The Eternal God in Us

God chose that His Son would come from the seed of Abraham; and that through Jesus, all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Every Authentic Believer is justified through faith in Christ, and blessed right along with faithful Abraham (Galatians 3:8-9, 14). The greatest gift God gives to all of us is His love (1 Corinthians 13:2,13; John 3:16).

God showed His love for us, while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). Then by faith, we received God's Spirit through salvation by hearing and accepting the truth of the Gospel (Galatians 3:2). 

As we trust God, His Spirit ministers to us and works miracles in and through us (Galatians 3:5). Christ's resurrection from the dead gives credence to our faith and frees us from our sinful nature (1 Corinthians 15:14, 17).

We gradually die to our carnality by surrendering every bit of our corrupted nature to God. We start to think as Jesus did, instead of with finite, earthly concerns and thoughts. We live as Jesus did with the fruit of God’s Spirit replacing the deeds of our flesh (Galatians 5:22-23).  

We dedicate our life to His service and we bask in His presence throughout the day. We are no longer carnal, but spiritual (Galatians 5:15-25). Coming to an awareness of our rest in God, we relinquish our hectic pursuit of the world and we walk in the center of God's will (Hebrews 4:10). 

Our desire to entirely surrender every area of our life to God increases with our spiritual maturity. He is our everything, and we want nothing more than our beloved God Himself. He dwells within us for eternity.

Prayer:

Father God, the law tutored us in righteousness, but it could never save us. Once we come to salvation, we no longer need the schoolmaster of the law, because we are Your children, saved by faith in Christ's work on Calvary's cross (Galatians 3:23-26). 

We cannot boast of our works of righteousness, because our eternal destiny is based solely on the works of Your Son, Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). By faith, we have confidence that we will continually abide in You with joy (Philippians 1:25).

Thought for the Day:

We never need to worry about our life here on this earth, because God will never leaves us, and He will always sustain us. - Hebrews 13:5

Grief Relief

The rancid taste of grief sours our personality at the same time that it bitters our soul. We drown in depression and we see no reason to continue with life. We grieve over the loss of our loved ones, as well as cherished pets and possessions. 

Grief plays havoc with our emotions by knocking them off center. We want to hide between the sheets and drift off into oblivion or take unprecedented risks. Our loss causes our favorite hobbies to lose their appeal. 

We question our sanity and our bewildering physical ailments, which come out of nowhere without any viable reason. Some even attempt to contact their dead loved one through satanic séances and spiritualists.

Experts advise against making major decisions while the fog of grief clouds our judgment. We stand the risk of rebounding and marrying the wrong person, or selling the home of our dreams for fear of not being able to care for it on our own. 

If we forget God in our recovery, we will perish as those without God (Job 8:13). Take a year or more to recuperate before making decisions and only after obtaining Godly advice. God is there for you...always. 

It takes time to recover, but God meets all of our needs, clears up our confusion and heals all of our pain (Jeremiah 29:11). Praising His name and seeking Him each moment of the day will bring us more fulfillment than we ever experienced before in our life.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we are certain to the depths of our being that You are the Living Lord. Every negative aspect in our life right now will turn out for our good, as we trust in You. Even if we are truly alone in this world, we can place our hope in You and pray night and day, asking for Your help moment by moment (1 Timothy 5:5).  

The prayer that never fails is, "Lord, Your will be done." It is hard to give up control of our life, but we will experience so much more freedom once we totally surrender and live in Your joy as our peace and strength. Once we come to that place of total surrender to Your will, no matter what it is, then we set You free to bless us.

Thought for the Day:

When grief resurfaces with some trigger that reminds us of our loss, we can remember that even in the darkest nights of our life, our faith increases and our personal relationship with God deepens.

Only God

Seeking more of God is my goal in life. The authentic Born Again Believer does not seek fame, success or riches; we pursue God Himself. We do not even seek His benefits, but only more of Him. We cannot reach this place of focus on our own, but God’s Spirit in us leads us there one day at a time. We never refuse His pursuit of us. We press closer every day.

If we are willing to pay the price, God takes each of us to this intimate place through a different route. He hears the cry of our heart and fulfills our desperate desire for more of His presence in our life. As we fully trust in God, He upholds us with His mighty right hand (Isaiah 41:10). The current trial in our life may take an expensive toll from us, but God heals us and meets our every need (Psalm 147:3).

God is always with us (Psalm 46:7). He is a refuge for the oppressed and our stronghold in times of trouble (Psalm 9:9; 48:3). He answers us when we are in distress and His Holy name protects us (Psalm 20:1). He rescues and saves us (Jeremiah 15:20). We have no reason to fear, because God is on our side. The Lord draws near to the brokenhearted and rescues everyone who is trampled down by this evil world (Psalm 34:18).

The work of the Trinity in our life is more precious to us than gold (John 17:3). As we consider God’s exploits, we realize that He is our Sovereign Lord and we are His people (Ezekiel 34:30). We breathe in God’s presence and dwell in it all day long. He is our life and our light, our hope and our truth (John 8:12; Psalm 62:5; John 14:6). We are part of His Body and we find fulfillment only in the center of His will.

