Darkness Hates the Light

 

Today's news reported that a professor flunked a student for their Christian stance in a school project. The world hates the Light more and more violently nowadays, because it reveals the density of their darkness.

Since Christ lives in His Saints, the world hates us too (John 15:18). They say that we disturb their peace. In other words, just seeing our name or hearing our voice convicts them of their sin; so they despise us.

We do not even need to say a word, just our presence sets their teeth on edge and boils the acid in their stomach. They want to remove us from their presence in hopes of ignoring their own conscience.

They surround themselves with like-minded people; so they do not experience the intensity of conviction, which they feel when they are around us. They will even put space and distance between them and a family member who is filled with God's Spirit.

God's Light offends them because its brightness infringes on their comfort in their darkness. Their thoughts, opinions, values, goals and behavior deny Christ with every fiber of their being.

However, this does not negate the fact that He still exists. The unbeliever can kill every last Christian on the face of the earth, but creation will still scream His name and proclaim His glory (Romans 1:20).

In the end, their knee will bow along with everyone else on the earth, and in heaven and in hell (Philippians 2:10). Christ will prevail regardless of how much will power they exude in their attempt to stop Him.

Prayer:

Father God, those who love darkness want to hide their shameful thoughts and deeds from the Light (Job 24:16). Some of them left conservative paths to walk in their shady conduct (Proverbs 2:13). They live in deception and refuse to seek You in any way (Jeremiah 9:6).

Thank You for bringing us into the light of Your glory and teaching us to walk in Your Truth (John 3:21). We want nothing to do with the fruit of darkness (Ephesians 5:11-13). Help us to reach those in darkness who have a sincere desire for Your truth. For those hardened in their sin, strengthen their inner being to accept Christ through Your Spirit (Ephesians 3:16).

Thought for the Day:

Jesus is and always will be the King of all kings and Lord of all lords; the only way, truth and life; and the Light of the world. - 1 Timothy 6:15; John 8:12, 14:6

Living In God's Presence

Many people are too busy to hear the call of God's Spirit within them to abide alone in His presence and to come and rest a little while. We fill our days and nights with chores and activities, and then sit in front of the TV or radio if we have a moment to spare! 

We also have texting, instant messages, and social media to keep us occupied; sometimes, even after we turn off the light and go to bed! God's Spirit is calling us to cease from our labors and to enter into God's rest (Hebrews 4:1-10). 

God captivates us and draws us closer to Him with each passing day. He calls us to wait on Him and to luxuriate in His holiness, love, peace and joy. In our spirit, we experience the delights of fellowshipping with the Spirit of the King of Kings. We focus only on God and tune out the world around us.

Our desire for intimacy with God increases daily. In our quiet times, He reveals to us the truths of His Word and the answers to our questions. We choose to make our self available to service in any area, which God highlights for us to do. 

We live in more and more victory over sin and more peace in our soul (Isaiah 26:3). The angel of the Lord camps all around us to protect and care for us (Psalm 34:7). The divine nature of Christ replaces the carnal nature of our humanity (2 Peter 1:4). 

We are more spiritually minded and we care less about the aspects of this world. We sit at Jesus' feet and soak up His presence, even if we sit in companionable silence. We eventually physically leave this place of solitude, but we remain there spiritually through each moment of the day.

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that we can come to the place where we live in Your presence and never leave. We can carpool the children, give our boss 100% of our effort, provide for our family and nurture our mate as we dwell under the shadow of Your wings. 

We can view life's disappointments, heartbreaks and successes from Your eyes and react to life's stresses with Your character rather than our human nature.You fill our entire being with Your presence and You make us Yours forevermore.

Thought for the Day:

We continually remain in God's presence each moment of the day and walk in His Spirit to accomplish the works, which He calls us to perform. -  Ephesians 2:10

A Bright Light

 

Coming to Christ changes our entire outlook on life. We no longer enjoy activities, which promote the carnal flesh. We have less in common with our family and friends. This change often triggers animosity in our relationships. When our family and friends choose to reject us, we can be assured it is only because they feel the conviction of Christ in their life. They are puzzled and offended by the changes in our life, so they defend themselves and their behavior.

They realize that if we are right to say that Jesus is the only way to heaven, then what they believe is wrong. They believe Satan’s lie and are convinced that we are narrow minded and bigoted. They attack us because they know in their heart that Jesus is the only way of salvation, and they are fighting God’s conviction of His truth. We are a bright light in their darkness, and many cannot stand to be around us or even to think about us.

If we recognize this truth, it pads the sharp edges of their rejection. It encourages us to pray for them, because the harder they persecute us, the more conviction they are living under. The Holy Spirit is working in their life, and we can pray that they will be humbled under the almighty hand of God. This way, they too will enjoy His blessings, protection and provision just like we do. There is no fear in God’s love (1 John 4:18), if they will only repent and believe.

We can revel in our relationship with God, not taunting others, but living in His peace before them. They will see the difference that God makes in our life, and they will either tolerate us, claim that we are hypocrites or join us in worshipping our King of kings (Revelation 19:16). He fills us with His resurrection life. Though we are not perfect, they cannot deny the change in our thoughts, actions and beliefs. We cling to, rely on and rest in Jesus for our every need.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, when our flesh struggles to come down from the cross, remind us that You could have done the same thing and doomed us to hell for eternity. However, You took our shame and endured our pain to give us freedom in Your life in us. Convict us when we serve You with the ulterior motive of serving our self in the process. When we make merchandise of Your people, humble us at the foot of Your cross. Help us to abide in You, just as You abide in our Father and give us the courage to serve You even in the face of adversity. Help us to follow Your Spirit’s direction for each moment of our day.

