God's Perfect Will

Sometimes we actually hate our life. Too many trials and disappointments rip at our heart and smother us with a blanket of insecurity, fear and trouble.

We attempt to control our circumstances, but that is not any easier than grasping for the wind (Ecclesiastes 2:17). It is impossible to do; and therefore, crazy to attempt.

Solomon, the richest and wisest man who ever lived on this earth, realized that he could not buy happiness. He tried to find it by amassing worldly goods, marrying a multitude of wives, and even by worshiping false gods.

Eventually, he applied the wisdom from above to his own life and realized that this world's riches are fleeting at best. Total surrender to God is our only hope of attaining unending joy in this life.

Before He even created the universe, God specifically chose each one of us to walk in holiness according to His will for our individual life and to live for His praise and glory (Ephesians 1:4; Isaiah 43:21).

God created us for a purpose (Ephesians 2:10), not just as a cruel joke or at some random selection. He designed each of us with His perfect will in mind and He attempts to lead us to walk in His ways (Hebrews 13:21).

Too often we take a sidetrack from His intended route and waste valuable time and resources on pursuing our own dreams and goals. We end up spinning our wheels and making our self miserable.

We can walk in lasting happiness only as we follow God's plan for our individual life. It takes time to seek His will for each moment of our day, but the results are totally worth any effort on our part.

Prayer:

Father God, help us to receive what You offer to us rather than trying to manipulate You into giving us what we want. Work in our life to draw us closer to Your heart each day. Create in us a clean heart and renew a Godly spirit within us (Psalm 51:10) until we can truly say with conviction and veracity, "Lord, You are all I need".

Show us the times that we attempt to manipulate You and use You for our own gains. Remind us that You have our best in mind (Jeremiah 29:11). You remove our defenses and affirm Your love for us by Your acceptance of us even while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). You build us up and meet all of our needs until You remove all doubt from our heart (Colossians 2:7).

Thought for the Day:

Once we decide to totally submit to God's will for us, regardless of where, with whom or how it plays out, we eventually find true contentment and fulfillment in this life.

Experiencing God's Presence

 

There is no place on earth more fulfilling than living in God's presence. He reveals to us the path of life, fills us with His joy and gives us pleasures, which last for an eternity (Psalm 16:11).

His presence abides in us and He gives us His rest (Exodus 33:14). We continually commune with Him through prayer (Psalm 145:18-19). When we draw near to Him, He comes closer to us (James 4:8).

At times, we may sense God's presence, but He is always near to us, living within us (Genesis 28:16). We find Him if we take the time to seek Him with our whole heart and soul (Deuteronomy 4:29).

Regardless of our behavior, His graciousness, compassion, attention, mercy and love accompany the presence of God in our life; although our sins will break His heart and grieve His Spirit (2 Kings 13:23; 1 Thessalonians 5:19). 

Brokenhearted people find soothing comfort in God's presence; and, in our humility, He will save us from every one of our afflictions (Psalm 34:18-19). 

God's goodness is magnanimous to those who submit to Him. Words fail to describe what He has planned for those who trust Him (Psalm 31:19-20).

As our refuge and strength, God keeps us safe from every enemy, from strife and from gossips (Psalm 46:1). His plans are not evil, and He intends for us to prosper in Him (Jeremiah 29:11).

Prayer:

Father God, create a clean heart in us, and help us to refresh our commitment to You. We thank You for not casting us away from Your presence or removing Your Spirit from within us when we fall into sin (Psalm 51:10-11).

We come into Your presence with gratitude for all that You do for us, and we shout joyfully in praises to You. You are our great King, our Savior and God (Psalm 95:2-3).

Thought for the Day:

We joyfully serve the Lord and dwell in His presence with a continual song in our heart and on our lips. - Psalm 100:2

Success in Life

People often refer to Jesus Christ in their daily, ordinary lives. However, most of the time, they are using this sacred name as a curse word. They sling His name around without any awareness of the sanctity and the ultimate power in His name.

Other people recognize the awesome authority of His name, and they call on Him in prayer, but they do not really know Jesus personally. They are moral and maybe even religious, but Christ does not abide within them (Colossians 1:27; Galatians 2:20). Their prayers and service are an exercise of human effort alone.

