Jesus is All We Need

God orchestrates the losses, broken heart, difficult trials, and painful tribulation in our life to bring us to the place of total surrender to His love and our perfect submission to His will.

The quicker we come to the place of complete compliance to His will, the fewer negative aspects enter our life. 

The less we trust in and cherish the temporal aspects of this life, the fewer losses we experience.

The more intimate we grow in our union with Christ, the less we experience the negative effects of trauma. 

We are not devastated by our losses, because nothing can separate us from God's love (Romans 8:35-39). We will not lose Christ, and He is all we really need. 

We are complete in Him (Colossians 2:10). We have all wisdom, right standing with God, holiness and redemption in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30).

His grace is sufficient to uphold us in any tragedy or insufficiency, which we face in this world (2 Corinthians 12:9). In Christ, we have every spiritual blessing, which heaven has to offer us (Ephesians 1:3).

God perfects us and sanctifies us in Christ (Hebrews 10:14). Jesus is not an option to add to our life; He is our whole life (Colossians 3:4). 

He is our peace, and He demolishes every wall, which stands in our way (Ephesians 2:14). Jesus is our treasure hidden within us; our pearl of great price; our coin, which was lost, but now is found (Matthew 13:45-46; Luke 15:8-10; 2 Corinthians 4:7). 

Jesus is our all in all (Ephesians 4:6). He contains all the fullness of the Trinity (Colossians 2:9), and He triumphed over our enemies through His death (Colossians 2:15). 

He gives us victory through His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:55). Jesus is all we need (2 Peter 1:3-4).

Prayer:

Father God, thank You that through Christ we have redemption through His blood and forgiveness for our sins. He is Your actual image and through Him everything was created and is under His authority. He is our all sufficiency (Colossians 1:13-16).

Remind us that the philosophy of man and the cares of this world are nothing when compared to the majesty of Christ on high. We give Him all of our praise and the glory for everything we ever accomplish through Your Spirit.

Thought for the Day:

Through Christ we find our right standing with God and enter a spiritual life, which never ends.

Transformed Life

We often measure our success by our accomplishments. We crave the affirmation of our parents and peers. When we do not receive this validation, or when we fail to succeed in life, we lose all hope of a meaningful existence. We often change venues and attempt to receive recognition and triumph in some other area. We may enjoy fame for a while, but soon even that is hollow and vain.

There is only one way to truly succeed in this world. Once we surrender our entire life to God, He will direct our steps (Proverbs 3:5-6). We grow in ways we never thought possible. Our hard heart is softened (Ezekiel 36:26), our knowledge increases concerning eternal conquests, our emotions level out, and our relationships deepen.

The Word of God penetrates into the most private areas of our life and transforms our mind and enlightens our soul (2 Timothy 3:14-16). God blesses us with His love in more abundant measures than we could ever imagine or deserve (2 Corinthians 9:8). All of God's Saints receive the power to understand the width and height and depth of His love, and we realize that nothing in this world can ever equal to or take that away from us (Ephesians 3:18; Romans 8:38-39). 

Our appreciation and adoration of God increases daily. We submit more willingly to His cleansing power in our life. God starts a work in our soul - our thoughts, choices and emotions, which lasts a lifetime. We see changes every day in small increments in every area of our life (Romans 12:2). God molds us like a Potter with a hunk of clay, and makes us into vessels for His service (Isaiah 64:8).

Prayer:

Father God, once we are totally broken, subdued, weak and humbled, we are ready for Your transforming power in our life. Your Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, so that we will walk on Your straight and narrow way according to Your precepts (Psalm 119:105 Psalm 119:105; Matthew 7:13-14). You take our broken, useless lives and turn them into priceless works of art for Your glory. Remind us not to rely on the thoughts and intents of our heart, but to submit to Your Spirit's transformation in our life (Proverbs 27:3; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Corinthians 2:16).

Thought for the Day:

We are broken for God's glory and then raised to walk in New Life with Him. - Romans 6:4, Colossians 2:12

Strengthened by God's Might

One benefit of an eternal relationship with Christ is that we have the fortitude to face the issues of life here on earth. He strengthens us to accomplish everything He calls us to do (Philippians 4:13; Ephesians 2:10). When we are weary and weak from prolonged trials, God fills us with His the power of His might (Isaiah 40:29).

In times of sorrow, God's Word gives us hope (Psalm 119:28). His mighty power within us makes us strong (Ephesians 6:10), because His power is perfected in our weakness. His grace is sufficient to see us through every test (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Our heart trusts in His power and protections, because He always helps us.

We jump for joy and sing God's praises, because He works on our behalf (Psalm 28:7-8). Even young people find life daunting at times and they stumble and fall; yet, if they trust in the Lord, they will soar on wings like eagles and not grow weary or faint (Isaiah 40:29-31). God is not only our strength, but also our salvation both through trials and for eternity (Psalm 118:14).

God is gracious to us, and He renews our strength every morning (Isaiah 33:2). He gives us the ability to traverse the mountain of issues we face each day as easily as a deer frolicking on a mountain slope (Habakkuk 3:19). He is our shield, our helper and our glorious sword (Deuteronomy 33:29). His arms strengthen us and keep us secure at all times (Psalm 18:32; Ephesians 3:16).

