We Never Die

Humanity searched for generations for the fountain of youth, so we could drink of it and never die. Reincarnation purports that we never die; we just continually come back to life in another form.

Our eternal destination depends on our choices while we live on this earth. The Bible proclaims the truth that we do not ever die. We leave earth to live either in heaven or hell for eternity (2 Corinthians 5:8; Matthew 25:46).

Every physical body will die and go to the grave, to be resurrected immortally at the coming of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:53-54). However, our soul and spirit never die, they live in the presence of Satan or God forever.

As an unbeliever, we die twice: once physically and the second death in hell for eternity (Revelation 20:14). The body and soul - the mind, will and emotions - of an unbeliever experience the unrelenting torment of a lake of fire forever (Luke 16:19-31).

Instead, as Believers we die to sin and the flesh now, and we live eternally in Christ. Our last breath on earth is followed by our next breath in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:8). Our immortal body, soul and spirit will enjoy Heaven forever.

God calls everyone to come to Christ for eternal life (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4). Pride and rebellion prevent so many people from surrendering their life in total submission to God and His will for their life.

They believe the devil's lie that this is our only chance at life and we must live it with gusto. They do not realize that God's plan gives us blessings in this life, as well as an eternity filled with prosperity and hope (Jeremiah 29:11; Psalm 40:5).

Prayer:

Father God, there is no reason for anyone to choose an eternal existence in hell (John 3:18). You call us to give up sin, so that we do not earn the wages of sin, which is death both now and for eternity (Romans 3:23, 6:23). You give us reasons to choose eternal life instead.

Thank You for planning for this eternal life to start at the moment of our salvation (Romans 6:23). Help us to humble our self under Your mighty hand, so that we will never die; but enjoy Your abundant, immortal life forever (2 Timothy 1:2; James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6).

Thought for the Day:

Jesus shared in our existence in flesh and blood; so that through His death, He could make Satan powerless over sin and death, and to forever free us from slavery to sin, fear and death. - Hebrews 2:14-15

The God of Heaven and Earth

 

The heavens and earth are our whole world. Without them, we could not exist. A one-degree change in the tilt of our axis would demolish us. One inch closer to the sun would incinerate us. The exact precision of our position in our solar system and in the Milky Way ensures the existence of mankind on the earth. We can see God's hand in this exactitude in nature (Romans 1:20).

He is so much greater than what we deem so important in our little microcosm on this earth. Consider the heavens with the sun, moon and stars, which are the work of His fingers (Psalm 8:3). There is no man-made cathedral, which can house His amazing influence and majesty (Acts 7:49). Even the highest heavens cannot contain Him (2 Chronicles 6:18).

Heaven is God's throne and the earth is His footstool (Matthew 5:35; Isaiah 66:1). He lays the beams of His upper chamber on the firmament around the earth (Psalm 104:3). He makes the clouds His chariots and rides on swift clouds and on the wings of the wind (Psalm 104:3; Isaiah 19:1). The windstorms are His chariot and His horses are faster and more magnificent than eagles (Jeremiah 4:13).

He often uses tornadoes, hurricanes and storms to remind humanity of His great power (Nahum 1:3). He uses lightening as arrows and sends them forth to do His bidding (2 Samuel 22:15). He channels the sea; and even the heart of kings and the flow of rivers follow the course, which He prepares for them (Isaiah 43:19; Proverbs 21:1).

He constructed the foundation of the universe and at His rebuke, or a blast of His breath from His nostrils everything will be laid barren (2 Samuel 22:16). His voice is like a waterfall, like a mighty trumpet (Revelation 1:15; Ezekiel 43:2; Hebrews 12:19; Psalm 93:4). Clouds and thick darkness surround Him as His canopy, and a blazing fire goes before Him (Psalm 97:2; 2 Samuel 22:12-13).

He parts the heavens and comes down with dark clouds under His feet (2 Samuel 22:10). He cautions us not to swear by heaven, because heaven is His throne on which He sits (Matthew 5:34, 23:22). He fills heaven and earth and there is no place that we could ever hide from Him (Jeremiah 23:24). The earth, as we know it, will pass away, but His Word will live on eternally (Matthew 24:35).

Prayer:

Father God, You come to us with earthquakes and booming thunder, with windstorms and blizzards and flames of devouring fire (Isaiah 29:6). Yet, You also come to us as a baby in the manger, as a servant King and as a risen Savior (Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-7; Romans 10:9). You are so mighty that our mind cannot contain the fullness of who You really are. We praise You with all of our being, because although You are the great, powerful and awesome God, You keep Your covenant of love with those who love You and keep Your commandments (Nehemiah 9:32; 1 Kings 8:23; Nehemiah 1:5; Daniel 9:4).

