Exceedingly More than We Can Imagine

All Authentic Believers share some of the same blessings of God in our life. We all enjoy a measure of Christ in us as our Light, and we all have the fullness of His Holy Spirit within us (Acts 2:14-21; 1 Corinthians 12:7). We all are also examples of the Trinity of God to the unholy environment in which we live.

As babes in Christ, we make most of our choices in the flesh, without consulting God every step of the way (Proverbs 3:5-6). The Spirit patiently calls us to surrender our pride and rebellion to the ways of God, and this causes us to gradually move from a carnal lifestyle to a righteous one.

When we have the Spirit of God abiding in us, we hear God, see Him working in our life, and we embrace Him as our Savior and Lord (John 5:37-40). He leads us into all of His Truth, and teaches us all things that we need to know to live a Godly life.

God's Spirit sanctifies us to a life of purity, love, light, humility, salvation, obedience, and the manifestation of Christ-likeness on the earth as we share in the glory of God (1 Corinthians 12:7). People see the change in us, and many are curious, if not fully convinced that they want this same change for their life too (Titus 2:11).

If we spend time during our day listening to God's voice, He shows us the way that we need to go, how to get there, and when to act on His behalf (Romans 1:19; Luke 6:47-48). He gives us His anointing (1 John 2:27), and nothing is impossible for us, as we walk in His ways and honor His guidance in us.

God's Spirit of Truth dwells in us and is with us (John 14:17). As we die to our goals and plans, and embrace His will for us, we are strengthened by His might within us through His Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:16-19). He also grants us, according to His glorious riches, exceedingly more than we can ever imagine.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You that Jesus dwells in our heart. Through Him we are rooted and grounded in Your love (Ephesians 3:17). Thank You for never being far away from us, but always abiding with us and in us by Your Holy Spirit (Jeremiah 23:23; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 6:16). We live and move and have our entire being in You, at the same time that You are abiding in us (Acts 17:24-28).

We look forward to Your glory fully being revealed in us (Romans 8:18). Your Word already richly dwells in us and is manifested through us as we wisely mentor one another and live as a witness to the people around us. When we come to You for salvation, Your Spirit moves into our Spirit, which proves that we belong to You (Romans 8:9). We spend our days singing praises to You from our heart (Colossians 3:16).

Thought for the Day:

With the Trinity of God abiding in our spirit, we bear much fruit for God's Kingdom (John 15:5-8), because these three facets of our one God shine in our heart and out into the darkness all around us; this occurs with our Father's provision and protection, while the Spirit enlightens us with the knowledge of God's glory in the name of Jesus, our Christ and King.

- 2 Corinthians 5:6

Victory over Depression

Depression is a horrible issue that plagues humanity throughout the decades of time. Some people take anti-depressant medication to thwart the ill effects of this negative emotion, and some even need to add other medication to assist the original one prescribed by the doctor.

Depression hits us without warning and attempts to overwhelm us. Chemical imbalances in our body often contribute to these feelings of intense sadness, hopelessness and discouragement. Medication may assist us in balancing out these chemical discrepancies and personality predilections.

Spiritual warfare is another cause for these negative emotions. Satan loves to feed our feelings of gloom, dejection and weariness. His goals is to defeat us, and to keep our focus off the Lord. He fills our mind with his corrupting lies, which influence our thoughts, words, emotions and behavior.

Our only hope to recover from depression is to feed our spirit and to look to the Lord for His joy and peace to fill us, regardless of our circumstances. Reading God's Word, meditating on verses that speak to our soul, and praising God along with uplifting Christian music all help to fill our spirit with nourishment.

Weeping may endure for the moment, but the joy of the Lord is available to strengthen us and to lift our spirit at any time (Psalm 30:5; Nehemiah 8:10). When we connect with the Trinity of God within us, we are able to take our mind off our self and our issues, and place our focus on Him and on the needs of others (1 Timothy 6:18-19; Luke 6:38).

Even if we simply sit alone in our favorite chair, and begin to sing songs that come to our mind, we can often praise our way right out of any debilitating depression (Psalm 28:7, 59:16, 63:6-9, 77:6-10). As we sit there, we remember God's promises, as well as the blessings with which He constantly showers our life, and His total salvation in our spirit and soul and body. This opens the floodgates for His joy to come pouring into our body, soul and spirit.

