Union with Christ - God's Opportunities

At times, the difficulties in life hang like the burden around our neck. God does not want us to try with all of our might to solve the problems by our self. He wants us to know that He is involved with us in every issue of our life.

We are usually overwhelmed by many of our trials, but Jesus can successfully settle every one of them. He gives us courage, wisdom and divine revelation to resolve them, or He instructs us to leave them in His capable hands.

He uses these conflicts to build Godly character in us and to further His Kingdom in the earth. We can embrace every negative issue with faith and peace, knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ dwells within us with all the power of the triune Godhead.

This is how we dwell in serenity all the days of our life. It is important for us to understand that God already arranged for a solution for these issues prior to them ever happening.

He knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10), and He has a perfect plan for our life (Romans 12:2).

Jesus within us breaks the chains of every type of satanic or earthly hindrance that attempts to steal our freedom from us (Psalm 107:14). He encourages us to take His yoke upon us, and to learn of Him; so that we can find true rest for our soul (Matthew 11:29).

Jesus is poised to deliver us from the bondage of every negative emotion and circumstance, and to bring us astounding joy that is beyond words and full of His glory (1 Peter 1:8).

When we see our problems as God’s opportunities, it changes our focus and attitude about them. Our supply for each circumstance, and the wisdom to deal with it comes from Christ in us, our hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).

Prayer:

Father God, teach us to view our problems as adventures rather than as challenges. As we trust in You, You work them all out for good, just as You promised You would (Romans 8:28). Life is not about me, but You. You call us to proclaim Your presence and Word to the world in which You plant us.

You provide us with the energy and power to teach and admonish others about what we learn from You (Colossians 1:28-29). We live a life of thanksgiving and praise to You for Your willingness to sacrifice Your Son for our redemption, and for demonstrating Your glory in creation and in our everyday life.

Thought for the Day:

Jesus, the Word, is the physical manifestation of God’s glory, and He exhibits God's glory and divine character in and through every one of us who live a completely surrendered life before Him.

God's Adopted Children

 

"I can't!" and "I quit!" are two powerful statements. They denote a desire and decision to stop trying in our human efforts. They lead us to realize that we can, only in Christ (Philippians 4:13).

They help us to die to our self and to rise to walk in the new life, which God has planned for us (Mark 8:34-35; Ephesians 2:10). His peace in our spirit confirms His will, and His joy is our strength (Philippians 4:7; Psalm 28:7).

We are dead, and our life is now hidden with Christ in God. Christ is our whole life (Colossians 3:3-4). We empty our self of all of our plans, goals and dreams, and live according to God's counsel (Ephesians 4:11).

God changed us from sinners to Saints, His adopted children who will inherit His Kingdom. All that is His, now belongs to us as well (1 John 3:2; Ephesians 1:5; Galatians 3:26). We are no longer strangers and aliens, but we belong in God's family (Ephesians 2:19).

The Christian life involves much less striving than many Believers think. There is no need for us to use our humanity to accomplish anything in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:8-9).

We walk in the Spirit and exhibit His fruit in our character (Galatians 5:15-25). This enables us to trust in the Lord with every fiber of our being and not to depend on our human reasoning at all (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Jesus died for our salvation from sin and eternal death (John 3:16 -18). Offering our life to His service in our vocation and calling is our daily commitment to Him in return.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for validating our worth through Your presence in our life. You set us free to live, move and have our being in You (Acts 17:28). Your mercy and love granted us forgiveness while we were still sinners (Romans 8:5), so that we in turn can forgive our self and others who wrong us during our lifetime (Matthew 6:14).

Teach us to discern the difference between the carnal or satanic voices and Your voice in our mind; so You can lead us throughout our day. Remind us not to expect certain results when we obey Your promptings, because Your ways are so much higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Thought for the Day:

We do not allow success or problems to approve or negate God's will for us, because we may not see the eternal plan, which God accomplished through us regardless of the results. - 1 Peter 4:12

Are Ghosts Real?

Read: John 10:10

"There shall not be found among you any one who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, any one who practices divination, a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer - witches and sorcerers. For whoever does these things is an abomination to The Lord; and because of these abominable practices. The Lord your God is driving them out before you."

- Deuteronomy 18:10-12 

The Bible introduces us to three archangels who function in prominent roles in God’s Kingdom. Their deeds are described in both Old and New Testaments. Michael’s dominion is Israel (Daniel 12:1) and Gabriel transports messages from God’s throne to His Saints (Daniel 8:16, 9:21, Luke 1:19,26).  The third one is Lucifer, currently known as Satan, who opposed God and led a rebellion of angels against God (Isaiah 14:12). The angels who joined him in rejecting God’s authority all became fallen angels, called demons.

