The Fruit of Holiness

 

Our current civilization accepts sin as normal. For instance, we live together in sin because it is accepted in our society, but it is not accepted in God's society. We white wash our sinful behavior and are not fit for the presence of God in our life (Matthew 23:27). Only holiness and trust in God unite to make us effective ministers in God's Kingdom.

Our spirit vitally needs holiness for fulfillment. We cannot walk in godliness without living in holiness (Matthew 5:6). Our spirit shrinks from carnal behavior, which our soul - our mind, will and emotions - often pursues. Through Sanctification, God's Spirit conforms us - body, soul and spirit - to the purity of Christ Jesus, our Lord (Matthew 5:8).

There is no need for legalism, criticism or judgmentalism in holiness. This is a private walk, not relying on human self-effort, but simply the leading of God's Spirit with each individual. God may deal with you to stop smoking as His first priority in your sanctification process; but in our sister, He will deal with it last, because there are other issues in her life, which He wants to deal with first.

God uses His Body as the hands, feet and heart of Jesus on the earth (Matthew 5:16). Through an attitude of purity, we minister in love to those whom God brings our way. The fruit, gifts and ministry of God's Spirit flow through us to affect the world around us for Christ (Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Corinthians 12:8-10; Ephesians 4:7-13). With a heart fully dedicated to Jesus, we are used by God to change our world.

Prayer:

Father God, Your family represents Your reputation on this earth. Too many people claim membership in Your family and live for the devil. This tarnishes Your name and Your effectiveness. Lead us to live in holiness for Your name's sake (Psalm 23:3). Your justice is righteous, and we embrace Your discipline, which causes us to hear Your loving kindness with each new morning (Psalm 143:8).

Thought for the Day:

Righteous living is possible to achieve in our life, because it is birthed by God's Spirit in an ever increasing measure of holiness within us.

Answered Prayers

The blessing of intercessory prayer is that we can pray wherever we are and no matter what we are doing. God's Spirit prays through us, even for people we do not know. Family, friends, workmates, neighbors, church revival, the worldwide family of God and the unbelievers in every nation are all topics of our times of intercessory prayer.

Our persistent prayer, sometimes accompanied by fasting, actually makes a difference in our world. Tears are often the result of our fervent prayer, and they touch the heart of God (Psalm 56:8). Spirit-led prayers are the most affective, because if we pray in our own strength, legions of demons may attack us with doubt and discouragement. God's will is the key ingredient for answered prayers (1 John 5:14-15).

Through prayer, Born Again Believers, who are filled with God's Spirit, minister with holy boldness in areas where we have no natural abilities. We are delivered from relying on our flesh once we reach the place of totally resting in faith on our Father God. God's Spirit takes us beyond our gifts and callings to places where only Christ in us can accomplish the will of God (Colossians 1:27).

We learn to pray in the Spirit, affecting those areas where God is most interested in ministering. We do not pray with a flowery profundity of words, but only with fervent, effectual prayers (James 5:16). If we say we love God, yet do not love the least of those whom He died for, the Bible calls us a liar (1 John 4:20). God’s love allows us to pray for people, and to identify with them in their plight.

Prayer:

Father God, we know that You often refrain from affirmatively answering our prayers, because You have a higher purpose for the issues in our lives. You use them to allow patience to have her perfect work in us; and You use them for Your ultimate glory. Remind us to pray for our missionaries and fellow Believers in foreign countries and around the USA. We want our prayers to be strategic and effective through Your Spirit's direction.

Thought for the Day:

God often humbles us by not immediately answering our prayers, so that we take no glory in the future when He does answer them.

 

No One is God's Equal

 

Our awesome God formed the earth with the power of His Words (Genesis 1). He holds the seas in the hollow of His hand, and He measures the sky with the width of one of His hands. He knows the number of the grains of sand on the seashore and the dust of the earth. He even calculated the weight of the mountains and hills (Isaiah 40:12-18; Isaiah 46:5).

No one can compare to our awesome God. All the nations of the earth added together are a mere drop of water in the ocean, and they always do His bidding. He reduces rulers and cares nothing about the decisions made by judges. No one directs God, because He is in control. We are like insects compared to Him.

His throne is above the circle of the earth. He gave us the ozone layer to protect us (Isaiah 40:22-23). No one compares to the Lord or is His equal. He stands above the crowd. He brings out the stars by number and calls each one by name (Isaiah 48:13); and not one of them is missing. We cannot even see all of the galaxies, yet God knows the name of every star within them all.

God never grows sleepy or exhausted, and His wisdom is deeper than any human philosopher will ever figure out (Isaiah 40:25-28). When God acts, no one can reverse it (Isaiah 42:13). Once we understand all things, all of God's judgments will be proven holy and righteous, (Isaiah 5:16, 8:13). He preserves His Saints as we devote our life to Him.

He is our God and we trust in Him and serve Him each day (Psalm 86:2). God knows the end from the beginning, because He does not dwell in time. His purposes will stand and we serve at His pleasure (Isaiah 46:10). There is nothing that our God cannot do. When we call on Him, He will respond to us and demonstrate to us His vast and almighty deeds (Jeremiah 33:3).

Prayer:

Father God, You are the first and the last. You are the only God. You made everything. You even formed us in our mother's womb according to Your perfect plan for our life. You know the number of hairs on our head (Isaiah 44:24; Isaiah 48:12). Apart from You there is no other God. You are the Lord and there is no other (Isaiah 45:5-6). We thank You for your eternal salvation and for Your love and daily provision of all of our needs.

