Surrendering to God's Will

We can develop habits over time to create more joy in our life and to eliminate depression and melancholy. However, it takes a change of focus and total submission to God's Holy Spirit.

Many people live in the realm of "what ifs" and/or wanting what they do not have. They think that happiness will finally arrive when they accomplish their bucket list.

We allow circumstances to color our thoughts and feelings, which may diminish our joy. We wait for God to answer our prayers rather than to enjoy the life, which He already provided for us.

His peace and joy are available for us each moment of the day and do not depend on circumstances. It is possible to live in an economically depressed area with impoverished circumstances and still have total peace and joy.

There is no guarantee that we will live to see the next moment in time; so focusing on having possessions or certain people in our life will reduce our peace and joy.

Without surrendering our will to God's will each moment of the day, we hinder our effectiveness both in life and in our spiritual growth and ministry.

Once we repent of our sins and recognize Jesus as our only Savior and King, the very life of Christ saturates our entire body, soul and spirit. As His Spirit sanctifies us, we see more spiritual fruit and less of a draw from our flesh, Satan and the world.

The most critical exercise we can do as a baby Christian is to surrender our will to God's will. Even as older Christians, if we never surrendered, it is time to do so now.

When we totally surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ over our life, we feel less and less tension and stress, and more and more of His rest, peace and joy.

Prayer:

Father God, we tend to regret the past and fear the future. We spend so much time focusing in these two directions that we waste the current moment. This moment in time is all that You guarantee us.

You forgave our past, and it is over and forgiven. We just have to remember to forgive our self too. Remind us that once we do surrender to You, Your Spirit begins replacing our negative personality traits with His spiritual fruit and You flood our spirit and soul with Your love.

Thought for the Day:

Our future is in God's capable hands; therefore, trusting God in the moment provides us with a stress-free life.

Intimate Communion

 

 

The word communion denotes a union, intimacy, fellowship, harmony, compatible communication, etc. God wants to share His sweet communion with flawed humanity. Yet, so many people reject His offer.

In fact, while we were still sinners, God died for all helpless humanity who are lost in a garden full of the thorns and thistles of sin (Romans 5:7-8).

Yet, the world hates being told that they are wrong and accountable for their choices and behavior. They want the happiness, success, riches and provision of the kingdoms of this world.

Very few hunger for forgiveness, peace and walking on the road of life that leads to heaven. The discipline it takes to learn sensitivity to the leading of God's Spirit is daunting to them.

Christianity also involves discernment in order to walk the straight and narrow path through a life with a smorgasbord of options. However, the Spirit of God takes the guesswork out of all of this.

If we seek God each moment of the day, He leads and we follow. We end up in divine appointments, which will blow our mind and provide godly results that further God's Kingdom in the earth.

All God asks of us is that we spend time in intimate communion with Him: worshipping the beauty of His holiness, sitting at His feet in humility and prayer, and waiting patiently until He leads us so that we can follow.

Prayer:

Father God, sensitivity to Your Spirit is the issue which makes us or breaks us as Your fulfilled child. You fill us with Your enthusiasm and You help us to walk in Your ways with Your truth. Teach us to walk in all the light You give us each day and to humbly serve You with our life.

You are always faithful to lead us by Your perfect peace and to keep us in the center of Your will as we spend time in intimate communion with You. We flourish in divine appointments and we see Your Spirit within us impacting the lives of people all around us.

Thought for the Day:

As we allow God's Spirit to lead us, His fruit replace the short-comings in our life and opens the door for the divine life of Christ to control us during each moment of the day.

Created for a Purpose

The trend in today's society is to get away with as much sin as we can. We prefer not to limit our expenditure of time, attention and resources to any one focus; so we fill our life with useless activities instead.

We slide toward the mediocre and have little devotion to God, family, country or healthy living. We wear masks to fit each social occasion and even attempt to fool God with our good works.

God offers us His free gift of salvation, but we prefer the road to destruction over a life of service, holiness and dedication to His Kingdom (Romans 3:23, 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9).

We have our own plans and way of doing things and do not want to be told what to do, have restrictions placed on us or to be dictated to by any one - not even God.

We fail to realize that God created us for a purpose, and our happiest life is found only by living in the center of His will (Ephesians 2:10, 4:1). His Spirit is ever ready to conform us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).

When we entirely surrender to the love of God in our life, we draw near to Him and give our life more fully to Him. We walk in His ways and consult Him during each moment of our day (Proverbs 3:5-6; Romans 12:1).

There is no place for compromised living in the Kingdom of God. He despises any lukewarm efforts on our part and prefers for us to choose whether to be hot or cold instead (Revelation 3:14-22).

Holiness is not a burden, but a privilege that guarantees us a successful life both now and throughout eternity (John 10:10). We live with a commitment to Christ and a trust in God's faithfulness.

As we seek God's face, sit at His feet and walk in His will, we feel His love pouring over us like a waterfall, we experience His peace which is deeper than anything this world has to offer and we walk in joy even through the most horrendous circumstances (Romans 15:13).

Prayer:

Father God, free us from Satan's lies, which hold us in bondage to his will for our life. Teach us to love You with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). Strengthen us from within to live a life worthy of Your calling and sanctify us into a new creation (Ephesians 4:24).

Remind us that we are dead to sin, because of our baptism into Christ's death. We contain His resurrection power within us now to live a new life, united with You (Romans 6:2-11). You give us a choice to live life on earth as slaves to our flesh, the devil and the world or to You and Your righteousness (Romans 6:22). Help us to choose You every time.

Thought for the Day:

As a shining light with Christ within, our life penetrates the darkness all around us; we may not see the impact we have on others now, but eternity will reveal how God used our helping hand, encouraging words, smile at random strangers, loving gestures and prayers to work miracles in the lives of people in our sphere of influence.