We Never Walk Alone

God is our Shepherd who cares for us as His own. He abundantly supplies all of our needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). He provides green pastures upon which we feed and revitalizing, quiet water to quench our thirst. He gives us rest for and heals our weary soul. He directs our steps in His way of holiness (Luke 22:42). He calls us to obey Him and to follow His directives even when we have no idea of where He is leading us (Hebrews 11:8). He loves us and He gave His life for us (Ephesians 5:2). He never leaves us or forsakes us (1 Peter 5:7).

Although life is often out of our control, it is never out of God’s control (Ephesians 1:11). When we are in pain, we cannot go around it. We have to go through it. However, we do not walk alone. God is with us and in us, bringing us comfort, peace and joy. No matter what trials await us, He is there to shelter and provide for us. He encourages and protects us with His rod and staff. His goodness and mercy surround each of our days. He honors us in front of our enemies. He prepares a place in His Kingdom for us to abide forever (Psalm 23).

Tomorrow comes with no guarantees.  However, our confidence in our Savior grows with each passing day. As we surrender our life to Him, He proves His faithfulness to us. Our focus gradually changes from what He does for us, to who He is. We rejoice not in His blessings, but in His blessedness. His love frees us from the tyranny of fear and the bondage to our self-effort (1 John 4:18). He created nature to give us proof of his eternal authority and divine character (Romans 1:20). Every newborn baby is a testimony of the miracle of His creative forces in the earth.

God adopted us as His sons (Ephesians 1:5), and we are now His people and members of His household (1 Timothy 3:15; Ephesians 2:19). We are strangers and aliens in this world (Hebrews 11:13). Our citizenship is in Heaven (John 17:16; Hebrews 11:16). We, along with all of creation, eagerly await His return (Romans 8:19). Eventually, God will exchange our mortal body for an immortal one like Jesus had after His resurrection (Philippians 3:19-21). Our bridegroom is preparing an eternal home for us in the Heavenlies, which will descend to earth at the end of the Millennium. New Jerusalem, a 1500-mile cubed city, will be our dwelling place forever.

We never walk in darkness, because we have the light of life living within us (John 8:12). We are children of the Light (John 12:36), and we are to walk as children of the light (Ephesians 5:8). Jesus within us continually leads us, even during times when we cannot see the way, along unfamiliar paths upon which we never walked before. He turns the darkness into light before us and makes the rough places smooth (Isaiah 42:16). He never leaves us or forsakes us (Isaiah 42:16), and He is always with us (Matthew 28:20). 

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You promised that in You we will live in peace. No matter how much trouble we experience in this world, we never need to loose heart. You live within us and You already overcame the world (John 16:33). Everyone experiences temptation, but because of Your sanctifying work, it no longer holds any appeal to us. You are faithful and You keep us from any temptation, which is beyond what we can withstand. Even in those times when we are tempted, You always provide us with a way to escape it (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Thought for the Day:

God heals our broken heart and binds up our wounds. – Psalm 147:3





Thank you, Donna's Corner, for the use of your photo.

What does it mean to live a SURRENDERED life?

The opposite of surrender is control. People tend to control life in one, or in a combination of any of the following four ways:

A. Dominant/Aggressive people use force to control. We outright rebel against any form of control or authority.

1. We believe we have a monopoly on divining right and wrong. We believe we have a dispensation and the obligation to control life.

2. We dominate our fears by using anger, willpower, criticizing, guilt, fault-finding, condemnation and confrontation to control life.

3. We try to appear strong, although we actually feel weak and afraid. We are a stickler for rules and propriety to try to control life.

4. We often open doors to Satanic oppression, which causes us to abuse others physically, mentally, emotionally and even spiritually.

B. Submissive/Passive people control life in subtle ways. We tend to be very introverted and seek a life-style involving little responsibility and the greatest amount of protection.

1. We seek to manipulate in order to change people’s mind or behavior as well as the outcome of a circumstance.

2. We try to strictly follow the rules in order to get our needs met. We use the silent treatment to let people know we are unhappy.

3. We have all of our pride invested in helping others and in trying to please them. We try to earn favors by acting affectionately, accommodatingly and submissively. We buy gifts, use flattery, and act very obediently and compliantly.

4. We try to “change” people’s feelings by talking them out of it or by trying to diminish the importance of their desires or we make shaming statements to cause people to see things our way.   

