Relying on God's Spirit

Since we are born into this world in the fleshly realm, we grow up depending on our body and soul to interpret for us the meaning of life's circumstances. We end up making carnal decisions due to our dependence on our human reasoning.

Many of us grow up in an environment of criticism, shame and belittlement. Our sense of self-worth is buried in the pits of despair, and we never feel good enough. We enter adulthood adopting as our own the opinion of us held by the peers and adults in our life.

We critically judge our self by unrealistic standards and carry that over into our relationships with other people. This stems from hurt, anger, bitterness and resentment that increased as we experienced more and more pain and trauma during our lifetime on this sin-cursed planet.

We embarrass our self by our peculiarities and we feel frustrated with our thoughts, attitude and behavior; therefore, we attempt to reinvent our personality to mirror that of people whom we respect and admire.

We struggle with depression and we lack passion and enthusiasm. We are often overcome with panic attacks caused by anxiety over not measuring up to the results expected of us. We end up speaking and acting in ways that we do not understand (Romans 7:15, 24).

Some of us pursue ambitious goals rather than personal relationships.  Others neglect our health, eat on the run, and put exercise on the back burner to think about at a later date and time.

We desire more than anything to belong, to feel loved, and to fit in to a family or group of people who share like-minded ideals. Only in Christ will we ever find our fulfillment as part of the Kingdom and family of God.

We may look in other places to find gratification, and fool our self into believing we are content and happy; but we always have that emptiness deep within our soul that haunts our steps and colors our opinion of our self and others, until we totally surrender to our King Jesus.

Prayer:

Father God, once we submit to Your love for us, we lose much of our depression, self-condemnation and criticism. You enable us to feel that, in Christ, we are enough. You have a plan for our life; and as we walk in it, we find love, peace, joy and fulfillment that is not available from any other place on this earth.

We start our journey by admitting that we are a sinner in need of a Savior, continue by believing that Jesus is our only Savior, and then finally committing our life to walk in Your ways and according to Your will for our life. We revel in Your love, see Your hand in the midst of our circumstances, and trust in You to work out everything for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28).

Thought for the Day:
Living by, walking in and depending on the Spirit of God takes discipline, discernment and a personal relationship with our living Savior; but is the most fulfilling and joy-filled life available to us on this earth.

Our Portal into Eternity

Many human beings fear death and cling to life as the ultimate prize to be coveted and cherished. Truly, we all dread leaving our loved ones; but if we focus on the fact that we are going to our dearly Beloved Savior and King, our perspective changes in a hurry.

Humanity clings to the treasures of this world, which the Bible calls wood, hay and stubble (1 Corinthians 3:12). Moth and rust destroy them, and thieves break in and steal them (Matthew 6:19).

We look down on people who choose not to fight illness that may lead to their ultimate death. Our approval and admiration only go to those who submit to the surgeon's knife, and the tyranny of chemical medication that often treats only our symptoms rather than the disease causing them.

The pain that so many experience prior to death is one aspect, which we all fear. No one is eager to face the agony of our body giving up the ghost (Matthew 27:50).

However, even in death, God gives refuge to His righteous ones (Proverbs 14:32). He is our guide through death (Psalm 48:14). He sends us an angel escort to bring our soul and spirit into His presence (Luke 16:22).

If God chooses to keep us in this earthly realm to perform some ministry for His Kingdom, we rejoice that we can continue to serve at the pleasure of our King Jesus. To live means that we allow His light to shine within us as a witness to those in our sphere of influence (Philippians 1:21-24).

God is in ultimate control of the number of days we will survive on this planet (Romans 8:11). Living or dying, we do so at His pleasure, because He is our Lord both in life and in death (Romans 14:7-9). Jesus in us takes all of the fear out of death for us (2 Corinthians 5:6-9).

Therefore, if God chooses to take us to our reward in heaven, then we will rejoice with our family before we go, even if they will be at a loss without us after we have gone to glory.

This world is not our home, and we can look forward to our eternal home in heaven (Hebrews 13:14). Our mortal body is merely a tent in which we survive on this sin-cursed planet. We grow weary as the number of our years increases.

