Hope for Our Future

Basking in the life, the presence and the Word of God are essential for the authentic Believer's well-being. Our body and soul cry out for our living God (Psalm 84:2).

God's presence is the only commodity, which will satisfy our longing and fill our hungry soul - our thoughts, choices and emotions (Psalm 107:9).

People fail to devote their whole life and soul to God for many reasons, including living in the whirlwind of vocation, pleasure, family issues, material possessions, etc.  Some are even riddled with doubt, debt and cynicism.

These are all modern idols and false gods. When we serve false gods, God sends plagues of all types in order to get our attention; yet, we often harden our heart all the more.

We view trials as punishment, rather than the Surgeon's skilled knife which brings repentance of sin and complete healing to areas of our life where Satan lied to us.

God desires to fulfill His glorious promises in us, which are full of mercy, grace and truth. His plans bring us prosperity rather than punishment, and they give us a hopeful future (Jeremiah 29:10-11).

However, we must first return to our first love, to pray for forgiveness for our sins and to call on Him. Then, He will listen to us. When we seek Him with our whole body, soul and spirit, we will always find Him (Jeremiah 29:12-13).

In God's everlasting arms, we enter His rest because He provides us with hope for our future, security for our spirit and peace for our soul. There is always hope in the Lord.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for allow us to rest in Your everlasting embrace. You provide us with Your peace as we walk in Your Spirit, guidance as we consult You each moment of the day, and joy as we abide in Your presence within us. You restored us to Yourself and we glorify Your name and love You with all of our heart.

We live our life in worship to You, seeking first Your Kingdom rather than building our own kingdom (Matthew 6:33). We consult You in all of our ways and we want to do only Your will for our life. We make You our top priority in life and we diligently seek You in times of peace and turmoil alike.

Thought for the Day:

God never promises us a struggle free life; in fact, He made it clear that we would experience many trials and tribulation; yet, He always gives us His peace, which helps us to stay focused on Him rather than to depend on our own human understanding. - John 16:33; Philippians 4:7

The Indwelling Spirit

 

When we reach the place of trust in Christ alone, we enter the rest offered to us by God in His Promised Land. We enjoy plentiful provision and we lack no good thing (Psalm 34:10). Our life no longer has deprivation or turmoil. As we follow the Holy Spirit’s direction, we win every battle and experience complete victory. Through our union with Christ, we accomplish everything He calls us to do (Ephesians 2:10), because He works through us in His strength (Matthew 19:26).

We could never provide any of this for our self. There is, however, a chance that we might fall short of entering into this rest of God because of our unbelief (Hebrews 4:1,11). Entering God’s rest takes a life of total surrender, as well as faith in God’s faithfulness. God’s first step is to bring us out of the world, and then to bring us to salvation through His work of redemption in our life. He fills us with His Spirit’s anointing and power.

Many Christians stop short of entering God’s rest by concentrating only on His elementary truths, so they never reaching spiritual maturity (Hebrews 6:1). God calls us to lay at the altar everything, which would separate us from Him, and then to embrace each Word of His Truth. He calls us to seek first His Kingdom, as He provides us with everything we need (Matthew 6:33). God’s Spirit conforms us into the likeness of Christ and we reflect His glory, which is full of grace and truth (John 1:14,17). 

As we surrender to God’s goodness and power, we give up all for Him. We walk in His love. Like Jesus, we return love for hatred and blessing for cursing (Luke 6:28; Romans 12:14). We can only accomplish this as we maintain fellowship with Christ throughout our day. We cannot enjoy God’s presence at the same time we indulge in the sins of this world. God’s indwelling Spirit transforms us into the humility and holiness of Christ along with all of His spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).

Prayer,

Almighty Father God, living for You in every moment of our day, we enjoy the greatest fulfillment available to us in this life. Yet, we often flee from times of aloneness with You in order to seek the momentary pleasures of this world. However, once we submit to You, the power of Your Spirit fills us and draws us to holiness and contentment with all that You provide for us. Your Spirit gives us both the power and the anointing to live in Your will for our life.

Thought for the Day:

There is no strain in living life for God according to His precepts, because it is indeed freeing to throw off the shackles of corruption.

 

I Want My Own Way

Read: Luke 12:20-31 

"But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:" - Matthew 6:20

How often do I reject God's plan for my life and choose to follow the ways of the Satan, the flesh or the world? How often do I disappoint God with my choices? I wonder how often God grants my request, knowing all along that it is not His best plan for me. In my quest for life, do I look for fulfillment in all the wrong places?

God gave the Israelites a prophet to speak to them directly, but they wanted a king instead (1 Samuel 8:5). Eventually, it turned out that their king had to go to the prophet to find out God’s will for them at any given moment. So tell me, why did they need the king? He was merely a middleman. They just wanted a king, so they could be like all the other nations in their world.

Do we marry the wrong person, take the wrong job, go to the wrong school, move into the wrong neighborhood, buy the wrong car and wear the wrong clothes just because we want to be like everyone else in our world? What’s wrong with being different? What’s wrong with putting God first, living out His will for our life, and dressing and living in such a way to give glory and honor to Him? Let’s seek first His kingdom, and He will provide us with every thing that we need.

Prayer:

Lord, when my heart longs to be like the world, I step out of Your will for my life. Help me not to sew to the flesh, because I will most certainly reap destruction. Transform my mind to see things from Your perspective and make me content with Heavenly treasure instead of earth's counterfeit.

Thought for the Day:

When I seek to follow the Spirit’s direction with my life, I may not always see the results, but I know that I am laying up treasures in Heaven.