C. Passive/Aggressive people comply to get along. We agree to conform, but then do whatever we want to do in subversive ways. We undercut authority in devious ways, such as: avoidance, sarcasm or joking.

1. We will not be direct with our criticism. We use put-downs and shame to manipulate people to do our bidding.

2. We grow up not trusting our own decisions. We do not develop personal ideas, perceptions or needs. We do not develop a good conscience.

3. We use addictions to sex, drugs, alcohol, gambling, people and shopping to get our own way.

4. We feel inadequate, powerless and out of control. We attract controlling people into our life so we will feel safe. We get others' sympathy and support, avoiding anxiety, responsibilities, or having to overcome our fears. 

D. ASSERTIVE people use open, honest, gentle and caring communication to understand our own and other peoples' feelings. We express thoughts and feelings while asking for what we want in appropriate ways without jeopardizing the rights and respect of others. This is our goal as Christians.

1. We are happy with who we are. We care for our “self” as well.

2. We are happy giving gifts and offering service that bring joy to others, and we willingly receive gifts from others.

3. We learn how to deal with anxiety-producing situations in productive ways, using the Serenity Prayer as our guide.

4. We feel an increased self-worth and closeness with people. 

2. Surrender is the doorway to freedom. It is a state of brokenness, of total dependence upon God, of receiving God’s forgiveness and of having a personal, daily relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  

3. God does not take our free will away from us. He asks us to surrender our will to His. He wants us to realize that life is not about “me.” Life is all about the Kingdom of God. As we seek first His Kingdom, then He will add to our life everything we need.  

When we surrender to God, we say, “Go ahead, Lord, and have Your way with me.” We allow Him to break our pride and our reliance on our “self” and we put our life into His capable hands. He will then restore us to the person He intends for us to be, free of emotional pain and guilt and equipped to serve Him in His chosen ministry for us.  

4. God knows everything, from the beginning to the end of our life. He sees the pitfalls and He knows the joys He prepared for each of us. Only as we surrender our will to His can we know the true riches of life on this earth (Romans 8: 28; Jeremiah 29:11 ).

5. Controlling usually produces the OPPOSITE effect of what we want. Our dependency on anything other than God: addictions, people, places, jobs, things, animals ~ puts us into bondage to them. Only God’s love produces true freedom. 

6. We adopt survival techniques as we age, because in the past, even though our caretakers did their best in most cases, they were unavailable to make sure we had what we needed at the time that we needed it. This caused us to be self-reliant in order to protect our “self”, and later our children as well. We try, by the sheer power of our will, to hold everything together. We think we have to handle our problems on our own. We search, often in vain, for any sense of justice in our life.

We come to believe everyone else has to conform to OUR way of doing things so we will be safe. We exhibit undue pressure and control on others to submit to our will and way. This fear and insecurity prevents us from trusting God as well. We overly attach to people, situations, jobs, etc to try to keep our life safe. What we do not realize is that anything that we depend upon holds power over our life. Only God deserves that much power over us.  

7. We blame God for the bad things that happen in our life. We forget that God created paradise for us. Paradise is God’s will for our lives. However, sin in our life and the lives of everyone around us causes these negative situations, which occur. The key to remember is that when we surrender to God, He always works out everything, even the negative things, for our good (Romans 8:28). 

Controlling life puts a tremendous amount of stress on us. We suffer mentally, emotionally and physically because we try to hold everything together. We carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. We think that keeping our loved ones and us safe is up to us. This puts us into a lifestyle of controlling. 

8. Another key to surrender is to believe that the power of God truly CAN overcome any person or circumstance in our life. We cannot change people or circumstances, but GOD can. 

Every person alive has some form of dysfunction. There are no perfect parents and there are no perfect people. Jesus Christ holds the market on perfection. It is only as we surrender the complete control of our life to Him, that we can walk in freedom, peace and joy.  

God reveals our faulty beliefs to us one at a time and produces in us both the desire and the ability to do what pleases Him (Philippians 2: 13). As we give His Spirit permission to replace our negative characteristics with His Fruit we find more and more fulfillment in our life.  

9. We try with all of our might to hang on, to fix it, to change it, to manage it or to try to make it right. God wants us to LET GO and to admit that we are powerless and we need His power in our life.  