When eternity swallows up our mortality, we will be quite content to pass from this life through the portal of death into the very presence of God. Our immortal, heavenly body is fashioned by God for us and we receive it once we see Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:1-4).

Every moment we spend on this earth is time away from our ultimate rest. When we die, our real life is just beginning. Our Father God views the day of our death as better than the day of our birth (Ecclesiastes 7:1). His Saints will never die again, but will live eternally in the same respect as the angels.

We are children of the Living God, raised from death into true life (Luke 20:36). Jesus is walking hand-in-hand with us through the dying process, as He always walks with us in life; and He will continue to do so for all eternity.

Prayer:

Father God, we are thrilled to know that the death of Your Saints is precious to You (Psalms 116:15). You run and meet us as we cross the divide, just like the prodigal son's father ran to meet him. With You, we live forever (1 John 2:17). That is why the day of our death is even better than the day of our birth (Ecclesiastes 7:1). You do not leave us in the grave, to decay and to turn to dust; instead You give us a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).

In Your presence we enjoy both life on this earth and the fulfillment of spending eternity with You. As we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we have nothing to fear, and we find our continual refuge in You (Psalm 16:9-11; Psalm 23). We are so willing to leave this earthly tent behind and to rejoice in Your presence forevermore (2 Corinthians 5:8; Psalm 9:9-11).

Thought for the Day:

When we set our mind on eternity, rather than on life on this earth, we realize that we are hidden with Christ in God. Christ is our whole life now, as well as when we go to our reward in heaven; then when Jesus returns to the earth, we will also appear with Him in our glorious new bodies. - Colossians 3:2-4

Live as a Little Child

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God tells us that unless we behave and have the mind of a little child, we cannot enter His Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 18:3). He is not suggesting that we throw temper tantrums or act self-centeredly.

He wants us to lay down our selfish pride, which we adopted as adults. He calls us to humble our self under His mighty hand and to live with a child-like trust in our Father God (1 Peter 5:6-7; Psalm 131).

We are already dead to sin through Christ in us (Galatians 2:20). We are totally incapable of working for God through human power. Our human endeavors stink in God’s sight (Luke 16:15).

Our self-effort will only accumulate carnal treasures, which are actually wood, hay and stubble, according to God’s opinion (Galatians 6:3; 1 Corinthians 3:12). God wants us to live in each moment according to His Will for it.

He desires that we forsake the love of all earthly attitudes, people, possessions, arrogance and self-centeredness for the sake of Christ in us (Luke 14:26, 33).

We are dead and hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). There is no need to perfect our self, because that is the Holy Spirit's job (Philippians 2:12-13).

Christ is our whole life during every moment of our earthly existence (Colossians 3:4). God does the perfecting work in our soul by His Spirit (Hebrews 13:21).  We have no concern for our self-worth apart from Christ in us (Matthew 19:17).

Therefore, we do nothing from our self-efforts, and everything according to the will of God, by the power of God working in us (John 8:28; Zechariah 4:6). We simply draw near to God and resist the devil’s temptation for us to resist God (James 4:7-8; 1 Corinthians 10:13).

Prayer:

Father God, You have no interest in the power of our flesh, because You fight our battles for us (2 Chronicles 32:8). This is so evident when we read about the Battle of Jericho, and so many other battles, which Israel fought in Canaan land. We fight many spiritual battles during our lifetime; but if we are wise, it is only and always by Your Spirit (Ephesians 6).

If we act like prideful and disobedient children, and carry out our own plans, choose our own mate and increase in sin daily, we do not belong to You (Isaiah 30:1-2; 1 John 1:6). Authentic Believers do not rely on our human talents to do Your Will, but only on the power of Your Spirit within us (1 Corinthians 2:4). 

Thought for the Day:

Christ is the hand, and we are the glove; the glove is perfectly molded to the hand and only moves as directed by the hand.

Wedded to the Enemy

One of Satan's chief tactics to destroy marriages, families, churches and the community is to convince couples that their mate is the enemy. He influences our thoughts with his lies, blowing things out of proportion.

