Inching through Life

We can ask God for what we want; and if He wants us to have it, He will give it to us (James 4:3). Yet, it is futile to waste time wanting what we do not have.

If we do, we are telling God that He is a poor provider and He does not have our best interest at heart (1 Peter 5:7). We are exhibiting a lack of faith in His faithfulness and exalting our self over Him.

We are also lacking in gratitude for all that He has already given to us (Philippians 4:6). We are keeping our focus on the temporal aspects of this life and functioning with human understanding.

Jesus died for us all, and rose again - giving us supernatural power so we will not live for our self, but for Him (John 3:16-18; 2 Corinthians 5:15). Jesus is the only way, truth and life; and no one comes to God except through Him (John 14:6).

Our Father God knows best. As we seek His Kingdom first, He provides us with everything we need for our spiritual, physical, emotional and mental well-being (Matthew 6:33). God also gives us wisdom as we ask for it, which guides us in our desires, thoughts and choices.

We stop inching through life as a caterpillar; and instead, we soar like a butterfly on the winds of adversity and trials. We mount up on wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31); and rise above the earth as we glide on the air currents that God provides for us.

God gives us the wisdom we need to navigate through life, encourage the downtrodden, reject the devil's temptations to sin, and to make the decisions which affect the rest of our life.

Prayer:

Father God, we do not have to spend one moment longing for anything or anyone but You. We no longer love this world nor the things, which it offers us. If we really need something in our life, which we do not have, You will give it to us. You will move us to another state; or give us a different car, vocation or house; or provide us with a spouse or a child, if it is Your will for us.

Remind us to trust only in You and in Your provision and timing. You have a perfect plan for each one of us and living in the center of Your will is the happiest place on earth. We seek You with all of our heart and we rely on Your wisdom and grace to help us to navigate the decisions in our life.

Thought for the Day:

Jesus is our gift and reward in this life and the next, because He is our all in all. - Colossians 1:17

The God of Heaven and Earth

 

The heavens and earth are our whole world. Without them, we could not exist. A one-degree change in the tilt of our axis would demolish us. One inch closer to the sun would incinerate us. The exact precision of our position in our solar system and in the Milky Way ensures the existence of mankind on the earth. We can see God's hand in this exactitude in nature (Romans 1:20).

He is so much greater than what we deem so important in our little microcosm on this earth. Consider the heavens with the sun, moon and stars, which are the work of His fingers (Psalm 8:3). There is no man-made cathedral, which can house His amazing influence and majesty (Acts 7:49). Even the highest heavens cannot contain Him (2 Chronicles 6:18).

Heaven is God's throne and the earth is His footstool (Matthew 5:35; Isaiah 66:1). He lays the beams of His upper chamber on the firmament around the earth (Psalm 104:3). He makes the clouds His chariots and rides on swift clouds and on the wings of the wind (Psalm 104:3; Isaiah 19:1). The windstorms are His chariot and His horses are faster and more magnificent than eagles (Jeremiah 4:13).

He often uses tornadoes, hurricanes and storms to remind humanity of His great power (Nahum 1:3). He uses lightening as arrows and sends them forth to do His bidding (2 Samuel 22:15). He channels the sea; and even the heart of kings and the flow of rivers follow the course, which He prepares for them (Isaiah 43:19; Proverbs 21:1).

He constructed the foundation of the universe and at His rebuke, or a blast of His breath from His nostrils everything will be laid barren (2 Samuel 22:16). His voice is like a waterfall, like a mighty trumpet (Revelation 1:15; Ezekiel 43:2; Hebrews 12:19; Psalm 93:4). Clouds and thick darkness surround Him as His canopy, and a blazing fire goes before Him (Psalm 97:2; 2 Samuel 22:12-13).

He parts the heavens and comes down with dark clouds under His feet (2 Samuel 22:10). He cautions us not to swear by heaven, because heaven is His throne on which He sits (Matthew 5:34, 23:22). He fills heaven and earth and there is no place that we could ever hide from Him (Jeremiah 23:24). The earth, as we know it, will pass away, but His Word will live on eternally (Matthew 24:35).

