A Surrendered Life

In spite of His trepidation over facing His separation from our Father, as well as taking on the weight of the sin of the entire world for all ages of time, Jesus faced the cross in the power of the eternal Spirit of God (Hebrews 9:14). As authentic Born Again Believers, we have this same Spirit living within us. We overcome every trial we face through His power, and we reap minimal consequences from any fiery dart, which Satan sends our way (Romans 8:31-39; Ephesians 6:16).

Through every moment of life, God illuminates our life with His Spirit. We maintain a healthy conscience, as we remain penitent before the Lord. We often step out in faith to perform some work or ministry for God, which we deem noble and necessary. However, if God does not direct us, we simply grieve Him in the process (Ephesians 2:10). Faith without works is dead, but faith used to perform dead works is even more lifeless.

Peter is an accurate example of a man who lived in the flesh. It wasn’t until he denied Christ that his remorseful tears brought complete surrender to God. He fell on his face as a failure and rose up in the power of the Holy Spirit. Overall, Peter accomplished much in the power of God. Paul is another example. He actually fought against God, but the bright light of the revelation of God humbled Him and illuminated the error of His thinking and behavior.

God will do the same thing for all of us who desire to live a Godly life. We sit before Him in our spirit and we ask His direction for each moment of our day (Proverbs 3:5-6). Then we go out with joy and we are led forth by His peace (Isaiah 55:12). We are sons of God and we walk by the Spirit (Romans 8:14). Jesus is our Lord and King and we are His subjects. We desire only to do works, which brings Him pleasure (Philippians 2:13). By His divine grace and mercy, we live a life totally surrendered to His will.

Prayer:

Father God, the cross is our birthplace, Jesus is our motivation and Your Spirit is our sanctifier and guide. In surrender, we display the humility of Jesus death and the power of His resurrection. Your Word is the two-edged sword, which divides our carnal human nature from Your nature within us. We live simply and desire only to further Your Kingdom on the earth. We know without a doubt that You will provide for us every good thing, which we need.

Thought for the Day:

In total surrender to the Spirit of God, we live the adventure of the fulfilled Christian life.

 

 

 

 

 

Thy Word is a Lamp

Depending on the mood of the moment, the Bible is often held up to public ridicule or contempt. However, to authentic Born Again Believers, God’s Word is a light to our path to keep us going in the right direction and a lamp for our feet to keep us from stumbling or falling (Psalm 119:105). The wisdom in its words teaches us to walk carefully as the wise, to make the best use of our time and to understand what the will of the Lord is for our life (Ephesians 5:15-17).

God’s Word answers all the vital questions in man’s soul. How did we get here? (Genesis 1:27) Why are we here? (Ephesians 2:10) Can love last forever? (1 Corinthians 13:4-8) Can marriage survive betrayal? (Matthew 6:14) Do I have to love unlovable people? (Matthew 5:44-48) Can I live with someone I love without being married? (1 Corinthians 6:18) Aren’t I supposed to be happy in life? (John 15:11) When do I become an adult? (1 Corinthians 13:11) Can I marry someone of my same sex? (Romans 1:25-28)

Can making money make me happy? (1 Timothy 6:10) How can I say, “I’m sorry”? (Psalm 51:3; Proverbs 28:13) Is it ever okay to betray a confidence? (Esther 21:23) Can I steal for a good reason? (Exodus 20:15) Is it okay to drink alcohol? (Proverbs 20:1) Who should I marry? (2 Corinthians 6:14) Can I get divorced and remarried? (1 Corinthians 7:12-16) Which religion is the right one? (James 1:27) Which version of the Bible is from God? (2 Timothy 3:16)

The words in the Bible are a mystery to most people, boring to some, and considered historical to others and fiction to a few. Without exception, however, God’s book is the most spectacular book ever written. It survived multiple attempts to annihilate it over the years, and it is always the best selling book ever published. The words in it are inspired by God and given to us in order to have a successful and fulfilled life in service to our King Jesus (2 Timothy 3:16; Proverbs 3:13-14, 19:20).