Thought for the Day:

Our mighty God rescues us and is our support in a safe and comfortable place, even in the face of a strong enemy who overpowers us and hates us and confronts us in our times of misfortune. - 2 Samuel 2:18-20

Unity with God, Our Maker

Once we come to Christ in repentance, asking for God's forgiveness, He exchanges our sin for His righteousness, and we enter a spiritual union with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). The powerful life of the triune God dwells within us from that point throughout the rest of our life. We enter an intimate relationship, which includes a unified life with the Trinity.

God purifies us step-by-step, burning deeper with each stroke of His holy fire, until we radiate Christ’s nature from within us. He replaces our carnal nature with the fruit of His Spirit, which is actually the very nature of God (Galatians 5:22-23). The less we function through our humanity, and the more we wait on God, the more He expresses His divine character and nature in us and through us (2 Peter 1:4).

Resting in Christ is not another religious activity to perform. It simply involves complete surrender of our human life to the Kingship of Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:28-29). Our human way of thinking and feeling passes away, and we are now an entirely new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). We bow before our God and Maker (Psalm 95:6).

We embrace God's presence in our soul as well - in our thoughts, choices and emotions. We are constantly responsive to this holy relationship and to our ever-increasing intimacy with Christ (Colossians 3:4). We walk in communion, fellowship and one accord with Christ within us (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). We freely choose to follow the leading of God’s Spirit each moment of the day (Romans 8:14).

Prayer:

Father God, due to Your work in our life, we manifest Your nature in ever-increasing levels of maturity and glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). By faith, Your divinity freely flows through our body, soul and spirit (2 Peter 1:4). Our intimate bond with You is broken only by our propensity to sin. However, if we walk in accord with the direction, wisdom and love of Your Spirit, we will never fulfill the lusts of our flesh (Galatians 5:15-25).

Thought for the Day:

We belong to God’s household as priests and saints, and are co-heirs with Jesus.

Our Source of Power

There are only two sources of power on this earth: God and Satan. We will serve one and hate the other. Satan wants us to worship and to serve him. He attempts to convince us that we do not want to wait until the glories of heaven to receive our reward. He promises temporal rewards, which entertain and satisfy our flesh now.

Most people are so earthly minded, that they choose to serve in Satan’s Kingdom. They want instant gratification, so they give in to his enticements. The actual truth, however, is that serving King Jesus also has plenty of rewards right here on this earth, starting with peace of mind and fulfillment (1 Peter 5:5-11; John 15:8-10). God gives us every resource we need to live a successful life.

Fear or doubt can cripple our faith. Faith comes by believing the Word of God; fear comes by believing Satan's lies. Satan's lies are always contrary to God's Word. Satan tries to tempt us to focus on our problems, and he offers us a substitute like alcohol or drugs instead of real help. However, there is no problem too hard for God (Jeremiah 32:27). As we direct our cares to God, He proves that He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).

Prayer:

Father God, lead us by Your Holy Spirit to accomplish Your works throughout our lifetime. We depend on You each moment of the day. Help us to accept others in their walk with You, without expecting them to walk on the same path that we do. Remind us to forgive those who despitefully use us, so that You can forgive us (Matthew 5:44). Guide us and anoint us to break the yokes of bondage, which keep people under satanic authority. Set them free by Your Spirit within us.

Thought for the Day:

Satan cannot overcome us without our consent.

Security in an Insecure World

There are so many unknown entities and insecurities in life today. Our world’s governmental and financial situation is predicted to eventually fall like a house of cards. This news certainly does not inspire confidence in our future. However, for authentic Born Again Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ there is no fluctuation in our joy and peace or in our hope for the future (Romans 8:28).

We may find our self in a simpler lifestyle, without modern conveniences and money, but the Lord of All always cares for us. It usually takes most people years to mature to the point of learning to praise God in all things, especially in the negative aspects of life. However, when we finally realize that all things will ultimately work out for our good (Romans 8:28), then it is so much easier to go with God’s flow.


We are citizens of Heaven, because we are born of God (Philippians 3:20). God hides us with Christ in Himself to keep us always safe (Colossians 3:1-4). We rejoice throughout every new adventure with Him, and we look for His miracles couched in the circumstances. We confidently know that He will complete the work He started in us (Philippians 1:6). He gives us the desire, the energy and the ability to do His will for our life (Philippians 2:12-13).  


Sinners attempt to justify their existence; however, their soul knows without a doubt that sin separates them from God. They use defensive tactics to keep other people or their conscience from condemning them, but they know the truth no matter how much they try to deny it. Jesus eradicates this dichotomous struggle from the Believer’s life (Romans 8:31-39). He sets us free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).


