A Little Child Shall Lead Them - Isaiah 11:6

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God tells us that unless we act and think as a little child, we cannot enter His Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 18:3). He is not suggesting that we throw temper tantrums or act self-centeredly.

He wants us to lay down our selfish pride, humble our self under the mighty hand of God, and live with child-like trust in our Father God (1 Peter 5:6-7; Psalm 131). He wants us to live in the moment according to His Will for it.

God calls us to forsake the love of all earthly attitudes, people, possessions, pride and self-centeredness for the sake of Christ in us (Luke 14:26, 33). Our carnal flesh is dead and hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).

There is no need to perfect our self, because we are already dead to sin through Christ (Galatians 2:20). We simply draw near to God and resist the devil’s temptation, because God always gives us a way to escape (James 4:7-8; 1 Corinthians 10:13).

Christ is our whole life during every moment of our earthly existence (Colossians 3:4). God carries out His perfecting work in our soul by His Spirit (Hebrews 13:21).

We have no concern for our self-worth apart from Christ in us (Matthew 19:17). Any self-effort will only accumulate carnal treasures, which are actually wood, hay and stubble, according to God’s opinion (Galatians 6:3; 1 Corinthians 3:12).

We are totally incapable of working for God through human power. Our human endeavors stink in God’s sight (Luke 16:15).

Therefore, we do nothing from our self-efforts, and everything according to the will of God, by the power of God working in us (John 8:28; Zechariah 4:6).

Prayer:

Father God, You have no interest in the power of our flesh, because You fight our battles for us (2 Chronicles 32:8). This is so evident when we read about the Battle of Jericho, and so many other battles, which Israel fought in Canaan land.

We fight many spiritual battles during our lifetime, but if we are wise, it is only and always by Your Spirit (Ephesians 6).

If we act like prideful and disobedient children, and carry out our own plans, choose our own mate and increase in sin daily, we do not belong to You (Isaiah 30:1-2; 1 John 1:6).

Authentic Believers do not rely on our human talents to do Your Will, but only on the power of Your Spirit within us (1 Corinthians 2:4). 

Thought for the Day:

Christ is the hand, and we are the glove; the glove is perfectly molded to the hand and moves only as directed by the hand.

Changing Our Thought Patterns

From childhood, we are taught to take care of our self: dress, feed, play and make wise choices for our self. Therefore, learning to trust the Lord and His faithfulness takes a bit of getting used to (Ephesians 6:10). The process is called "renewing our mind." This is a continual progression of transformation, through which God's Spirit gives us the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16; Romans 12:2).

By faith in Christ, we receive a new heart through the rebirthing of our spirit, which was formerly dead, due to the sin of the first Adam with Eve. The second Adam, Jesus Christ, became Emmanuel in order to guarantee salvation to whomever chooses to believe (John 3:16-18). God's Spirit teaches us to follow Jesus' example and to live as a new creation with sanctified priorities and goals in life (Philippians 2:5).

Jesus' emptied Himself of His heavenly glory and lived a life as a bondservant to our Father God (Luke 23:34; Matthew 20:28). He was even obedient to the point of suffering the horrendous torture and death at the hands of the Roman army (Matthew 26:39; John 5:30). God wants us to live in the power of His Spirit in order to do the works, which He created us to accomplish (Ephesians 2:10; Psalm 139:13).

God's Holy Spirit purges us of pride, selfishness, unforgiveness and all of the deeds and attitudes of the flesh, so that we can live by His direction and divine character (Galatians 5:16-25; 2 Peter 1:4-5). We aid in this process by renewing our mind with the Word of God. We begin focusing on eternal matters, ignoring the distractions provided by Satan and his minions and valuing eternal aspects rather than worldly gain (Ephesians 6:16).

Prayer:

Father God, we all experience the temptation to compromise our walk and to live a life of indulgence in the flesh. However, You gave us Jesus as our example. You also give us a way to avoid temptation and live a pure and holy life before You (1 Corinthians 10:13). Thank You for sending Jesus to pay the debt we owed for our sins, and for giving us Your Spirit to renew our mind with the mind of Christ, so that our thought patterns change from carnal ones to spiritual.

Thought for the Day:

Our Father God already gave us all the tools necessary to live a victorious life in Christ.- Romans 8:37; 1 Corinthians 15:57; Ephesians 6:13

Strength Which Never Fails

The Lord is our strength and protector; our heart truly trusts in him, because He is always available to assist us at the first sign of trouble. Our heart soars with delight, and we cannot help but to shower Him with our praise and thanksgiving. The Lord provides power for His people. He is our fortress and our salvation (Psalm 28:7-8).

Our soul is often exhausted with grief; yet in His love, the Lord fortifies us with His Holy Word (Psalm 119:28). He gives strength to the weary and amplifies the ability of the frail (Isaiah 40:29). He is our might and He fills our heart with songs. He provides our constant salvation (Psalm 118:14).

We will never fail in carrying out what God calls us to do, because He gives us His strength (Philippians 4:13; Ephesians 2:10). Though we are weak in our own human strength, we are strong in His anointing, power and might (Ephesians 6:10). His grace is always sufficient to perfect His power in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

We rise up on the wings of eagles and soar high above the aspects of this earth, which attempt to debilitate and discourage us. Even as young people, life exhausts us and we stumble and fall. However, if we hope in the Lord's provision, He renews our strength and we can accomplish all that He calls us to do without growing weary (Isaiah 40:29-31; Galatians 6:9).

Prayer:

Father God, You are gracious to us all day long. We desire nothing from this life except a closer walk with You. You give us renewed energy with each new dawn and You deliver us from everything that distresses us (Isaiah 33:2). In this cruel and wicked world, we pray that You will continue to strengthen us with the power of Your Spirit in our soul - our thoughts, feelings and choices - as well as in our Born Again spirit (Ephesians 3:16).

Thought for the Day:

The Lord gives us the ability to traverse the hard and treacherous places in life through His strength within us. - Habakkuk 3:19