Proof of God's Love - Part 1

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I love the discipline of the Lord, because I know it is a sign that He loves me (Hebrews 12:5-6). He points out idols, which I erect in my life; and He helps me to lay them down at His feet.

They are not obvious idols like money, addictions, covetousness or seeking other gods. They are sly, subtle idols, which usually stir up negative emotions in my soul.

For instance, I like everyone to be happy. I am tenacious and dogged, and I will move mountains to ensure that those I love are happy and content.

However, having everyone delighted and satisfied is an idol in my life. This state of sublime joy is impossible to attain through human effort.

I have to be willing for my family members to be unhappy and discontent, and to stop trying to fix things for them. I need to lay my family's happiness at Jesus' feet and allow Him to work out His will in their lives.

Another idol, which He recently exposed in me, is that I like having my ideas valued and taken to heart. I come up with good ideas, because of the analytical mind God gave me.

However, some people reject my ideas before they even hear my whole thought (Proverbs 18:13)​. They acclaim ideas, which other people have; but disdain most of my ideas. God delivered me from these idols and so many more.

The Lord only disciplines His children (Proverbs 3:12). This is a sign of His enduring love for us and that He cares enough to remove things from our life, which have a negative effect on us.

Prayer:

Father God, remind me to walk in Your Spirit and not to care if people receive my efforts to do Your will. They have issues of their own that You are working out in their soul. Their behavior and words are no real reflection on me.

I want to make a difference in people’s lives, but I do not want to walk outside of Your will. I lay down my need to help others and I commit myself to Your will for my life and theirs.

Thought for the Day:

Idols come in all sizes, shapes and packages; God will reveal them to us as we listen to His Spirit each moment of the day.

God is in Control

There are many areas of life, which we desperately attempt to control, but they end up controlling us instead. Circumstances, people, illness, our supervisor, spouse, children, traffic, waiting in lines, etc. all influence our day in positive and negative ways. We often end up frustrated and hopeless because nothing we do will change the negative issues we are facing.

The best solution for these problems is to pray the Serenity Pray and to ask God to give us wisdom to know what situations we can change, and which we must leave in His capable hands. We can request that He give us the strength deal with the issues that He reveals are our responsibility and the courage to turn the rest over to Him with an attitude of acceptance of His will.

If we cannot change the issues, we can praise God for them, in them, and through them. For instance, our spouse is transferred to a city far from friends and family, and we and the children are resentful about moving. The only way to overcome the bitterness that is surely to follow is to realize that God has a new mission field for the family. A fresh place in the world to make a difference for Him.

       

The move is no longer a problem, not because we got our way, but because we changed our focus from carnal to spiritual, from earthly to heavenly. God cares about every aspect of our life. He is not unsympathetic about our concerns. He knows what we need, when we need it, and He will supply all of our needs according to His glorious riches (Philippians 4:19).

Prayer:

Father God, help me not to attempt to control life, but to live each moment of it in the center of Your will. When something or someone disturbs Your peace in me, remind me to keep my mind focused on You (Isaiah 26:3). Help me to walk in Your Spirit; and when something bothers me, give me the courage to lay down that idol at Your feet. I have the confidence that You will always either change me, or change my circumstances for my good (Romans 8:28).

Thought for the Day:

When negative feelings assail our soul, they are attempting to communicate that something is wrong within. We can ask God to show us the root of those feelings and the idol causing them. Then, we simply surrender to His control, as we wait for His provision as only He can supply.

Christ in Our Daily Life

 

The more we develop our awareness of our union with Christ within us, the more our interest in the affairs, pursuits and pleasures of this world diminish. We put on the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), and it infuses our thoughts, desires, motives and actions. We come to the place, like Christ did, that we speak and act only what we hear and see from our Heavenly Father (John 5:19). The fruit of the Spirit transforms our fleshly nature (Galatians 5:22-23). We enthusiastically submit our free will to the will of God for our life.

By faith, we trust the Will of God to be more perfectly intended for our good than our human Will could ever hope to provide for us. God knows the end from the beginning. His judgment is flawless. God wants the power of His Holy Spirit to pervade our body, spirit and soul – our mind, will and emotions. The only hindrance comes when we allow our humanity to overpower the Spirit of Christ within us. Our only hope of escaping the moral decay in the world, and the deceitfulness of Satan's temptations is by totally immersing our self in the divine nature of God though Christ within us.

As God’s children, our function, even in our secular employment, becomes a consecrated career under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Through us, Jesus answers the phone, types the letter, paints the house, repairs the machines, calculates the budget, delivers the supplies, nurses the patients, supervises the workforce, works on the assembly line, cooks the food, waits the tables or administrates the office through us. When we realize this, the stress of our job lifts off of our shoulders and rests squarely on Christ in us. We seek to do His will in our job because He is actually our employer.

God gave us our job and He funds our paychecks. We bless our employer with our conscientious work ethic, and stay open to the Spirit’s direction in order to help a hurting employee or to lead a hungry soul to Christ. All the while, our union with Christ brings us to the point of total serenity. We find complete peace within and then walk in His peace as we follow the leading of the Lord’s Spirit for each moment of our day. We no longer see problems in life, but view them as opportunities for God to show Himself strong on our behalf.

Our identity as a human being is dead. Our unique personality is still alive in Christ who wants to live His life through each one of us individually (Galatians 2:20). The way to walk out this union with Christ is to live, move and have our being only and fully in Him (Acts 17:28), by following the leading of His Holy Spirit moment by moment throughout our day. We are the light of the world, a city on a hill; therefore, do not hide your light (Matthew 5:14). Live in Christ and allow Him to love you and to love others through you. Allow Him to work through you to make a difference in your world.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, our unity with You comes because You dwell within us by Your Spirit. As we submit our life to You, You swallow up our humanity, and we unite as individual members of Your singular Body (1 Corinthians 12:12, 26). We develop in our unity in the faith, in our knowledge of who we are in You, and we mature in our understanding until we walk in the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13). We clear our mind of earthly concerns and center our thoughts on Your goodness and grace. We decrease, so that You can increase within us and take over more and more of our life on a daily basis (John 3:30).

Thought for the Day:

God wants us to become like a little child and to trust Him implicitly. It is only then that we will enter the fullness of the Kingdom of God. – Matthew 18:3