Union with Christ - Rest for Our Soul

 

As we set our mind on heavenly issues, the peace of God, that excels beyond all human comprehension, will rule and reign in and guard our heart (Philippians 4:7).

The mind of Christ maintains order and stability in our soul regardless of the physical issues we face. His perfect peace rules in our heart, and gives rest to our weary soul (Isaiah 26:3).

We keep our thoughts and feelings under subjection to God's Holy Spirit. We think only of the Kingdom of God, the works of Christ in His life on earth, and what He may want to accomplish through us during our lifetime.

Our spirit, body and soul - our thoughts, choices and feelings - align with the mind of Christ in our spirit. His will becomes our will, His desires are our desire and His purpose is our goal in life (1 Peter 1:13).

He gives us the faith of His Son, the power of His Spirit and the focus of His being within us. We take human conjecture off the throne of our life and exalt Jesus in every moment of our day (Proverbs 16:17).

The choices we make affect our actions. We will either follow our flesh, the world, the devil or God's Spirit in our thoughts, emotions, words and deeds (Galatians 5:15-25).

God gave us a free will to choose to follow Him or Satan's lies. Our free will cannot create or change the outcome of the choices of others, but we can allow God's Spirit to use us to influence those around us for His greater good.

Prayer:

Father God, You created us to depend on You and to allow Your predetermined will for our life to influence our actions (Ephesians 2:10). We are capable, however, of grieving Your Holy Spirit by following the dictates of our own choosing. Remind us of the fact that someone else's decisions are not our responsibility, but our response to them is; and in this, we find rest for our soul.

We share with others what we believe is the mind of Christ, but then, their choices are just that - their choice. They reap what they sow just like we do. We are all free to choose to live humanistically and to depend on our self and other people, instead of on You. This is ludicrous and self-defeating. Teach us that we are all dependent on Your love during this lifetime.

Thought for the Day:

God is ultimately still on His throne and has all things under His control (Romans 8:28); He puts His hook in our jaw, and draws us along to fulfill His will for our life (Ezekiel 38:4), but He never forces us to do anything that we choose not to do.

Healing from Loss

In this world we will have troubles and trials, but we can rejoice through them all because Christ IN us has already overcome them all (John 16:33).

However, it is important to allow our soul to grieve each loss. Everyone experiences loss at one time or another during our lifetime.

We all react to loss in a similar fashion. We suffer both emotional and physical distress in our grief, caused by the heightened levels of adrenalin in our bloodstream.

When a segment of our support system in this life crumbles, our assurance of security, safety and stability crumble as well.

Part of our purpose, identity, social status and provision vanish. Unfamiliar and unwanted issues occur, which demand our attention and time.

Our life is full of turmoil, loss, isolation and grief. We feel overwhelmed, depressed, hopeless and unable to cope. We find it difficult to function in both our normal roles and new responsibilities.

Some people are angry and others withdraw from society. We feel abandoned by significant others, and maybe even by God.

However, we have hope of full recovering when we cling ever closer to God. He gives us His peace, which transcends all of our circumstances.

Prayer:

Father God, our life on this earth is a series of losses from favorite toys, to special treasures, to important people and places, all of which helped to define who we are. Remind us to allow our self to work through the grief process and not to short-cut our time of healing.

Help us to reflect on the positive side of grief as an opportunity to evaluate our priorities in life, to examine our values and to deepen our beliefs. Guide us as we move toward a more mature relationship with You, and a stronger faith in Your faithfulness as we experience Your provision in all of our negative circumstances.

Thought for the Day:

The impact of loss is so profound that it reaches to the very core of our being and affects every aspect of our life--physically, emotionally, mentally, socially and spiritually.

Nothing is Impossible in Christ

 

 

As a new Christian, our character is still flawed with sin. However, as we allow God to sanctify our carnal nature, we grow into a more mature Christian, exhibiting the fruit of God's Spirit and having the nature of God (Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Peter 1:4). We accept His holiness in exchange for our sin.

The Holy Spirit is not limited by time and space. Even though our perfection is not evident in this earthly realm in which we live, it is already complete in the heavenly realm.

Sometimes, fear attempts to cripple our soul and causes us to relinquish our power and hope to Satan. In our new life in Christ, God gives us power over Satan and his debilitating lies and negative emotions (1 John 4:4).

God also provides us with His unconditional love to give us confidence to live in His peace and joy. As we base our hope in God, no threatening storm will intimidate our stability in Christ.

Christ alone is our chief corner stone in God’s house made without hands (Ephesians 2:19-22; 2 Corinthians 5:1). We live, move and have our entire existence in Him (Acts 17:28). Christ is not ashamed to call us family (Hebrews 2:11).

We no longer live for our selfish pleasures, because Christ lives within us. The life that we now live in our mortal body is lived through our confidence in and the faith of the Son of God who loves us and gave Himself for us (Galatians 2:20).

Prayer:

Father God, at times we find it difficult to muster the faith necessary to live through life’s circumstances (Hebrew 11:6). Remind us that in these trying times, we can pray, “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). In doubt we accomplish nothing. In faith we have no limits to what is possible for those who trust in You.

In prayerful, peaceful confidence, Christ is our strength and our whole life (Isaiah 30:15; Colossians 3:3-4). Remind us not to make our own plans for the day, but to walk in Your perfect will for every moment of our life (Ephesians 2:10).

Thought for the Day:

We victoriously withstand any storm or trial, because our faith is built on the Rock of Christ.