Prayer:

Father God, debilitating depression comes when we believe the lies that Satan plants in our subconscious mind, and when the chemicals in our body are unbalanced. Help us to uncover the root cause of the reason that we believe these lies, or have these imbalances. We may be overcome by circumstances, harboring anger or unforgiveness for wounds inflicted on our body and soul, feeling dejected and unappreciated and unloved, or lonely or in need of encouragement.

Whatever our issues are, please help us to see them through Your eyes, filtered by Your Word, and encouraged by the Psalmist's musings and revelation (Psalm 61:2). Teach us to start a journal to lighten our mind of negative feelings, to record how You answer our prayers, and to remember everything that You do for us on a daily basis, so that we will not forget them and take You for granted, or drown in the waves of depression that we feel.

Thought for the Day:

Our Father God is faithful and good, His precepts are worthy of our trust, and His justice and judgements are totally righteous; He always hears us when we cry out to Him, and He strengthens us as we follow His perfect plans for all of the minutes in our day.

- Psalm 34:17, 111:7-8

God's Abundant Faithfulness

God tends to choose the weak people of the world - those that the world despises - to work in His service. He utilizes them to diminish or to advance issues that are of importance to Him. He chooses the feeble, so we are an example of His abundant strength (1 Corinthians 1:28).

Gideon was just such a person. Gideon continually tested the word of the Lord, because He doubted God's ability to use Him. He came from the tribe of Manasseh, the weakest clan, and from the least family in that tribe. 

God's Spirit came upon Gideon, and inspired Him with a plan to deliver God's people from the Midianites. Although this untrained army, from obscure families from an indistinctive tribe, was outnumbered, and had no strong weapons of war, they ended up winning the battle anyway.

We often lose our faith in God's faithfulness, especially when our circumstances seem hopeless and fatal already. However, if we will courageously surrender the control of our life to Him, and dare to trust Him with the outcome, God will perform great and mighty feats by our hand.

The more mature we grow in our faith, the more certain we can testify that God always works out everything for our good (Romans 8:28). Authentic Believers experience this time and again, and our trust and confidence in our Father God grows more sustainable over time.

When we walk in God's Spirit and trust in the power of His might, we do not look to our human resources to deliver us, but we put our faith only in the Lord God Almighty (Isaiah 31:1). He is unconditionally faithful and loving to us, now and always.

Prayer:

Father God, You always use even our worse circumstances to prove Your love for us. When we are the weakest, You are our strongest advocate, and You fight for us and through us every step of the way (2 Corinthians 12:10). Thank You for Your everlasting presence in our life. We will spend eternity praising Your name for who You are, and all that You do for us each and every day.

We need Your help in order to choose to die to sin through Christ, and to enjoy our life hidden with Him in You. Remind us that life is not about worldly possessions or social preeminence, but about dying to our self and living for You (Philippians 1:21). In this world, we will experience tribulation and trials, but Christ in us already overcame every one of them for us (John 16:33).

Thought for the Day:

Teach us meekness so we may inherit a place in Your Kingdom on this earth, and allow patience to have her perfecting work in us; we are safe in You, and we will never again fear what this world or anyone or anything in it may say about us or do to us, because You are the strength of our life.

- Matthew 5:5; James 1:4-8; John 10:27-29; Psalm 23; 1 Peter 4:4

No Fear in Love

When we live in fear, we abandon the perfecting work of God's love (1 John 4:18). Instead, when anxiety overwhelms us, we can cling to the consolation of His love that fills our soul with joy (Psalm 94:19). There is no fear in God's love, because His amazing care drives all of the fear right out of our life.

An anxious heart weighs us down, but kind encouragement can lift us right up (Proverbs 12:25). That is why God put us in His Body and gave us His Word (Proverbs 12:25). God redeems us and knows us by name, because we belong to His adopted family (Isaiah 43:1).

He is with us, and in us, regardless of where we go. He is our light in the darkness, our salvation from the consequences of sin, our refuge and our strength and our stronghold when we are afraid, and our ever-present help in every troubling time (Psalm 27:1, 46:1; Deuteronomy 31:5).

We have no need to worry about any aspect of life, because we cannot control life, but we know the One who can (Luke 12:22-26). God even comes to our rescue when we insist on living by our own goals, plans and human resources; although we often have to reap what we have sown (Isaiah 35:4; Joshua 1:9).