We overreact to what our spouse says and/or does, and we drive a wedge between us with unbridled emotions and thoughtless words. This small incision in the fabric of our relationship tears a huge gap in our long term connection.

This breach grows wider when new hurts are added. Disagreements and unresolved conflicts rend us apart - physically, emotionally and mentally.

Losing respect for our mate, we mumble insults under our breath, spend less and less time with each other, and eventually publically humiliate one another with criticism and disparaging remarks.

The devil uses today's culture and morals and media to encourage this behavior and mental attitude. Rather than relate to each other, we ignore each other or communicate with snide remarks and unveiled criticism.

The feeling of love, which drew us together wanes and eventually disappears. We fight incessantly or live in deadly quiet, ignoring one another and living isolated lives with separate bedrooms, opposing goals and differing viewpoints.

We may even decide to look elsewhere for fulfillment, not realizing that we all come with baggage and that none of us are perfect. We are all human with idiosyncrasies' that must be forgiven and healed.

There is a real, and easy remedy for this demonic masterplan. Total surrender to Christ in us will eliminate most of the problems, walking by His Spirit's direction takes the anger out of our attitude and behavior, and viewing our mate as our ally and best friend will help us see each other in a new light.

Our respect for each other steadily grows, we learn to appreciate our mate's strong points and to cherish each other's place in our life. We learn to work together, to make mutually acceptable decisions, and to prefer one another above our self-centered lifestyle.

Prayer:

Father God, You promise to make the crooked places straight (Isaiah 45:2) and to lead us in a level path because of our enemies (Psalm 27:11). Satan and his scheme to destroy those whom You join together (Mark 10:9), have no power when we shine Your light in the dark recesses that he manufactures.

Teach us discernment and give us Your wisdom in whom to marry and how to live together in harmony. Give us a forgiving heart and help us to realize that we are just as flawed and broken as our mate. Let us develop mercy and grace toward one another's foibles and help us to love each other anyway.

Thought for the Day:

Giving rather than always receiving becomes a way of life as we find mutual interests again, and plan occasions to spend quality time together gazing into one another's smiling eyes and caring about our mate's fears and goals, while we celebrate each other's successes.

Perfect Unity with the Trinity

All of humanity is made in the image of the Trinity (Genesis 1:26). We have a triune being, which includes a body, soul and spirit. Prior to salvation, our spirit was dead in sin.

We lived in prideful rebellion. We struggled to control our own life and we have no need or desire to think about God. In fact, thoughts about God, which intrude on our conscious mind, disturb us and make us feel uncomfortable.

We run from God’s conviction and reject people who remind us of Him. We forget that the “Hound of Heaven” is constantly pursuing us, drawing us into His loving embrace.

Once we finally yield to God's sovereignty, we wonder why we took so long to submit to His call and to relinquish control of our life to Him; because when we surrender everything to God, life is no longer a struggle (Romans 8:28; Hebrews 4:10).

Salvation is the first step in our walk with God. Our spirit is finally Born Again. Then we embark on a journey toward holiness, as God’s Holy Spirit changes us from one stage of glory to the next (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Some Believers are simply content with escaping hell. They live a shallow, carnal life, without this intimate union with God. Yet others often feel like we are in a desert, thirsting for more and more of His Living Water (John 4:14).

We hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matthew 5:6; Psalm 107:9). Our spirit longs to receive more nourishment from the Bread of Life (John 6:35). Each stage brings us closer to a perfect union with God (Ephesians 2:1-5).

Prayer:

Father God, even though we cannot sense You in our physical body, our spirit and soul – our mind, will and emotions – feel your presence every day of our life (Hebrews 13:5). We form this perfect union with You by spending continual time in Your presence as we go about our day.

We consult with You and rely on You as we follow Your Spirit’s direction. When we pray, remind us to listen to Your Voice, as well as to commune with You from our heart. The closer our relationship with You grows in our spirit (John 4:24), the more intimacy with You that we want in our life.

