God is in Control - Regardless of Circumstances

As our fleshly, carnal appetites decrease, Christ in us increases. Negative emotions, such as: fear, insecurity, anxiety, depression, etc., along with their companion of mental and physical illnesses, decrease in us as well.

We enter God's rest and feel fewer negative emotions. Any negative emotion that does surface is a red flag to draw our attention to some aspect of our life that is overwhelming us or an unresolved conflict.

These unresolved issues paralyze us with fear; they control our thoughts, words and deeds; and they cripple us for the work of the ministry and the quality of our relationships.

As we focus on the presenting emotion, listen to the words in our mind associated with that feeling, and ask God for wisdom concerning the issues causing the emotion, we can find solutions or turn the problems over to God to work out in His way and timing.

God's Word calms our troubled soul, energizes our spirit and empowers our body with health and vitality. We make wiser choices, form more spiritual friendships and enjoy more success in life.

Even if fears and insecurities dog our steps, we learn to trust God's consistent presence in our life. We speak our mind and make sure we have a voice in choices made that affect our life.

There is no reason to fear, because God is always with us. Discouragement holds no place in our life, because He gives us His strength and He helps us. He supports us with His mighty right hand (Isaiah 41:10).

Prayer:
Father God, whenever we are afraid, remind us to put our trust in You (Psalm 56:3). There is no need for us to feel anxious about anything in this life, because through prayer and petition with gratitude in our heart for all You have already done for us, we can present our deepest and most frightening concerns to you (Philippians 4:6).

Then, Your peace, which transcends the issues of life, will guard our heart and our mind in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7). This peace is not the carnal, fleeting peace that the world gives, but the peace of Christ within us. We have no need to feel worried, afraid or upset about anything (John 14:27).

Thought for the Day:

Even when life careens out of our control and we fear for our future, we can still trust in our God who is always in control.

An Empty Vessel

God cleanses us at Salvation and creates an empty vessel to fill with Himself. As our flesh decreases, Christ is able to increase in us (John 3:30). He brings with Him all the attributes of the Trinity to abide within us.

We welcome every trial and look for the hand of God in both the negative and positive aspects of life - knowing that it is all part of His pre-arranged will for us and that He works out everything for our ultimate good (Ephesians 2:10; Romans 8:28).

We have confidence in the fact that nothing in heaven, on earth or in hell can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:35-39). We trust in His divine will and draw from His power within us to obey His Spirit each moment of the day.

We delight in working according to His good pleasure (Psalm 40:8). He fills us with all peace and makes us pleasing in His sight (Romans 15:13; Hebrews 13:21). We start as an empty vessel at salvation and He fills us to the brim with Himself (Ephesians 3:16-19).

Our weakness makes room for His strength, His will is our sole motivation and His ways are the only desires of our heart. We find glory in our short-comings, idiosyncrasies and infirmities, because through them, He is glorified.

Our peculiarities are God's sign of ownership. Do you have issues with the way you talk, look, the balance of your bank account, the profession in which you work?

God uses these peculiarities to keep us humble and dependent on Christ in us rather than our own special human abilities. As we submit to His will, He can accomplish His will on the earth.

If we are still full of our self, we leave no room for God to fill us with His presence and purpose for our life. The more we empty our self of our self, the more of us He can use.

Prayer:

Father God, we bow before You in humble adoration and praise. We depend on You for the very air we breathe. Your almighty power is at work within us, in nature all around us, and in the lives with which we come into contact every day. We totally surrender to Your perfect will for every moment of our life.

We trust in You to use us as You will and to work out everything in our life - even the negative aspects - for our good (Romans 8:28). You work mightily within us by Your power and we lift up Your majesty on high. We give You Your way in our life and trust You to use us now and to take us home to glory with You when we complete our mission for You here on this earth.

Thought for the Day:

In the solace of surrender and faith, we find the deepest measure of God's love and presence.

Sharing Christ with Others

God's invisible attributes, eternal power and divine nature are clearly seen in His Creation (Revelation 4:11). This takes away a person's excuse for not believing in Him as their Savior. 

We instinctively know that there is a God and that we should serve Him with all of our emotions, mind, choices and physical strength (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).

Yet, so many do not honor God or appreciate Him. They pursue futile activities, endless philosophies and fruitless enlightenment and their hearts darken further with each passing day. They think they are wise, but they are actually very foolish (Romans 1:20-22).

Authentic Believers trust in, rely on and believe in Christ even if we end up suffering for the sake of His righteousness. We learn to explain and defend our beliefs to those who ask us about the hope we have in Him.

Yet, we never impose our beliefs on someone who is clearly not interested in them (1 Peter 3:14-16). There is no point if the Holy Spirit is not drawing them to God. We never badger anyone about coming to Christ.

We share Jesus with gentleness, respect for the listener and a good conscience; even if someone slanders our good name or reviles our good behavior in Christ.

We are created for God's glory and service, and we will spend all of eternity worshiping our worthy Lamb who was slain in our place. For now, we live for His glory while we dwell on this earth and do only those works for which He created us to perform (Ephesians 2:10).

Prayer:

Father God, break the yoke of bondage that our flesh feels to sin and replace our weaknesses with Your strengths. Help us to decrease so that You may increase. We praise You as our living Lord and thank You for giving us Your Spirit to abide within us all the days of our life.

You are the only one worthy of all honor, respect, praise, glory, wisdom, might and blessing. We look forward to joining the myriads of angels already around the throne in singing Your praises (Revelation 5:12). Lead us to share Christ with those whom You are drawing to Yourself.

Thought for the Day:

The abiding Holy Spirit teaches us to follow His lead as we share Christ with friends, relatives, associates and neighbors; so that we do not push too hard, ignore their body language or fail to read the feelings of their soul in their eyes.