Admitting we are powerless and that we need Him is the first step toward healing. God pleads with us to let GOD BE GOD in our life. God wants us to completely surrender our will and to be vulnerable before Him. This is called “dying to self.” 

10. “Dying to self” does not mean that we diminish our God given identity, personality, needs or giftedness. It simply means allowing God to replace our old, carnal sinful nature with His nature. We allow God to call the shots and to direct us according to His will instead of living according to our will.  

11. Read these verses:

Titus 3: 3, “Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other.

          4 But — When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.

                6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior.  7 Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” 

Romans 6:6, “We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.

Galatians 2: 20, “My old (carnal) self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” 

2 Corinthians 12: 9, But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 

12. WHEN I AM WEAK, THEN I AM STRONG. When we stop trying to control life and give God control over our life, we allow Him to provide for and to protect us. His mighty power starts working in us and through us. When we surrender our life to Him, He accomplishes infinitely more through our life than we could ever ask or think (Ephesians 3: 20).

13. Who is on the throne of your life:

Is Jesus on the outside with Self on the throne? OR is Jesus on the throne with Self in submission? Life is chaotic when “self” is on the throne. Life is peaceful and calm when Christ is on the throne, and only then can we live and walk in true Serenity. Surrender each moment of your day to the Lord and rejoice evermore.

                                       

His Hand in the Glove

Read: Colossians 1: 26-28

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” - Galatians 2: 20

While cleaning out a hall closet, I found an old, rectangular floral box full of mementos. One item in the box was a pair of white, Victorian lace gloves, yellowed with age. I slipped my hand into one of the gloves and immediately thought of how it resembled Christ in me, my hope of glory.

We are the glove and Christ is the Hand. The glove lies lifelessly in the dresser drawer or on the end table or hidden away in a coat pocket until the Hand has need of it. Then, the glove completely conforms to the Hand. The bit of lace has no power or animation apart from the Hand. In fact, it is actually useless in and of itself. The glove moves only as the Hand directs it. It is the exact image of the Hand.

I love this illustration. It takes all of the striving out of the Christian life for me, and gives me a clear image of Christ IN ME, my hope of the manifestation of God in my life. As I continue to conform to His image, God is in absolute control. This idea also clearly personifies Galatians 2:20 for me - I no longer live, but Christ lives in and through me.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for reminding me that without You, I can do nothing; yet with You in me, all things are possible if I only believe.

Thought for the Day:

Conforming to the image of Christ is as easy as a glove fitting onto a hand.

God's Great Love

Read: Romans 8:5-39

‘Many are the affliction of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all!’” - Psalm 34:19

We all view life from a limited human vantage point. We wonder, “How will I ever solve this problem?” “How am I going to succeed?” “When will I get past this?” “When will this sickness leave?”

When we notice our thoughts drifting in the direction of the Big “I” we need to remind ourselves that the battle is the Lord’s. Then, we can transfix our affection, our thoughts, our beliefs, our emotions and our worldview on things above, on a heavenly rather than an earthly point of view (Colossians 3:2-3).

The Eighth chapter of Romans gives us a powerful message of a life lived from God’s point of view. When we look at our problems from God’s angle, we soar into the heavenly realm and leave this old world and all of its problems behind us. Think of the photos of the earth as seen from outer space. These photos put the earth into proper perspective. In the light of all of the galaxies that make up the universe, earth is one of the smallest planets God created. God rules all of creation, and we can trust Him to conscientiously rule over our life as well.

At times, it seems that our whole world just came unglued. Everything swirls out of our control in every direction. We subdue one issue and several more pop up. Our molehill becomes a mountain in record time! This happens, because in the pressure cooker of life, God softens us until we are pliable enough for Him to mold us into Christ’s image.

Psalm 34:19 reminds us that the Lord delivers us out of all of our afflictions! God already won the battle 2000 years ago on Calvary’s cross. We are already conquerors through Christ in us, our hope of glory (Colossians 1: 27). When we look at life through God’s eyes, we start to see the possibilities rather than the problems. God used a small boy named David to defeat a giant like Goliath. He also empowers us with the same ability to face the giant problems in our life.