Prayer:

Father God, thanks to Jesus’ sacrifice, Satan can no longer harm us (1 John 5:18). Our security in this life starts with the lack of condemnation, which comes from a sinful lifestyle, but is eliminated by Jesus’ death (Romans 8:1). Thank You for setting us free from the Law of Sin and Death by the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2). Help us to live our life cleansed by Jesus’ blood, led by Your Spirit and right in the center of Your will for us, which is the happiest place on earth (Ephesians 2:10).

Thought for the Day:

When we call on the Lord and come to Him in prayer, He always listens to us; however, we only find Him when we seek Him with all of our heart. – Jeremiah 29:12-13

Our Glorious Future

Everyone knows that life on this earth is but a vapor in time (James 4:14). Many do not want to live this short life in the miserable clutches of sin (Romans 7:24). They recognize their limitations and gladly come to Jesus for his wisdom, mercy and strength (2 Chronicles 16:9). When we fully surrender to Christ, He impacts our assets, lifestyle, possessions and relationships by directing our decisions through the leading of His Spirit (John 16:13). His peace and joy permeate every nuance of our life.

Our sin nature passes away at Salvation and we are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). We relinquish the world and grasp onto the freedom in body, soul and spirit, for which Jesus apprehended us (Philippians 3:12). When we live and move and have our being in Christ, we no longer exist in condemnation and sin (Acts 17:28; Romans 8:1). Christ in us is our hope of attaining a glorious future (Colossians 1:27). We can even share this hope with our family and friends (Jeremiah 29:11).

The Law of Sin and Death, under which we formerly struggled, is replaced by the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus (Romans 7:22-25, 8:2). We forgive our self for our shortcomings, because God already forgave us (Romans 5:8). Rather than living with a carnal mind, we focus on spiritual and eternal aspects (2 Corinthians 4:18; Romans 8:6). We renew our mind and take our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Philippians 4:8-9). Sin no longer appeals to us in any way (James 4:1; Galatians 5:17).

Our true identity, value and purpose in this life are only realized as we look to Jesus for our worth. Every achievement in this world will burn up as wood, hay and stubble (1 Corinthians 3:12). However, no one can take away from us the fact that God adopted us as co-heirs with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:15-17). God works out every catastrophe in our life for our good, as well as rewards us with an eternal heritage. At the same time, His Spirit conforms us into the image of Christ (Romans 8:28-29).

Prayer:

Father God, you spoil Your children and always provide what is best for us. Many people blame You for the effects of sin in this world. They curse You for the death of their loved ones and for spoiling their wealth. However, You adopt into Your family those who surrender to You. You work everything out for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28). Everything You allow into our life comes from Your sacrificial love for us. You ultimately give us safety and provision (Luke 12:28-38).

Thought for the Day:

We know without a doubt that when we leave this earthly realm, the angels will escort us to our glorious future in the presence of the Lord. – 2 Corinthians 5:8

Blessings in Disguise

The cartoon about a man getting his foot stuck in a bucket, and then walking around with it stuck there, makes me laugh every time I see it! I can relate to this pitiful figure hobbling along with clanging steps. Sometimes an encumbrance hinders my spiritual walk, and I ignore it for so long it becomes a habit. Eventually, I attempt to free my self from this irritation. I grunt and groan with my effort, until I realize that God is the only one who can set me free.

Sometimes, God uses what I view as a detriment as a blessing in disguise. God assures me that when He finishes using this trial in my life, He will remove the awkward situation. In one cartoon, the man began crushing stones in his garden with the bucket stuck to his foot. He used this negative experience for a positive result. God always uses our spiritual impediments to help us to crush the stones of sin in our life, which would otherwise cause us to stumble.

When I encounter a hindrance in my life now, I no longer fight it or get upset about it. I live each day by following the advice of the Serenity Prayer. I pray for courage to change the things that I can, and the wisdom to I leave the things, which I cannot change, in the cable hands of the Holy Spirit. I trust in the Lord with all my heart, and I do not depend on my own understanding. I seek God’s will for each moment of the day and He directs my steps (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Nothing is impossible or too hard for God to accomplish (Matthew 19:26; Jeremiah 32:17, 27). At His appointed time everything He predicted by His prophets will come to pass (Genesis 18:14). None of His Words will ever fail (Luke 1:37). He has the power to fulfill all of His promises (Romans 4:21). His mighty arm is not too short to reach any of His Saints. He works on our behalf, no matter how much trouble we get our self into (Numbers 11:23). God is mighty in His strength and firm in His purpose (Zephaniah 3:17; Numbers 23:19).

