The most important thing about Jesus is having Him in your heart; inviting Him in, giving Him full access to every room, talking with Him about everything, sharing all your secrets with Him, asking His advice on everything, and letting Him decorate how He wants to. Then constantly working on your private relationship with Him, figuring out how He speaks to you, so that you fully understand each other. This is going to be different for each person. He is not the author of fear or confusion. He will guide you through love if you let Him. The more you grow, the deeper your relationship with Him gets, the more you can share His love…
“This is my commitment to my people: removal of their sins.”
Romans 11:27,
The Message
God does more than forgive our mistakes;
he removes them!
We simply have to take them to him.
He not only wants the mistakes we’ve made.
He wants the ones we are making.
Are you making some? . . .
If so, don’t pretend nothing is wrong . . .
Go first to God.
The first step after a stumble must be in the direction of the cross.
~ Max Lucado
Galatians 3:29
When God said to Abraham that He would be the father of many nations, and a blessing to many (Genesis 12), you were part of that promise. The New Living Translation says Galatians 3:29 this way… And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you. NLT
May our God and Father give each one of us a revelation today about what it means to be an heir in His amazing kingdom. An heir of God and a co-heir with our elder brother, Jesus Christ. There is no higher call, there is no greater destiny, than to be part of the eternal family of the living God. Be encouraged by the words found in Galatians 4:7 – So you are no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.(WEB)
Photo by Jeff Epp
Click here to read Barry Adams’ new daily devotional at Fatherheart.tv
Galatians 4:6
The Spirit of the Son that lives within us continually calls out ‘Abba Father!’. Abba is an Aramaic word for father that little children would call out to their dads in New Testament times. It would be like us saying ‘papa’ or ‘daddy’ in the English language. Because we carry within our very being the Spirit of the Son, our spirit man continually cries out ‘Papa’ to God, whether we are aware of this cry in our heart or not.
I believe it delights our heavenly Father when we cry out ‘Abba!’ to Him, for that is the very reason why God has given us the Spirit of His Son… so that He could be a Father to us. So may a cry resonate deep in our heart today as we join with the Spirit of the Son that lives within us that calls out ‘Abba Father!’.
Photo by Jeff Epp
Click here to read Barry Adams’ new daily devotional at Fatherheart.tv
Colossians 1:12-13
May the Holy Spirit give us revelation today to know that we have already been translated into the kingdom of our elder brother. The power of darkness has no more hold on us because of our royal position in Christ. We now live in an upside down kingdom, where the last will be first, the weak will be strong, and the poor will inherit the riches of our Father’s kingdom.
May each and every one of us echo the prayer that Paul prayed in Ephesians that our God and Father would give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation to know Him better. That the eyes of our heart would be opened so that we could really see the hope of His calling and our glorious inheritance in the saints!
Ephesians 1:15-23…
15 For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which you have toward all the saints, 16 don’t cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might 20 which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. 22 He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. (WEB)
Photo by Jeff Epp
Click here to read Barry Adams’ new daily devotional at Fatherheart.tv
1. “The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.”
Abraham Lincoln
(1809-1865)
2. “Life is a series of experiences, each of which makes us bigger, even though it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and griefs which we endure help us in our marching onward.”
Henry Ford
(1863-1947)
3. “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”
Mother Teresa
(1910-1997)
4. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It’s the courage to continue that counts.”
Winston Churchill
(1874-1965)
5. “A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination.”
Nelson Mandela
(1918 – )
6. “Leaders aren’t born, they are made. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal which is worthwhile.”
Vince Lombardi
(1913-1970)
7. “Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble.”
Thomas Jefferson
(1743-1826)
8. “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face…we must do that which we think we cannot.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
(1884-1962)
9. “A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.”
Mahatma Gandhi
(1869-1948)
10. “The ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been kindness, beauty, and truth.”
Albert Einstein
(1879-1955)
11. “Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.”
Franklin Roosevelt
(1882-1945)
12. “Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust and hostility to evaporate.”
Albert Schweitzer
(1875-1965)
13. “I believe the unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
(1929-1968)
14. “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.”
Helen Keller
(1880-1968)
There’s no love more precious,
more costly, more kingly.
There’s no love that’s greater-
that’s more wonderful, more wild,
more passionate, more powerful-
than the love of Jesus.
Believe, receive, and rejoice forever in the greatest love the world has ever known!
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38, 39 NASB
(From: Dayspring.com)
Ephesians 1:4-5
And our adoption is not like any human adoption, for God has given us His own Spirit as a deposit to guarantee our inheritance. We are not servants in His house, but actual sons and daughters, joint heirs with our elder brother Jesus, seated in Christ in heavenly places.
What an amazing promise! Every other promise and precept rests on God’s eternal plan to make us part of His family. As Ephesians 1:4 says, we are holy and without blame before Him in love all because of the finished work of Jesus Christ. What Jesus did on our behalf has secured our place forever as God’s kids!
1 John 3:1 – Behold, how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world doesn’t know us, because it didn’t know him. (WEB)
Photo by Carl Dyck
Click here to read Barry Adams’ new daily devotional at Fatherheart.tv
Setting boundaries in ministry | davegladson.
I believe you will be as touched by Dave’s writings as much as I am. Please read and follow Dave’s ministry.
Worrying . . . it just wears us out, doesn’t it?
Not what God wants us to do, but we still do it.
I’ll be glad when I can stop doing this!
By Jon Walker
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. Romans 3:20 (NIV)
I once went to one of those coin-sorting machines today and poured in a huge bag of change that had accumulated in a cup kept on the chest of drawers in my bedroom.
The total came to $22.31. I took the receipt to customer service and the cashier gave me 22 dollars in bills . . . and then 31 cents.
So I still have change and I paid the machine eight percent of the total to count those 31 cents (why it rejected the rubber band and the guitar pick that also poured out of the cup is beyond me).
Hmmm, I think I need some chocolate to help me think this through. Perhaps this is how you get hooked into an addiction; you always have change left over, so you eventually have to come back.
I know, I could count out the exact amount of change to total an even dollar amount, like $22.00 and no cents, and then pour that into the coin-sorting machine.
But then I’d be counting the change myself and I might as well not be at the machine. Aarghhhh!!!!
I definitely need some chocolate to reach a cosmic revelation on this. Anybody got change for a candy bar? I seem to be a little short . . .
When we try to live by the law, it’s like we’re pouring change into a coin-sorting machine, always trying to hit an even dollar amount. The law serves a useful purpose in that it shows us how impossible it is to reach God-righteousness by our own efforts.
