The Impotence of God

Many who do not know the Lord, will say that God is impotent and that there is no help in Him; that He causes bad things to happen to us and our loved ones, without compassion or concern over the devastation caused by these trials and afflictions (Psalm 3:2).

God created Paradise and wanted us to live there. He only gave Adam and Eve one directive or restriction. They chose to listen to Satan and we all now bear the curse from their choice.

Satan takes pleasure in ensnaring the lives of every human ever born on earth. He offers them delights of the flesh; and makes sure they reap its destruction (Romans 1: 32, 6:23; Proverbs 11:19).

The devil plants his lies in our mind, and encourages us to falsely accuse God, to turn His glory into shame, to turn away from Him and to seek the false gods of pleasure, money, fame, success and power instead (Psalm 4:2).

God knew this would happen and provided the ultimate sacrifice for our sin. He became a man, Emmanuel, and paid our sin debt for us. Yet, many still refuse to put their trust in Him and they continue to reap sin's curse (John 3:18).

Authentic Believers realize that there is no reason to fear anything in life (Psalm 3:6). If we are walking in His Spirit, nothing will ever happen to us, which is not already part of His plan for us.

Evil, hardship and loss come from the god of this world, the devil. God will save anyone who surrenders their life to Him. When we are surrounded by evil all around us, with no way of escape, God is right there waiting for us (Psalm 3:6).

We can enjoy a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We know without a doubt that God's shield protects us. When we are drowning in life's circumstances, He lifts our head high above the waves of adversity (Psalm 3:3).

Prayer:

Father God, You call us to live a holy life and to trust in You. When people around us scoff at us for trusting in You, let us stand strong in our faith in Your faithfulness. Let them see Your goodness in Your provision and care for us.

Let Your light shine on us and let everything prosper, which we do according to Your will. Fill our hearts with Your peace and joy and allow us to enjoy deep and restful sleep. Keep us safe for the glory of Your name (Psalm 4:5-8). 

Thought for the Day:

God calls us not to sin (Psalm 4:4), to trust in His goodness and love, and to stand still and see the salvation of our God. - Exodus 14:13

Forgiveness Sets Us Free

 

How do we forgive someone who hurt us? By hearing and following God's advice to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who curse us and to pray for those who abuse us. When someone takes something from us, we give him/her more of what they want. We treat others the way we want them to treat us (Luke 6:27-31).

Forgiveness does not take the offender off the hook, but it does set us free (Romans 12:19).  Our fellowship with God is broken by unforgiveness and His blessings cannot freely flow into our life. With God’s help, we can gain freedom from Satan’s strongholds in our life as we readily forgive those who hurt us and walk in God's Truth.

We also learn to exhibit patience with other people who mistreat us, because we realize that their behavior comes from their wounded soul. Once we forgive those who hurt or offend us, the fruit from the root of bitterness ~ anger, anxiety, depression, irritability, meanness, pride, indulgence and doubt ~ are pulled out of our soul.

The Holy Spirit can then move into our spirit and plant the seed of His fruit in the place of our old carnal nature. As God's chosen people, His holy ones, we cooperate with God's Spirit and put on the cloak of love, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness and patience. We bear with one another and forgive each other, just as the Lord forgives us (Colossians 3:12-15).

Prayer:

Father God, remind us to put on Your love, because it binds everything together in perfect harmony. This allows the peace of Christ to rule in our heart, and we live in gratitude for all You do for us each day. Help the word of Christ to richly dwell in us. Whatever we do, in word or deed, we will perform it in Your name (Colossians 3:16-17). Once we find Your forgiveness for our self, we can give it to those who hurt us, and receive healing from the lies Satan planted in our wounded soul.

Thought for the Day:

Satan wants us to live in bondage to the law of sin and death, but Christ already freed us by the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. - Romans 7:22-8:3

The Benefits of Holy Living

God breathed the breath of life into Adam and he was born in body, soul and spirit (Genesis 2:7). God’s perfect design included all of us living in total union with Him in the Garden of Paradise. There was only one commandment Adam had to keep, and his pride would not allow him to remain faithful. Adam’s sin separated all of us from God. In fact, when Adam sinned, his spirit died. Now we are all born in this same sinful state with a dead spirit within us.

That is why human beings crave spirituality, dabble in the occult, seek Nirvana and go on holy pilgrimages. We are trying to reconnect with the Divine and to experience the rebirth of our spirit. Only those who trust in Jesus, turn from their wicked ways, and are Born Again in spirit will have eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord (1 John 5:11-12). We dwell in total union with God, live and move and have our being in Christ, and are led by God’s Spirit all the days of our life (Colossians 3:3-4; Acts 17:28; Galatians 5:16, 25).

Jesus was connected to God in Spirit throughout His lifetime (Johan 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:16; John 4:24). Since God was His actual Father, Jesus was not born with the curse of Adam’s sin on His life (Luke 2:11). However, He still lived in this sin-cursed world. His soul – thoughts, choices and emotions – was influenced by the carnality in the world around Him. His soul had to grow in wisdom and his body in stature, and it was His choice to grow in favor with both God and man (Colossians 2:3; Luke 2:52).

Before He created the world, God designed the plan to redeem man back to Himself by taking on the form of man and sacrificing Himself to pay the penalty of our sins. The Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, willingly laid down His life for us. He freely gives us His eternal life both now and throughout eternity. When our spirit is Born Again, we are united with Christ, we find our true identity in Christ and we connect with God once and for all time.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You suffered in life just as we do (Hebrews 2:14-18). You became a man, so that in You, we can live as You (2 Corinthians 5:21). Your Spirit exchanges our carnal humanity with Your righteousness. We have Your life dwelling within us (1 John 5:12). We grow in wisdom and stature by Your sanctifying process in our soul. We thank You for dying in our place and giving us Your eternal life now and forever. Teach us to have eternal values as we live in this world. Show us the reality of our union with You, so that we can reap the benefits of holy living both now and in eternity.

Thought for the Day:

Our human body will go to the grave, but our soul and spirit will never die. - John 11:25-26