God Will Take Care of Us

Although times of quiet fellowship with our Father are necessary in order to increase our intimacy with Him, we do not need a quiet place in order to have companionship with Him or to hear His voice. He lives within us and He will never remove His presence from us (Hebrews 13:5; Colossians 1:27).

We have access to God's ear anytime day or night (Ephesians 3:2; Hebrews 4:16). Our human reasoning and fears are the only issues, which can prevent us from walking in God's Spirit. As we learn to respond to His still, small voice within, we will walk in His wisdom and anointing throughout our day. God transforms us into His Saints by the sanctifying work of His Spirit in our soul (1 Corinthians 6:11).

God's Word is alive (Hebrews 4:12; John 1:1). Every concept in the Bible is an illustration of the nature and character of God. The more time we spend reading the scripture, the more wisdom we acquire for living, and the more we understand God’s ways. We also realize that God does not pick superstars for His Saints, but faulty, weak and humble people who are prepared to do His will (1 Corinthians 1:18-31).

If we have an earthly necessity, God will supply it as we seek His Kingdom and wait on His perfect timing (Matthew 6:25-33). As we take our needs to Him in prayer, He brings people into our life who can supply what we require. He will also lead us to the mate of His choosing and direct us to the employment, which He pre-arranged for us (Ephesians 2:10).

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for residing within each of Your Saints. Teach us to follow Your Spirit every day (Galatians 5:16-25). Give us a hunger for Your Word, so that we can learn to trust You with our life as the Saints of old did. Their lives are an example to us of Your love, provision and discipline. Remind us to budget our income, starting with giving a tithe to You of the first fruits of our labor (Malachi 3:10). Through Christ, we continually offer the sacrifice of praise to You with heart-felt words filled with thanksgiving for all that You did and continue to do for us (Hebrews 13:15).

Thought for the Day:

Each new morning is a chance to glorify God with our life; every evening is an opportunity to thank Him for His daily provision and to cast our worries and concerns on Him, because He truly cares for us. - 1 Peter 5:7

Friend of God

So many people are so burdened by what they want, and don't have; rather than being thankful for what they have, that they never knew they wanted! The more we complain, the less joy we experience each day. However, the more we give thanks, even for the negative issues of life, the more we live in peace and fulfillment.

This goes against our normal, human behavior. We almost feel dishonest to say that we are fine when we know we have something negative going on in our life. However, this earthly realm is not reality. Paul said it best. We brought nothing into this world, and we will take nothing with us in the end, so we can live in Godly contentment (1 Timothy 6:6-7).

In fact, giving God the first fruits of our time, love, esteem and attention decreases our trials as it honors God with the praise that is due His name (Psalm 69:30). God supplies all of our needs - physically, emotionally, mentally, financially and spiritually (1 Timothy 6:8). This allows us to give thanks for anything life throws at us (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

As we view our trials as joyous opportunities to enjoy intimacy with God, we watch His miraculous provision for us in and through them. This allows patience to have time to perfect our soul - our mind, will and emotions (James 1:2). Our faith grows during trials, as we see God's mighty hand working all things out for our good (Romans 8:28). God is awesome, generous, full of loving kindness and the best friend we will ever have.

Prayer:

Father God, our unity with Your Spirit will enable us to hear Your voice to deal with lost glasses, what to fix for dinner, what to take with us before we leave the house and how to witness to the crying lady sitting across from us in the doctor's office. Just a few moments of refocusing in Your presence will make all the difference in our positive attitude. Your faithfulness is our measuring rod, and Your friendship means more to us than we could ever express in words.

Thought for the Day:

What a privilege it is to live our days as a friend of God, because this relationship brings so many benefits to our life; some are even "out of this world"! -  John 15:14-15

Why Did Jesus Have to Die?

In John 13, we read about Jesus preparing for Calvary. He met with His apostles and washed their feet. He shared His last supper with them. Then, Jesus assured His apostles that He would give them anything they needed in order to carry out their work of the gospel (John 14:13-14, 15:16, 16:23-24, 16:26). His best promise was of our continued relationship with Him and a deeper relationship with the Father through the Holy Spirit (John 16:13).

 

Jesus guaranteed His disciples a home in heaven, and prayer as a tool of communicating with Him, the Holy Spirit to guide them into all truth, His future return for His Bride and then His second coming with His Bride. After the last supper, Judas left the room on his way to fulfill his destiny of betrayal, impetuous Peter made a bold statement of faith in Christ, and Jesus prophesied that Peter would deny Him three times.

The same Jewish people, who lauded Jesus as King when He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, insisted on His crucifixion and death. They ultimately did not recognize Him as their Messiah. However, the fact that Jesus is God is indisputable (Hebrews 1:4-14). Eye witness accounts and even secular historians document the fact that He lived, died and rose again in order to free us from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). Now, He fulfills the role as our High Priest in Heaven (Hebrews 2:17,3:1).

