No Longer a Sinner - Making Positive Changes

Once we come to Jesus Christ for our salvation, our spirit is alive in Christ and sin is gradually exorcised from our soul (Ephesians 2:5; Philippians 3:12-15). This requires no self-effort; the Spirit begins and completes this work in us (Galatians 3:1-3).

Our role is simply to cooperate and obey as we walk in the Spirit each moment of the day. Christ is our whole life and we are drawn away from Satan's dominion over our life (Colossians 3:3-4).

We do not need to make goals for our self and obsess over them. We have no need to develop problem solving skills in order to perfect our self.

We did not save our self, and we cannot perfect our self (Galatians 3:1-3). We usually struggle with reaching our goals and we get defeated by our failings.

Scientist tell us that the habenula in our brain records our failures and then inhibit our future attempts to succeed in that same area; this implicit memory prevents us from repeating our failures, but also hinders our attempts to perfect our performance.

Christ suffered in every way just like we do and He can relate to our issues in this life (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus was tempted, but did not sin; and He abides within us, helping us to maintain our purity.

God's Spirit will give us new habits to overcome past failings; He enables us to thwart temptations by giving us a motivation to serve Him rather than the flesh.

The law of the Spirit in Christ Jesus sets us free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). We are free from sin’s torment and temptation (Romans 6:7, 18, 22; Acts 26:18). Christ in us then expresses Himself through us (Romans 5:10; Matthew 1:21; 1 John 4:4).

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that we do not have to sin. We can focus on the process of our spiritual growth rather than on our shortfalls. Help us to find a solution to overcome the sins, which so easily trip us up. Help us not to focus on the process, but rather on the outcome and to keep our eyes on You.

We know we cannot perfect our self, but as we acknowledge You before we think, act or speak, You will unveil Your plans for us and give us the strength to carry them out in Your will and way. We can celebrate even the smallest success when it comes from Christ in us. We give You all of the praise and glory that You deserve.

Thought for the Day:

Attempting to perfect our self may diminish our future chance to walk in holiness, since the perfection we reach on our own is done in the flesh and can also be undone by our flesh.

God Uses Satan for His Purposes

 

The devil cheated Adam and Eve out of their dominion over the earth by his deception, manipulation and lies. This was part of God's eternal design. What Satan plans to use to harm us, God means for our good (Genesis 50:20).

Satan also schemed in his heart to destroy Jesus and to protect his place as the god of this world. Yet, Jesus went to the cross with joy in His heart as He focused on the glory awaiting Him in Heaven (Hebrews 12:2).

We live life with this same joy in our own hearts, regardless of our circumstances, looking forward to sitting together with Christ and serving Him for eternity (1 Corinthians 4:9-13; 2 Corinthians 6:8 10; Ephesians 1:21, 2:4-6).

There is no need for us to spend time fighting Satan. We draw near to God, resist the devil and he must flee from us (James 4:7). Satan has no authority of his own. He can only do the bidding of our Father God.

For example, Jesus, the Lamb of God, who is opening the seal, bowl and trumpet judgments during the Great Tribulation, directs the plans and purposes of the anti-Christ (Revelation 5:2-10).

God uses Satan for His eternal purpose on the earth. He gives Satan the power to employ sin's temptation to draw hearts away from God, which were never sold out to Him in the first place.

These people sit on the fence, giving lip-service to God and serving and giving to God's Kingdom; but they are just going through the motions (Mathew 7:22). They were never truly converted in their spirit.

When we totally surrender our will to God in salvation, His Spirit enters our spirit. He directs our every thought, word and deed. We actually become the love of Christ to the world of lost humanity around us (John 2:12-14; Exodus 33:13).

Prayer:

Father God, as authentic Believers, we submit to You, then resist the devil, and he has to flee from us (James 4:7). This does not mean our tribulation in life will end, but that You love us and make us more than conquerors through every trial (Romans 8:37). We can trust in You through everything that we experience in life, because You care for us (1 Peter 5:7).

You even make all of our paths straight because of our enemies (Psalm 27:11; Zechariah 4:7). Jesus is exalted in us as we overcome life's hurdles. He makes us His joint heirs by His power within us (1 John 3:2; Ephesians 3:6). We find our true self, hidden with Christ in You (Colossians 3:3). Help us to respond to You when You call us out of sin into Your glorious life (1 Peter 2:9).

Thought for the Day:

Problems are simply opportunities for God to prove Himself strong on our behalf; we find out what He is doing in every situation and then join Him.

Perpetual Freedom

When we come to Christ, He immediately frees us from the snare of the flesh. Then, He puts His Spirit within us, so that we can inherit God's Kingdom as co-heirs with Christ (Ezekiel 36:25; Galatians 4:4, 5:19). By His grace, God forgives our sins; and as His children we surrender to His Spirit, who crucifies the desires of our flesh, and teaches us to live in and walk in His Spirit (Galatians 5:16-25).

We are filled with the Spirit's fruit and our entire personality and life change for the better (Galatians 5:22-23). Whom the Son sets free lives in perpetual freedom (John 8:36). Anyone who prefers to walk according to the dictates of our flesh is living in disobedience to God and will reap earthly destruction and eternal damnation (1 John 3:4; 2 Thessalonians 1:9).

As authentic Believers, it becomes normal to reject the dictates of our flesh, and to follow the Spirit instead. The more our intimacy with God increases, the less we would think of using our liberty in Christ as an occasion to sin. We prefer to walk in the Spirit, so that we reap God's blessings and please Him with our life (Galatians 5:13).

