Condemnation or Conviction

 

There is a huge difference between condemnation and conviction. A person without Christ in their life might experience both of these; but a child of God is freed from all condemnation (Romans 8:1).

Satan condemns us, but God's Spirit convicts us. For instance, when we choose to walk in slavery to the flesh, God convicts us to walk in the Spirit instead (Galatians 5:15-25).

Condemnation brings shame, hopelessness and discouragement with it. Yet, conviction brings relief, and gives us the opportunity to decide not to sin and to please God instead (James 4:7).

Satan will crush us with his shameful condemnation and attempt to cripple our soul in order to prevent us from ever serving God again. If we flee temptation, we also flee condemnation (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Satan is the accuser of God's children and he will attempt to belittle us, telling us that we are not enough, will never amount to anything and that we are a hopeless failure.

However, these accusations are contrary to God's truth about us. God says that we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). We have victory in all things through Christ in us (1 Corinthians 15:57)

As we submit to God and resist the devil, he has to flee from us (James 4:7-8). Nothing can ever separate us from the multi-dimensional love of God (Romans 8:35-39).  

Prayer:

Father God, when Satan attempts to defeat us, remind us that You already gave us the victory through Christ in us (Galatians 2:20). Thank You for being so willing to forgive our departure from Your will for our life (1 John 1:9), and for giving us Your Spirit to help us to walk in Your perfect peace.

Produce in us a Godly sorrow, which pricks our conscience and reminds us not to succumb to Satan's temptations (2 Corinthians 7:10-11). Prompt us to walk in Your Spirit, filled with His fruit, so that we will not fulfill the lusts of our flesh (Galatians 5:15-25).

Thought for the Day:

The blood of Christ frees us from the penchant to sin, as well as from the condemnation of the devil.

- Revelation 1:5; Romans 8:1

Are You a Child of God?

 

Many people believe that everyone is a child of God. However, the Bible tells us just the opposite. We are born in Adam’s sin and our spirit is dead. We are children of the devil. If we live a sinful lifestyle, we are not born of God; and, therefore, we are not children of God (1 John 3:8-10). Children think and act as their father thinks and acts. Who are you emulating with your thoughts and behavior? You say that you are a good person, but this concept goes deeper.

Do you live for the pleasures of the day or are you focused on eternal matters? Do you spend your time and money pursuing the world or investing in God’s glory? Are you led by your fleshly, carnal desires or for the furtherance of the Kingdom of God? I do not mean that you have no times of fun to lighten your soul, but what type of fun do you partake in? Is it in decadence and sin or in enjoying God’s creation and wholesome fun?

Do you give God an hour of your time a week, or do you seek Him in all of your ways (Proverbs 3:5-6)? Are your thoughts and actions in harmony or in perpetual discord with God’s intentions (Revelations 15:3; Isaiah 35:8; Ephesians 2:10)? Are you continually dissatisfied, or do you find Your joy in the Lord (Isaiah 61:10-11)? When God is calling us to Himself, He allows trials to drive us to the cross. He wants us to realize the futility of our rebellion.

God may allow sickness in our life when we strive for health, opposition when we desire harmony or debt when we want financial stability, etc. He does not do this out of a perverse sense of humor or to harm us in any way (Jeremiah 29:11); but to wake us up to our powerlessness to control our life, and to see that His infinite ways are higher and better than our finite human ways (Isaiah 55:9). He wants us to realize the truth that only in Him do we find ultimate safety and provision (Psalm 34:7, 91:1-11).

Prayer:

Father God, even if we conquer the world in our lifetime, we still must face eternity alone. Help us to realize that only in You do we find complete peace and fulfillment (Hebrews 13:5; Psalm 86:13, 138:8). Show us that walking with You requires union with You in body and soul, as well as in spirit. We must be Born Again (John 3:1-7). We find no ultimate peace in this life, unless we trust in You alone (Psalm 31).

Thought for the Day:

Even in times of insecurity and stress, we remain calm and assured in the arms of God. - Psalm 31:21

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Quest for Love and Acceptance

“Even if my father and mother should desert me, you will take care of me.” – Psalm 27:10

In 1954, my baby brother made his debut into our family. At the advanced age of 3 years, I did not share in my parents’ joy. To start with, he came on MY birthday! Needless to say, I did not get the appropriate attention on that day…my parents were otherwise preoccupied. My mom was in the hospital for several days and I was not allowed to see her. I felt lost and alone without her as my security. I stayed with relatives who tried to make me eat spinach…YUCK!

They even put me in the broom closet under the stairway, because I was naughty. It was dark in there, and I cried. Equally as bad, however, was the fact that I did not get any dessert, since I did not eat my spinach. My whole life followed suit to this scenario with two more brothers coming along. Of course, my memories may be more vivid and painful than reality, but this feeling that my needs did not matter stayed with me as I grew up.

To top this off, my mom was emotionally distant and my dad had a hair-trigger temper, due to deficiencies in their childhood. I contemplated suicide many times as a teenager, because of the painful reality of my unpopularity at school and my troubled home life. Eventually, I gravitated toward other students who shared a similar social status with me. After that, I never lacked for friends. As my ugly duckling persona developed into a swan, my popularity in my circle of friends grew. I dated every weekend and I went to more than one senior prom.

I still felt less than whole, however. I had a hole in my heart that ached. I thought I needed my parents’ acceptance; however, one fateful day I discovered the real solution in my quest for love. A vivacious redhead in my yearbook class introduced me to her new best friend, Jesus Christ. In Christ, I discovered the joy of being a child of God. I relished the concept of a Father's grace, patience and unconditional love, which I had never known.

God moved into my life and everything changed. I found acceptance for my idiosyncrasies and supernatural direction for my lack of talent. I experienced forgiveness for all of my sins. God has mercy and compassion on whomever He chooses; and thankfully, He chose me (Romans 9:11-16). I no longer had to earn love, because my Heavenly Daddy gave it to me as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-10).

God promised never to leave me alone and to do for me all that His Word promises (Genesis 28:15; Hebrews 13:5). This truth transformed my life. I no longer cowered in a corner, but stepped up to the plate and swung at every pitch the Lord lobbed my way. The shy, introverted girl within me still blossoms into an extrovert every time the Spirit of God commissions my services for His Kingdom’s work. In Jesus Christ, I found the greatest love of all time…Love that laid down His own life for me. 

Prayer:

Father God, in Your paradoxical economy, we gain by losing (Philippians 3:7-8), we save our life by dying daily to the old carnal nature (Matthew 10:39; Luke 17:33), we receive by giving with a joyful heart (Acts 20:35), we are exalted through humility (James 4:10), we find Your strength through our weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:10) and we achieve freedom by serving (Romans 6:18). Thank You for giving us all the chance to live as members of Your family and to enjoy Your love, which never fails (1 Corinthians 13:1-8; Psalm 136).

Thought for the Day:

God will never leave us alone or forsake us, and His love never ends. – Deuteronomy 31:6