Separated to God

If we draw near to God, He will draw near to us (James 4:8). Whoever lives and believes in Christ shall never die (John 11:26). Our last breath on earth is followed by our next breath in Heaven. We will live on eternally.

The extent to which we surrender our lives to God determines the degree to which He will use our life on this earth. There is no place for double mindedness, compromise with sin or half-hearted devotion (Luke 9:62).

A committed and separated life to Christ, who lives within us, demands that we live an estranged life from this world (Romans 14:7-8). Christ is the center of our focus and our pre-eminent Love (Revelation 2:4).

We pant after Him with a parched thirst, yield our goals for our life to the will of God, and relinquish our selfish desires to God's transforming power (Psalm 42:1-2).

Even in negative circumstances, He promises to prosper us, not to allow anything to harm us as He cares for us, and to give us hope for our future (Jeremiah 29:11).

As we submit to God and resist the devil, we walk in freedom from Satan’s influence in our life (James 4:7). We transfer the ownership of our life to God and we live as good stewards of all He created.

Giving up our human rights, we exchange them for His privileges. We swap our character traits, which hold us back from success, for the victory we find in a life hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).

God gives us the divine nature of Christ with all the fruit of His Spirit (1 Peter2:4; Galatians 5:22-23). We come to like our self much more in this transformed state than we did in our carnal state. We dedicate all of our days to His service.

Prayer:

Father God, as we repent of our sins and seek You, we have your peace and favor surrounding us (Job 22:21). Abandoning our life for Your sake, we live in obedience to You, just as Jesus did. We live, move and have our being in You (Acts 17:28).

Give us this day our daily bread, forgive our trespasses against Your will, and help us to forgive those who wound us. We give You all the power and glory and honor due to Your name and we commit to serve in Your Kingdom every moment of every day (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Thought for the Day:

God calls us to be holy in Him, and to be separated to God in this life and the next. - Psalm 4:3

Fall on the Rock

Do you ever feel like a meteor fell out of the sky and landed right on top of you? Is there trouble at every turn and nothing ever works out as it is supposed to happen?

Jesus advises us to fall on the Rock, before the Rock has to fall on us (Matthew 21:44). This insinuates that we can prevent certain negative events from occurring if we trust in Christ alone.

In the center of God's will nothing will actually harm us and anything that rises up against us will not stand or prosper (Romans 8:31; Psalm 118:6). Outside of the will of God, Satan can attack us or cause us unpleasant experiences without God's protection.

When we step outside of God's will, He usually disciplines us in order to return us to the straight and narrow road of His choosing for our life. He does not discipline to harm us, but to keep us safe and to bless us.

As vigilant parents, we attempt to keep our children out of harm's way and walking in safety, security and blessings. God disciplines us for the same reasons - for our good and to give us a life of peace and joy.

He is not vindictive or harassing us or seeking to punish us, but is focused on our protection and rewards. As the Bible repeatedly illustrates to us, God never, ever sends judgment without first giving a warning.

If we obey right away, we avoid the need for discipline or reaping the negative results of what we sow. We do not sow to the wind and reap the whirlwind, but the calm surroundings of green pastures and still waters (Hosea 8:7; Psalm 23:1-2).

God always restores our soul to equilibrium after the world attempts to inflict us with trials and troubles (Psalm 23:3). He showers us with new mercies with each new dawn (Lamentations 3:22-23). Sorrow is fleeting, and joy always comes with the morning (Psalm 30:5).

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that if we insist on living life our own way, You will have no alternative but to reprimand us and allow us to reap the natural consequences of our disobedience. Only in the center of Your will do we find true joy and peace. Keep our feet from wandering off the straight and narrow road, which You prepared for us (Matthew 7:13-14).

Help us to totally surrender to You rather than to insist on living life our own way. Remind us that You have a perfect will for every member of Your Body, so that we will function together perfectly as we further Your Kingdom on the earth. Draw us ever closer to You and allow us to reap the fruit of our labors.

Thought for the Day:

God anoints our head with His peace and our cup overflows with abundance as He lavishness us with plentiful provision in the midst of our enemies. - Psalm 23:5

Exacting Revenge

Revenge is sweet, or so they say. We plot and plan our next encounter and how we will get the jump on our enemy's rude and spiteful behavior.

We set up a cycle of events in order to position our self to put our enemies in their place and to hurt them before they can hurt us. We despise them more with each breath we take.

Yet, revenge leaves us feeling empty. As Believers we even regret our display of ungodly behavior. Our vindictive and vengeful thoughts and actions take a toll on our spirit, and grieve the Holy Spirit within us (Ephesians 4:30).

It seems impossible to love our enemies. They taunt us, thwart us and stab us in the back every chance they get. We are willing to struggle with the concept of not hating them; but loving them is going a bit too far.

There is good news. We do not need to feel emotional affection to love our enemies, just a heart, which is surrendered to Christ.

When we love Christ more than we love our self, we can love our enemies with His Agape love. We grow to desire that our enemies will prosper and to experience the love of God, which we enjoy.

We can minister to our enemy's physical, emotional, spiritual, financial and mental needs when God prompts us. He shows us opportunities to share His love with them.

God's Word, which richly fills our soul, helps us to have meekness in order to walk away from the temptation to inflict revenge on our enemies (James 1:21).

God walks with us and in us through the dark night of our soul (Psalm 139:17-18). He rewards our faithfulness to walk in His truth. He roots us in His love and builds us up in His presence.

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that vengeance is Yours and You will repay our enemies for their treatment of us. Help us to kill our enemies with kindness, pricking their conscience with our loving behavior toward them (Romans 12:20).

Soften their heart toward us. Show us the root of their feelings, which cause them to despise us. Use us to help them to heal from their wounds which cause them to bully us and others.

Cause their reasons for attacking us to diminish; and if nothing else, make them just walk away and leave us alone. In all things, help us to prosper even as our soul prosper when we follow Your will for our life (3 John 1:2).

Thoughts for the Day:

God establishes our faith in His faithfulness; and we abound in our gratitude to Him. - Colossians 2:6-7