Not of This World

 

Our God is so awesome, mighty in power, gentle in mercy, constant in grace, consuming in His love for us and faithful beyond measure. We can trust in Him with our whole heart and depend on His intimate involvement in our life.

God never, ever leaves or forsakes us (Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5). His three personalities are all-encompassing (Isaiah 7:14; John 10:29; Matthew 12:32). God is our Creator and Heavenly Daddy; Jesus is the Trinity in the flesh who died on the cross to exhibit the Father's love; the Spirit promotes Jesus and His words (John 3::8, 14:6, 26; Luke 24:49; Acts 16:7).

Through believing on Jesus we are constructed into the temple of the entire Godhead of the Trinity (Romans 8:15; 1 Corinthians 3:16, 12:13). The Trinity is our Father, our Brother and our continual comfort and guide (Mark 1:10-11).

The Trinity's presence in our life nourishes us to grow in godliness, to consecrate our life to Him and to do the work He created us to do (Ephesians 2:10). The Trinity draws us into unity with the Godhead (John 6:44, 10:30, 14:10-13).

We are raised from sin's degradation to walk in a new life in order to share in the glory of the Trinity through a consecrated and holy life (John 17:22; Romans 8:11). We let His light in us shine, so that people look at us and are drawn to believe in and trust in the Trinity for their salvation as well.

Vacation homes, worldly hobbies, time shares, multiple cruises in a year, smart phones for every family member, TVs in every room, expensive clothing stores, excessive clothing accessories and jewels, a car for every driver in the family, etc. keep us in bondage to this world and limit our participation in activities that promote the Kingdom of God.

We are not of this world, we do not rely on our human nature or characteristics, and we do not develop plans and goals for this life. We only live here to build up the Kingdom of God while it is still day, because the night is coming when no one may get saved (John 9:4).

Prayer:

Father God, break our heart with what breaks Yours, give us a Kingdom mind and focus in this life and make the fact that we are not of this world a reality in our life (Romans 12:2; John 17:16). Help us to stop focusing on building our nest in this world and to change our attention to furthering Your Kingdom.

Remind us that Christ is our whole life and that we no longer live, but Christ lives in and through us (Colossians 3:3-4; Galatians 2:20). Draw us into a more intimate relationship with You, so that we are not sidetracked by the lies and schemes of the devil to get our focus on this world rather than on Your Kingdom.

Thought for the Day:

We develop a Kingdom mindset and allow God's Spirit to draw our attention to the presence of God within us, which is our only true source of comfort and joy, rather than on the riches and trappings of this world.

Life-Changing Verses - Part 2 - Verse to Live By

God gives us a very simple plan for life. He encourages us to seek Him with all of our heart; not to depend on our human reasoning; and before we do anything, to ask Him to reveal His will for our next moment of time.

Then, He guarantees that He shall direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). God will work out every circumstance, no matter how bad it is, for our ultimate good, if we love Him and are willing to walk in His will (Romans 8:28).

God created us for a special purpose before we were even born, starting with our salvation through Christ. We do not earn salvation by our works of righteousness. According to His mercy He saved us by cleansing us with regeneration.

God renews us by giving us His Spirit (Ephesians 2:8-10). Our Father God loved us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:7-9). He sees our whole life without the parameters of time or the constraints of mortality. God is eternal and views all of our years on earth from an eternal perspective.

We are crucified with Christ, but we still live on this earth; yet it is not us, but Christ who is living in and through us. And the life we now live in this human body, we live by the faith of God's Son who loves us - enough to die for us (Galatians 2:20).

We receive God's Spirit, which has nothing to do with our human effort, talents or hard work; and neither can we sanctify or perfect our soul through any work of our own (Galatians 3:1-3).

Our walk with God is a life-long process of growing in intimacy with Him, and enjoying the daily fellowship of almighty God. There is nothing that we cannot do as long as we are following His perfect will for us (Philippians 4:13).

If we submit to God and resist the devil, Satan is obligated to flee from us (James 4:7). He may gain permission from God to throw some type of trial in our path, but Christ in us is greater and more powerful than Satan could ever hope to be (1 John 4:4).

Prayer:

Father God, there are so many verses that stand out to us as we read Your Word, highlighted by Your Spirit in order to enlighten us and improve our brief life (James 4:14) on this earth. Thank You for giving us Your fullness as a free gift (Romans 3:23, 6:23; Ephesians 3:16-19, Amplified Bible). We give You all of the praise and honor due to Your name.