As we humble our self under His mighty hand, He lifts us up in His timing and way, because He really does care about us (1 Peter 5:6-7). He takes us by the hand and continually helps us, sustains us, and provides for all our needs (Mark 6:50; Isaiah 41:13-14; Psalm 118:6-7). We owe Him our praises from the depth of our heart.

Prayer:

Father God, when we dwell in Your sheltering arms, we rest in Your almighty shadow. You are our refuge, fortress and strong deliverer when we put our trust in You. We find protection under Your wings, and Your faithfulness is our shield and stronghold. The terror of night, the fiery darts from the devil, the pestilences that stalk us in this world, etc. do not sway our trust in You.

Even if thousands fall all around us, You will shelter us through every storm and give our guardian angels the charge to keep us safe. Since we love You and call on Jesus' name, You answer our prayers, rescue us, protect us, deliver us, honor us, and walk with us and in us through any form of trouble (Psalm 91:1-16). We thank You, honor You, and praise Your holy name.

Thought for the Day:

Jehovah is our God, and we exalt Him; He comforts us with His disciplinary rod and shepherd's staff, so we can release all of our fear, and our anxiety will disappear; He is in our midst as our victorious warrior, who exults over us with joy, quiets us with His love, and rejoices over us with singing and shouts of joy.

- Psalm 23:4; Zephaniah 3:17

Glory in Our Tribulation

God is so good about strengthening all of our being with all the fullness of His spiritual riches, until we become a body totally filled with His mercy, wisdom, power and grace. According to His power that works in us, He is able to do immensely more in and for us than we could ever imagine (Ephesians 3:16-20, Amplified).

We stop striving and stressing to gain the riches of this world, and we look to Him to produce in us His enduring eternal life. His power cleanses, purifies and frees us from all sin, as well as the desire to sin. His Word is spirit and life for us (John 6:51, 63).

We find it almost impossible to continually walk in His ways, until we start to listen to the Spirit of God within us as He teaches, inspires, comforts and convicts us (Roman 7:15; Romans 8:7). We learn obedience through the things that we suffer, just like Jesus did (1 Peter 4:1-2; Acts 14:22; 2 Thessalonians 1:4).

Trials teach us to glory in our tribulation, to count even the worst plagues as a joyful event, and they teach us to patiently wait on the Lord to faithfully deliver us through each one of them (1 Peter 4:12-13; Romans 5:3). This way we can comfort others as He comforts us (2 Corinthians 1:4).

We are His little children, and He enables us to overcome sin, because of His presence within us (1 John 4:4). Since He is in us, and we are in Him and obey His Word, His life and love are perfected in us (1 John 2:5). Nothing can ever separate us from God's love for us (Romans 8:35).

We rejoice in our hope in Him, we let patience have her perfect work in us, and we pray without ceasing (Romans 12:12). Eventually, we come through the fire as pure gold, and as authentic Believers who give Him praise, glory and honor all the days of our life (1 Peter 1:5-7).

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that the suffering that we endure during this time in this perverted, sinful world are overshadowed by the resulting glory that is revealed in us both now and in eternity (Romans 8:18; 1 Peter 5:9). Thank You for loving us enough to discipline us, and to welcome us to Your heart as cherished children (Hebrews 12:6-8; Hebrews 12:11). It is only fitting and right for us to offer our self to You as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to You as our spiritual act of worship (Luke 22:31; Colossians 3:5; Galatians 5:24).

With the help of Your Holy Spirit living and working within us to perfect us, we put to death those traits in us that are still drawn to the world and to ungodliness (Romans 7:17). Christ rises to His full glory in us as our Day Star, and He leads us out of darkness into Your glorious Light (2 Peter 1:19). Our sin nature is put to death, and we are no longer slaves to sin (Romans 6:6, 8:9-10). We look forward to serving with You for eternity (2 Timothy 2:12).

Thought for the Day:

The Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead, and the fullness of this power abides within us; the grace of God brings us salvation for eternity, teaches us to reject the draw of sin and to live a spirit-controlled life, and eventually fulfills our hope in Him at His glorious appearing.

- Romans 8:11; Titus 2:11-14

God Strengthens Us

Even when we feel powerless, sad, weary and weak, God strengthens us to accomplish every activity that He ever calls on us to achieve for Him (Philippians 4:13). He abides within us by His Spirit, and we are never alone or helpless.