Prayer:

Father God, You come to us with earthquakes and booming thunder, with windstorms and blizzards and flames of devouring fire (Isaiah 29:6). Yet, You also come to us as a baby in the manger, as a servant King and as a risen Savior (Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-7; Romans 10:9). You are so mighty that our mind cannot contain the fullness of who You really are. We praise You with all of our being, because although You are the great, powerful and awesome God, You keep Your covenant of love with those who love You and keep Your commandments (Nehemiah 9:32; 1 Kings 8:23; Nehemiah 1:5; Daniel 9:4).

Thought for the Day:

Our mighty God rescues us and is our support in a safe and comfortable place, even in the face of a strong enemy who overpowers us and hates us and confronts us in our times of misfortune. - 2 Samuel 2:18-20

Strength Which Never Fails

The Lord is our strength and protector; our heart truly trusts in him, because He is always available to assist us at the first sign of trouble. Our heart soars with delight, and we cannot help but to shower Him with our praise and thanksgiving. The Lord provides power for His people. He is our fortress and our salvation (Psalm 28:7-8).

Our soul is often exhausted with grief; yet in His love, the Lord fortifies us with His Holy Word (Psalm 119:28). He gives strength to the weary and amplifies the ability of the frail (Isaiah 40:29). He is our might and He fills our heart with songs. He provides our constant salvation (Psalm 118:14).

We will never fail in carrying out what God calls us to do, because He gives us His strength (Philippians 4:13; Ephesians 2:10). Though we are weak in our own human strength, we are strong in His anointing, power and might (Ephesians 6:10). His grace is always sufficient to perfect His power in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

We rise up on the wings of eagles and soar high above the aspects of this earth, which attempt to debilitate and discourage us. Even as young people, life exhausts us and we stumble and fall. However, if we hope in the Lord's provision, He renews our strength and we can accomplish all that He calls us to do without growing weary (Isaiah 40:29-31; Galatians 6:9).

Prayer:

Father God, You are gracious to us all day long. We desire nothing from this life except a closer walk with You. You give us renewed energy with each new dawn and You deliver us from everything that distresses us (Isaiah 33:2). In this cruel and wicked world, we pray that You will continue to strengthen us with the power of Your Spirit in our soul - our thoughts, feelings and choices - as well as in our Born Again spirit (Ephesians 3:16).

Thought for the Day:

The Lord gives us the ability to traverse the hard and treacherous places in life through His strength within us. - Habakkuk 3:19

True Self-Worth

 

Paul tells us to work out our own salvation, but then turns right around in the very next verse and reminds us that it is God who gives us both the power and the desire to obey Him. With Christ within us, He does all things through us with His strength (Philippians 4:11-13). He gives power to the weak, and renews our strength until we rise up like eagles on the wind of His Spirit (Ephesians 6:10; Isaiah 40:29, 31). When our soul – our mind, will and emotions – melts from the heat of trials, God strengthens us with His Word (Psalm 119:28).

Spiritual pride is a source of haughtiness and self-confidence. We inflate with self-importance and brag foolishly about our accomplishments. On the other hand, the humble boast in the Lord, realizing that everything they produce is the direct result of the Spirit’s direction and provision in their life (Psalm 34:2). They give God praise and adoration all day long for every blessing and even the trials, which He provides (Psalm 44:8; James 1:2-12). When other people praise the humble, they appreciate the encouragement, but they give all the glory to God (Proverbs 27:1-2).

We may lose a battle, but Jesus already won the war on Calvary’s cross. We may have momentary failings, but we have no permanent failures. Belittling our self is always easy, yet has no positive results (1 John 3:20). God teaches us the secret of contentment in any situation. We work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, by realizing that God works in us, and instead of us, as He births within us with the desire, ability, power and strength to walk by His Spirit’s direction in the exact center of God’s will (Philippians 4:12-13).

Those with Godly self-worth freely admit to our faults and our negative choices. We realize that blaming someone else is useless and stunts our spiritual progress. We will never grow in Christ if we do not take responsibility for our own actions. God gives us all of the talents and abilities we need to live as good stewards for His glory. He wants us to realize our limitations, however, and to volunteer to meet only those needs for which His Spirit directs us. He only equips us for the activities He wants to accomplish through us.

