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Luke 6:35 NKJV But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.
God’s word instructs us to love the people who lied on us, mistreated us, verbally or physically abused us, or called us out our name on social media. Some people may say they can’t love those kind of people. The scriptures say, we can.
It will be unjust for God to instruct us to do something we can’t do. It’s a choice that we must make.
In all honesty, this absolutely takes His power, which we have through the Holy Spirit, to accomplish this goal (Phil. 2:13). We may not want to do it and our flesh will absolutely hate it, but we can do it.
He’ll also give us personal strategies that we can use to love our enemies. He may tell one person to write that person’s name in our prayer journal, He may tell another to call their name as we’re praying in the Spirit, or He may have us go directly to that person and tell them, “I love you.”
Once again, our flesh will kick and scream and tell us all the reasons why we shouldn’t do it, but just know, it can be done. Make the choice to obey God’s word and follow His strategies to love your enemies.
#love #your #enemies
Luke 10:40-42 NLT But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
As we can see, Martha was experiencing some burn out. We know this because she’s irritable, frustrated, and not serving out of love. She not only made herself responsible for serving Jesus and His disciples, but Jesus recognized she had other things she was worried about.
When we’re burned out, we can get irritated by the smallest things. The things we once overlooked are the things that could be frustrating. We may already have to work, manage the house, and drive our children to participate in extracurricular activities. So, serving at church on top of all of that may be one too many things for us.
Does that mean we quit serving at church? Not necessarily. We consult the Spirit to see how we can manage it all.
He may tell us to go to bed earlier, minimize the extracurricular activities to one per child, or pick another area where we can serve at church that’s not so demanding. He may even tell us to take a vacation. Whatever He instructs us to do, let’s obey. He only wants what’s best for us.
So, if you’re feeling frustrated or irritated with the responsibilities of life, contact the Holy Spirit and let Him direct you to a more suitable schedule.
#Spirit-led #balanced #life
Exodus 3:2-3 NLT There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.”
After we get saved or recently join a church, there’s usually a push from the church to serve in the Kingdom of God. It could be serving in the children’s ministry, serving the homeless, becoming a greeter, or joining the parking lot team.
Initially, we’re excited or feel compelled to serve, so we pick an area that we think is best. After many months of serving on a weekly basis, we may get tired and need a break. Satan uses this fatigue to attack. He’ll throw thoughts in our minds or use other people to make us feel guilty for wanting a break. He’ll even use Jesus’s sacrifice as a reason to not rest. So, some of us push ourselves to exhaustion and we eventually quit. We quit serving and some of us quit going to church altogether.
Like anything else we do in life, we must be led by the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:25). The Holy Spirit will tell us where to serve, when to serve, and when we need to take a step back from serving. Even Jesus had moments when He isolated Himself from serving the people (Luke 5:15-16). Although people mean well and want us to stay connected, we can’t value their desire over the Holy Spirit’s.
As long as Moses kept his eyes on and was attentive to the angel of the Lord in the burning bush, the bush did not burn up. As long as we keep our focus on our heavenly Father and we’re attentive to the Holy Spirit, we won’t burn out.
It’s definitely beneficial to serve and serving is not always convenient or comfortable, but if we’re not led by the Spirit on when and where to serve, we can get burned out.
#Spirit-led #service #consult #God
James 4:17 NKJV Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
Scenario 1: You and your friends plan on going out to Starbucks in the morning for breakfast. This plan has been in place for weeks. The night before, something (i.e. the Holy Spirit) tells you not to go.
Do you obey that voice and risk disappointing your friends and looking antisocial? Or, do you ignore that voice, think of all the good things that could happen, and meet up with your friends?
This can be a very difficult decision for some. You don’t want to disappoint your friends, but you don’t understand why you’re being instructed not to go. Meeting up at a Starbucks is not a sin, but if we disobey the Holy Spirit’s voice and go anyway, for us, that is sin.
Scenario 2: A movie came out that everyone is talking about. Our family, friends, and coworkers are all begging us to see this movie. Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit is telling us not to see the movie. We try to logically understand why He doesn’t want us to go. Other believers have gone and told us it was a good movie. It’s rated “R,” but we’ve seen rated “R” movies before and they’ve said it’s not that bad.
If we give in to the pressure and see the movie, for us it’s sin. It may not be a conviction for everyone else, but for us, it’s sin.
Sin is not always overtly evil, negative, or perverted. We can sin by ignoring what the Holy Spirit is telling us to do. It may be okay for someone else, but for us, it’s sin.