Prayer:

Father God, You are our light and our deliverance; therefore, we have no need to dread anyone or any circumstance, which life brings our way. You are our strong tower, so we do not have to be afraid (Psalm 27:1). We find our joy in You, because You help us to ride triumphantly through life and to feast on Your glorious provision (Isaiah 58:14). We thank You for calling us into Your family and for putting Your desires into our heart (Psalm 37:4).

Thought for the Day:

Only the Lord provides us with salvation in hard times and the power to live through them; so those who turn their back on God or rail against him will not receive His help and will live in utter shame. - Isaiah 45:24

No One Like Our God

Among all the wise men of every nation and kingdom, throughout all of the ages, there is no one like our God. He is great. Even His name is mighty and powerful. He is King of all nations, and only fools refuse to revere Him. He deserves all of our allegiance and praise (Jeremiah 10:6-7; Romans 1:22). He has plans for those who serve Him. Plans, which give us hope of a prosperous future, and He will never allow anything or anyone to irreparable harm us (Jeremiah 29:11).

Our Lord God made the heavens and the earth by the mighty power of His outstretched arm. Nothing is too complicated for Him to deal with, because He is our great and mighty God. His name is Lord of hosts, and He is mighty in all of His deeds. He gives us great counsel, and He rewards every one of us according to our character and the fruit of our deeds (Jeremiah 32:17-19). When I think about this, I want to follow His Spirit’s direction each moment of my day.

We have hope, because we know His mercy and compassion never fail. They are new every single morning, regardless of our failures from yesterday. He is always faithful. Our soul knows that the Lord is our portion, and we wait for Him. We seek Him and silently hope for His salvation every day (Lamentations 3:21-23). One of these days, everyone on the whole earth will know the glory of our Lord, just as water covers the whole sea (Habakkuk 2:14).

Let us bless the name of our God forever and ever. All wisdom and power belong to Him. He controls both time and the seasons. Kings are raised up and deposed by the will of our Lord. He gives wisdom, knowledge and understanding to whomever humbly asks. In fact, He reveals the deep, hidden mysteries of the ages to those who seek Him. He knows the deeds of those who choose to dwell in darkness, but He continually offers them a place in His Light (Daniel 2:20-22).

Prayer:

Father God, there in no one as Holy as You are. No one compares to You in any way. You are our solid Rock and we trust only in You (1 Samuel 2:2; Psalm 143:8). You will not allow us to be put to shame or for our enemies to triumph over us (Psalm 25:2). We all, both great and small, give praise to You, our God (Revelations 19:5). There is no God as great as You (Psalm 77:13). You rule over all powers and principalities both human and spiritual (Colossians 1:16). You are divine and there is no one like You.

Thought for the Day:

The Lord is in His holy temple; Let all the earth be silent before Him.  - Habakkuk 2:20

 

 

 

Spiritual Toothbrushes

Read: Psalm 112:4-8

“But, O my soul, don't be discouraged. Don't be upset. Expect God to act! For I know that I shall again have plenty of reason to praise him for all that he will do. He is my help! He is my God!” - Ps 42:11 (TLB)

Sometimes, I just cannot help but to grumble about the circumstances in my life. I get hurt or frustrated by them, and I want to take out my giant eraser and expunge them from existence. Oh, if it were only that simple!

At times, when trials and stress overwhelm me, I forget that I am more than a conqueror. I overlook the fact that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. My soul is grieved: my thoughts grow discouraged and my emotions are upset. I do not have the faith to expect God to act on my behalf.

In the midst of one of my gigantic pity parties, I begged God to bring about a change in my particular state of affairs. He made it clear that He could not do that, because He allowed this trial for my particular benefit. God illuminated to me the fact that He actually uses these irritations, wounds and trials in our lives as spiritual toothbrushes, removing the worldly plaque, which would otherwise cause spiritual decay to erode His protective covering over our spiritual life.

God then drew my attention to the Psalms. So many of them chronicle David’s dilemmas, which built Godly character in him. In fact, God used the situations in David’s life so often that David eventually developed into a man after God’s own heart. Paul also learned, through the events in his life, that nothing, not even death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing could ever separate him or us from God’s love (Romans 8:38).

I concluded from this study, that our lifeline throughout our negative circumstances is to remember our enemies will never triumph over us (Psalm 54:7). Jesus told us, He is the vine and we are the branches. He encourages us to abide in Him and He promises He will always abide in us (John 15:4). He reminds us that we are not sufficient by ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God (2 Corinthians 9:8). As we listen to His Spirit moment by moment throughout the day, we have His assurance that all of our circumstances will most definitely work together for our good (Romans 8:28). 

Prayer:

Lord, help me to trust You in my circumstances and to be a vessel of honor for Your use. You are able to do immeasurably more than all I could ever ask or imagine, according to Your power that is at work within me and all around me. Thank You for making all of Your grace abound to me. Help me to follow the leading of Your Spirit in all that I do and say.

Thought for the Day:

“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" Mark 9:24