Condemnation or Conviction

 

There is a huge difference between condemnation and conviction. A person without Christ in their life might experience both of these; but a child of God is freed from all condemnation (Romans 8:1).

Satan condemns us, but God's Spirit convicts us. For instance, when we choose to walk in slavery to the flesh, God convicts us to walk in the Spirit instead (Galatians 5:15-25).

Condemnation brings shame, hopelessness and discouragement with it. Yet, conviction brings relief, and gives us the opportunity to decide not to sin and to please God instead (James 4:7).

Satan will crush us with his shameful condemnation and attempt to cripple our soul in order to prevent us from ever serving God again. If we flee temptation, we also flee condemnation (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Satan is the accuser of God's children and he will attempt to belittle us, telling us that we are not enough, will never amount to anything and that we are a hopeless failure.

However, these accusations are contrary to God's truth about us. God says that we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). We have victory in all things through Christ in us (1 Corinthians 15:57)

As we submit to God and resist the devil, he has to flee from us (James 4:7-8). Nothing can ever separate us from the multi-dimensional love of God (Romans 8:35-39).  

Prayer:

Father God, when Satan attempts to defeat us, remind us that You already gave us the victory through Christ in us (Galatians 2:20). Thank You for being so willing to forgive our departure from Your will for our life (1 John 1:9), and for giving us Your Spirit to help us to walk in Your perfect peace.

Produce in us a Godly sorrow, which pricks our conscience and reminds us not to succumb to Satan's temptations (2 Corinthians 7:10-11). Prompt us to walk in Your Spirit, filled with His fruit, so that we will not fulfill the lusts of our flesh (Galatians 5:15-25).

Thought for the Day:

The blood of Christ frees us from the penchant to sin, as well as from the condemnation of the devil.

- Revelation 1:5; Romans 8:1

Maturing into the Fullness of Christ

 

Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven, our sole source of truth and our single pathway to eternal life (John 14:6). He came to earth for the purpose of setting us free from our past and from Satan’s bondage (Galatians 5:1).

We receive a new identity in Christ, which builds up our self-image and gives us a holy boldness in the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:17). The trauma of our past and the damaged emotions, which we suffered because of these events, are healed through His truth. ( www.theophostic.com )

As humans, we draw conclusions, make goals and nourish dreams, which often cause us to reap destruction (Proverbs 14:12). God already gave us everything we need to mature into the fullness of Christ in us, as we trust Him with our life (Ephesians 2:10, 4:13, 15).

Maturity in Christ comes from walking in His will and by His Spirit each moment of the day (2 Peter 1:3). We learn to resist that yoke of slavery, which Satan has planned for our life; and, instead, to walk in the freedom of Christ, who truly sets us free (Galatians 5:1).

During His crucifixion and death, Jesus focused on His glory awaiting Him in heaven (Philippians 3:14). During our trials and persecution, we too can focus on the rewards, which God gives us both now and also those He reserves for us in glory (Philippians 3:20; Acts 5:41; Philippians 3:10).

Prayer:

Father God, help us to live by the faith of Your Son, who loves us and willingly gave His life for us (Galatians 2:20; Romans 1:17). We count it a joyous occasion when we walk through defeat, trouble and complications (James 1:2-8), because there is always a seed for a miracle in every trial. Help us to trust in You alone for our daily needs and remind us to use Your benefits to help other people too.

Thought for the Day:

We tend to rely on self-effort during good times and only turn to God at the first sign of difficulty; God wants us to entirely surrender every aspect of our life to Him and to walk in His perfect will for us. – Ephesians 2:10

New Life in Christ

Jesus became sin for us and hung as a criminal on the cross in our place. After His resurrection, He walked the earth for 40 days, appearing to people and ministering to them. These eyewitnesses give us infallible proof of His resurrection. He was the first born of God’s children to come back from the grave and He now has total supremacy over the all things (Colossians 1:18).

For His entire life on earth, Jesus surrendered His will to God’s and He calls us to do the same thing. His resurrection power works in us, giving us the ability to do His will (Philippians 2:12-13). We relate to Jesus death through the death of our carnality and by our baptism into His life (Colossians 2:12, Galatians 2:20). We have perfect fellowship with our Heavenly Father, just like Jesus did (1 John 1:3).

God rewarded Jesus’ faithfulness with the glories of Heaven. Jesus demonstrated to us that when we give up our life for God, we gain the splendor of Heaven as well. We walk in the victory of God’s Spirit in our spirit, victory over sin in our soul and victory over death in our immortal bodies (1 Corinthians 15:53-54). Jesus lives out His life in us by God’s Spirit, who abides in us and leads us each moment of our day.

