Christ Our Overcomer

 

As a parent, spouse, student, and even professionally we suffer animosity, discouragement and loss. Life seems to overwhelm us at times. We get so weary, pessimistic, unfulfilled and depressed.

Regret dogs our steps throughout our lifetime. We slop through the gutters of this world and spend our time in the devil's playground.

We try and fail, resist until we give in, and then pull our self up to start all over again. The only reason that we struggle with the urge to hide under the covers is because someone else needs our help.

Our failings can cripple us and distort our view of God and life. That is why we need Jesus. He is the ultimate Overcomer; and with Him dwelling within us, we can accomplish everything, which He calls us to do (Philippians 4:13; James 1:2-8).

Jesus frees us from all shame and condemnation, if we sincerely repent and accept His forgiveness (Romans 8:1-2). We are victorious over guilt, past mistakes and fearful events in the future.

Since God forgives us, He also heals us from the wounds of our past and helps us to deal with unresolved issues.  Then, we are also able to forgive our self and others.
( www.theophostic.com ) 

In Christ, our failings are never failures, but lessons learned in order to help us to improve our thoughts, attitudes, words and actions. He justifies us, sanctifies us and makes us whole.

Prayer:
Father God, Your grace is sufficient for us (2 Corinthians 12:9). By the riches of Your grace, You strengthen our inner being by Your Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:16). By Your power and might, You give us patience and the self-control to endure the trials in our life (Colossians 1:11).

We are humbled that You consider us worthy to work in Your service during our lifetime (1 Timothy 1:12). We know that it is only through Your presence in us that we have either the desire or the power to accomplish anything for You (Philippians 2:12-13).

Thought for the Day:
When Jesus hung on the cross, He finished the work, which God gave Him to do, and He forever triumphed for us over sin and death. - John 19:30

Genie in a Bottle

 

As we focus on Christ as our life, all of our needs are supplied in Him (Colossians 3:4; Philippians 4:19). He gives us love and acceptance in His family (Romans 5:8, 8:17; 1 Peter 2:5; Ephesians 1:6), security and protection under his wings (Psalm 91; Hebrews 13:5) and His righteousness so that we are guiltless in His sight (Colossians 1:22). Satan knows our weaknesses and preys upon them in order to discourage us from serving our King (Ephesians 6:16). However, we can face Satan’s temptations with victory, because he is simply attempting to draw us away from holiness in Christ (Revelation 12:10).

As Born Again Believers, God gives us a unique identity as a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Our righteousness is based on God’s existence rather than our self-efforts. We live in union with Christ, not by our own merit, but according to His mercy (Titus 3:5-7). Jesus liberates our spirit, soul and body (Galatians 5:1,13). He provides us with meaningful service, which He prepared for us before the world began (Ephesians 2:10; 4:12; Galatians 5:13). He adopts us into His family and makes us courageous conquerors (Romans 8:17; Galatians 3:26; Romans 8:37). He gives us the desire to live a holy life (2 Timothy 3:12).

Even when we face great upheaval and pressure in life, God helps us to remain true to our convictions and to resolve to serve Him moment by moment throughout the day. A lack of joy in our life may come from unrealistic expectations, unconfessed sin, disobedience to God’s will, discord with another person or focusing on the negative aspects of life. God desires for us to serve Him with singleness of purpose, to bring Him honor and glory (Matthew 3:22,33) and to allow our light to shine so that people will see Christ in us.

So often we take God for granted, not even noticing His little love letters, which He sprinkles throughout our day. We spend more time dictating our desires to Him than we do in praising Him for what He already provided. We hand Him our to-do list each morning and expect it to be complete by the end of the day. God supplies all of our needs out of His love for us, not due to our worthiness. I hate to break the news to you, but God is not our personal genie in a bottle! He is not our instant wish-granter, meal-ticket or desire-implementer! He is Lord.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You give us so much to praise You for, and joy always comes as an outpouring of our praise to you (1 Peter 1:9). As we dwell in Your presence, You fill our soul with peace and give us Your pleasures now as well as in eternity (Psalm 16:11). Even as we submit to Your Spirit as He crucifies our carnal flesh on the altar of God, You are our joy and delight (Psalm 43:4; Psalm 51:12). We will praise You regardless of whether or not You ever provided another one of our needs. A life of praise overflows from our lips from the rising of the sun, until it fades beyond the horizon to usher in the night (Psalm 113:3).

Thought for the Day:

God is the parent who provides our every need, even when it is not what we really want, because He loves us and wants only what is best for us.