Inner Peace, Joy and Contentment

When God’s Spirit fills us, we cannot help praising Him. We even wake up with a song flowing through our mind. Once we go to the Cross of Christ and surrender our sin-filled life, the Spirit brings forth new life through His fruit and He starts to rid us of every obstacle that blocks His flow. The more obstacles in us, the more trials we endure. The quicker we relinquish our self-centeredness to Him, the less tribulation we encounter. Even when we do go through the normal trials of life, our attitude is so spiritually-minded that the natural issues do not rob us of our peace, joy and contentment.

Prior to salvation, our spirit is dead in sin (Ephesians 2:5). After Salvation, our humanity is dead to sin. We die with Christ through His death and we can no longer live in habitual sin (Romans 6:2, 6:5, 7:4; 2 Corinthians 5:14). Christ in us triumphs over sin in us. We are free from the power of sin, because we now live in our true identity in union with Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30). Although we are not yet perfect, we press on to attain this goal, because it is possible through Christ’s divinity within us (Philippians 3:12). If we keep on living in sin, it is because Christ is not living within us (Romans 6:1-2).

Once we realize that we are dead to sin, then we enjoy a fresh new life as we identify with Jesus’ resurrection and walk in union with Him (Romans 6:4-5). In Him all of our needs are met according to His glorious riches (Philippians 4:19), God’s abundant and unconditional love flows over us like a waterfall and we are complete in Him (Colossians 2:10). He gives life to our mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells us (Romans 8:11). Our physical body will tire from exertion, but we have His supernatural energy in our body, soul and spirit when Christ lives His life through us.

If you feel annoyed or stressed about some area of your life, seek God’s will in it. Our negative emotions signal our need to let go of an idol in our life. Surrender it to the Lord who cares for every aspect of our life. Trust God to work out these issues with His victory and to give you His peace and joy in the midst of it. Relinquish your will to His and enjoy His many blessings. Go with the flow of the Spirit’s direction, rather than your desires and plans. Find out what God wants to do in and through you at this moment and allow Him to work to accomplish His will in the earth.

His guidance always brings us inner peace, even if we do not like what we must do. With Christ in us, we experience true contentment all through the day (Philippians 4:12). We give thanks to God, even for the negative aspects we face, knowing that He will work them out for our good (1 Thessalonians 5:18; Romans 8:28). We rejoice in the Lord regardless of our trials (James 1:2). As we trust God’s faithfulness and obey the leading of His Spirit, we relinquish the need for human understanding and we acknowledge and accomplish His will for each moment throughout the day (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Prayer:

Father God, due to Your dynamite power within us, we are no longer slaves to sin, but bondservants of the Living Lord (Romans 6:6; 2 Timothy 2:24). You are our sanctuary and strength, our constant protector and provider in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). You give us Your peace so our hearts will not be afraid or anxious in times of trouble (John 14:27). Even when our soul is troubled, we find hope in Your faithfulness (Psalm 42:11). Those who hurt us will fade like the grass and die away, because we trust in You (Psalm 37:1-5). Your promises protect our life (Psalm 119:50). You keep us in perfect peace as we keep our focus on You regardless of the people and circumstances around us (Isaiah 26:3).

Thought for the Day:

When Christ lives His life in and through us, we are a people who are unwavering in faith, devoted in purity, insightful in wisdom and unconditional in love.





Thank you, Stephanie Bentley, for sharing this photo.

The Essence of Hope

 

Every human ever born adheres to some form of belief that requires faith (2 Corinthians 4:18). Even if we simply believe in our self. Any ideology or action, regardless of how mundane it is or how regular it occurs, requires an initial moment of faith. Many people scoff at Christians for believing in Christ by faith. They proudly proclaim their penchant for having proof before they believe in anything. We all hope for and hope in so many aspects of life, which faith provides.

 

We use faith without even realizing it. We get out of bed in faith that there is a floor to support our weight. We sit in a chair with faith that it will hold us up. We turn the key in the ignition of our car in faith that it will start. We pick up the phone and dial in faith that the call will connect. We rarely consciously realize how often we utilized faith in our daily life. Faith actually transcends our natural world, however. Faith deals in the supernatural, believing what cannot be seen with the human mind (Romans 8:24).

 

Faith in Christ is not simply another form of faith in our self or in some humanistic or temporal aspect of life. By faith in Christ, all things are possible (Mark 9:23). We can do all things through Christ who anoints and empowers us (Philippians 4:13). Every person is born with the possibility of a connection to God. We all have a spirit; however, until we accept Christ as our Savior, our spirit is dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1-5). We merely need to constantly and consistently walk in obedience to God’s Spirit, and we will receive His direction and loving blessings throughout the day (Galatians 5:16,25).

 

The Christian walk is all about faith. The more we see God working in and through our life, the more resident our faith becomes. We rest in His faithfulness and follow the leading of His Spirit moment by moment throughout the day. We stop looking at only what we can see, and place our faith in God who sees what we cannot see. Our problem arises when we believe that God will act on our behalf, yet we doubt that He wants to grant our request. We believe, but at times, we need God to help us with our unbelief (Mark 9:24).

 

There is no reason for us to waver in our belief regarding the promises of God. When God speaks a clear word to us, we can trust Him and give Him the glory for providing for us (Romans 4:20). It is only in those areas that we desire something in our flesh, and that God did not clearly speak to us, that we have reason to doubt. The temporal aspects of life are mere shadows of reality. They are outward, temporary issues that God is using to transform our character into the nature of Christ (Romans 12:2). It is the eternal aspects of our existence that are the core of true reality and the substance of our faith (2 Corinthians 4:18).

 

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, our faith in You both sanctifies our heart and regulates our affections (2 Corinthians 1:22). Our soul believes with the heart and our body confesses with our mouth (Romans 10:8). Faith does not only believe, but also it trusts You within us and acts upon what Your Spirit directs us to do. Faith is not just a thought, but it is the substance of what we hope for (Hebrews 11:1). We surrender our mind, will and emotions to You, because our faith is confident in Your faithfulness. Once our spirit is reborn of Your Spirit, we are complete in You (Colossians 2:10).

 

Thought for the Day:

“If we ask any thing according to God’s will, He hears us.” - 1 John 5:14

 

 

 

Thank you, Megapixal Mike, for sharing your photo.

https://www.facebook.com/MegaPixelMike?hc_location=timeline