Prayer:

Father God, You love us so much. You never change (Malachi 3:6). You are the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). This gives us so much confidence in You. We even have faith in Your name (Acts 3:16). You will bring to pass the final exaltation of your Son, continual provision for Your Saints and the punishment of anyone who practices wickedness (Philippians 2:9-11; Romans 8:17; Proverbs 11:21). We lift up our voice to worship You for the awesome benefits You provide for anyone who believes in the name of Jesus (Psalm 103:2; Acts 16:31; Job 36:5).

Thought for the Day:

God can do anything, and no one can change any of His plans. - Job 42:2

Part 1 - Is Satan Real?

Satan is not the little man in a red suit with a pointy tail and pitchfork, but he certainly is real. God created him as an angel of mighty power. Yet, this was not enough for him. He led a rebellion of angels against God and he lost (Isaiah 14). He only won the distinction of “ruler” of this world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11), “spirit” of this world (1 Corinthians 2:12), the prince of the “power” of the air (Ephesians 2:2), the “enemy” (Matthew 13:25,28,39) and the “god” of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4), but his end is to be bound up in the lake of fire forever (Revelation 20:10). 

Satan inspires humans to seek gratification, ambition, status and the riches of this world to the detriment of our relationship with God and our family. He encourages us to enable others, boast in pride, take what we want, give in to the desires of our flesh, and make life miserable for everyone around us (1 John 2:16). He whispers lies into our mind, and we react to them with accusations, unforgiveness, bitterness, spitefulness and revenge.

Satan keeps us living in fear, so that we abandon our responsibilities, thwart our blessings from God, and escape into the fantasy of addictions. Self-indulgence becomes our motive behind our every action. Self-preservation causes us to build walls around our heart, which makes us run when confronted or easily angered to keep people away. He condemns us until we hide behind masks, because we are afraid of people seeing who we really are. (Matthew 4:1; Mark 1:13; Luke 4:2; 1 Corinthians 7:5; 1 Thessalonians 3:5)

Satan loves to make us blame God for all the ills in the world. He gives us foul names to call Him and encourages us to disrespect Him and diminish Him in the eyes of others. He encourages us to believe His lies as the truth, and to consider the truth of God’s Word as the lies (2 Thessalonians 2:11). He undermines God’s purpose in our lives. He keeps us in turmoil and causes us to fear God. God never tempts us to sin; however, Satan’s favorite pastime is tempting us to indulge in our favorite transgression (James 1:13-14).

The last thing Satan wants us to realize is that although we live in the world, we do not have to live as part of the world (John 17:11,14,16). He encourages us to fit in with the crowd, and to covet our neighbor’s wife and goods (Exodus 20:17). Spiritual warfare is very real and constant, but Satan would rather make you believe it does not exist (Ephesians 6:10-20). He tempted Jesus on the mount three times, but Jesus contradicted every word Satan spoke by using the Word of God (Matthew 4:1-11). We can follow in Jesus footsteps.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You were tempted in every area that Satan tempts us (Hebrews 4:15), with the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). Yet, You remained faithful. We too can stand against the wiles of the devil by the dynamite power of the indwelling Trinity within us (Colossians 1:27). I’m glad that Satan does not have Your powers of omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience. He’s impotent at best and his only weapon is deception. Keep us from believing his lies, because You rule and reign forever and ever. Amen.

Thought for the Day:

Every Christian battles with the Adamic nature, sin nature, self-nature, human nature, the "old man" or "old self" (Romans 6:6; Ephesians 4:22; Colossians 3:9); but God is able to deliver us and will continue to deliver us as we submit to Him. – 2 Corinthians 1:10

The Benefits of the Race

 

Throughout our lifetime, God shows us who we really are (Galatians 6:3). We no longer excuse our failings and justify our motives. We recognize that even all of our accomplishments are filthy rags in His sight (Isaiah 64:6). We realize that we run a very real chance of standing before Him on the judgment day in shame and loss (1 John 2:28). Therefore, we confess that we are sinners and call out to Him for salvation. In exchange, He gives us all of His righteousness along with His Spirit, who takes up residence in our newly Born Again spirit (2 Corinthians 5:21; John 3:7). 

We never find true peace in life until we stop living for our self and live for God instead. We see His little love letters to us all throughout our day. We abide in His presence and rejoice in His provision and love for us. He strengthens us (2 Chronicles 16:9). His mercy and goodness keep us all the days of our life, and then we dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:6). He deserves more from us than half-hearted devotion and praise (Romans 6:17). He wants us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). When we do, His praise is on our lips every moment of the day.