Thought for the Day:

God already decided what would happen on the earth from creation to eternity. - Isaiah 45:21-22

 

 

Slow Down and Spend Time with God

The soul is the most overlooked aspect of our Christian life. Prior to salvation, we allowed our heart to advise us, control us and comfort us. This does not refer to our blood pumping organ, but our inner self of thoughts, choices and emotions - our soul (Proverbs 4:23, 15:13, 23:7; Matthew 12:34-35). This way of life is weak, at best, but all we had.

When we come to Christ, our spirit is Born Again, and we begin the adventure of living in and by the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:16-25). This is when we start to mistrust our soul, and rightfully so. However, we also ignore the needs of our soul, thinking that they are carnal and unholy. Some of our soul's demands are unrighteous idols, which we lay at the altar for sacrifice (Romans 8:6-7; 1 Corinthians 3:3).

Yet, many of our soul's desires are given to us by God, and He wants to supply them through His glorious riches (Philippians 4:19; Ephesians 3:16). We can nurture our soul by listening to praise songs, reading God's Word, learning a new hobby, taking college courses that interest us, making new Christian friends, planting a garden, exercising to trim down and raise endorphins, serving in the ministries of our church, planning a healthy snack to look forward to every day, joining Bible study classes, etc.

The most powerful way to nurture our soul, however, is to be a friend of God. It takes time to develop this relationship, but it is so nourishing to our body, soul and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Slow down and spend time alone with God. You will focus on the wholesome side of life, find peace and joy in the midst of negative circumstances and feel God's presence in each moment of the day.

Prayer:

Father God, Satan has his agenda for our life, and we merrily follow his lead until we come face to face with Your invitation to accept Jesus as our Savior. Satan's deception is no match for Your presence in our life. He fades into the background and loses the battles he wages for our soul. Your Spirit nurtures our body, soul and spirit as we follow Your direction for each new day. We love You and give You all the praise and glory for Your wondrous intervention in our life.

Thought for the Day:

God's Spirit transforms our soul into the image of Christ throughout every moment of our life. - 2 Corinthians 3:18

Human Logic or Godly Wisdom

The further we submit to the sanctifying work of God's Spirit in our soul, the more we seek after the divine issues of life rather than the carnal ones. We live to serve our Lord and His Saints, as well as those who do not yet know the saving power of His grace (Titus 2:11).

We walk in peace, which both defies human reasoning and makes people wonder why our trials no longer discourage or depress us (Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:7). Peace is not a state of mind, for which we can strive after and achieve. Trusting God takes the opposite of effort, and only comes when we give up control of every aspect of our life to the point of complete surrender.

A time of daily devotion, including Bible meditation and praise of God for His wondrous works in our life and in the world around us, helps to facilitate this process. Then, when our soul frets over the issues we face, God's Spirit helps our spirit to overlook all of the worries and fears and to trust in God's faithfulness.

God reveals His plans to us in His timing; but He will never reveal His will to us before we really need to know it. This helps us to develop patience and to die to our carnal nature. We live in holy contentment as He conquers our earthly concerns. God's Spirit transforms our carnal mind with the steadfast mind of Christ (James 1:8).

When our only desire is to know Jesus, who is our only way, truth and life (John 14:6; Philippians 3:10; 1 Corinthians 1:30), the wisdom from God's Spirit pours into our spirit. We seek only God's pleasure in everything we think, say and do. We no longer rely on our human mind to direct our steps, but we trust in the wisdom of God.

Prayer:

Father God, we grow in unity with Your Trinity as we discontinue the futile habit of trying to control our life. Our awareness of Your place in our life increases and the intents of our heart reflect Your desires.  We no long exalt human understanding above the leading of Your Spirit (Proverbs 16:7). Thank you for renewing our mind and for allowing Your character to replace the carnal confusion, which formerly restricted our life (Romans 12:2).

Thought for the Day:

The more that we recognize God's voice and live a life of praise, even for the negative aspects of our life, the more peaceful and fulfilled we traverse our trials.

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

Enduring Gratitude

 
At the last supper, Jesus gave thanks to our Father in spite of already knowing the horrific suffering awaiting Him in just a few hours. Even in the garden, He wrestled with the part that He must play in securing mankind's salvation through the centuries. Yet, He did not falter or run away.

While in the garden, as He sweat drops of blood at the thought of becoming sin for us, He changed His focus from the upcoming crucifixion to the eternal glory, which awaited Him just beyond the grave (Luke 22:44). Jesus both authored our faith and also prefects it (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6). That leaves no responsibility for us, except to respond positively to His overtures (Galatians 2:16).

Jesus not only forgave our sins and supplied our salvation, but also provided the best future for us that we could ever envision (Romans 6:23; Romans 8:17). He provides all of our needs with His glorious riches, both now and in eternity (Philippians 4:19). This allows us to live in everlasting and enduring gratitude to our Father.

Jesus' sacrifice made it possible for us to skip the stages of death, in order to enter. Our last breath on earth is followed by our next breath in Heaven (1 Corinthians 15:52-53; 2 Corinthians 5:8). In our immortal body, we will live in eternal bliss without sin and corruption (Psalm 16:11, 43:4; 1 John 3:2; Romans 8:21). We will sing with angels around the throne and rule and reign with Him forever (Revelation 7:11; 2 Timothy 2:12).

Prayer:

Father God, You give us all of Your grace in our times of need in order to help us to see Your hand in every trial (2 Corinthians 9:8). Change our focus from the trauma we feel now to the fact that this light and momentary affliction pales in comparison to the miracle You plan for us through this trial (2 Corinthians 4:17). We have so many reasons to live a life of enduring gratitude to You both now and in eternity.

Thought for the Day:

Born Again Believers have so much to be thankful for, both in this life and the next.