Then there is a remnant of people who reverence the holy name of Jesus. They have an intimate union with Christ and trust in Him with their whole heart (Proverbs 3:5-6). They realized that they could never be good enough to earn a place in heaven; so they accepted Jesus’ sacrifice in our place (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Jesus died for us, but He also wants to live in us and through us. He wants to indwell His Body, the church, and finish the work He started during His thirty-three years on earth. Once He moves into our spirit, He revives our spirit, which was formerly dead in sin.

God calls us to humble our self as a little child, frail and helpless, and in need of a Savior (Matthew 18:4). Jesus continues His work of regeneration in us by abiding in us by His Spirit, creating in us a clean heart and making us a new creation (Romans 8:9-11; Psalm 51:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Jesus’ seed of faith is planted in our heart like a tiny mustard seed, and grows to be a powerful force in our life and in our ministry for the Lord (Galatians 2:20; Matthew 17:20). Even when we see the fruit of God’s Spirit working through us, we remain humble and we cling to His mercy and grace.

Realizing that we are weak, we depend on Christ in us, who is our strength (2 Corinthians 12:9-10; 2 Corinthians 12:9). We listen to God’s Spirit and walk in His perfect will for our life, and enjoy a successful and fulfilling life (Ephesians 2:10). We are also Christ’s ambassadors to a lost and dying world (2 Corinthians 5:20).

Prayer:

Father God, we cannot successfully live through one day of life without Your Spirit’s guidance and direction. Our human understanding falls short, so we rely on Your empowerment to accomplish Your will for each moment of all of our days (1 Corinthians 2:5). Remind us to dedicate our existence, regardless of our vocation or health or wealth, as a living sacrifice for Your service (Romans 12:1). We look forward to spending eternity with You.

Thought for the Day:

Living in humble surrender to Christ throughout our life will bring us success, peace, joy and fulfillment both now and in eternity.

The Flip Side of Death

 

 

 

We all lived as children of wrath in the spirit of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2-3). Our father was the devil (John 8:44). We were lost in sin and owed their wages of death, which we could not pay (Romans 3:23, 6:23). Yet, God gave us the free gift of His Son, Jesus, who died to pay our sin debt and to bring salvation to each one of us. By His Spirit, Christ now dwells within our renewed spirit and allows us to partake of His divine nature both now on this earth and for eternity (2 Peter 1:4).

 

Now, the only way Satan has any influence over our life is if we give it to him by submitting our thoughts, words or deeds to him. Jesus defeated Satan at the cross of Calvary and He will come again to take all authority back from Satan, the current god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). Jesus will eventually lock the devil in the lake of torment forever. That is the fate of everyone who refuses to come to faith in Christ Jesus (Revelation 20:15).

 

On the other hand, those who surrender to Jesus are now joint heirs with Him (John 8:17), and will inherit everything God has in store for Him. Death is not an end, but the beginning of our true life. Our last breath on this earth is followed by our very next breath in Heaven. We graduate from the school of life and are carried into heaven by the angels to receive our diploma into the eternal Kingdom of God (Luke 16:22). We passed every test, and earned our rewards from the King.

 

God rejoices in the death of His Saints (Psalm 116:15). He is our guide and our refuge, even through death (Psalm 48:14; Proverbs 14:32). The day of our death is actually better than the day of our birth (Ecclesiastes 7:1), because we are no longer separated from God. We dwell in the reality of His Kingdom forever with all the Saints that have gone on before us along with those who will come after us. We will never die, because we take on the immortal aspect of angels, and we are the sons of God, the Body of Christ, whom He raised from death into new life (Luke 20:36).

 

Prayer:

Father God, our body, soul and spirit are filled with joy. We know You will never leave us among the dead. You will not allow Your beloved children to rot in the grave. Thank You for Your many joys in this earthly life, which You bestow on us. Our most exquisite pleasure is to enjoy Your eternal Presence both now and in eternity (Psalm 16:9-11). Create in us a clean heart, and renew our spirit until we come to spend eternity with You (Psalm 51:10).

 

Thought for the Day:

We are confident in the fact that if we are absent from our body, we will undoubtedly be with the Lord. – 2 Corinthians 5:8