Prayer:
Father God, Your Word is sharper than a two-edged sword, because it can divide our humanistic soul from our eternal spirit (Hebrews 4:12). There is no one that we can trust like we trust You. You alone have the words, which are full of the Spirit and eternal life (John 6:63, 68). From the correlation between the prophecies of the Old Testament and the accounts of the New Testament, we know with certainty that Jesus is our Messiah, who is coming again (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23). Lead us by Your Spirit on a firm footing, teach us Your ways and guide us until You come again to receive us to Yourself (Psalm 143:10; Micah 4:2; John 14:3).

Thought for the Day:
I will hide Your Word in my heart, so I will not sin against You.

– Psalm 119:11

Forgiveness, the Two-edged Sword

Read: Matthew 6: 14-15 

“Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.” – Luke 17:4

People use all sorts of crutches to endure their times of loneliness and despair, which they feel deep within their soul. They use alcohol, drugs, relationships, shopping, food, money, gambling, codependency, internet, breaking the law, pornography, video games, etc. to mask their pain. They live in denial and make excuses for their behavior. The pain of past encounters usually drives people to make poor choices. They use these alternatives to mask their pain and to deal with life.

These crutches lead to erratic behavior, impaired thinking and judgment, slower reaction times, loss of control, moodiness, slurred speech, double vision, impaired memory, depression, infertility, premature babies, birth defects, increased heart rate, potential cardiac problems, lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, asthma, defective immune system, reduced resistance levels to disease and illness and a host of other maladies. They are not a very good way to cope with life’s issues.

There is only one way to fill the void in your soul, and that is to surrender your life to Jesus Christ. He calls us to be converted and to repent of our sins, so that our sins may be blotted out of His record book forever (Acts 3:19). If we confess our sins, He is faithful and honorable and He forgives them. He not only forgives them, but He also cleanses us from the penalty of all our unrighteous deeds ( 1 John 1:9). Our sins are like scarlet, but He washes them white as snow with his own blood (Matthew 26:28). Though they are red like crimson, He makes them white as lamb's wool (Isaiah 1:18). Then He brings us times of refreshing as we bask in His presence (Acts 3:19). 

Once we are in Christ, we are a new creation; old things have passed away and all things are becoming new through the process of sanctification (2 Corinthians 5:17). In Him, we have redemption through His blood and forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of His grace (Ephesians 1:7). Though we have lived in rebellion against Him, He grants us mercy and forgiveness (Daniel 9:9). He has removed our transgressions so completely that, He casts them away as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). He also casts all our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19). He promises not to remember our sins and lawless deeds ever again (Hebrews 10:17; Isaiah 43:25).

Forgiveness is actually a two-edged sword. If you do not forgive others their trespasses against you, then neither can your Heavenly Father forgive your trespasses against Him and other people (Matthew 6:14-15). For some reason forgiveness is foreign to many people. We punish ourselves inordinately and we punish others by holding them accountable for their actions toward us. As soon as you come to Christ in repentance, He forgives all of your sins. Then you are free to forgive others their trespasses against you. Actually, because we freely received God’s Love, we can freely forgive our self and others by realizing that we are all mere mortals striving to do our best.

So, when you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive them; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you (Mark 11:25). We have redemption and forgiveness of all our sins through His blood, now and for all time (Colossians 1:13-14). Forgiveness gives us freedom from the bondage of bitterness (Hebrews 12:15), which will defile our whole body, soul and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5: 23). Forgiveness actually turns those who offended us over to God to deal with and to extract revenge in His timing and in His way (Romans 12:19). We also often fail to accept His forgiveness of our sins as a free gift (Romans 6:23). We attempt to earn it by our works, or we refuse to appropriate it to our lives by forgiving our self and those who mistreat us.