We serve an awesome and empathetic God. He loves, forgives, aids, chastises, transforms and molds us; and all the while, He gives us His abundant life now and for eternity. 1 John 3:1 reminds us, “Behold, what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us.” Ephesians 2: 4 encourages us, "He is rich in mercy and loves us with abundant love.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for telling us that nothing in heaven or on earth can separate us from Your love. No human experience or atrocity can remove us from Your presence. We can run away from You, but You always wait right where we left You; so we will find You again when we go around the mountain of life one more time!

Thought for the Day:

Nothing will ever separate us from God’s great love.

Go With The Flow

Read: Psalm 119: 116-126

“You will keep on guiding me all my life with your wisdom and counsel, and afterwards receive me into the glories of heaven!” Psalm 73:24 (TLB)

Anxiety drives us to try to control our life. In seeking freedom from the intensity of our fears, we keep tabs on everyone and everything in our sphere of influence. We exhibit a bossy, controlling, sometimes bombastic attitude in our attempt to keep people from hurting us. We fear the unknown and try to manage every aspect of our life to ensure tranquility.

However, no amount of self-effort guarantees us a peaceful life. All of our expended effort eventually crumbles at our feet, leaving us disillusioned and hopeless. Only God gives us the assurance we crave. His Word promises His provision for us on a daily basis. He gives us serenity, which is the exact opposite of anxiety.

If His kingdom is our desire instead of our own success, He will not allow our hopes to be dashed against the rocks of the circumstances we encounter. God ensures our well-being as we serve Him. He prevents the arrogant and the liar from oppressing us. He deals with us according to His loving kindness. He teaches us His commandments and writes them on our hearts to prevent us from sinning against Him. His great peace envelops us and nothing can make us fall or even stub our toe upon the impediments of adversity.

If we rest in God’s promises, we have nothing to fear. He supplies all of our needs according to His riches, mercy and grace. We can “Go With the Flow” of the Holy Spirit, moment by moment throughout the day and rest in His abundant love.

Prayer ~ Lord, help me to relinquish control of my life and to give You the reigns. Lead and guide me wherever You choose that I should go and help me to find peace and contentment in Your will.

Thought for the Day ~ Go with the flow of the Holy Spirit, moment by moment throughout the day.

Light of the World

READ: Luke 16:19-31

“You have turned on my light! The Lord my God has made my darkness turn to light.” Ps 18:28-29

All around us friends and family, who once basked in God’s glorious light, turn away and stumble back into obscurity and spiritual death. Anxiety, bitterness and anger consume them and they drift away from the Truth. In their way of thinking, God or His Saints disappointed their expectations and they want nothing else to do with Christianity. Some of them find their lives spiraling out of control; yet, others live in carnal contentment, unaware of or ignoring their impending doom.

The simple truth of the Bible is that Christ came not to condemn us, but to give us eternal life. Jesus bought our freedom and forgave us all our sins with his very own blood. The trouble is that some people end up condemning themselves by their unbelief (John 3:16-18). Only a transformed life, which includes a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, will provide us with eternal salvation.

In a life void of Godly commitment, the Son does not shine. The True Light came into the world; yet, people avoid the Light, because it exposes their embarrassing, evil deeds. Darkness disappears as the Light of Christ shines through us. We no longer fear the exposure of our sin-filled deeds, and we no longer take part in worthless worldly pleasures, simply because we now walk in His love and in His light.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for rescuing us out of the darkness and despair and bringing us into the brilliant Light of Your beloved Son.

Thought For The Day:

Life without Christ resembles stumbling around in a dark room.

The Triple Treat

Read: Romans 5:8-10

"For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." - Romans 15:4

I am amazed at the extent of God's love for us. He not only made provision for our Salvation through Jesus Christ, He also gave us the Bible with detailed instructions on every aspect of life. He did not leave us defenseless to survive a lifetime of trials and tribulation. The Bible gives us wisdom to live victoriously, even in these perilous end times.

Events, which are chronicled in today's newspapers, are predicted in God's Word. We know exactly what will happen and what to expect according to God's timetable. God gave us a triple treat: His Son, His Word and also His Holy Spirit. When the headlines threaten to douse our faith with fear, these three lead us on to victory as they comfort us every moment of every day. (Isaiah 43:2)

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, remind us that You have everything under Your control. Nothing surprises You, because You set it all in motion before the foundation of the world.

Thought for the Day:

The darkest hour of the day is always followed by the dawn.