New Creation - Final Part 3

There are just a few more negative traits, which God is changing to make me a new creation. I dislike the limelight, but God is not concerned with this. I lack the confidence, anointing and ability to function in leadership, but I make a good foot soldier, because I follow instructions.

The last two strongholds, moodiness and grouchiness, only bother me now when I am tired, but God’s Spirit helps me to overcome even then by reminding me to keep my focus on Him rather than on myself. 

Over the years, God retained a few of my positive personality characteristics; such as my organizational abilities, calendar planning, economical tendencies, neat homemaking, attention to detail and a determination to finish what I start.

Another character trait, which He preserved, was my ability to find creative solutions to solve problems. Unfortunately, I always felt the need for others to do things my way, so God did purged me of that side of the coin.

God also had to break me of the penchant to ease the burdens of everyone around me; because I ended up burned out, and I thwarted God's plan in the lives of those I enabled.

I am sure that you can see from my testimony over the last three posts that God cares about every area of our life. He wants to transform and conform us to be like Christ and to manifest His love and divine nature to the world around us. People will see the difference He makes in our life and will want His transforming power for their life too.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for making me into a new creation and for enabling me to overcome human tendencies by filling me with the divine nature of Christ and guiding me with Your Spirit (2 Peter 1:4; 2 Corinthians 5:17). Thank You for forgiving my inadequacies when I fall short of Your image of who I am in Christ, who is my true identity (Colossians 2:9-10). I rejoice in the fact that my life is now hidden in You with Christ, who is my whole life (Colossians 3:3-4). 

Thought for the Day:

Allow God to work in your life to exchange your negative personality traits with His fruit, to use your positive characteristics for His glory and to make you a new creation in Him. - 2 Corinthians 5:17

The Lord Fights for Us

Serving God has its perks! When we yoke up with Him, He helps us to carry our load of burdens. His gentle love gives rest to our soul (Matthew 11:29). When we sincerely call on Him, He is near to us. He fulfills our righteous desires, because we respect Him. He hears us in our distress and saves us. He preserves everyone who will love Him and keep His commandments (Psalm 145:18-20; John 14:15). God is so good to us, that we live life with songs of praise bubbling up from our heart (Psalm 13:6).

God provides us with peaceful dwelling places, secure homes and undisturbed places of rest. Even if our physical home is destroyed, we abide in Christ, who is our Rock. If we live in Christ and He dwells in us with all of His fullness (Colossians 3:3), we are never shaken (Isaiah 32:18; Psalm 62:6). We avoid the way of the wicked, the sinner and the mocker, and we walk in God’s ways and find total rest for our soul (Psalm 1:1; Jeremiah 6:16). God listens to us, hears our concerns and defends us (Joshua 10:14).


Jesus made peace with God for us, by shedding His blood on the cross (Colossians 1:19-20). As we turn from evil and pursue good, the eyes of the Lord are on us and He pays attention to our prayers (1 Peter 2:10-12). The Lord is our Warrior and He fights for us in every battle we encounter throughout life (Exodus 15:3). He goes before us and makes the way safe for us (Deuteronomy 1:30). He works against those who wish to harm us and He fights for our safety (Joshua 23:3).


God’s fullness dwells in Jesus and He reconciled all things to Himself through Christ. Therefore, let us set aside times throughout the day where we focus totally on God. Tune out the noise of life and focus just on Him. When we do, we hear His voice and we learn of His character. We have no need to fear, because God Himself fights for us (Deuteronomy 3:22). Soon, we find our self communing with the Lord every moment of the day and enjoying His fullness in our life.


Prayer:

Father God, when we were lost in our sin and deprivation, you made us alive with you in Christ. We were dead in sin, but You forgave all of our transgressions and cancelled the debt we owed for them by nailing them to the cross (Colossians 2:13-15). This gives us a great cause to rejoice; because our salvation, even though refined by the fire of trials, is more precious to us than worldly riches, which will perish. We give You glory, honor and praise now, as well as at the revelation of King Jesus in Your perfect timing (1 Peter 1:6-7). Help us to maintain a loving, reciprocal relationship with You all day long.

Thought for the Day:

The LORD always fights for us and He stills our weary, troubled soul.  – Exodus 14:14

 

Salt and Light

 

God made His Saints as salt and light in our world (Matthew 5:13-16). As light, we reveal the hidden wounds in a sinner’s life; and as salt, we create a thirst in their soul. Sinners resent being reminded of their sin, and despise those who keep them accountable. Unbelievers often criticize Christians when we tell them the truth. As ungodliness increases with the growing apostasy in our world (2 Timothy 3:12-13), these people attempt to extinguish our light in order to hide their darkness.