Because of Your mercy, we live our life free from the twisted duplicity of Satan's lies, and we relish the fact of our freedom in Christ. You make us whole and heal our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual diseases. You strengthen us from the inside out and You pour Your love and grace over us like a fountain of mercy. We love You with our whole spirit, soul and body, even into eternity.

Thought for the Day:

As we earnestly seek the Lord and thirst after Him to the point of fainting in this dry and weary land in which we live, He is our sanctuary - full of power and glory, the lover of our soul, which is better than life itself, and He satisfies our soul with His constant love; therefore, we continually praise Him with joyful lips and a mouth full of praises. - Psalm 63:1-11

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Entertaining Idols

If we obsess over some issue in our life, this issue blocks our view of God and blinds us to the presence of Christ in our life.

We make an idol of the negative emotion we are consumed by and see nothing but this and other negative emotions.  This situation rules our life.

We are overcome by our trials and tribulations and lose our connection to God's Spirit within us. Anything other than God that commands our attention proves we are not dead in that area of our flesh.

God often gives us trials to reveal that we still carry idols around with us, and that they are taking His place in our life (2 Corinthians 3:18). The more we surrender these idols on the altar of God, the freer our life becomes.

When we step outside of God's will for us, surrendering to Him is the only factor which can restore our spirit and soul (Psalm 23:3). Then, God grace and mercy victoriously and tenderly transport us through every trial and temptation.

We gradually grow to realize that our humanity is dead to this world and that Christ’s divinity takes supremacy within us (Colossians 3:3). We want nothing more than to please Him with our life.

Eventually, our days are consumed by following God's Spirit's direction. We live in praise to His glorious name and His bountiful deeds toward meeting our every need.

The Spirit of Christ unifies us with the Trinity, and this union cannot be dissolved or separated in any way; although idols grieve God's Spirit and break our intimate fellowship with Him.

When we live and walk in God's divine presence, the issues of life no longer overwhelm us (John 16:33). We safely hide under the shadow of His wing (Psalm 17:8).

Prayer:

Father God, we each possess our own individual and personal distinction, even though You abide within every Believer. Our union with You, as the personal, living, omnipresent Lord can never be broken. Help us never to allow some idol of negative emotions to block You from our view or to draw us away from Your intimate presence.

Allow us to feel Your love, peace and joy flowing over us like a waterfall, refreshing our spirit, soul and body in this world that often frightens and overwhelms us. Remind us that Christ in us is a reality, and we can function in Your will through every moment of our day.

Thought for the Day:

Our vital union in Christ is begun in regeneration and completed through sanctification; in conversion we are declared justified and in sanctification we prove our perseverance towards righteousness.

No Longer a Sinner - The Express Image of God's Person

At Salvation, Christ moves into our spirit by His spirit. God charges us to stir up this gift within us and to grow in His nurture and admonition (Ephesians 6:4).

He takes possession of every piece of our self, which we willingly relinquish to Him, cherishing our submission to His love and pleased at our total surrender to His wisdom and grace.

The Christ, who is described in the Word of God, abides within us if we are a Born Again child of God (John 16:14). His Spirit conforms us into His image a little more each day that we remain submitted to God's will through continual prayer.

Jesus is the express image of God and we are the image of Christ on this earth (Colossians 1:15). We are filled with all of His anointing, power, wisdom, strength and goodness. His love and peace permeate every cell in our body.

We abide in a committed union and communion with Christ in us. God's Spirit replaces our carnality with the image and likeness of Christ as we relax and trust in Him.

Most authentic Christians seek to do God's will, prepare our heart, relinquish our idols, long for a more intimate union with Him and desire to be more like Him each day.

Putting aside the sins which so easily distract us from walking in the Spirit (Hebrews 12:1-3), we still our soul of idle thoughts and vain imaginations and sit in silence to hear from God.

God's glorious Spirit rests in us and fills us with divine power to function in the ministry into which God calls us. We are inspired, encouraged and fulfilled when we see His work in and through us.

Prayer:
Father God, we praise You for the assurance You provide for us through Your Spirit within us. He is the earnest of our inheritance and our proof for our salvation. Thank You that He leads us in Your will for each moment of our day and continues His perfecting work in our soul and spirit.

Let our face shine from Your glory within us, teach us during our times of devotion and meditation and fill us through our entire being with all of Your fullness. Reveal to us Your glory in us and that which is to come, and shower us with Your mercy and grace as we serve You in the work which You called us to do.

Thought for the Day:

We do God's works for His glory rather than our own works for our glory; He infuses our soul with His confidence; and we trust in Him, even in His silences which are times of rest for our soul.