We cannot perfect our self by our human effort, but according to God's mercy. His Spirit helps us to walk in holiness and to inherit eternal life (Titus 3:3). The more we feed our spirit by Bible study, prayer, fellowship with other Saints and sitting in the presence of God, the stronger our spirit will grow and the more we will live in perpetual freedom (Romans 8:6-7).

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for enabling us to walk toward perfection in holiness (1 Peter 1:16). We still make mistakes, but You always give us a choice and a way out of the temptation to sin (1 Corinthians 10:13). When we do fall, we do not allow Satan's condemnation to belittle us. Instead, we submit to the conviction of Your Holy Spirit and we respond in repentance for our sins (Romans 8:1-7). Eventually, sin grieves us and has no more dominion over us (Romans 6:14-18). Thank You for providing Jesus as our atoning sacrifice, as our Savior and as our Lord (1 John 2:2; Romans 10:9; Philippians 2:11).

Thought for the Day:

Living according to the dictates of our flesh is not profitable for us at all; but walking in the Spirit guarantees us a joyful, fulfilled life drenched in love and peace. - John 6:63; Romans 8:6

Jesus Paid it All

When Lucifer rebelled in heaven, God cast him to the earth. He had no power or authority until Adam sinned and turned over the dominion of the earth to him. Thankfully, Jesus stripped Satan of all of his power when Jesus laid down His life on Calvary's cross and rose again from the dead (Matthew 28:18).

Satan's only tool now is deception. Weak-spirited people often fall for his wiles (1 Peter 5:8). Sadly, they think his thoughts are their own. They truly believe they are following their heart, but it is Satan's wishes they are serving. He wraps his thoughts in silver, but it ends up being tin foil. He embellishes his ideas with money and power, but they wind up as addictions, which ruin our life.

Once we come to Christ, we realize that we are now dead to addictions and alive to God (Romans 6:11). We lay our idols at Jesus' feet. We are crucified with Christ. We no longer live according to our ideals and goals, but in God's will by faith in Him who loved us enough to suffer the horrendous torture of Roman cruelty (Galatians 2:20). Jesus paid it all, and now we are free to walk in His new life (Romans 6:4).

Our focus changes to eternal values and we look forward to sitting at God's right hand with Jesus (Colossians 3:1). We read God's Word and see His ministry in the life of His Saints, who are just like us, mere mortals with a heart after God (Acts 13:22). Realizing that we do not need to earn God's love, we rejoice in His free gifts of salvation, redemption and sanctification (Ephesians 2:8; John 3:16-17).

With each new day we fall more in love with our Redeemer and our heart gushes with love and gratitude for all He did, is doing and plans to do for us (Hebrews 9:12). Intimate fellowship with Him fills every moment of our day and night, even in our dreams He speaks to us and we pour out our love to Him. Our favorite past time is praying, Bible reading and listening to His voice.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for taking the form of a man and allowing Jesus to open the way to the Most Holy Place for us to enter (Matthew 27:51; Hebrews 10:19). We do not avail our self of this privilege as often as we should, because we focus too much on this life. Remind us that You dwell in us by Your Holy Spirit, and that He is the wind in our sails, which moves us through life according to Your will (Ephesians 2:10: Psalm 139:13)

Thought for the Day:

Fulfillment only comes to our life when we surrender all to God and rely only on His Spirit within us.

Wings of the Wind

 

God covered the earth with water as a garment. In the beginning, water even covered the mountains; but at His word, it fled. At the sound of His thunder, the water hurried away and flowed over the mountains and into the valleys, which is where He designed for it to reside. The water cannot cover the earth any longer, because God set a boundary, which it cannot cross (Psalm 104:5-9 NKJV).

God covers Himself with light as His garment. The heavens are His tent. The beams of His upper chambers are in the canopy of water above the earth. He set the earth on its axis, so that it can never be moved, unless His chooses. He travels on the clouds as His chariot and strides on the wings of the wind. The winds are God’s messengers and the flames of fire are His servants (Psalm 18:10, 104:2-4 NKJV).

The Lord is like an eagle, using the winds beneath His wings. He teaches us to fly in the Spirit, like the eagle teaches its young to fly. The eagle stirs up the nest and hovers over its young. If they falter in flight, the eagle spreads its wings and swoops down to catch them and carry them aloft (Deuteronomy 32:11). In this same way, God speedily comes to our rescue in any time of need (Psalm 40:13).

This same Lord is our dwelling place throughout every generation. He birthed our earth and created the mountains on it, proving that He is God from beginning to everlasting. At our death, He turns us back to the dust from which He created Adam. He has power and dominion over the whole earth and all of its inhabitants. God does not dwell in finite time (Psalm 90:1-3 NKJV). He is from everlasting to everlasting (Psalm 90:2, 103:17; Isaiah 40:28).

Prayer:

Father God, in Your sight, a thousand of our years passes like one day, or as quickly as a single night watch (Psalm 90:4). We are but grasshoppers in Your sight; yet, you care for us as Your own children. You walk on the wind; yet, You control every aspect of our life on the earth. You are rich in mercy and great in Your love toward us. Even when we were dead in sin, You loved us. By Your grace, You made us alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:4-5).

Thought for the Day:

In God’s wisdom He creates and casts down, and the earth is full of His possessions. - Psalm 104:24