The frustration we feel when we stumble and fail is absolutely normal. In truth, it’s part of God’s plan. “Through the law we become conscious of sin,” (Romans 3:20 NIV) and by realizing how far we fall short, we’re able to admit, “I can’t; God can.”
Once there, we’re able to live by the Holy Spirit at work within us.
There is no fear in love;
but perfect love casts out fear,
because fear involves torment.
But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
I John 4:18
Fear,
when it is mismanaged,
leads to sin.
And sin leads to hiding.
And since we’ve all sinned, we all hide—
in 80-hour workweeks,
temper tantrums,
and religious busyness.
We avoid contact with God!
We’re convinced God must hate our evil tendencies.
We despise our lustful thoughts, harsh judgments, and selfish deeds.
If our sin nauseates us,
how much more must it revolt a holy God?
So we draw a practical conclusion:
God is ticked off at us!
Sin has left us lost and confused.
Yes, we have disappointed God.
But no, God has not abandoned us!
Jesus loves us too much to leave us in doubt about His grace.
God keeps no list of our wrongs.
His love casts out fear because He casts out our sin!
Live forgiven!
~ Max Lucado
israel today | Israelis find Jesus on Facebook – israel today.
Very interesting approach.
The Best Medicine « Story of the Day–climbinghigher.
Great message!
Tim Tebow FoundationTim Tebow with Jacob Rainey, one of the many people dealing with health problems Tebow hosted at Broncos games this season.
(My Note: I know there is a lot of hoopla going on surrounding Tim Tebow, but I think, as Christians, we really need to support all other Christian brothers and sisters in their stand for our Lord and Savior. Tim is reaching millions of people that none of us can. It is a gift that he uses to glorify His Lord. Let’s support Tim through our prayers.)
By Rick Reilly
ESPN.com
I’ve come to believe in Tim Tebow, but not for what he does on a football field, which is still three parts Dr. Jekyll and two parts Mr. Hyde.
No, I’ve come to believe in Tim Tebow for what he does off a football field, which is represent the best parts of us, the parts I want to be and so rarely am.
Who among us is this selfless?
Every week, Tebow picks out someone who is suffering, or who is dying, or who is injured. He flies these people and their families to the Broncos game, rents them a car, puts them up in a nice hotel, buys them dinner (usually at a Dave & Buster’s), gets them and their families pregame passes, visits with them just before kickoff (!), gets them 30-yard-line tickets down low, visits with them after the game (sometimes for an hour), has them walk him to his car, and sends them off with a basket of gifts.
Home or road, win or lose, hero or goat.
Remember last week, when the world was pulling its hair out in the hour after Tebow had stunned the Pittsburgh Steelers with an 80-yard OT touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas in the playoffs? And Twitter was exploding with 9,420 tweets about Tebow per second? When an ESPN poll was naming him the most popular athlete in America?
Tebow was spending that hour talking to 16-year-old Bailey Knaub about her 73 surgeries so far and what TV shows she likes.
For Tim Tebow’s take on being named America’s most popular athlete, click here.
“Here he’d just played the game of his life,” recalls Bailey’s mother, Kathy, of Loveland, Colo., “and the first thing he does after his press conference is come find Bailey and ask, ‘Did you get anything to eat?’ He acted like what he’d just done wasn’t anything, like it was all about Bailey.”
More than that, Tebow kept corralling people into the room for Bailey to meet. Hey, Demaryius, come in here a minute. Hey, Mr. Elway. Hey, Coach Fox.
Even though sometimes-fatal Wegener’s granulomatosis has left Bailey with only one lung, the attention took her breath away.
“It was the best day of my life,” she emailed. “It was a bright star among very gloomy and difficult days. Tim Tebow gave me the greatest gift I could ever imagine. He gave me the strength for the future. I know now that I can face any obstacle placed in front of me. Tim taught me to never give up because at the end of the day, today might seem bleak but it can’t rain forever and tomorrow is a new day, with new promises.”
I read that email to Tebow, and he was honestly floored.
“Why me? Why should I inspire her?” he said. “I just don’t feel, I don’t know, adequate. Really, hearing her story inspires me.”
It’s not just NFL defenses that get Tebowed. It’s high school girls who don’t know whether they’ll ever go to a prom. It’s adults who can hardly stand. It’s kids who will die soon.
For the game at Buffalo, it was Charlottesville, Va., blue-chip high school QB Jacob Rainey, who lost his leg after a freak tackle in a scrimmage. Tebow threw three interceptions in that Buffalo game and the Broncos were crushed 40-14.
“He walked in and took a big sigh and said, ‘Well, that didn’t go as planned,'” Rainey remembers. “Where I’m from, people wonder how sincere and genuine he is. But I think he’s the most genuine person I’ve ever met.”
There’s not an ounce of artifice or phoniness or Hollywood in this kid Tebow, and I’ve looked everywhere for it.
Take 9-year-old Zac Taylor, a child who lives in constant pain. Immediately after Tebow shocked the Chicago Bears with a 13-10 comeback win, Tebow spent an hour with Zac and his family. At one point, Zac, who has 10 doctors, asked Tebow whether he has a secret prayer for hospital visits. Tebow whispered it in his ear. And because Tebow still needed to be checked out by the Broncos’ team doctor, he took Zac in with him, but only after they had whispered it together.
And it’s not always kids. Tom Driscoll, a 55-year-old who is dying of brain cancer at a hospice in Denver, was Tebow’s guest for the Cincinnati game. “The doctors took some of my brain,” Driscoll says, “so my short-term memory is kind of shot. But that day I’ll never forget. Tim is such a good man.”
This whole thing makes no football sense, of course. Most NFL players hardly talk to teammates before a game, much less visit with the sick and dying.
Isn’t that a huge distraction?
“Just the opposite,” Tebow says. “It’s by far the best thing I do to get myself ready. Here you are, about to play a game that the world says is the most important thing in the world. Win and they praise you. Lose and they crush you. And here I have a chance to talk to the coolest, most courageous people. It puts it all into perspective. The game doesn’t really matter. I mean, I’ll give 100 percent of my heart to win it, but in the end, the thing I most want to do is not win championships or make a lot of money, it’s to invest in people’s lives, to make a difference.”
So that’s it. I’ve given up giving up on him. I’m a 100 percent believer. Not in his arm. Not in his skills. I believe in his heart, his there-will-definitely-be-a-pony-under-the-tree optimism, the way his love pours into people, right up to their eyeballs, until they believe they can master the hopeless comeback, too.