Thought for the Day:

Jesus Christ crucifies our carnal nature and fills us with Himself.

Happy Jesus' Birthday 2012

Read: Matthew 1:18:25

“I will also appoint him my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth.” – Psalm 89:27

The fledgling church of the New Testament did not consider the birth of Jesus as significant as His resurrection. In fact, only Matthew and Luke wrote about it briefly. We have no exact date for Christ’s birth. Therefore, the first recorded celebration did not transpire until a few centuries after His birth. Then, in the year 336 AD, the Catholic Church enmeshed the celebration with a Pagan holiday occurring on the date of December 25^th.

No matter what date we choose to celebrate His birth, the fact remains that Jesus, who is the Word of God, and who was with God and was God, came to live on the earth (John1:1). He took on the nature of a servant, and lived a humble life (Philippians 2:7). He dwelt among us, and eventually willingly gave His life to pay the penalty of our sins and to allow us to live with Him now and for eternity (John 1:1,14). One day, possibly very soon, He will return as the King of kings and the Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16).

Christmas is the day to remember the Nativity of Christ. The commercialism, which puts families in debt and makes them desperate to provide the latest toys for their children, detracts from the joy of the day. Stringing popcorn and cranberries, making gifts for one another – no matter how impractical or unattractive, spending time as a family to read the Christmas account (Matthew 1:18:25; Luke 2:1-19), sharing a special meal with family and friends, taking a walk in nature, playing a board game as a family…these are treasures that will remain in our memories forever. The gift of our time is the most valuable commodity our children need from us.

Jesus never told us to celebrate His birth, but to remember His death. We commemorate His sacrifice for our sins by regularly observing communion (1 Corinthians 11:24). Since His death, our focus is now on His imminent return. Due to the fact that Christians heralded the return of Christ for centuries of time, people now dismiss it as irrelevant and impossible to ever happen. Atheists adopt slogans such as “Keep the Merry. Dump the Myth" and "You know it's a MYTH. This season, celebrate reason."

However, all of their unbelief does not negate the fact that Jesus did come and is coming again. The false prophets who claim to know the date of His return anesthetized the world into unbelief, so that people actually scoff at the thought that He will ever return. Jesus said, “No man knows the hour or the day” (Matthew 24;36), but the fact remains that He is certainly coming again, on a day and at an hour when we least expect Him. When He does, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11).

If you are interested, here are a multitude of verses proclaiming His eminent return (Matthew 16:27, 23:39, 24:27-42, 26:64; Mark 8: 36-38, 13:26-37, 14:61-62; Luke 9:26-27, 17:28-30, 18:8, 21:25-28; John 14:1-4; Acts 1:11, 3:19-21; 1 Corinthians 1:7, 4:5, 11:26, 15:23-24; Philippians 1:10, 3:20; Colossians 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:9, 2:19, 3:13, 4:15-5:4, 5:23; 2 Thessalonians 1:7, 2;1, 2:8; 1 Timothy 6:13-16; 2 Timothy 4:1-2, 8; Titus 2:12; Hebrews 3:7, 9:28, 10:25; James 5:7-9; 1 Peter 3-5,13, 2:12, 4:13, 5:4; 2 Peter 1:16, 3:3,8-10; 1 John 2:28, 3:2; Jude 1:14, 21; revelation 1:4,7, 3:11, 16:15, 22:12, 20-21.)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, Your mother Mary cherished the events of your life and pondered them in her heart (Luke 2:19). May we do the same thing, especially at this season of the year. We will rejoice with the angels and shepherds (Luke 2:20) over your first advent to the earth and look forward to your soon return for Your Bride. May everyone we love and cherish come to this saving knowledge in their lives as well, so they too will join us in Your presence for eternity.

Thought for the Day:

Celebrate Christ in Christmas with a heart full of gratitude for all He does for us every day.

 

Abiding Peace and Joy

Read: Luke 6: 27-31

“Bear with each other (and yourself) and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another (or yourself). Forgive everyone (and yourself) as the Lord forgave you.” - Colossians 3:13  

Bitterness rises from woundedness deep within our soul, and can be rooted years back into our past. Pride is one lie that guards the secrets of our past. We do not want to admit to ourselves, nor to anyone else, the things that others did to us. We block these memories from our conscious mind, and we build a wall of pride and sometimes anger all around them. We falsely believe that these strong, negative emotions will protect us from any past, present and future hurt.

 

What these negative emotions actually do, however, is to block our soul from receiving the fullness of the love that God has for us now. Until we forgive ourselves and others, Satan gains the advantage over us. If we refuse to forgive, we give Satan permission to control that part of our soul, and to inflict his demons on our body and spirit as well. He holds us captive and the fruit of the Holy Spirit cannot manifest in that area of our soul. (2 Corinthians 2: 10-11; Hebrews 12: 16)

We do not need anger and pride to protect us when we have the King of kings as our mighty stronghold and fortress. As we put our trust in Christ, we live in abiding peace and joy ~ not only in our spirit, but deep within our soul as well. If you do not have this peace, then ask God for it. Do not allow Satan to deceive you with his lies. (Isaiah 26:3; Isaiah 30:15)

When we have the King of kings hovering over us and sheltering us under His wings, we can forgive past hurts, and put future hurts into proper perspective. We can look for the seed of a miracle in every negative circumstance, because God promises to work all things, even the bad things, out for our good. (Romans 8: 28)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, help us to forgive ourselves and others and to release them to you. We have no need to extract vengence on our own. Vengence is Yours, and You promise to repay each one according to his own works.

Thought for the Day:

The Bible never commands us to like someone. God only requires that we allow HIM to love the person through us.