God did not create demons. God created angels, as He did with mankind, giving us all a free will to choose or to reject Him. God created Hell as a place of eternal damnation and torment for Satan, his demons and all of humanity who refuse to surrender their lives to the Salvation and Lordship of Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10). Every human being is destined to die once physically; but there is a second death, a spiritual death in hell for eternity (Revelation 20:14). Eternity actually continues long after time ends (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).

God gave us Biblical truth to provide us with a comprehensive portrait of the spiritual world existing beyond our physical senses. It includes angels, both fallen and obedient. These holy angels and evil demons interact with humanity on a regular basis. God gave us the Bible to help us to discern the truth (John 16:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6). Throughout the Bible we read that there are indeed demonic and angelic spirit beings that connect with and appear in our physical world (Hebrews 13:2).

According to scripture, innumerable legions of angels exist. Some serve the Lord and aid God’s people in advancing the Kingdom of God. Angels are Spirit-beings who are faithful in serving God. Angels are honorable, righteous, and holy. They protect God’s elect and minister to us in our time of need (Hebrews 1:14). Demons, fallen angels who rebelled against God, are destructive, deceiving and devilish (James 2:19). Demons oppose God’s will, facilitate Satan’s agenda, and work to prevent the Kingdom of God from growing. Satan and his demons disguise themselves as angels of light and servants of righteousness to deceive the unsuspecting (2 Corinthians 11:14-15; Matthew 24:24).

Demons only seek to “kill, steal, and destroy” (John 10:10). Ghosts, ghouls and poltergeist are definitely evil spirits. They will do anything within their power to deceive honest people and to lead them away from God (1 Timothy 4:1-3). Demonic spirits appear in ghostly form as deceased human beings. If the result is that people trust in a psychic instead of God, a demon will be more than willing to reveal the truth. Satan uses your contact with these demons to delude and destroy you because you are opening up your life to evil influences and satanic activity (Luke 11:24; Acts 19:11-17). It is extremely important for God's elect to be able to discern between a holy or evil spiritual influence (1 Corinthians 2:11-16; 1 John 1:4).

Human beings are innately aware of the spiritual world. Intense interest in the paranormal is progressively more common in our society today. People who claim to be “ghost-hunters,” will supposedly free your home of ghosts, for a fee. Psychics and mediums tell grieving people that they have the power to connect them with their deceased loved ones, for a fee. They use satanic power through astrology, Druidic runes, Feng Shui, palmistry, I-ching, tea leaves, Ouija boards, séances, tarot cards, relaxation techniques and crystal balls to connect our material plane with what they consider the astral plane. Through satanic power, they tell a person intimate details that no one could possibly know.

Everyone will face judgment for our deeds on this earth. Jesus paid the debt for these evil deeds on Calvary’s cross. However, only a few human beings are humble enough to realize their need for a Savior and believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. The believer in Jesus Christ ends up in heaven (Hebrews 9:27; 2 Corinthians 5:5-8; Philippians 1:23). All unbelievers end up in hell (Matthew 25:46; Luke 16:22-24). There is no in-between. People either go to Heaven or hell immediately when they die (2 Corinthians 5:8).  So, there is no possibility that the soul of a person can remain on the earth as a ghost.

The Bible identifies these ghostly beings as angels and demons, and negates the idea of the spirits of deceased human beings remaining on earth and haunting us. According to the Bible, if a person sees a ghost-like being, they are demonic or angelic (Luke 16:26-31; Luke 24: 39). There is one instance in the Bible where a dead person made an appearance. God made it clear that He was no longer talking to King Saul by any means (1 Samuel 15:22-29; 28:6). Therefore, Saul used a medium to contact the dead prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 28:14-16, 20). The medium screamed when Samuel appeared, rather than a demonic spirits (1 Samuel 28:12). God allowed this one appearance of the prophet in order to allow Samuel to pronounce God’s judgment on Saul (1 Samuel 28:16-19).

Rather than seeking the will of God for their lives, many people consult psychics. Daily horoscopes are readily accessible online and in daily newspapers. Many bookstores sell tarot cards to any aspiring fortuneteller. Psychics connect to the evil demons of hell and use pertinent information to deceive people into believing they can actually predict the future. What they fail to take into consideration is that God has a plan and purpose for every life and God’s blessings trump any arrangement the devil and his demons have for a person’s life. Reading the Bible every day will give you more wisdom and insight into the future than any horoscope, tarot card or fortuneteller.

Recommended Resource: The Truth Behind Ghosts, Mediums, and Psychic Phenomena – Ron Rhodes 

More about Angels:

Galatians 3:19; Mark 8:38; Psalms 148:1-2; Luke 1:13, 2:13-14; Daniel 6:22; Exodus 32:34; Numbers 22; 2 Samuel 24; Luke 1:11-13, 26-28; Acts 10:3-6, 27:23-24; Matthew 1:20, 2:13, 4:11, 14:26, 25:63, 28:2; 2 Kings 19