Remember the QB who lost his leg, Jacob Rainey? He got his prosthetic leg a few weeks ago, and he wants to play high school football next season. Yes, tackle football. He’d be the first to do that on an above-the-knee amputation.
Hmmm. Wonder where he got that crazy idea?
“Tim told me to keep fighting, no matter what,” Rainey says. “I am.”
Weighing in on the Tim Tebow Controversy « A Pocketful of Dreams.
A beautiful tribute to an athlete who is not ashamed to be sharinHislove,
I like the simplicity, yet profound way that Bryan writes. Even though yesterday was Christmas Day, I think you will be encouraged as you read this message.
She brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped
Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger.
Luke 2:7, NKJV
Where will God go to touch the world?
What a great thought and even better question.
It’s that time of year when we hear about the virgin birth.
And yet, it’s more, much more, that a Christmas story.
It’s a story of how close Christ will come to you.
The first step on his itinerary was a womb.
Where will God go to touch the world?
Look deep within Mary for an answer.
Better still, look deep within yourself.
“Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27 NIV).
Christ grew in Mary until he had to come out.
Christ will grow in you until the same occurs.
He will come out in your speech,
in your actions,
in your decisions.
Every place you live will be a Bethlehem,
and every day you live will be a Christmas.
You,
like Mary,
will deliver Christ into the world.
~ Max Lucado
Preparing for the holidays is primarily a preparing of the heart.
Because what comes down is love and the way to receive love isn’t to wrap anything up — but to unwrap your heart.
This will take time.
This will take waiting.
I must make space for these.
Why don’t I make space just for the heart unwrapping?
Advent — this is the season of preparing that prepares us for any season of life — because we are preparing our lives for Christ to enter in — which prepares for us the life without end.
Is that the ultimate purpose of this life — the preparing for the next life?
Is this why Christmas, Advent, unlike any other time of year, glimmers with a glimpse of heaven — because it’s the time of year we’re fulfilling our purpose, preparing for Christ and His coming again? The Christmas tree’s been lit for weeks, a beacon, a preparing, an anticipation. Why is it easier to make Christmas cookies than to make our hearts ready for Christ?
Is getting ready for Christmas as simple and difficult as simply sitting stilled before the cradle of Christ?
And yet.
Love came down and “He came to his own people, and his own people did not receive him.”
(John 1:11)
Love came down – and his own people did not recognize Him.
Love came down — and His own people did not want what He offered.
The Messiah came down and He wasn’t received as the Messiah — and Love comes down down and who receives all the moments as His love?
How in the world am I receiving Christ this Advent?
During Advent, the season of waiting for the coming, the Christ-people, they meet whatever comes with this brazen belief that it is Love that Comes Down.
Love comes down to His own people — and His own people are the ones who do receive the unexpected and unlikely as His love.
The infant as infinite God.
The Babe as bondage-breaker.
The stump as new shoot, the ugly as beautiful, the weak as strong.
Our loving God always comes to us wrapped in the unlikely.
We may not know the outcome but we tenaciously believe that in Him we overcome — because Love comes down.
Is that how we get ready for Christmas? By readying the heart to receive the gift of every moment — no matter what the moment unexpectedly holds — as a gift of His love?
We’re ready for Christmas, not when we have all the gifts, but when we are ready for Christ — when we’re ready to give all of ourselves to Christ.
At the end of the day, the carols hardly play, and yet I hear them.
I light the candles at the hearth.
And I can feel how it comes.
The warmth and the flame and this slow unwrapping of everything bound…
***
ANN VOSKAMP
Thoughts have been running through my mind for days as to how to post about what is going on in our lives.
We really need your prayers and support as we continue to minister in our community–a community of many who have deep needs. Our friend who is terminally ill with cancer has needed our help in preparing her to move to live with her son in Nevada. Emotional, physical, spiritual support has been needed and we have been obeying God to fill those needs.
Others have needed guidance, prayer, and all kinds of other support.
There are those in our community who do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior, so your prayers for those specific needs would be greatly appreciated.
We feel God has given us the gift of love in action. It takes a lot of energy and spiritual strength. Of course, in the process, the devil is attacking us, and we have been physically sick in the middle of helping those who need us.
All of the things going on has kept us from coming here with any consistency, and I know you all understand. We get a lot of strength and encouragement from each of you, but have been unable to take the time we used to, to read what you all are writing. But know that each of your ministries are important to us, and that we keep you all in our prayers, daily.
Much love and blessings, especially during this time as we celebrate the life of Jesus and the Greatest Gift we have through Him.
Sharon & Erick
Bad Memories « Broken Believers.
Again, Bryan has given us a visual of what it is like to carry guilt, or sin, around our necks. Constantly trying to sling it off, but having the stench hang on. Even after obtaining forgiveness, we must immediately drag those self-deprecating memories to the feet and arms of our Lord and Savior. He will lovingly, willingly, pick them up, throw them out to the farthest point, and lift us up. Holding us, taking away our pain. Letting us rest from the weight of it all. Always, Jesus is the only one who can truly set us free.
Psalm 27:1 KJV
Promise #313: I am your light and your salvation, the strength of your life.
David knew that the Lord was his light and his salvation and was the strength of his life. As a result of this revelation, David could walk in a holy boldness without being afraid. God wants you and I to have this revelation too! Jesus Christ is our light and our salvation and the very strength of our lives! We have nothing to fear because if God is for us, who can possibly stand against us!
May the boldness of a lion (Proverbs 28:1) rise up within you today as you reminded who you are in Christ!
Photo by Barry Adams
Outside the Darkness Are Certain Colors « Broken Believers.
Describing the Light who helps us see the colors when in the midst of depression.
(My note: What a perfectly timed message that ministers to my heart, and hopefully yours, especially as we celebrate the life of our beloved friend, Lori.)
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
Redemptive Reality
“Roberto Benigni, who wrote, directed, and starred in Life is Beautiful, is a comic genius who has been called the Italian Charlie Chaplin. But the subject of his 1997 film, the Holocaust, is anything but funny.
Benigni’s character, a sad-sack waiter named Guido, courts the affections of a local schoolteacher and through various hilarious adventures wins her heart. They marry and have a son.
Then things take a dark turn: Father and son, who are Jewish, are sent to a concentration camp. To shield his son from the horrors they’re going through, Guido concocts a wild story, telling the boy that the whole experience is really just an elaborate game.
How did Benigni dare to use humor in a film about a great moral evil? He did it by expressing the Christian idea that there’s more to life than what we see. In the scene in which the father is being led away to be killed, he spots his son and makes a funny face. The message is that there is something that triumphs over even death, some transcendent reality that, even in this ultimate moment of gravity, enables Guido to make his son laugh.
