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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Union with Christ - More than Religion

 

Christianity is not a religion. It is an intimate union with the Lord of Hosts who lives His divine life in and through every authentic Believer (1 Corinthians 6:17).

We do not earn a divine life in Christ by our good works; it is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-20; 2 Peter 1:4). Unless we grasp the fullness of our identity in Christ, we fall short of all that God wants to do in us and through us.

As God Word strengthens us, we overcome this world and we also live victorious lives over the wiles of Satan (1 John 2:14). We scatter the darkness by turning on God's Light.

Deceiving thoughts flee at the mention of Jesus’ name. Satan cannot initiate anything in our life without God’s permission; and if we submit to God and resist the devil, he is obligated to flee from us (James 4:7).

Satan may try to distract us from serving God, but as we keep our mind on Christ, we remain in perfect peace as His Spirit leads us through each moment of the day (Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:7).

We keep our focus on spiritual aspects of life and the carnal, temporal issues fade into the background. We do not stress and strain after more of this world, but allow our spirit and soul to enter into God's rest (Hebrews 4:1-10).

We live to praise His name in our heart and mind as we go about the requirements of our day. We look for divine opportunities to share God's love and life with those we meet throughout our day.

We let our light shine so that others will see Christ in us and glorify our Father God (Matthew 5:16). They will desire to have the same peace and joy in their life, which they see abiding in our life.

Prayer:

Father God, You gave all of Your spiritual blessings and everything pertaining to life and godliness, to Your Saints in the past, to those present with us now, as well as those which will be born in the future (2 Peter 1:3; Ephesians 1:3; 1 Corinthians 2: 20-21). We honor You and give You all the praise and glory that is due to Your name.

You work Your power in us and You are able to do more in us and through us than we can ever imagine or accomplish for You on our own (1 Corinthians 1:24; Ephesians 3:16, 20; Colossians 1:11; 1 Peter 4:11). You give us an abundant supply of power for everything we need in order to sufficiently accomplish Your will for our life (2 Corinthians 3:5, 4:7, 9:8).

Thought for the Day:

We do not pound out a meager existence for our self in this life, but we live an abundant life through Christ in us. - John 10:10

 

Your Life Matters

 

As we grow up, we tend to put away childish things. As adults, we take on too many responsibilities and we neglect our self. Eventually we have a break down.

We may physically run away from our responsibilities or our soul may make our body sick in order to escape the pressures of daily life. There is a much more effective way to stop the feelings of being overwhelmed by life.

We can simplify our life by removing any activity or responsibility that is not necessary for the well-being of our self or our family. Also, be sure to make time for play in the midst of the daily grind.

We often have our children in too many activities. Simplify by enrolling them in just one extra activity other than school. They do not need sports and dance and music classes all at one time. See what they are really interested in and just do one class.

A birthday party does not need to be a momentous event involving elaborate decorations, special themes and their whole class. It can be a few of their closest friends and a simple cake, ice cream and juice.

Are we too involved at work, going the extra mile to impress our boss, working late or extra shifts in order to get that promotion, raise or coveted praise? Simplify by maintaining the required hours and then going home.

Do we function in too many ministries at church? We all have a place to serve, but none of us can do it all. Pick just one thing that you are passionate about and serve in that ministry. You can always change to another ministry later on if you have more than one passion.

Maybe we feel abused, misunderstood, unappreciated, neglected, insecure or fearful. These are valid feelings and we can acknowledge them as such and validate that we are a person too and that we matter.

Do not allow negative self-talk to belittle or to criticize your feelings. Your feelings are real and deserve to be validated as valuable and important. What is stressing out your soul right now? What is causing the negative emotions currently plaguing your soul?

Spend some time getting to know your inner soul - your thoughts, feelings and choices. Journal and write uncensored thoughts about how you are feeling, what you are thinking and why you are making your current choices.

Follow the Serenity Prayer and correct anything in your power to change, accept those things you cannot change by changing your focus about them, and trust God to change or to empower you to face those impossible challenges in your life.

Give yourself little breaks during the day to prop up your feet, have a soda or cup of tea, take a walk in nature, rock or swing on the porch or at the park, sit in the sun for a few moments and soak up those healing rays, do some deep breathing exercises, listen to your favorite music, watch a movie or read a novel just for fun.

Start a new hobby that gives you time for yourself, but make sure that it does not add to your already stressful schedule. Just something simple like a craft, an adult coloring book, needlework, walking, swimming, gourmet cooking class or baking a special dessert and sharing it with those you love.

Climb a tree, jump rope, learn to paint or play an instrument, cuddle a stuffed toy, pet the cat, make a batch of cookies or jam, frame photos of yourself as a child and hang them on the wall with your other photos, wrap up in your favorite blanket or quilt and take a short nap.

Grieve your losses, no matter what they are - big or small they are all important. Give yourself permission to cry; tears are healing and they wash away our grief. They also help us to relieve pent up stress and emotion.

Prayer:

Father God, help us to treat our self as a human being rather than as a machine. Remind us that the good thing in life often become the enemy of the best things. You have a special plan for each life, so help us to walk in it. Give us wisdom in making our decisions, prevent us from overly scheduling our day with too many activities. Help us to take breaks and to give our self a little treat or to take time to breathe in Your Spirit and to give You praise.

We want to honor You with our life and to stop allowing the good things to rob us of walking by Your Spirit and fulfilling Your plan for our life. Teach us to care for our own needs as well as everyone else's and prevent us from being so busy we cannot enjoy our time with family, friends and especially with You.

Thought for the Day:

Never fill your life so full of activities that you actually feel overwhelmed by all of the responsibilities that you have accepted as your own.