Paul teaches us not to center our contentment on the circumstances of our life, but on the peace that God’s Spirit provides from within us. Jesus experienced heart-rending loss and adverse trials; yet, He taught us to count our suffering as a gift of joy (James 1:2-8). The purpose of our life is not to amass worldly goods, but to honor our Father in Heaven, just like Jesus did. Though we make a living in the world, our vocation is actually our ministry to use for the glory of God.

Paul likens our life with the Lord to a race. Christianity calls for the same characteristics of training and commitment (Hebrews 12:1-3). Running a race takes devotion and dedication.  Some people stand on the sidelines in church and even in life. However, running the race is so much more exciting, and even has the possibility of receiving awards at the end. God never leaves us, but gives us the courage and strength to finish the race (Hebrews 13:5; 2 Timothy 4:7).

God’s love is described in dimensions. It has height and length, depth and width (Ephesians 3:18-20). God’s love is proportionate and all encompassing. It completely surrounds us, encasing us in His love. Nothing can ever separate us from His great love (Romans 8:31-39). What can we do for Him in return for His grace, mercy, joy, peace and love? Even if we are just eating and drinking, we do everything for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). We can purpose in our heart to develop the deeper commitment of a life hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).

Prayer:

Father God, intimate fellowship with You is available to every Believer. It requires time and energy from us, quietness and confidence, and commitment and adoration. If we spend all of our time in the world, and give You only our spare change and hurried moments as we fall asleep at night, we not only insult You, but we short-change our self as well. We may have to hit the bottom of the barrel, before we ever take the time to look up into Your glorious face and live our life in worship to You.

Thought for the Day:

The Battle is the Lord’s and our best chance of success is to follow His strategy and obey His direction. -  Joshua 6:1-18

God's Ultimate Plan

Through Adam, God formed humanity in His image and likeness, as His ultimate creation in the Garden of Eden. Sin cast us down from our lofty position; and instead, required that we toil in the earth for our sustenance. However, the divine Christ took the form of a human being to redeem mankind for eternity. Now, He works in our life until we willingly surrender our carnal flesh for mortification by His Spirit, until we realize that we are dead, and our life is now hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).

When we consider Jesus’ prayer in the Garden, prior to Judas’ betrayal, we can assume that He dreaded the horrendous coming events, which God required of Him. He begged God multiple times to allow the cup to pass from Him. Whether He feared the torture and crucifixion, or the bounty of God’s wrath, the debt of our sin or His separation from our Father for that period of time, we do not know. However, it is clear that Jesus felt apprehensive and craved His disciples’ support and prayer at that time.

We all know the end of the story. Jesus triumphed over sin and death. This same powerful Christ lives within us, with all the dynamic authority of His resurrection. He delivers every authentic Born Again Believer from any situation, which life throws at us, even death (Roman 8:11-23). Once the dynamite power of Christ moves into our spirit, we connect to the victory of the perfect union with Christ in us. We are now heirs with Jesus of all the glory due to Him, not because we are worthy, but because of what He did for us through Calvary’s cross (Romans 6:5).

Our humanity is dead, because we are crucified with Christ; yet Christ lives in and through us (Galatians 2:20). We are conformed to the likeness of His death through baptism, and then raised to walk in the freshness of new life in Him. We excel in His Kingdom work through His divine life within us. As Christ consecrates our spirit, soul and body to His service, we abide in Him as our righteousness, our salvation, our sanctification, our serenity, our sanctuary and our sufficiency.

Although all of creation awaits the revelation of the sons of God for its redemption (Romans 8:19), we currently abide in Christ with all the power of the triune Godhead residing within us. Yet, we live as prisoners to our negative emotions, our fleshly lusts, the lure of the world and the wiles of Satan and his minions. The reality of Jesus as the Lord of our life needs to sink into our soul until we eat, sleep, breathe and see it more clearly than any truth we have ever learned. Then we will walk in this reality with all the power of the triune Godhead within us (Mark 16:17-18).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You draw us into a closer union and fellowship with You through each passing day. We yield in unconditional surrender in order to partake of Your divine nature, unconditional salvation and victorious life. We desire nothing less then perfect conformity to Your nature and to be filled through all of our being with all the fullness of Your spiritual power (Ephesians 3:19). We rely on You to bring us into a deeper and more intimate abiding in Your presence within us, until we lay down our will and walk in Your will instead.

Thought for the Day:

When the storms of life shake our peace and our faith in our Rock, Jesus Christ, we can blame our self-efforts for this malady; however, we find abundant faith to meet any turmoil, when we trust only in our Savior and Lord. – Galatians 3:1-3