Most of our cultural leaders operate from a purely naturalistic perspective, but Scripture teaches that there are eternal things. Life is Beautiful is not the gospel story, but it does point to the gospel because it’s about how God’s redemptive reality trumps the very worst this world has to offer.”
adapted from How Now Shall We Live? Devotional by Charles Colson (Tyndale) pp 581-82
Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House
Invisible Pain « BROKEN BELIEVERS.
Excellent message written by a wonderful lady who truly understands Invisible Pain. I encourage anyone who is going through any kind of pain or depression to read what she has written.
We are here to help each other by sharing the love of our Lord in a personal way because of what He does in each of our own lives.
As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so continue to live in him.
Colossians 2:6
Struggling with life’s difficulties makes us a little wiser,
a little more capable,
enabling us to comfort others who experience pain.
Any difficulties we face in life are short-lived;
all rewards are eternal.
A divine inheritance will be our reward for faithfulness
to our heavenly Father.
~ Max Lucado
10 Ways to Manage Your Depression « BROKEN BELIEVERS.
Very good suggestions.
“God saw every thing that He had made,
and, behold, it was very good….”
Genesis 1:31 KJV
And that includes:
When He looked at each one of us
He had made,
He said, “Behold, YOU are VERY good!”
Jude 1:24 KJV
Promise #270: I will keep you from falling until you joyfully stand blameless in My presence.
I love the thought that when Jesus presents us to God, He will do so with exceeding joy! The Amplified Bible describes it as… triumphant joy and exultation [with unspeakable, ecstatic delight]. It will absolutely thrill the heart of Jesus to present us blameless before His Father on the day that we will see Him face to face!
We have nothing to fear about our future. Jesus has promised to be faithful to keep us from falling and will one day present us completely blameless before His Father and our Father in triumphant joy with unspeakable, ecstatic delight! Hallelujah!!!!!!
Photo by Martin Smith
VERSE:
The inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, “Let us
go at once to entreat the LORD and seek the LORD Almighty. I myself
am going.”
— Zechariah 8:21
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Zechariah+8:21
THOUGHT:
This Messianic message from Zechariah anticipates the day of the
LORD’s redemption. Many different peoples, from all over the world,
will come looking for the great mercy of God. God’s people will
have one key phrase on their hearts: “Let’s go seek the presence of
God. I’m going; why don’t you join me?” As believers, we know Jesus
has come, has died, and has been raised from the dead. We know
Jesus is returning with salvation for all who truly know and follow
him. Let’s ask others to join us in going to the great celebration
of grace and salvation at his return!
PRAYER:
Loving Father, I seek your presence daily in my life. Without
your guidance, love, holiness, and truth, I would be lost and
confused. Knowing that my destiny is with you, I look forward to
seeing you face to face as your child. Please lead me to those who
do not know you, but who are seeking you. Give me eyes to see them,
ears to hear their cry, and wisdom to know how to share your grace.
Use me to prepare them to meet you at the great Day of Redemption
that is coming with your Son. In the name of Christ Jesus my Lord.
Amen.
http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/todaysverse.cgi?day=20110927
VERSE:
You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest
heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on
it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything,
and the multitudes of heaven worship you.
— Nehemiah 9:6
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Nehemiah+9:6
THOUGHT:
Our praise is pretty irrelevant to everyone and everything but
us, those closest to us, and amazingly to God. In a universe so
vast, so much bigger than Nehemiah could have imagined, what is our
small voice and our song of praise? The billions of stars and
innumerable creatures of the immense seas all cry out that our
Creator is LORD. God will receive the worship of the angels and all
the heavenly beings. What difference does it make if we praise him?
To the universe, to be blunt, it doesn’t matter. But it does to us!
It matters even more to the LORD, who longs to be our Father and
wants to bring us into relationship with himself.
PRAYER:
Holy and amazing God, you alone are Lord — Lord of all creation
and Lord of my life. You are praised by all you have made. Your
works cry out and declare your creative genius and your loving
kindness. Father, I want to add my heartfelt praise to the chorus
of creation, the voices of the angels, and the praise of many who
have come before me. You are truly worthy to be praised. I gladly
offer you my words, my songs, my heart, and my life. In Jesus’
name. Amen.
http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/todaysverse.cgi?day=20110926
Psalm 23:4 KJV
Promise #269: When you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will be with you.
However, I do want to ask you to think of another application of this promise… Jesus told us that except a seed falls in the ground and dies, it abides alone (John 12:24). The principle of the Christian life is a continual letting go of things, allowing them to ‘die’, only to see them resurrected again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Whether those things are dreams or desires, the principle of the cross (death, burial, resurrection) is a resounding theme in the daily Christian life.
In that context, when you are feeling like God is asking you to surrender something dear to you, when you are in a sense walking through the shadow of death for something that you have hoped for, be comforted in knowing that God is very close to you in those times of surrender and His staff and rod will bring comfort to you. Weeping may endure for the night, but joy is coming in the morning! (Psalm 30:5)
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 KJV
Promise #268: I will always be close when you need My comfort.
In today’s Bible passage from 2 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul tells us that God is the Father of mercies (compassion) and the God of ALL comfort. Our God and Father is the source of ALL comfort and He wants us to be comfortable coming to Him to receive comfort whenever we need it.
Since we were created to receive comfort, we will seek it out somewhere. If we don’t receive it from God, we will receive it from other things… Food, material things, false comforts, etc. God wants each and every one of us to run into His arms every time we need to be comforted! As we receive the comfort from His loving arms, we will then be able to be an expression of that same comfort to other people when they need a comforting shoulder to cry on.
Photo by Barry Adams
The best compliment I feel I can give you, full of gratitude as you share from your heart, is to press this on our blog. Blessings, dear friend.
Bits and Pieces « Women’s Window.
Amazing dream! So beautifully written. Insightful, and a wonderful gift from our Lord, to you, and then forwarded on to us. Blessings, Sharon
Psalm 51:17 KJV
Promise #267: I will not reject the sacrifice of a broken spirit and a contrite heart.
King David wrote this Psalm after it became public knowledge that he had sinned with Bathsheba. His illegimate affair caused a world of hurt and pain for many people. It was at David’s lowest point, that he had a revelation of God’s love and kindness and mercy. Perhaps David expected God to reject him for his sin? Perhaps he was surprised to feel God’s nearness in the midst of his darkness?