We receive Christ’s divine nature as we total surrender to and obey God’s will for our life. We are holy vessels, set apart for God’s service. We renounce all worldliness, rebellion and apathy as we admit our helplessness without Him, live in dependence on Him and accept our significance in Him. God’s Spirit works the holiness of Christ in us and gives us His life and anointing.

Prayer:

Father God, as our flesh dies with Christ, our spirit rises up to walk in a new life in Him (Romans 6:4). Like the three Hebrew children taken into slavery, we refuse to partake in the sin of this life. We keep our self holy and pure by fleeing from temptation and submitting to Your Spirit each day. Help us to live a life of responsibility, forgiveness and wisdom like Joseph did. We wait in breathless anticipation for our new adventure in Christ to unfold with each new day.

Thought for the Day:

Everyone in Egypt saw the hand of the Lord on Joseph’s life, because the Lord was with Him as He is with and in each of us. – Genesis 39:2

 

Divine Providence

Have you ever entertained the concept that God actually placed you in the home in which He wanted you to live? God preordained us to live in a certain sphere and stratum of society. Whether your parents were wealthy, drunkards, benevolent, poor, hard working, sluggards, belittling, educated, illiterate, angry, carefree, abusive, gave you up for adoption or anything in between, God chose them for you in order to mold you into the person He needs you to be (Ephesians 2:8-10).

As a result, we can live with bitterness and feelings of inequality, or a snobbish better-than-though attitude, or we can submit to God’s wisdom, forgive our parents for their shortcomings and allow God to use us as He sees fit. This concept is proven when we view the life of Jesus. Born in a stable, driven from his kin by a crazed ruler, trained as a carpenter, unmarried and childless, falsely accused, tortured and crucified, Jesus submitted to His destiny and fulfilled God’s will all within the vicinity of His birthplace.


As we age into adulthood, God steers us in the direction in which we should go. If we rebel and go our own way, we suffer from our estrangement from His plan. We may use religion, sports, food, debauchery or work to fill the empty void in our life, but nothing truly satisfies us. However, if we walk in God’s divine plan, we reap the blessings of an obedient and surrendered life. Jesus obeyed all the way to Calvary’s cross, and reaped Kingship in the glories of heaven.
 
God’s design supplies us with divine riches also, both within and without and now and in eternity. Every plan God has for us is for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28). Even the darkest, most dangerous prison is a palace when we dwell in the divine presence of our immortal God. He may strip us of every earthly comfort and close acquaintance for the purpose of removing our reliance on human prospects; but He does so in order to draw us closer to His immortal presence.


Prayer:

Father God, we see Joseph as a perfect example of someone sold into slavery by his brothers, which You used to reposition Joseph to ultimately save his family from famine. Even in prison, Paul wrote many sacred works, which sustain our soul today. Regardless of our circumstances, if we follow the leading of Your Spirit, You will provide for and sustain us both in times of abundance and in times of lack (Philippians 4:11-13). We embrace Your wise and holy ways and cling to Your kind and caring heart for our strength through all of life’s circumstances. Lead us in Your will and put us in the right place at the right time to fulfill Your desires for our life.

Thought for the Day:

God crucifies the first Adam within us until He sees the rebirth of the second Adam, the man Christ Jesus. – 1 Corinthians 15:45

 

True Freedom

Read: Eph 5:15-19

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." – Colossians 3: 16

It is a proven fact that money, fame, looks, success, and people do not make anyone happy. These things give a semblance of freedom, but come with their own handcuffs of discontent. The graveyards are full of people who died unhappily, even though they had one or more of these commonly considered guarantees to a happy life.

The debate of the ages pivots on the conflict between morality and dissipation. Some believe there is no freedom in the face of morality. Others contend that the only true freedom comes within the safe parameters of moral boundaries. We need not live a life of sin in order to be free. In John 8:34-37 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (NIV)

Sin makes us subservient to itself; and there is no freedom in slavery. Immorality is only enjoyable for a time. The dividends of sin come in the form of ill health, addiction, unmanageable circumstances, jail terms, broken relationships, poverty and eventually a death without peace. Jesus said in Luke 21:34 "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close in on you unexpectedly like a trap.” NIV

There are many verses of advice in the Bible concerning freedom. Paul gives wise counsel on how to live in Eph 5:15-19 “Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” NIV

Our goal in life is to be led by God’s Spirit, and to do only the things which He directs us to do by His Holy Spirit. Henry Blackabe in Experiencing God puts it this way, "Find out what God is doing, and then join Him." This is what we call “walking in the Spirit,” "walking in the here and now," and "being present in the moment."

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You are not only our brother, but also our very best friend. You sustain us, encourage us, exhort us, and develop us more fully than any human relationship, because You live within us. Eternal life is something that we can enjoy every day! Make this fact real to us a little more each day.

Thought for the Day:

As we take no thought for tomorrow, we can fully enjoy the moment in which we are abiding.