in us, we do not rely on our human achievements, wisdom or strength. Jesus alone is our salvation. He reigns supreme in our life as we follow Your Spirit's direction. Heaven is Your throne and the earth is Your footstool (Isaiah 66:1); yet, You know our thoughts, words and deeds.

You are high and lifted up and Your robe fills the temple (Isaiah 6:1) You are our Exalted One and You hold all the issues of life in Your control (Philippians 4:6-7). You live within each Born Again Believer by Your Spirit and direct every step we take as we commit them to You (Galatians 2:20). 

Thought for the Day:

Jesus is the light of the world, and there is no darkness in Him. - 1 John 1:5

God is in Control - Through Troubles and Trials

We live in a world that often frightens us. Unexpected trials and trouble attack us from every side when we least anticipate them; so we develop the mentality of fear and apprehension.

We constantly wait for the next shoe to drop, anticipating trauma around every corner and never allowing our self to believe in or hope for the best. This continues until we realize that every day in Jesus is better than the day before.

As a melancholy personality, I struggled for years to come to this place of total trust in God's goodness and to have faith in His faithfulness and perfect peace in His will for me, regardless of how bad the circumstances seemed.

Very few of the imaginary worse case scenarios, which occupy our mind, ever materialize. We end up worrying for nothing; and spending time, when we could be praising God with our thoughts, in trying to be prepared for ever circumstance life may possibly throw at us.

Elections, terrorists, natural disasters, financial strain and insecurity, disease, strained relationships, etc. all dim in importance when we realize in our spirit and our soul that, if we live in total surrender, God is in control of every aspect of our life.

Life as an authentic, Born Again Believer teaches us that life in Christ is an adventure. We are already dead with Christ in God, living in His abundant rest, walking in His Spirit and enjoying His perfect will for our life.

Trouble is merely a tiny bump in the road when we hide under the shadow of God's wings and allow Him to live life in and through us. Fear, anxiety, insecurities and worry no longer overwhelm our soul, and our spirit draws strength and life from Christ within us.

We live, move and have our being in Christ (Acts 17:28). God's Spirit controls all of our decisions, trials and troubles. The shadow of darkness in this world is dispelled by the light of Christ within us.

Prayer:

Father God, as we learn to trust in You, the issues which formerly sent us into the pit of despair, no longer rock our world. We learn over the days of our life spent in Your presence, that You have a perfect plan for our life (Ephesians 2:10). If we pray without ceasing, walk in Your Spirit each moment of our day and trust in Your unfailing love and mercy, we have joy even in our trials (James 1:2-8).

Remind us to replace the negative self-talk and lies straight from the pit of hell with the Truth of Your Word, which is alive and powerful and able to separate the worries of our soul from the faith in our spirit (Hebrews 4:12). Give us Your grace to see us through the days when our faith wanes and the waters threaten to drown us (Habakkuk 3:7-19).

Thought for the Day:

Although the closets are bare, we have no job, the garden is overcome by weeds, the grocery prices are way beyond our means, our savings is depleted, and our relationships are hopeless, we can still rejoice in the Lord, because He is the God of our salvation, our strength, our provision, and our enabler in every area of our life. - Habakkuk 3:7-19