Whatever he felt, he knew that God saw his broken heart, and God knew that David was truly sorry for his sin. For many of us, when we sin against God, we run in the opposite direction of Him assuming that He will turn away from us. The opposite is true! When we are our lowest point, He is very close to us and He promises to save those who are crushed in spirit.
Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies
down.
— Proverbs 26:20
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Proverbs+26:20
THOUGHT:
Ol’ Smokey The Bear said: “Only you can prevent forest fires!”
Basically, that’s what the Wiseman says about gossip. We can turn
down the heat, douse the fire, and let the quarrel die. How? By not
supplying juicy morsels of gossip, by ditching the urge to spread
destructive innuendo, and by refusing to keep alive an ugly rumor.
Without gossip, the bitterness of a rivalry can dissolve and
relationships can mend.
PRAYER:
Forgive me, O God, for the times I have kept gossip alive or
have entertained the conversation of a gossip. Please bless and
heal those whom I have wounded with my participation in gossip.
Give me the strength to say only what is helpful to bless others,
the courage to mend the relationships that I have damaged because
of reckless words, and the wisdom to know how to discourage those
seeking to spread gossip. In Jesus’ name I ask it. Amen.
http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/todaysverse.cgi?day=20110924
“As many of you as were baptized into Christ
have put on Christ.” Galatians 3:27 NKJV
You read it right. We have “put on” Christ.
When God looks at us He doesn’t see us; He sees Christ.
We “wear” Him.
We are hidden in Him;
we are covered by Him.
As the songs says,
“Dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne.”
Presumptuous, you say?
Sacrilegious?
It would be if it were my idea.
But it isn’t;
it’s His.
~ Max Lucado
Day 83: Being a Warrior « ASPIRE. MOTIVATE. SUCCEED..
Wonderful message of encouragement. There are many out in the world who go through these feelings of depression. God sees us all, and knows what we need. The main thing we need is to “Not Give Up”. He knows how much we can bear. May we who are honored to follow Jesus, live our lives in service to others. We never know who needs the arms of Jesus through our human arms.
Isaiah 30:21 KJV
In today’s Bible promise, God is saying that He is right behind us and He will tell us the way we should go. What a comforting thought to know that we are not left on our own to figure things out. God has committed to walk with us and to at times carry us on our life’s journey. Sometimes when I struggle to hear my Father’s direction, I wonder if it is because there is so many other thoughts swirling around in my brain that I just fail to hear His still small voice?
Experts say that we all have tens of thousands of thoughts chattering in our brain on an average day. Perhaps all that noise is drowning out the gentle, quiet whisper of our heavenly Dad who is standing behind us, willing to tell us where we should go if we will only quiet our mind to listen? This is why I think it says in Psalm 46:10 to ‘be still and know that I am God’.
The next time you need to know what path to take, why not quiet yourself (to the best of your ability) from all the chattering and opinions that swirl in your thought life and listen for the still small voice behind you? God has promised to be there and He has promised to be the voice that will direct you in the way you should go.
Rainy Day People: Counseling Others in the Storm | BROKEN BELIEVERS.
Thank you, Bryan. I really appreciated this message. You’re right. Those who do not suffer from depression or a mental disorder, don’t understand. No offense to them. It’s just not possible. They can sympathize, but can’t empathize. My husband and I are both bipolar, borderline personality, and PTSD, to name a few of our disorders. Even though we empathize with each other, so many times we have to pray, hold each other, and let the crisis pass. Lately, I’ve been extremely depressed, and for no apparent reasons. It’s rough. It is a little corner of hell, or maybe a big corner sometimes. I know it’s horrible, and I wouldn’t wish it on anybody. It’s especially hard when you know that you have absolutely everything in the world, and with God, that a person could ever hope for, and yet, the depression is there, eating your guts out. Thanks for sharing your heart and encouraging others to express and share from theirs.
Acts 17:27 KJV
Acts 17:27-28
27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
As you ponder this promise today, may God give you the awareness of the nearness of His presence to you. He is not far off in a distant land, but closer than you could possibly imagine for in Him we live and move and have our being. So reach out today and encounter the love of your Father that is with you wherever you go.
Don Sutton 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Sutton
(Note: I found the following story of great interest to me, personally, because I went to High School with Don. He graduated 2 years after I did. We were in Student Council together.)
An illustration for Encouragement in a sermon by Davon Huss
Matthew 5:14-5:15
Evening Service for 5/31/2009
Matthew 5:14-15
*You are the Light of the World
Introduction:
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Sutton hadn’t won a game in 8 weeks.
The press was suggesting that he be dropped from the starting lineup. The future looked bleak, and Sutton felt terrible.
Then, before a game, Dodgers manager Walter Alston tapped him on the shoulder. “I’d like to speak with you, Don,” he said. Sutton prepared for the worst.
“Don,” said Alston, “I know how the past couple of months have been for you. Everyone’s wondering whether we can make it to the play offs. You know there’s a lot of pressure. I’ve had to make a decision.”
Sutton had visions of being taken off the mound.
Alston continued, “If the Dodgers are going to win this year,” he said, looking Sutton in the eye, “they’re going to win with Don Sutton pitching. Come what may, you’re staying in the starting lineup. That’s all I wanted to say.”
Sutton’s losing streak lasted 2 more weeks, but because of his manager’s encouragement he felt different.
Something in him was turning around.
He found himself pitching the best ball of his career.
In the National League pennant drive, he won 13 games out of 14.
* For the conclusion of the sermon by Davon Huss, see the message:
You are the light of the world.
Psalm 139:16
16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect;
and in thy book all my members were written,
which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
In the ministry that God has called us to, we hear often that people struggle to feel like they belong in this world. If they were born out of an unplanned pregnancy, they might feel like their life was not intentionally planned. We have heard from some dear people that they felt they were a mistake!
If you struggle with any of these feelings, it is my hope and prayer that this promise would settle once and for all the irrevocable truth that it was God Himself who planned your life before the foundation of the world. It was not your parents that ultimately planned your existence, but your loving heavenly Father.
Every one of your days was written in His special book before one of them came to be! What attention to detail! What indescribable love! You were and are wanted by the Creator of the heavens and the earth. He has a plan to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a hope and a bright future (Jeremiah 29:11).
You can hold on to HOPE-no matter what happens
because there’s One who’s holding on to YOU.
He’ll stop at nothing and do anything
to make sure you have everything you need.
I’m waiting in hope with you to see all God will do.
He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all-
how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32
-Holley Gerth
Excerpt from one of Holley’s new cards, inspired by her new devotional book God’s Heart for You.