There is no more condemnation in the life of an authentic Christian Believer (Romans 8:1-2). We merely need to repent of our mistakes and believe that He is the God who rewards everyone who diligently seeks Him (Hebrews 11:6). God has mercy on us according to His unfailing love and endless compassion. He blots out our transgressions, washes away our iniquities and cleanses us from all of our sins (Psalm 51:1-2). This gives us true Godly self-worth.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for exchanging Your righteousness for our sins, and Your holiness for our ungodly thoughts and behavior. Occasionally, we may continue to do bad things, but that does not mean we are bad people. You faithfully forgive every sin we confess and sanctify us from any ungodly behavior (1 John 1:9-10). As long as we walk by Your Spirit’s direction throughout our day, we will accomplish the works You called us to do.

Thought for the Day:

God’s Spirit dispells our feelings of defeat and doubt, and gives us the faith to move mountains. – Matthew 17:20

 

Living in Eternity Now

 

God does not want anyone to perish, but for everyone to enjoy eternity with Him (John 3:16). Everyone has faith in something, even if it is faith in oneself. However, faith in Christ is the only faith that saves us. It takes no effort or good works on our part. We simply allow the grace of God to work in our heart (Ephesians 2:8). He transforms our life (2 Corinthians 5:17). We think, act and believe differently than prior to our salvation (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10). God now claims us as His children, His sons and His saints (John 1:12; Romans 8:16,17,27; I John 3:1,2; Galatians 3:16; Ephesians 1:18, 4:12).

Christ is no longer just part of our life, He is our life (Colossians 3:4). Jesus is now the center of our focus, our main emphasis in every day. We are no longer lowly caterpillars crawling around and grubbing for sustenance. God metamorphosed us into butterflies. We are dead to sin and hidden with Jesus in God (Colossians 3:3). We dwell in the Heavenly realm of life now. We no longer follow the evil desires of our flesh. Instead, we entertain an eternal perspective on life and we live in holiness (Romans 12:1; Colossians 1:22).

We never know from one moment to the next what the will of God is for our life. We make decisions and sometimes miss the mark of His will for us. That is why it is advisable not to make plans unless we feel sure that God is in them. We can set tentative goals, but then walk in His will moment by moment (James 4:13-14). We live a life of worship through our thoughts, words and actions, regardless of our circumstances. We are part of God’s family, accepted as His beloved kings and priests, the Body of Christ (Romans 8:1, 12:15, 15:7; Ephesians 1:6; I Peter 2:9-10; Revelation 1:6; I Corinthians 12:13).

We live each moment of life to the fullest, focusing on the positive aspects and turning the negative, even tragic illness and catastrophes, over to God. We may be inconvenienced in our flesh, but our Spirit is still soaring with the eagles regardless of our circumstances (Isaiah 40:31). God has a purpose for everything we experience in life. Therefore, we can compare our present trouble to our eternal blessings in them. Then, we gain His energy and consolation to live through them.

If we do not adopt an eternal perspective on life, our troubles and trials will overwhelm us. We will lose hope and regret the past and fear the future. With an eternal outlook, we realize that our negative circumstances are simply momentary issues (2 Corinthians 4:17). We have concrete faith, which gives us hope for tomorrow (Hebrews 11:1). We remove the roadblocks in our life that hamper our walk with God. As we grow in our knowledge of God and His ways, we develop a more intimate relationship with Him.

Prayer:

Father God, we devote each moment of our life to You, to fulfill Your will for us and to accomplish Your goals and desires in and through us. We hunger and thirst after You (Matthew 5:6). You satisfy our longings and You fill our hungry soul (Psalm 10:9). We want nothing more than to give You joy and to feel Your delight in us (Psalm 147:11). We delight our self in You as You put Your desires within our heart (Psalm 37:4). We rejoice in You always and praise Your Holy Name forever and ever (Philippians 4:4). 

Thought for the Day:

Without Christ, our life is merely short and irrelevant in the overall scheme of eternity.