Our Only Passion

By God’s grace, Jesus Christ brought salvation to the whole world. He dwells within us and inspires us to abandon all unrighteousness and carnal desires.

Living in union with Christ becomes our only passion. We live, move and have our being only in Him. He is our life, our motivation and our inspiration (Acts 17:8; Colossians 3:4)

He redeems us from sinful behavior and purifies us as a people who belong to Him. His Spirit within us allows us to live a self-controlled, holy and upright life in this world.

As we wait for our blessed hope, which is the reappearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, we cheerfully and zealously follow His Spirit’s direction (Titus 2:11-14).

Since we are in union with Christ, the kingdom of God is now within us, and God blesses us with all spiritual blessings from His throne (Luke 17:21; Ephesians 1:3).

We set our mind on things above, not on things on the earth, and our treasure in not from this world (Colossians 3:2; Philippians 2:5, 4:8). Jesus gives us great power, which comes from God and not from our self (2 Corinthians 4:7).  

The more we submit our life to God, the more we die to sin and the less Satan is able to hassle us. We live by the faith of Jesus who loves us and gave Himself for us (Hebrews 1:3; Galatians 2:20).

As we walk in the Spirit, we are assured that everything happening to us is the will of God for us. We may feel unhappy, stressed, anxious or fearful; but as we keep our mind on God, He gives us His peace (Isaiah 26:3; John 14:27).

God's Spirit enables us to change our focus about the negative issues in our life. We no longer see an empty cupboard, but room for more of God's blessings. He is always faithful to provide for all of our needs (Philippians 4:19).

Prayer:

Father God, the trials we experience are not as devastating to us as they used to be. They are only light and momentary affliction now, because we no longer focus on the things we see in this transient realm of life, but only on the eternal weight of glory You are preparing for us.

We look forward to this glory, which far exceeds anything we have ever seen or experienced on this earth (2 Corinthians 4:13-18). As we share the gospel of Jesus with others, Your grace extends to more and more people, which increases our thanksgiving to You (2 Corinthians 9:8).

Thought for the Day:

Everything we ever accomplished in our flesh is minimized by what we gain in Christ; being found in Him through faith in Him increases our passion for knowing Him in His exceptional greatness. 
- Philippians 3:7-9

My Soul Waits - A Frank Conversation

Negative, shaming self-talk comes from Satan in order to discourage us from allowing God to use us to His full potential within us. It diminishes our ability to receive the flow of God's love to us.

We feel like crawling into a closet or curling into a tiny ball and hiding from the world. We cannot even look at our self in the mirror.

Our judgmental, critical, shaming and censoring thoughts about our self and others cripples us and deflects the immensity of the Truth of God's unconditional love and acceptance for us.

We do not sense God's faith, hope and love within us in the person of Jesus Christ. We are unable to detect His will through our hurried lives and busy days.

We have to get off the merry-go-round of life and have a frank conversation with God. As we share our heart with Him, we empty our soul of the cares of this life and our deep seated insecurities.

Meditating on God's Word throughout the day helps us to focus on Him and His will for our life. This trains our soul to think on heavenly things rather than being carnally minded.

In the silent times of waiting on God, we enjoy His companionable silence as He showers us with His love, fills us with His peace and gives us His joy as our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

He gets us ready for the next trial or temptation or crisis which we will face by strengthening us from the inside out. He showers us with His blessings and love to re-enforce our spirit and prepare us for the battle ahead.

Prayer:

Father God, You have a distinct purpose for each person You created. You sent Your Son to redeem us and Your Spirit to direct us throughout our lifetime. Make us aware of Your presence during the quiet times we maintain throughout our day.

Remind us to listen to Your voice, rather than the satanic voices in our mind. Draw us closer to You. We thank You for never letting us go (Hebrews 13:5). Work in us the divine nature of Christ (2 Peter 1:4), and fulfill in us and through us all of your promises.

Thought for the Day:

God has a perfect, prearranged plan for our life; and as we walk in it, we find His presence along with fulfillment and holiness. - John 17:17-18; Ephesians 2:10