Prayer:

Father God, I am so thankful that You discipline us when we get off the straight and narrow road, to bring us back to the center of You will (Jeremiah 46:28; Psalm 27:1). If we listen carefully to Your precepts and do only that which is right in Your eyes, You will protect us from calamity and heal us (Exodus 15:26). The cry of my heart is to walk in perfect union with Your Spirit. I want to be totally free of all flesh and carnality, so that I can be a vessel of honor for Your glory now and always.

Thought for the Day:

Our soul finds rest in God alone, and our hope comes only from Him.  - Psalm 62:5

That I May Know God

When we experience an unhappy event in our life, a trial that threatens to mortally wound our body or soul, we can view it as a long corridor. A hallway between two rooms; between the room we just came from and the unknown destination we are heading toward. We can trust that our destination will be one of great joy and rejoicing, because God promises that He will work everything out for our good (Romans 8:28).

Rather than wallowing in depression or mourning our losses, we can rejoice at what lies ahead, because this adventure in the corridor of life is leading us to a new room, which God already prepared for us (Ephesians 2:10). We will serve Him in a different and exciting way. Even if the issues in the new room are different than we are used to, even if we are physically disfigure or about to cross the threshold of life into eternity, it is all still for our good and to build His Kingdom.

Jesus walked through the passageway of the cross and death, but He ended up in the glories of Heaven. As we fellowship in his sufferings, we are learning to know Him more intimately (Philippians 3:9-11). We will also experience the power of his resurrection, and be conformed through the death of our carnality into His divine nature (Philippians 3:10). As we allow our dreams and plans for our life to bow in submission to God’s plans for us, we learn the reality of, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).

God’s plans for our life (Ephesians 2:10) now consume our own goals, because we realize that He created us for so much more than we could ever dream possible (Psalm 32:8). We walk in the Spirit and no longer fulfill the lusts of our flesh (Galatians 5:16,25). We come to live in one Spirit with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17). We experience complete union with Him and our Father God (John 10:30), with all of the fullness of the entire Godhead dwelling within us (Colossians 1:27, 2:9).

Prayer:
Father God, help me not to fear change, but to trust You in all things. I desire for my thoughts, words and actions to line up according to Your will for them. I want to know you intimately in a relationship, which Your Word states that we can enjoy. I cannot contain all of the love You pour into my life every day, so I just give it away as fast as I receive it. Help everyone to see Christ in me and to turn their hearts over to You while they still have time.

Thought for the Day:
God has a purpose in allowing changes into our life, and He is keeping us in the center of His will.

 

The Loving Hand of God

 

 

Children often fault their parents for disciplining them. A child may consider his/her parents as cruel and vindictive, when they are merely teaching them self-discipline. We feel this way towards God sometimes too. We gripe and complain because He does not jump at our commands and give us the whims of our heart. Much of the discipline we receive from God is simply due to our self-centeredness. Our character defects hinder our ability to love Him and His ability to use us for His Kingdom.

Our egocentricity impedes our relationship with God. We love our self more than we love God or anyone else. The only escape for us from this troubling scenario is to humble our self under the mighty hand of God. As we submit to His discipline, He will lift us out of the quicksand of our spiritual desolation (James 4:10). He smoothes our jagged edges and fills our hollow heart with the fruit of His Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Our standards and focus gradually change as we mature in Christ and draw closer to God (James 1:4).

We soon learn the joy of living in the center of God’s will. His peace fills our life and we experience fewer times of tribulation and struggle. We see Him working out His purpose in our life and in the world around us. When life throws us a curve ball, the Holy Spirit is right there to catch it and to guide us around the bases of life to a home run. We mount up on wings as eagles and soar above the carnal, earthly realm of life (Isaiah 40:31). He satisfies us with every good and perfect gift and gives us what we need to do His will with our life (James 1:17).

During the good times, we forget that God is the one who provides us with the ability to gain health, wealth and success in this life. We tend to take credit for our accomplishments, to neglect His Word and to cease from living in constant prayer (Deuteronomy 8:10-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18). Our pride overcomes any humility that God worked into our life, and we live from our own resources until they start to fail us once again (Deuteronomy 8:17-18). Then we are right back at the foot of the cross, ready to take that steep climb to victory all over again.

When we come to realize that God is with us, even in the valleys of life (Psalm 23:4), we can trust our life to His faithfulness. We live as a beacon of hope to the drowning world all around us. We lead them to safety on the Rock of Christ (Psalm 61:2). We introduce them to the truths of God’s Word and we welcome them into our fellowship of Believers. The key to success in life is to seek the Lord for His direction, to trust in Him with our whole heart, not to depend upon our human wisdom and to follow His Spirit’s direction every moment of the day (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Prayer:

Father God, we humble our self under Your mighty hand, and You lift us up in Your perfect timing (1 Peter 5:6). Our heart hopes in You, as You raise us up with Your right hand in which we find eternal pleasures (Psalm 63:8, 16:11). We seek asylum in Your loving right hand (Psalm 17:7). When our heart is overwhelmed, we cry to You for help. You lead us to safety of the Rock of Christ (Psalm 61:2). You lift Your loving hand to help the afflicted (Psalm 10:12). You deliver us from our enemies (Psalm 138:7; Exodus 15:6). Thank You for sending Jesus, the radiance of Your splendor and the precise image of Your nature who sits at Your right hand, to uphold the universe by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3)

Thought for the Day:

God is the Lord of our valleys, but He is also the Lord of our mountaintops.
– Psalm 23