Union with Christ - Out of This World

 

As long as we dwell in the realm of the flesh, we will continue to experience defeat at the hands of tribulation. However, we do not belong in Satan’s grip.

If we are living in Satan’s pit, it is because we allow Satan's thoughts to infiltrate our mind. We give in to his defeatist thinking, and we buy into his lies and follow his direction, forsaking God’s truth in the process.

However, authentic Christians are not of this world. We dwell with Christ in the Kingdom of God and we are no longer limited by the parameters of this earthly realm (Galatians 2:20; John 18:36).

Our citizenship is in Heaven and Jesus is our Savior and our King (Philippians 3:20). The Lord Himself called us to live in His eternal glory now as well as in eternity. The possibilities are out of this world.

Jesus is our strength and He confirms us and establishes our place in His Kingdom (1 Peter 5:10). Our life on earth is simply a momentary breath on a cold day (James 4:14).

In the realm of the Spirit, our body experiences occasional negative circumstances, but these trials do not influence our spirit or our soul – our mind, choices and emotions.

God delivers us through any trial, and we have joy in it as we accept that He is using it to do its perfect work within us and through us (James 1:4).

Prayer:

Father God, we see You working out all things, even the negative things in our life, for our good (Romans 8:28). We look to You to supply all of our needs and we keep our focus off our self and on You through every moment of our day. You are our exclusive supply, our inspiration and our guide.

We give You all of the praise and honor and glory for Your provision, love and care for us each day of our life. We look forward to Christ's return to the earth and the culmination of all things. Thank You for allowing us the privilege of living as the bride of Christ and for the opportunity of spending eternity in Your service as well.

Thought for the Day:

When we step out of this world - out of the temporal realm of the flesh - and enter into the eternal realm of the Spirit right here on this earth, we finally find eternal rest for our soul and provision for our every need through Jesus Christ our Lord. - Psalm 116:7

How to Pray to God

So many people are intimidated by the concept of prayer. They hesitate to speak to God, because He is too busy with the rest of the world to be bothered by their petty concerns. They would never, ever pray in public because people might judge their efforts as lacking. Yet, prayer is as easy as talking to your best friend.

Jesus actually is our very best friend (John 15:13-15). He laid His life down for each one of us, taking all of our personal sins upon Himself. The only perfect, righteous man ever to live on planet earth bore the shame of the sins of every person ever born or ever to be born. Yet, He willingly gave up His life for our eternal security.

Praying words from Biblical passages gives us the life-giving power of the Word behind our prayers. The scriptures were so well written by people who felt just like we do. It is wise to journal in a notebook as we pray too, in order to record the issues on our heart. Then, when God answers those prayers we can verify the date in our journal, which will increase our faith.

God cannot answer the prayers of an unbelieving person (Psalm 5:4). If we harbor sin in our heart, and yet claim to be Born Again, God will not stay in our presence either (1 John 3:9). Otherwise, there is no trial too severe or concern too trivial to bring to God in prayer. We can talk to God about anything and everything that is on our mind, and then sit in companionable silence in case He wants to speak to us. 

Taking time to listen to God's answers as we pray, allows Him to communicate with us in His still, small voice in the center of our being - in our spirit. The more we sit in those quiet moments, the more we will hear from God, and the more we will come to recognize His voice (John 10:27-28; Psalm 46:10). He will lead us all through the day in this same way and confirm His direction by His Word.

Prayer:

Father God, prayer is the opportunity to speak to You, the God of the Universe. There is no being higher than You and Your ways are beyond human reasoning. You know the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10); therefore, listening to Your truth through Your Word and by Your voice speaking to us in times of prayer is the greatest blessing we can ever experience on this earth. Draw us to Your heart each day and remind us that You are waiting to hear our voice in praise to Your glory, contrition for our sins, and gratitude for who You are and all that You do for us each day. We find our ultimate peace and joy in Your presence in our life.

Thought for the Day:

Although God may not give us the answer we requested in our prayers, He will always give us something better; even if it does not seem like it at the time.