 
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, when I fail to forgive my self and others, please remind me that You died to insure our forgiveness. I often find myself attributing mortal characteristics to You, forgetting You are an immortal God. Father God, Satan wants me to fear that You will tire of my failings and eventually reject me totally. I know that the good news is that we may make mistakes, but Your love is not contingent upon our works. You call us to aspire to perfection, but You know that without You we can do nothing (John 15:5). You created us as human beings and You know our character will grow with each trial through which we persevere.

Thought for the Day:

Jesus endured the cross to ensure that we will join Him in eternity.

 

 

A Way That Seems Right

Most people hesitate to follow God. They shun Godly advice. They are afraid that God’s commandments and His plan for them are too restrictive. They see hypocrisy in people who are Christian in name only, and they judge all Christians by the behavior of these few deceived individuals.

The few who care about Godly things often follow after false teachers and preachers rather than the true prophets of God.

The Word of God is swift and powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). It divides our soul’s desires from our spiritual ones. It warns us of the deceitful comments that Satan whispers in our mind, masquerading as words of light. Too often we ignore God’s “red flags” in our spirit and end up in deception. Many children forsake the teaching of their parents and pursue the course of least resistance, following the crowd and ignoring the straight and narrow path.

Here are a few time-worthy verses that describe this place of deception, which many people wander into as adults. People turn their ears from God’s truth and are turned aside, because they end up believing fables (2 Timothy 4:4). They follow their own thoughts, opinions, ideas and convictions, which are contrary to God’s advice (Isaiah 53:6). They go along in life on a fairly bumpy road, following their heart and listening to the proponents that agree with their philosophy.

Eventually, we all come to a crossroads. We are given a choice to do things God’s way or to continue on the godless path we chose. God used Solomon to write the book of Proverbs in order to share with us the advantage of the great wisdom God gifted him with in his lifetime. In three places in this beneficial book, he wrote these exact words: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (Proverbs 12:15; Proverbs 14:12; Proverbs 16:25). If God took the time to write these same words repeatedly, I think they are worthy of our attention!

It is so easy for people to succumb to the deception of humanism and carnal appetites and to walk in ways that will bring them to ultimate destruction – both in this life and in the next. Solomon admonishes these foolish people who think they are right in their own eyes. Some erupt in anger if corrected or opposed, or cautioned to wake up before it is too late. The wicked friends they choose lead them astray (Proverbs 12:26; Proverbs 16:29). The sad ending to this drama is that the ones who wander away from Godly understanding will wind up in the company of the spiritually dead (Proverbs 21:16) not only in this life, but also in the next.

Then Solomon contrasts these deceived individuals with the wise who heed Godly counsel. They take the narrow road (Matthew 7:13-14), which leads to life. The righteous carefully choose their friends (Proverbs 12:26). They find life, because in the pathway they choose, there is no spiritual or physical death (Proverbs 12:28). These Godly people will avoid the resulting shame, which will follow the fool (Proverbs 12:15-16). Born Again Saints pass from this mortal life into eternal life (Philippians 3:20), because the experience of death is swallowed up by Christ’s life within us (1 Corinthians 15:54).  

Choose wisely what road you will take when you come to the crossroads of life. Follow the Spirit of God in making your decision. Even though the road is narrow and steep in many places, the Holy Spirit within you will guide your steps (John 16:13) and the Word of God will be a light to your path (Psalm 119:105).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, there is no temptation that any of us fall victim to that is not a common problem for everyone (1 Corinthians 10:13). However, You are faithful. You will not allow any of us to be tempted beyond what we are able to withstand. At the same time, with the temptation, You also gives us a way to escape it and to stand strong against it (1 Corinthians 10:13). We just have to avail ourselves to Your Word and grace, and call upon You as our Savior and Lord (2 Peter 3:18).

Thought for the Day:

What benefit did you obtain from doing things you are now ashamed of? Those actions result in eternal death! – Romans 6:21