2 Peter 3:13 KJV
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise,
look for new heavens and a new earth,
wherein dwelleth righteousness.
In Jeremiah 29:11, God promises a hope and a future to all who belong to Him. The next time you turn on the television and watch the news, don’t lose heart! There is a time coming when our God and Father will make a new heaven and a new earth for us! How amazing will that day be for all those who are in Christ!
Romans 2:1 (New King James Version)
1 Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.
No one is good enough to save himself. We must depend totally on God’s grace, regardless of whether we have done horrible things, or have been full of good deeds and rarely do anything wrong. Any sin is enough to cause us to depend on Jesus Christ for salvation and eternal life.
Note: Dictionary.com defines salvation
[sal-vey-shuh
n]
Living Out Worship (more on the call to action) « so beloved.
Such a heartfelt message challenging us to answer the call to LOVE.
A Sunday Song – Hold Me Jesus « Two Minutes of Grace.
A great message for today. Thanks, Debbie.
By Jon Walker
Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves,
but our competence comes from God.
(2 Corinthians 3:5 NIV)
The only way you will fulfill God’s destiny for you is to rely on God’s strength. And that means you have to confess, “I can’t,” before you can agree, “God can.”
Otherwise, we’ll just keep thinking there’s still some ability (competency, sufficiency) in us that will allow us — independent of God — to do the things he expects of us.
We’ll continue to believe, wrongly, that we can do some things, perhaps all things, apart from God. We’ll keep applying the pretzel logic that we can make decisions disconnected from God that somehow keep us connected to God’s plans for us.
And when we make choices disconnected and independent from God, there is little difference between the way we live our lives and the way non-believers live their lives.
“But people who aren’t Christians can’t understand these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means.” (1 Corinthians 2:14 NLT)
You have the Holy Spirit inside you. You have the ability to understand when God is telling you to take steps toward his goals for your life. Ask him to teach you to hear his still small voice and to help you take the steps he tells you to take. Then, look for the ways he guides you through the decisions and details of your life.
For the next few weeks, keep a list of all the times you sense God giving you direction. This will help you to see that he is at work in your life and that he has a constant interest in the details of your life.
Olly, Olly Oxen Free! « Two Minutes of Grace.
Debbie and I are kindred souls for sure. Lightning bugs, memories, hide and seek, learning to feel loved by God, so we feel love for ourselves. We can live and dwell in the Room of Grace rather than in the Room of Good Intentions. We are accepted for Who we are by God. After all, we are HIS handiwork, specially made for His good pleasure. Thanks, Debbie for sharing from your heart, as always.
Psalm 5:12 KJV
12 For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous;
with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.
When someone has favor from the king, everyone in the kingdom knows it! Wherever they go, all of the royal subjects would recognize that this special person lives under the blessing of the king.
The truth is that we already have that kind of favor on our lives right now!
If we could see into the reality of the kingdom,
May our God and Father open up our eyes today to begin to see into the unseen realm so that we can experience the tangible sense of His blessings and favor that surround us like a shield.
Irene is of particular interest to us, because we lived on the North Carolina coast for 1 1/2 years. We can empathize with those along the entire coast and those inland who are going through this storm and its effects. The floods and tornadoes are of great concern.
We are praying that you will all be safe and ready for any emergency.
God is our strength. Lean into Him.
Blessings,
Sharon & Erick
The Whole Basket « Two Minutes of Grace.
As usual, Debbie is in tune with the Holy Spirit to offer a new perspective of how to interpret the scripture. I, for one, really look forward to her messages because they make me think through a lot of my own “misunderstood meanings within the scripture that has haunted me all of my Christian life”. It’s time to open up to a more positive, loving meaning from our Lord. Thanks, Debbie, for your dependence on God to give all of us new insight.
The God-centered life works.
And it rescues us from a life that doesn’t.
-Max Lucado
#LiveLoved
Posted: 23 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT
By Jon Walker
I do not condemn you either. Go, but do not sin again. (John 8:11 TEV)
Grace is meant to justify the sinner — “Go and sin no more.” Grace is never meant to justify our sins — “Everything is forgiven, so you can stay as you are.”
In other words, the grace of God is not a cosmic “get out of jail free” card.
Grace is given freely, but it cost Jesus a bloody price to offer it to us: “Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13 NLT).
Grace is given freely, but to walk in grace with Jesus will cost us everything as we join Jesus in “the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing” (Ephesians 2:10 MSG).
Jesus rescued the woman caught in adultery from certain death, but his expectation was that her life would change immediately. To return to her old life would have mocked the very grace that Jesus offered her that day.
His expectation of a changed life is no different for us: “Go in my grace, and sin no more.”
By Joel C. Rosenberg
(Washington, D.C, August 25, 2011) — Today, my friend Reza Kahlili, the former Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps officer, has posted an article on his blog telling the world that he has renounced Shia Islam and become a follower of Jesus Christ. The article is also running today on the WorldNet Daily website.
An excerpt: “Jesus came to me when I needed guidance. He came to me at a time when my faith in man and religion was totally shaken. His words and His love became the guiding light to set me free from sin and hopelessness. I found myself knowing there is goodness and kindness and that it comes from within us – that it is only through His love that we will find peace and eternal life….After a long journey, I have finally found my God. I feel at home now. And as I continue my fight against the evil in Iran, I know in my heart that the Lord will guide me in that fight because He loves the people of Iran even more than I do. The Iranian people are desperate for their freedom, and Jesus says, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free (John 8:31-32).”
Publicly professing one’s faith in Jesus Christ is a big step for anyone from Shia or Sunni Islam. This is no less true for Reza today. Please pray for him to be strong. Please pray for him to walk with Jesus every day. Please pray that the Lord would protect him and his family spiritually, emotionally and physically as Reza takes this important step in the life of all Christ followers. Pray, too, that many will be moved to read the New Testament and consider the claims of Jesus of Nazareth and come to realize that Jesus truly is the Messiah. Feel free to share Reza’s article with family, friends and colleagues who would
Hatch or Go Bad (revised) « Two Minutes of Grace.
Thought-provoking. Many times I just want to stay in my shell. It’s easier than breaking out of it, huh? And it feels safer at the time. I think that’s why we restarted our “site”. It’s safer, while still breaking through the shell, at least a little bit.
It’s hard to not “Hide our light under a bushel”.
Keep Your Promise « HodgePodge.
I loved this story. So inspirational.
This is for all the strong ladies,
who have made it through so much in life:
I am strong, because I know my weaknesses.
I’m compassionate because I have known suffering.