When we put our hope in Him, we are strong in His mighty power, rising up like eagles above the conflicts that face us as they attempt to surround and overcome us (Isaiah 40:29-31; Psalm 119:28; Ephesians 6:10). Jesus is the light of our salvation, and we have no need to fear.

We find that God's grace is all that we really need to overcome life's hurdles, because His power in us is perfected and demonstrated in our weakest moments (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). If our heart trusts in Him alone, He is our strength and our shield (Psalm 28:7).

Since God is our fortress of salvation, and we are His anointed Saints, our heart abounds with joy. We sing Him praises all day long (Psalm 28:8, 118:14). We never tire of thanking Him for who He is and what He continually does for us.

We rejoice in His presence within us, we pray without ceasing, and we consult Him for His guidance and wisdom before commencing even the simplest action (Proverbs 3:5-6). We trust in Him alone, and we find our self experiencing His divine intervention all throughout our day.

Prayer:

Father God, we thank You for being gracious to us, and for creating in us a longing in our soul for more intimacy with You. Each new morning You are our strength. When we feel stress, fear or anxiety, You are our continual help and salvation (Isaiah 33:2).

You make us sure-footed on the rocky road of life, and we are able to climb to great spiritual heights, because You are our sovereign Lord (Habakkuk 3:19). We pray that out of Your glorious riches, You continue to provide for all of our needs, and that You will always strengthen us with the power of Your Spirit in our spirit, soul and body (Ephesians 3:16).

Thought for the Day:

Our Most High God is the strength of our life, our salvation that vanquishes every foe that exists against us; therefore, we have no need to fear; even if our faith fails us, God is the strength of our heart and our provision now and forever.

- Psalm 27:1-3, 73:26

God's Eye is Upon Us

We trust God because He always helps those who seek Him (Psalm 9:10). When someone or something comes against God’s beloved, He takes it very personally (Zechariah 2:8). We are precious in His sight (Isaiah 43:3).

King David realized that throughout his lifetime, the righteous were never forsaken, and our children are blessed because we seek Him (Psalm 37:25). God provides for His own, and He blesses thousands of generations of those who love and serve Him (Exodus 20:6).

God causes the godly to flourish like a palm tree. Our prosperity honors the Lord, because it shows the world that He cares for His own (Psalm 92:12-15). We grow tall and He transplants us into His own garden so that we are under His personal care.

When we are acquainted with God’s ways, we come to put our trust in Him alone, because He never forsakes anyone who seeks Him (Psalm 9:10). We are happy, because we put all of our hope in our Lord.

He keeps every promise He makes to us with as much certainty as He keeps the world He created in perfect balance (Psalm 146:5-6). God cares for us and defends us, keeping us from evil and preserving our life.

God's will is not an objective to achieve, but a lifestyle to live; therefore, we trust Him alone. He keeps His eye upon us as we come and go, and He guards us in all of our ways (Psalm 121:2-8). He is faithful and trustworthy and we give Him continual praises.

Our Father God advices us never to pay back evil with more evil. Instead, He suggest that we do all things in such a way that everyone can see that we are honorable and trusting in Him alone (Romans 12:17). He is our amazing God, and in Him do we trust all the days of our life.

Prayer:

Father God, You made the mountains and the heavens; and yet, You are mindful of all mankind (Psalm 8:4-6). You give Your angels charge over us, so that we never stumble or fall (Psalm 91:11-12). You do not sleep, and You watch over us day and night. We will never forget Your promises, Your mercy and grace, or the marvelous works You perform (Psalm 111:4-6; Nehemiah 9:17, 31).

Your loving kindness is given forever and ever to those who reverence You. Your salvation is for us and our children, as we are faithful to Your covenant and obey Your precepts (Psalm 103:17). Your love stands firm forever, and You establish your faithfulness in Heaven and on earth as long as it endures (Psalm 89:2, 119:90).

Thought for the Day:

God always helps those who seek Him, gives justice to the poor and oppressed, as well as food to the hungry, heals the sick, lifts the burden of those crippled under the weight of trials, protects immigrants, and cares for both orphans and widows; He loves His righteous people and is our eternal defense.

- Psalm 9:10, 146:7-9