Victory through Life and Death

When we are Born Again by the blood of the Lamb, God's Spirit replaces the carnal nature in our soul with the divine nature of Christ (2 Peter 1:3-4; Galatians 2:20). He is constantly perfecting us by His Spirit who abides in our spirit. He takes away our desire to sin, and unrighteous living no longer appeals to us.

God's Spirit helps our weaknesses and illnesses. He searches our heart and knows our mind; then He prays for us according to the will of God (Romans 8:26-27). Prayer is speaking to God from our heart. Ritualistic prayers and formulas for prayer are unnecessary. God already knows our heart and wants to hear our own words (Ephesians 1:18).

God also places His prayer burdens on our heart for the lost people groups in our world, for the persecuted church, for those burdened by illness, for people devastated by the loss of a loved one through death or divorce, our unsaved loved ones, etc. Prayer prepares us for victory both in life and in death. Jesus removed the sting of death, and gave authentic Believers the victory over it through His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:54; Isaiah 25:8).

In fact, there is greater benefit for us to go Home to the glory of Heaven than to continue living life here on this sin-cursed earth. Dying is not the travesty of life; it is the benefit of a life lived in Christ. What the world views as death is actually victory to God and is used by God for our ultimate good, because God rejoices in the death of His Saints (Romans 8:28; Psalm 116:15).

Prayer:

Father God, thank You that, through Christ, death is swallowed up in victory. We know that Your Holy Spirit works in our heart, until the glorious day when either Christ returns for His Bride, or we come through the valley of death into Your glorious light (1 Peter 2:9; Isaiah 60:1). Remind us not to limit You by our thoughts and fears, but teach us to pray the words, which Your Spirit inspires us with and with which He breaks our heart (Romans 8:26).

Thought for the Day:

Once we realize our human limitations, we will rely on God's Spirit to pray through us during our life and escort us through death to our heavenly Home in glory. - Romans 8:26-34; 2 Corinthians 5:1

Inner Transformation

God promises never to leave us nor to forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). When He seems distant, it is because we have drifted away from Him, not that He left us. Mental knowledge about God cannot compare with knowledge of God in a personal, spiritual relationship (John 17:3). This intimacy transforms us from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).

God’s presence in our life changes us from the inside out. We are still rough around the edges outwardly; but inwardly, we have more peace and joy than ever before. The fruit of God’s Spirit replaces our carnality (Galatians 5:22-23). We fall more in love with Jesus every day. Our fears, deep-seated anger and insecurities diminish as God heals the pain of our past.

Our faith in God’s faithfulness grows with each trial, which He works out for our good, as well as through each weakness He enables us to overcome (Romans 8:28). We come to Him and willingly lay our goals and desires at His feet, embracing His will for our life. Our prayer time grows from a few moments each morning to continual communication throughout the day (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

We feast on God’s Word and allow it to dictate our thoughts and behavior. When we, who know God intimately, share with others what Christ does in our life, many of them will desire to know the Lord too. I do wish our passion for God was catching, so that everyone would come to know His love intimately. However, everyone does have a chance, because He calls “whosoever will” (Revelation 22:17).

Prayer:

Father God, our unity with You is our greatest joy. All of our other relationships and activities are influenced for the better, because of Your presence in our life. We love that we can be Your friend (John 15:13-15). King David gives us such insight into our relationship with You. The possibilities are endless (Psalm 63:1-8). Thank You for making us joint heirs with Jesus Christ of the glory of Your Kingdom (Romans 8:17; Philippians 3:10).

Thought for the Day:

When we fully love God and keep His Words, the Trinity makes their abode in us. – John 14:23

Perfect Strength in Weakness

There are times in life when we beg God to help us because of some physical illness, emotional turmoil or trial in our spiritual life. Paul did this too. He had a “thorn in the flesh” and begged God to remove it from him. There is much speculation about what that thorn was, but it does not really matter.

The crux of the issue is that God’s grace was sufficient for Paul to excel in life in spite of it (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). Paul actually learned to brag about his imperfections and infirmities, so that the power of Christ in him would give him rest for his soul. God’s power, strength and ability are perfected in our weaknesses.

All we need to flourish in this life is His grace. Whenever we are weak, Christ in us is our strength (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). The prophet Daniel relied on God’s strength in his times of weakness too (Daniel 10:19). The warrior and national leader of Israel, Joshua, found strength and courage in his times of fear (Joshua 1:9).

If we have personal power, we would not need God; and we could boast in our abilities and accomplishments (2 Corinthians 12:1). However, our life in Christ is not about us at all (Ephesians 2:8-9). That is why God uses the weak and foolish things of the world to confound the mind of those who consider themselves wise (1 Corinthians 1:27).

Our faith does not rest on human abilities but on God’s power within us (1 Corinthians 2:5). A surrendered life is the successful life. Out of God’s glorious riches, He empowers us by His Spirit, which abides within us (Ephesians 3:16). We can excel in the will of God and live a fulfilled Christian life, because He lives in us (Philippians 4:13).

Prayer:
Father God, You remind us not to be anxious about anything, but to come to You in everything, letting You know what we need. We start from a place of gratitude for all You have already done for us, and then we make our requests known to You. This results in a shower of Your peace on our life, which transcends every negative aspect that we are experiencing (Philippians 4:6).

Thought for the Day:

God’s peace guards our mind and heart in Christ Jesus, in spite of what life throws at us. - Philippians 4:7

Hungry for Holiness

Focusing on our union with Christ is the key to living a holy life. Since we are Born Again by the Spirit of God, Christ dwells within us. We no longer practice sin. We cannot sin, because it grieves the Spirit within us (1 John 3:9; Ephesians 4:30). If we can live one moment without sinning, it is possible to live one hour, one day or one lifetime without practicing sin, because the Divine nature of Christ abides in us. We live in the moment, and Christ in us keeps us centered on His will.

We hunger for holiness. We seek first His Kingdom, and He supplies all of our needs by His glorious riches (Matthew 6:33; Philippians 4:19). We walk in His power, love and self-discipline for His glory (2 Timothy 1:7). All of God’s spiritual power resides in Christ; and since Christ lives in us, His divine power and authority are resident within us, just as it was in the apostles once the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 2:43; 4:13).

We are often crippled by our fears, distraught over our weakness and depressed because of our failures. However, God wants us to remember that we have authority by His grace, and that His power in us is more evident when we are at our weakest moment (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). It is simply a matter of surrendering to His Spirit and submitting to His will. God keeps us in perfect peace as we focus our thoughts on Him (Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:8).

Through Christ, we live a life of holiness and submission to His Spirit (Matthew 28:18; Acts 1:8). We serve God by His power resident within us. His power in us also defeats the devil and his demons (1 John 4:4; Ephesians 1:19-21). His work is perfect in us and through us (Psalm 18:30). We focus less on our self, and long for more of His holiness. We place our self in His service so that we can do the works, which God prepared for us before we were ever born (Ephesians 2:10).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we thank You for your grace, mercy, love, power and blessings that You bestow on us every day of our lives. We are humbled by the knowledge that You had to live as a man and sacrifice Your life in order for us to enjoy these advantages. Your strength is made perfect only in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Remind us not to take Your presence in us for granted or to underestimate the resources we have available to us through Your presence in us.

Thought for the Day:

As long as we insist on working FOR God, He cannot fully work IN and THROUGH us.