I am alive, because I am a fighter.
I am wise because I’ve been foolish.
And I can laugh, because I have known sadness.
Growth? What Growth? | The High Calling.
This message was so helpful to me today. I hope it will inspire you as much as it inspired me.
Psalm 92:13-14 KJV
I want to finish my life well. In Hebrews 12:1-2, we are called to throw off all the things that hinder us and the sin that so easily entangles us to run our race. I am not sure how many days I have left on this side of heaven, but I want each one of them to mean something from an eternal perspective. If possible, I want to increase in the anointing, I want to increase in effectiveness, I want to increase in fruitfulness as I get older.
Today’s promise says that fruitfulness will abound in old age for those who are sons and daughters to the Father. If you have every visited a seniors’ home, that is not always the case. Unfortunately for some people, as they get older, they experience more disappointment and disillusionment about the very meaning of life. Regret and bitterness can grow into a very bitter root.
But this is not so for those who are called by God to live a fruitful life! Let’s all claim this promise for ourselves and our loved ones today! Father, we thank you that our fruitfulness will bring glory to you, not only today, but for the rest of our lives. May fruit abound in me today! In Jesus’ name I pray.
Photo by Barry Adams
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
This verse sums up the way I feel.
Romans 8:31 KJV
In this orphan world system, many things will oppose us, but none of these things can possibly stand against our God and Father for nothing will ever separate you from His love.
Nothing!
Death can’t.
Life can’t.
Angels can’t.
Demons can’t.
The present.
The future.
Nothing in all creation will ever separate you from the love that God has for you in Jesus Christ! (Romans 8:35-39)
God is for you so no one can stand against you.
~ Barry Adams
One night a man had a dream.
He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand ;
one belonging to him and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path of his life
there was only one set of footprints.
He also noticed that it happened
at the very lowest and saddest times of his life.
This really bothered him and questioned the Lord about it.
”Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you’d walk with me all the way.
However, I noticed that during the most troublesome times
of my life there was only one set of footprints.
I don’t understand why when I needed you most
you would leave me.”
The Lord replied, “my precious, precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you
during your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints
it was then that I carried you.”
“Footprints in the Sand”
~ Ella H. Scharring-Hausen on June 6, 1922
Created for Joy « Two Minutes of Grace.
As always, Debbie gives us insights into new ways to embrace life.
Forgiveness Heals « HodgePodge.
A great message on Forgiveness and its healing force.
Depression Deceptions « Broken Believers.
Very enlightening message, especially to those of us who have depression and other disorders. It helped me answer a lot of my own questions and put my anxiety into perspective. I have had many of these same questions about my own spiritual life that the author addresses. May this article bless you as much as it blesses me.
Seeing Thorns as Blessings | YOU DECIDE.
A great message that will put the problems we have in our life into perspective.
Have You Been Invaded? | God’s Grace, ftw..
Katherine has written an amazing, thought-provoking, message that will challenge all of us to think positively.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Handiwork? What does that mean?
To me, it means that God,
through Christ Jesus,
took special care, time, thought,
to create me.
To fashion me out of the most precious materials
To mold me into a unique shape
To make sure He put me in just the right environment
so that I would grow according to His plan.
He sat, pondering, to give me a special kind of
heart to be receptive to the needs of others
To give me His kind of love, agape, so that
I would have an empathetic touch
and voice to minister to those I meet.
To give me the perfect mate so that I would know
that His love for me would have arms
to hold me,
joy to share with me,
patience to lift me up when I am down,
Unconditional human, yet Godly, love
that would shelter me
through all the storms of life.
To give me a vision for souls
in their lost state
and love to give everyone I meet,
and to help
lead them to His light.
Yes, He thought of all I would need
to go through life here on earth
and He gave me all the tools
to handle the journey
Some didn’t look like they were meant
for me,
but as I am drawn to minister to others
each day,
I realize that being, in the world’s eyes,
flawed,
would be my greatest gift
from my Creator
so that I could feel what they feel,
hurt as they hurt,
walk where they walk,
and know that through my reaching
out,
I have allowed God to use my arms
to wrap
His arms around His children.
a semblance of how
He would wrap His arms around them
if He were here in the flesh.
I am humbled to be
His Handiwork.
~ Sharon Rule
A person is made right with God through faith.
Romans 3:28
Dare you stand before God and ask him to save you because of your suffering or your sacrifice or your tears or your study? . . .
Nor did Paul. It took him decades to discover what he wrote in only one sentence.
“A person is made right with God through faith.” Not through good works, suffering, or study. All those may be the result of salvation but they are not the cause of it.
~ Max Lucado
The blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from every sin.
I John 1:7
The cleansing is not a promise for the future but a reality in the present. Let a speck of dust fall on the soul of a saint, and it is washed away. Let a spot of filth land on the heart of God’s child, and it is wiped away . . .
Our Savior kneels down and gazes upon the darkest acts of our lives. But rather than recoil in horror, he reaches out in kindness and says, “I can clean that if you want.”
~ Max Lucado
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Matthew 5:6 NIV
We usually get what we hunger and thirst for. The problem is, the treasures of earth don’t satisfy. The promise is, the treasures of heaven do . . .
Blessed are those who, if everything they own were taken from them, would be, at most inconvenienced, because their true wealth is elsewhere.
Posted: 11 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT
By Jon Walker
Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. (Psalm 51:8 NIV)
In the school of Christ, brokenness is a good thing.
Here’s why: It’s impossible to become intimate with God unless we are broken of our independence, broken of our pride, and broken of our insistence that our way is better than God’s.
We must be broken of the illusion that we bring anything to the peace talks when we seek to end our war with God; the only surrender God requires is unconditional.
God breaks us so he can use us. We can smash our pride against the solid rock of Jesus, confess our sins, and admit our need for him; or the stone can fall on us, meaning God in his ruthless, loving pursuit of us will break us of our pride, sin, folly, and independence (Matthew 21:44).
Like Jesus serving bread at the Last Supper, God takes us, breaks us, blesses us, and then uses us.
Oh, Lord, may you hear our joy and gladness; may the bones you have crushed rejoice (Psalm 51:8 NIV, author paraphrase).
10 “But He knows the way that I take;
When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.”
Job 23:10
Psalm 3:3 KJV
We need to find God, and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness.
God is the friend of silence.
See how nature – trees, flowers, grass, grows in silence;
see the stars, the moon and the sun,
how they move in silence.
We need silence to be able to touch souls.
