Transforming Our Soul

Unbelievers are spiritually dead and do not understand the issues of God, because these truths are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14). There is hostility between them and God, due to this spiritual divide (Romans 8:7). 

Unbelievers tend to live either legalistic or hedonistic lives. They attempt to find fulfillment without God. When we share Christ with them, many reject Him and close their heart to His Truth.

Believers are alive with Christ, and forgiven of every sin we ever committed (Ephesians 2:5; Colossians 2:13-14). Through His death, we receive victory over every principality and power, including demonic strongholds (Colossians 2:15).

Anyone can accept Christ, live as a Believer and reap the rewards of Christ's righteousness, rather than the consequences of unbelief and a sinful lifestyle (Galatians 6:9; John 3:16-18).

Christianity includes more than one hour of worship on Sunday morning. It involves a complete change in thinking and acting, from living a self-centered life to a Christ-centered existence.

Christ is our whole life (Colossians 3:4). He changes us from the inside out…our soul's transformation affects our outward behavior and appearance. Even our physical countenance improves due to His presence in our life.

We do not attempt to perfect our self before we come to Christ. Neither is there any deed, which we ever committed that is not already covered under His blood. His mercy and grace are complete.

However, this does not imply that our behavior is not important. Christ perfects us through sanctifying our soul - our thoughts, choices and feelings, and gives us a way to escape every temptation the devil uses to cause our mortal flesh to sin (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Prayer:

Father God, we feel so privileged to live by Your Spirit and to belong to Your family as we further Your Kingdom on this earth. Thank You for saving us through the blood of Jesus and giving us Your Spirit to perfect us from the inside out and to conform us to the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).

Remind us to walk away from any temptation to sin, so that we do not grieve Your Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). Help us to live an exemplary life so that others will see our good works and glorify You (Matthew 5:16). We love You with all of our heart, mind and strength, and we look forward to serving You for eternity (Luke 10:27).

Thought for the Day:

If we live in a lifestyle of any type of behavior, which the Bible calls sin, then we are not Born Again; because a Believer cannot live in sin, since the Holy Spirit within us is grieved by sin. - Romans 8:9; Ephesians 4:30; 1 John 3:9

God of the Universe

 

We often take God for granted. We are too busy to look up into the sky and notice the clouds, the stars, or the sunrise or sunset. We see them every day and they lose their fascination for us. However, when we look at nature from God’s perspective, we gain a whole new appreciation for it. God calls out the stars every night like a militia. He inscribes each one with its own name. He decides their quantity and holds them all in the heavens by His great authority and power. Not even one of them is ever misplaced (Isaiah 40:26; Psalm 147:4). Even when they burn out, they burst into a supernova, or form a neutron star, a white dwarf or a black hole (Psalm 33:6).

God also made two other enormous lights, the larger to oversee the morning and the other to guard the evening (Genesis 1:16). When we see telescope photos of the heavens, with the earth included (2 Peter 3:5), we see how small and really insignificant we actually are. One day, the heavens will vanish like smoke and the earth will wear out like an item of clothing. When this happens, all the inhabitants of the earth will “die like flies”. The only people who will exist when this occurs are those who accept God’s eternal salvation (John 2:16-18). His Word and His righteousness will never fade away (Isaiah 51:6; Matthew 24:35).

God’s guidance and timing work along with His purpose to bring about His will in all of our lives. We rarely know ahead of time where we will be, whom we will live with and what we will do. It is a big adventure that requires trust and patience on our part. When it comes to pass, however, we always see clearly from hindsight that God’s ways are perfect (Psalm 18:30). Bible characters give us a clear example of God’s faithfulness to His people, as well as of His variety of means and methods to provide us with what we need. In eternity, we will know the answers to explain much of what we only wonder about now.

As we surrender our entire being to God, He personally dwells by His Spirit in every Believer around the face of the globe. He possesses each part of our life that we submit to His Lordship. We are joined with Him in a Divine union, which transforms our life and transcends the earthly realm (2 Peter 1:4). We wait on the Lord and He tells us what to do throughout the day. He also leads us from one place to another according to His will. Each day, with greater certainty, we live in the truth that we are already dead and our life is hidden with Christ in God (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3; Hebrews 4:1; 2 Corinthians 3:18).

Prayer:

Father God, help us to stop living a self-centered life where we take You for granted. Instead, lead us to live a Christ-centered life (Colossians 3:3-4). We are one with Christ in You (John 17:21-22). Remind us to listen to Your Spirit’s direction each moment of the day. Help us to share a smile, a listening ear, a helping hand or a meal with every stranger we meet; knowing all along that this is a divine appointment for us to let Christ live in, through and instead of us.

Thought for the Day:

All things were made through Christ and nothing was made without Him.
- John 1:3





A big thanks to NASA for this photo from the universe.