A New Creation

It is healthy for us to take an inventory of our thoughts and feelings every day (John 7:24). This prevents negative thoughts and emotions from piling up in our soul and exploding at the least provocation.

Satan's lies, our own insecurities plus neurosis from our past, and the world's judgment on us keep us enslaved to negative thinking. Yet, God's Word admonishes us to take our thoughts captive in Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).

We tend to dwell on this temporal earth, embroiled by human reasoning and trapped by the hour glass of time - still eating from the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil and attempting to save our self (Genesis 2:17, 3:5).

These negative constraints affect our thoughts and emotions. We attempt to improve our self, but whatever is conceived by the flesh can be aborted by the flesh. We live on a hamster's wheel - always running, but getting nowhere fast. However, there is hope for us in God (Psalm 63:2:5; Romans 15:13).

God chose us and loved us while we were still sinners (John 15:16; 1 John 4:10; Romans 5:8). At salvation, He makes us His Children and co-heirs with Jesus (Galatians 3:26; 1 John 3:2; Romans 8:17). His Spirit is building us into His house (Hebrews 3:6).

We cannot craft any lasting changes to our character in order to earn His love. He makes us clean - not by our good deeds and intentions, but by the blood of Christ (John 15:3; Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Psalm 127:1).

Jesus makes us wise, righteous, redeemed and a new creation; so that we glory in the Lord rather than to take the credit (1 Corinthians 1:30-31). Christ in us continually draws us into a more intimate union with Himself and our Father (Colossians 1:20). We simply obey (John 14:15).

Prayer:

Father God, Your love frees us from doubt and condemnation, which are fed to us by our own insecurities, the world's condemnation and Satan's lies. Please draw our loved ones away from the seduction of this world, deliver them from the lies of the devil, and allow them to feel Your love and conviction cascading over them like a waterfall.

In You there is no shame for our failings and idiosyncrasies, only love and acceptance just the way we are (Romans 5:8). Your Spirit perfects us through a lifetime of sanctifying exercises (1 Thessalonians 5:23). You make us one with You and Jesus Christ through His residing presence and Your Spirit's sanctifying work in us until You become our whole life (Colossians 3:3-4).

Thought for the Day:

Jesus is one with us in spirit and in truth; and He brings us into His rest in His perfect peace and love as we keep our soul focused on Christ in us. - Colossians 1:27; Isaiah 26:3

Three Warning Signs

The doctor takes a blood test, which informs him of our health issues. We have the choice to heed his advice, or to ignore it and reap the consequences. We often look in a mirror and see the stress in our soul reflected in our face; yet we do nothing about it. There are spiritual signs in our life too, which let us know that our spirit is dead in Adam’s sin (Romans 5:15).

If we ignore these three warning signs, we will perish (John 3:18). We fail to believe the blood test, the signs of stress in our face or the spiritual death of our spirit within, and we continue to live life after our own plans and goals. We struggle to find true happiness, and we neglect what is important in life to pursue the trappings of this world.

God calls everyone to come to Christ for His redeeming life. The Word of God will alert Believers in this same way. It informs us that our spirit is sick from our sin. If we surrender to God, He gives us an entirely new life. We will stop pursuing fleshly desires and worldly gain, which make us spiritually unhealthy. People see a difference in our life and they want that same blessed lifestyle, which we found in Christ.

Connected to the Vine of Christ, we produce the fruit of His Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). We magnify the Lord in our thoughts, words and behavior, and God blesses us for our faithfulness to Him (Psalm 35:27). He wants us to come to Him with our needs and to ask Him to meet them. When we do, we receive His overwhelming love and His generous provision (John 16:24; Matthew 6:33).

Prayer:

Father God, until we completely surrender to You, we do not realize that Your plan for our life is absolutely perfect (Ephesians 2:10; Psalm 139). True significance, peace, satisfaction and success are ours, even if none of our humanistic goals are ever achieved. We feel Your Fatherly pleasure in us, and this love and acceptance mean more to us than anything this world can offer. We never have to wonder if You have a minute to listen to us, because You have a whole lifetime full of them.

Thought for the Day: 

If we pay attention to the guidance of Your Spirit within us, and walk away from our sinful lifestyle, we find spiritual life as well as physical energy, joy and clarity in our soul. - 1 Thessalonians 5:23

Harvesting Fruit

Read: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

“We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” Romans 15:1

While traveling in the ministry with my family, I saw a farmer using a sickle to reap his grain. Then, a few more miles up the road, I noticed a young man using a sledgehammer to break rocks into smaller pieces. The scenes echoed in my mind and I knew God illuminated them to me for a reason. That evening during my quiet time, He showed me why. In my relationships I had a choice to either use a hammer or a sickle in connecting to people.

If I choose a hammer to pound out of others the characteristics I preferred not to see them exhibit, I risked the chance of smashing the tiny gem that God is creating within them. If I pound them over the head with scripture and insist that they walk according to my preferences, then I could discourage them from obeying God in the area in which He is directing them to change.

For instance, if their smoking habit bothers me, then I could focus on helping them to quit smoking. When all along, God was more interested in helping them to break free of a more harmful addiction, for example to illegal drugs or alcohol. I could ruin my friendship with that person, as well as thwarting God’s timing in their life, by insisting that they quit smoking.

So, instead, God wants me to choose to use a sickle in helping people to break free from their bondage to sin. In this way, I allow God to use me to reap the fruit He creates in people by harvesting their strengths as He deals with their weaknesses. I can encourage them to listen to God’s Spirit as He convicts them, to rely on His Word as their spiritual power and to pray with them and hold them accountable to walk in the way in which God is directing them.

God has combined the members of His Body and has given greater honor to the people who lack honor, so that there should be no division in the Body. In this way each part of the Body has equal concern for each other part. If one part suffers, every part suffers with him/her; if one part is honored, we all rejoice (1 Corinthians 12:25-26).  God uses our individual knowledge and experiences to help others and to make us all complete (Luke 22:32). In this way, we learn from one another, depend upon each other and spur one another on to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24), which benefits the whole Body.  

When we exhort one another, we come to each other’s aid and help. We bring comfort and encouragement to one another. In exhorting, our conversation is very gracious, seasoned with prayer; so that God will inspire our words (Colossians 4:6).  We encourage one another and build each other up, rather than dictating to one another or tearing one another down with condescension and self-righteous correction (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

Some people will reject our spiritual admonition. This means they are not yet ripe enough in their hearts to receive the Word of God. If this happens, back away and give that brother or sister time to reflect upon what you shared with them. Pray for them. Do not push them into making some sort of commitment, because they may not be sincere. Once we’ve swept their spiritual “house”, if they do not fill it full of God’s Word and righteous living, then their prior demons will return and bring seven other spirits more wicked than itself (Luke 11: 24-26). God’s Spirit is available to anyone willing to overcome sin in their life, but we all have to make our own commitment to avail our self of His power and anointing.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, help me to walk in your Word and to be prepared to share it with others at Your direction. Help me to correct, admonish, and encourage Your people in the way that You would have them to go. Allow me to do this with the greatest of patience in my instruction (2 Timothy 4:2). Let my words be seasoned with salt, which will preserve their faith and ultimately their life.

Thought for the Day:

Every healthy part of God’s Body keeps us all healthy, growing and full of love.