~ Mother Teresa
Psalm 56:11 KJV
11 In God have I put my trust:
I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
Fear of man is a powerful debilitating force in our world today. It will keep us from taking risks and it will keep us from being the person God made us to be.
The only way to deal with fear is to embrace the love that God has for us and allow perfect love to drive all fear away. (1 John 4:19)
In this promise, the psalmist makes a declaration that he will put his trust in God and not be afraid of what man can do to him. May faith rise up in our hearts today and agree with Romans 8:31, where the Apostle Paul declares “If God is for us, who can be against us?”.
Everyone says I wish I could go back in time and fix all those mistakes.
But they never take into consideration that those mistakes are what got you here today.
God, we thank you; we thank you because you are near.
Psalm 75:1
God is the God who follows.
I wonder . . . have you sensed him following you?
We often miss him . . . We don’t know our Helper when he is near.
But he comes.
Through the kindness of a stranger.
The majesty of a sunset . . .
Through a word well spoken or a touch well timed, have you sensed his presence?
– Max Lucado
1 John 1:7 KJV
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Jesus is called the Light of the World. In Him is no darkness, only brilliant, glorious light. The good news of the gospel is that when we receive the free gift of God, which is the life of His own Son, we are completely cleansed from all unrighteousness and forgiven from all our sin. We have become children of the light because we are now joined completely into the holy life of Jesus. Romans 8:1 says because of this exchange, there is therefore now no condemnation for us.
Our adversary the devil is called the accuser of the brethren. His aim is to continually bring accusations against us that would somehow cause us to feel ashamed and run and hide from God. When you hear these accusing voices, declare the finished work of the blood of Jesus over your life for it is the cleansing power of Jesus’ blood that keeps us walking in the light!
We have no need to hide in shame from God. Jesus Christ has secured our place in His Father’s heart and His blood has covered our past sins, our present sins and our future sins. You can rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ. When He cried it is finished! on the cross, He meant it. Does this mean that we can go on living a sinful life? God forbid! However, we can rest assured that if we walk in the light as Jesus is in the light, His blood cleanses us from ALL sin.
Photo by Barry Adams
Galatians 5:1
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
Life is not free.
If you want something out of life,
you have to start giving back.
He is able . . . to run to the cry of . . . those who are being . . . tested.
Hebrews 2:18 AMP
Jesus was angry enough to purge the temple, hungry enough to eat raw grain, distraught enough to weep in public, fun loving enough to be called a drunkard, winsome enough to attract kids, . . . radical enough to get kicked out of town, responsible enough to care for his mother, tempted enough to know the smell of Satan, and fearful enough to sweat blood . . .
Whatever you are facing, he knows how you feel.
– Max Lucado
One Choice
Think about this for a moment…one choice, just one, can change your life forever.
Simply put, your life today is what your choices have made it, but with new choices, you can change directions this very moment. For me, that idea alone is highly motivational because it offers tremendous hope, regardless of circumstances, for a better tomorrow.
Your life-changing choice may be to switch careers, to leave an abusive relationship, to go back to school, to stop drinking, to adopt a child, to start a business, to manage your weight, to start a charity…to name a few.
If you have the courage to do so, you could make any one of those choices, or others, today. And you would change your life.
Sometimes it’s a different kind of choice. It can be to not quit, to not give up in the face of adversity. We’ve all been there.
Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen received 77 rejections for their idea Chicken Soup for the Soul. They had to make a decision each time…should they throw in the towel and say enough is enough, or should they keep trying to pursue their dreams? You know the rest of the story. The 78th publisher said “Yes” and they went on to sell over 100 million books.
Never forget…you’re always One Choice away from changing your life.
– Mac Anderson
So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us. Hebrews 12:1b (TEV)
When Jesus tells us to break with our old existence, his command is not arbitrary or random. You could say it is meant to make us small enough to fit through the narrow gate that leads to the kingdom of heaven. Imagine trying to go down a narrow path and then through a narrow gate wearing a backpack overstuffed with heavy regrets from your past and superficial distractions from the present.
You’d end up exhausted and frustrated as your backpack and the things spilling out of it kept getting snagged on the narrow sides of the path. You’d begin to see many of the things you carried were a hindrance rather than a help and one-by-one you’d start tossing them aside.
How would you feel when you got to the end of the path and found out the only way you could fit through the gate was to leave behind everything you still had with you, even your backpack? So you reluctantly throw it off and head through the gate only to discover that everything you’d been carrying, everything you’d been so reluctant to leave behind, will be useless in your new life in the kingdom of heaven.
Inside the kingdom of heaven, you realize you’ve made your journey more difficult than it had to be simply because you kept trying to hold on to things that were impossible to keep. This is why Jim Elliot, who was killed while attempting to evangelize the Waodani people in Ecuador, wrote, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
Think Small and Travel Light by Jon Walker is a post from: GraceCreates
Jon Walker is the author of Costly Grace: A Contemporary View of Bonhoeffer’s ‘The Cost of Discipleship’ and Growing with Purpose.
He has served on staff at Saddleback Church and Purpose Driven Ministries and is currently the managing editor of Rick Warren’s Daily Devotionals and the Ministry Toolbox. Contact him at questions@gracecreates.com.
Ephesians 3:12 KJV
12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
The NIV Bible says Ephesians 3:12 in this way… ‘In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.’ What a glorious promise! Through our new life in Jesus Christ, we have complete and unrestricted access to our heavenly Father. Though angels bow down in reverence to Almighty God, we can call Him our Abba. Though He holds the earth in the palm of His hand, He calls us His little ones.
Praise God for giving us an amazing salvation through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! In the great exchange that happened at the cross, Jesus exchanged His life for our life. We no longer live apart from Christ (Galatians 2:20), so being in Christ, we have full access to our Father just like Jesus does. As a matter of fact, in Colossians 3, Paul says that we actually are hid with Christ in God, seated in the heavens!
As a father, I would be disappointed if I felt that my children were afraid to come into my presence. They are my children after all! They are welcome any time, night or day! If we as dads are intended to be a shadow of the perfect Father (Matthew 5:48), how much more does He desire that we come boldly into His throne room with freedom and confidence?
May each one of us be encouraged today to come into our Papa’s presence with a new boldness. Not because of anything that we have done, but because our big brother, Jesus Christ, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, has made the way for us to approach God with a confident expectation that He will receive us and put us on His lap, day or night.
10″Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
Psalm 51:10
If you could see with the eyes of God, this world would be filled with goodness.
Goodness is within you and every living being.
Let your goodness shine.
From “God wants you to know”
Barry Adams
sharin' His love & Prophecy Unfolding 