When salt sits in the box, it clumps together and loses its usefulness (Matthew 5:13). It is only as we allow Jesus to pour us out, that we are any good to His Kingdom. Speaking God’s truth will season, cleanse, heal, preserve and prevent decay in the life of those who will listen and believe. Hopefully, those whose thirst we amplify will want to quench it with Living Water (John 7:37-39), which only comes through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ (Mark 1:14-15).

Salt also enhances sweetness, such as bringing out the natural sweetness of melons. Expecting Christians to be sweet as pie, sinners resent the salty truth of God’s word. It is actually those preachers who dilute and sugar-coat the gospel of Christ that steer people in the wrong direction. They falsely imply that life in Christ is all about health, wealth and success. They disguise sin, calling it a weakness or saying it is biologically predestined; therefore, Jesus accepts it.

These lies lead people down the eternal path to destruction, rather than the narrow way of truth. Eternal joy comes from living in the presence of God for eternity. Although Authentic Believers all over the world are persecuted more and more, just like Jesus was during His lifetime (John 15:20), we are not deterred from sharing the truth of God’s Word. We do not merely listen to the Word and deceive our self, but we also obey God’s Word is Spirit and sincerity (James 1:22-24).

Prayer:

Father God, Your Word is truth and shall never pass away (John 17:17). Help us to be lights, which shine into this dark world, illuminating the way for whosoever will to come to salvation in Jesus’ name (Revelation 22:17). Until we walk in and share Your Truth, it simply remains a thought in our mind and does no good for anyone (2 Timothy 3:7). Your Spirit leads us into all truth (John 16:13). Give us the courage to continue to share it.

Thought for the Day:

The power of Christ working in us can accomplish more than we could ever imagine. – Ephesians 3:20

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harvesting Fruit

Read: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

“We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” Romans 15:1

While traveling in the ministry with my family, I saw a farmer using a sickle to reap his grain. Then, a few more miles up the road, I noticed a young man using a sledgehammer to break rocks into smaller pieces. The scenes echoed in my mind and I knew God illuminated them to me for a reason. That evening during my quiet time, He showed me why. In my relationships I had a choice to either use a hammer or a sickle in connecting to people.

If I choose a hammer to pound out of others the characteristics I preferred not to see them exhibit, I risked the chance of smashing the tiny gem that God is creating within them. If I pound them over the head with scripture and insist that they walk according to my preferences, then I could discourage them from obeying God in the area in which He is directing them to change.

For instance, if their smoking habit bothers me, then I could focus on helping them to quit smoking. When all along, God was more interested in helping them to break free of a more harmful addiction, for example to illegal drugs or alcohol. I could ruin my friendship with that person, as well as thwarting God’s timing in their life, by insisting that they quit smoking.

So, instead, God wants me to choose to use a sickle in helping people to break free from their bondage to sin. In this way, I allow God to use me to reap the fruit He creates in people by harvesting their strengths as He deals with their weaknesses. I can encourage them to listen to God’s Spirit as He convicts them, to rely on His Word as their spiritual power and to pray with them and hold them accountable to walk in the way in which God is directing them.

God has combined the members of His Body and has given greater honor to the people who lack honor, so that there should be no division in the Body. In this way each part of the Body has equal concern for each other part. If one part suffers, every part suffers with him/her; if one part is honored, we all rejoice (1 Corinthians 12:25-26).  God uses our individual knowledge and experiences to help others and to make us all complete (Luke 22:32). In this way, we learn from one another, depend upon each other and spur one another on to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24), which benefits the whole Body.  

When we exhort one another, we come to each other’s aid and help. We bring comfort and encouragement to one another. In exhorting, our conversation is very gracious, seasoned with prayer; so that God will inspire our words (Colossians 4:6).  We encourage one another and build each other up, rather than dictating to one another or tearing one another down with condescension and self-righteous correction (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

Some people will reject our spiritual admonition. This means they are not yet ripe enough in their hearts to receive the Word of God. If this happens, back away and give that brother or sister time to reflect upon what you shared with them. Pray for them. Do not push them into making some sort of commitment, because they may not be sincere. Once we’ve swept their spiritual “house”, if they do not fill it full of God’s Word and righteous living, then their prior demons will return and bring seven other spirits more wicked than itself (Luke 11: 24-26). God’s Spirit is available to anyone willing to overcome sin in their life, but we all have to make our own commitment to avail our self of His power and anointing.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, help me to walk in your Word and to be prepared to share it with others at Your direction. Help me to correct, admonish, and encourage Your people in the way that You would have them to go. Allow me to do this with the greatest of patience in my instruction (2 Timothy 4:2). Let my words be seasoned with salt, which will preserve their faith and ultimately their life.

Thought for the Day:

Every healthy part of God’s Body keeps us all healthy, growing and full of love.