Jesus already went through the veil of death. He can sympathize with every trial and temptation we ever experience on earth, because He already suffered these same issues (Hebrews 2:5-18). Even living back in His glory in Heaven, He is always involved in our daily life, because He lives in us (Acts 7:55; Colossians 1:27). Jesus is the first fruits of the children of God (James 1:18). We are coheirs with Him of the glory of God (Romans 8:17). He ministers in Heaven on our behalf as our advocate (1 John 2:1).

This all gives us confidence in our faith, because He provides us with His mercy and grace (Hebrews 11:1). Jesus described his relationship with us as the Vine and the branches (John 15:1-8). His life flows through us each moment of our life. He did not leave us helpless on this earth, but provided the Holy Spirit to comfort and indwell us (John 14:16,17). The Bible is full of prophecies and promises about and by Jesus that give us hope for our resurrection.

 

We stake our spiritual life on these prophecies, and we live in abundant life because of His promises (2 Peter 1:4). God also gave us His Word to settle disputes of dogma (Matthew 21:42). He uses it to increase His spiritual influence in our life, and to give us hope for the future (Mark 11:17; Jeremiah 20:11). His Word is a light and a lamp, which gives us direction and clarifies our walk in Him (Psalm 119:105). His Word endures forever (1 Peter 1:25).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, the assurances You gave Your apostles comforted their fearful hearts when You promised that their sorrow at Your loss would soon turn to joy (John 16:20).  After a time of agonizing prayer in the garden, You concluded with the words, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” Your submission to the Father is an example to us of how to live a life of victory and joy, regardless of our circumstances. As we submit to our Father’s will for our own life, we will gain eternal life through You.

Thought for the Day:

Jesus employed the Bible to resist temptation and He gave us this example to employ in our life as well. - Matthew 4:4,7,10

 

 

 

Rejoicing in the Truth

Read: 2 Timothy 3:16-17

“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation.” – 2 Peter 1:20  

Today’s world is full of opinions, philosophies, pathways and decisions. From birth we humans are bombarded with various viewpoints from which to choose our truth. From commercials to teachers we get our ears full of an assortment of perspectives. Therefore, it is necessary for us to find a reliable source of truth.

God is the embodiment of reality, His character is perfect and His t stands the test of time. We gain understanding into all the questions of life once we come to respect the knowledge of who God is and why He created mankind (Proverbs 9:10). His Word is the only real and lasting Truth. Through the centuries of time, other books are discarded as obsolete, but the Word of God is still the best selling book in the world.

Biblical Truth is everlasting (Psalm 119:160). It is based on the fact that God is true (Psalm 25:10; Isaiah 65:16; Titus 1:2). The Word of God is living, active and sharper than any two-edged sword. It pierces the Believer so deeply that it actually divides our carnal soul – our mind, will and emotions – from our divine spirit. The Word judges the thoughts and intentions of our soul and shows us the difference between the truth, human reasoning and completely erroneous thinking (Hebrews 4:12).

God revealed Himself to the world in the person of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-3). Jesus is God in human form. Jesus is the Word and He became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). He lived as the way, truth and the life (John 14:6). He was not swayed by what anyone thought of Him (Matthew 22:16). Many people in His day recognized Jesus as The Truth and that He taught the way of God openly (Matthew 22:16). We too can come to know Jesus as The Truth. He revealed to us God’s divine plan for our life. If we simply read His Word and rely on His promises (John 16:12-14), He leads us into all truth (John 14:6; 17:17).

If we exchange The Truth for the lie spun by Satan’s deception and propagated by his disciples in the world, we stop seeing life in absolutes and start looking at behavior through the eyes of situational ethics (2 Timothy 4:4). This philosophy states, “If it feels right in my heart and if I have peace about it, then I can do it.” There is one huge problem with this belief system. The human heart is the most deceitful of all things. It is desperately wicked and we cannot comprehend how untrustworthy it really is (Jeremiah 17:9). Grace and Truth only come to us through Jesus Christ (John 1:17).

Once we know The Truth, not only mentally but spiritually as well, God calls us to walk in it (1 John 3:18). As we abide in the Word as God’s true disciples, we will know the truth and His truth will set us free (John 8:31-32). Once we hear and believe this Word of Truth, which is the gospel of our salvation, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is our guarantee of receiving our heavenly inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14). We are the first fruits of all God’s creatures, brought forth by the word of His Truth (James 1:18).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, if we say we have no sin, or that we have no need for a Savior, we deceive ourselves. If Jesus does not live in us, we are among all men most miserable (1 Corinthians 15:19; 1 John 1:8). As the God of our salvation, You lead us into Your Truth and teach us the things You want us to understand (Psalm 25:5). Your light and truth lead us throughout our lifetime and bring us to worship at the very throne of God for eternity (Psalm 43:3).

Thought for the Day:

Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart with yours, so that I fear your name. - Psalm 86:11