Thought for the Day:

Do not despair if God seems silent; He is simply enjoying your companionable silences and strengthening the ties that bind you to Him.

Peace that Exceeds Human Understanding

A married couple reaps the consequences, not only of their own actions, but of their mate's choices as well. The decisions that we make, the wise ones and the mistakes, affect our whole family, often including our extended family.

When we are a victim of these consequences, God hears our cries in the night, as well as those buried deep within our heart. He keeps them in His special bottle and He records them in His book (Psalm 56:8).

We tend to get so caught up in the details of this world that we drown in our busyness. It is important for our very survival in this life that we allow God's peace to guard our heart and mind and to keep us from wandering away from the Lord (Philippians 4:7).

The good news is that Christ in us already overcame every obstacle we can ever experience (John 16:33). He gives us His wisdom, ingenuity, creativity and answers for every issue that could ever arise in our life.

The Trinity abides in us and is able to make the rocky places straight (Luke 3:5), so the struggles of life are no longer debilitating. He quickly reveals the seed for a miracle, which He plants within every one of our trials.

No person, place, vocation, or thing can give us the love, which God offers to everyone who puts their trust in Him (Romans 8:35-39). Every good and perfect gift comes from our Father above (James 1:17).

Our authentic example in this world of a Christ-follower will lead others to have faith in Christ as well (Galatians 2:20). His Spirit enables us to bear much fruit as we live as His disciples (John 15:8).

Prayer:

Father God, we come to You now to offer our heart-felt love, honor and praise. We thank You for the many gifts that You shower us with every moment of our life. Thank You for creating us for Your purpose, and enabling us to walk daily in Your ways.

You are all that we will ever need in both this life and in eternity. You are our ever-present help in our times of trouble (Psalm 46:1), and You work out all things for our good, even the decisions made by our mate that cause a huge impact on our life (Romans 8:28).

Thought for the Day:

God is our source of life and without Him our success diminishes and our joy fades; yet once we totally surrender our all to Him, we find our happy place in the very center of His will, and His peace, which exceeds our human understanding, is ours forevermore.

A Good Marriage - Positive Feelings of Love

A marriage without the fruit of the Holy Spirit is doomed to discord, hurt feelings, resentment and a lack of overall harmony. We fail to love one another as Christ loves us.

Women need love and attention from a relationship and men need admiration and respect. Sometimes it is hard to give one another what we need most, because our words and actions cause each other to feel unappreciated and devalued.

However, if we related to one another with the attitude of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and we allow the Holy Spirit to direct our thoughts and actions, we build up one another in love (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

We attract from each other a loving response and positive feelings even if we are in the middle of a disagreement. Patience, gentleness, humility, love, goodness, self-control and joy go a long way in affirming one another and showing one another the love and respect that we both crave.

These attitudes cause us to really listen to our goals, what each of us needs, our fears, our successes, etc. We do not fight against one another as adversaries, but fight for each other as allies in this sin-cursed world.

We communicate our true feelings about our circumstances and we find a Plan C if we cannot live with the decision our mate wants us to make. We do not insist on our own way, but really listen to our mate's needs and feelings in every circumstance.

We forgive easily and we do not hold grudges or stuff our feelings, which cause our emotions to erupt another day when the original situation is long forgotten.

The fruit of God's Spirit makes it easier to apologize when we hurt each other's feelings or carelessly make a statement or action that is insensitive to one another's needs.

Prayer:

Father God, teach us to listen to each other, and to want above all to help each other to feel fulfilled and cherished in our relationship and in life in general. Remind us not to buy gifts that we think the other wants, but to really listen to our mate and to purchase a gift or gift certificate for what they expressed a desire to purchase.

Help us not to jump to conclusions, to make false assumptions or to react to our mate without getting all of the facts. Remind us that You show us mercy and grace in our time of need, and to treat each other this same way. After all, we all have a bad day, week or month now and then.

Thought for the Day:

Each day, we make homecoming for our spouse an anticipated event by greeting one another with love and joy in our heart, and treating each other like a blessing rather than as a burden that we are forced to bear.