Learn to listen for the Holy Spirit’s voice and resist the urge to please your flesh, family, or friends. If we want understanding about why we couldn’t do this or that, seek Him and He’ll give us an answer. If we miss the mark and do something we know the Holy Spirit told us not to do, we can receive God’s forgiveness that has already been made available through Jesus Christ (1 John 2:1). Just say “God, I thank You that you have forgiven me of ____________.”
#follow #Holy #Spirit
I Timothy 1:13-14 NKJV although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.
For some of us, it’s difficult to get over our former selves. We may have had a past that society considers embarrassing, shameful, or unforgivable.
Paul faced the same feelings. He approved the murder of believers and he considered himself to be the chief of sinners (Acts 8:1; 1 Timothy 1:15). But after his conversion, he understood and received the mercy of God and he did something only the Holy Spirit could inspire him to do. He chose to forget the things behind him (Philippians 3:13). On top of that, he transformed himself by renewing his mind to what God thought about him (Romans 12:2).
In order to move on from past failures, we must truly receive God’s mercy and move on. God’s mercy is accepting that we won’t receive punishment that we deserve.
It doesn’t matter if it was 30 years ago or 2 days ago, we must move on. Satan will always use our past to attempt to make us feel guilty, less than, or inadequate. As we throw away thoughts that are contrary to God’s word and receive what God says about us, our past will turn into a testimony.
God has forgiven us, forgotten our sins, and has moved on (Colossians 2:13-14; Hebrews 8:12). We should forgive ourselves, forget our sins, and move on.
#forgive #forget #free #in #Christ
Isaiah 54:9 NKJV “For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; For as I have sworn That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, So have I sworn That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.
God is not angry with us. This was a prophetic statement made by Isaiah for all of mankind. Because Jesus took all of God’s wrath, anger, and punishment for the sins of the world, God swore not to be angry with us ever again (Isaiah 53:5).
Since Jesus died for the sins of the world, this promise is available for everyone (1 John 2:2). This is good news for the believer and the unbeliever.
If you’re an unbeliever, this promise makes God approachable. You can approach God, knowing He’s not angry with you and accept His Son as Lord and Savior (Rom. 10:9). For believers, we can still have intimate fellowship with our Father, after we’ve missed the mark, knowing He’s not angry with us. It’s a win-win for everyone who believes.
Know, realize, and believe that God is not, nor will He ever be, angry with us. God is not looking to punish us for all our mess-ups. He’s a loving Father with no more anger left in Him.
#noanger #God #loves #us
3 John 1:5-8 NLT Dear friend, you are being faithful to God when you care for the traveling teachers who pass through, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church here of your loving friendship. Please continue providing for such teachers in a manner that pleases God. For they are traveling for the Lord, and they accept nothing from people who are not believers. So we ourselves should support them so that we can be their partners as they teach the truth.
During the early church, John instructed believers to give to traveling teachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. A minister who profits from the gifts of people has got to be one of the biggest conflicts in the body of Christ. It was an issue back then, and some people make it an issue now (read verse 10). Although some see giving to ministers as an issue, the Holy Spirit inspired John to put it in his letter.
When we’re led by the Holy Spirit to give, even though ministers initially benefit from our gift, we’re really honoring God and expanding His Kingdom (Prov. 3:9-10). Our financial contribution also positions us to be blessed by God (Matt. 10:42).
We shouldn’t be guilted to give or give grudgingly, but we should give knowing we’ll make a difference in the Kingdom God and knowing we’re sowing a seed for a harvest in our own lives (Luke 6:38).
***News Flash***
Believers are still loved by God and we’ll still go to heaven if we don’t give a thing. However, His love and His sacrifice for us should motivate us to give.
Our giving displays our faithfulness to God, but once again, give as God has purposed in your hearts (2 Cor. 9:7).
#sow #give #Kingdom
John 1:32-34 NIV Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on Him. And I myself did not know Him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”
For those didn’t know, Jesus was John the Baptist’s cousin (Luke 1:36). It’s probable to believe that John and Jesus spent time with each other as they grew up.
How in tune with God did John have to be to look past the fact that his little cousin is the Savior of the world? He chose to believe this guy, who he probably played with, periodically stayed with, and saw at festivals is the Messiah, who takes away the sins of the world.
What can we learn from this? We shouldn’t ignore or dismiss anyone that God has placed in our paths to help us. We should be so in tune with God until we can look beyond the fact that he’s our relative, she’s half our age, he’s never been to college, or they’ve previously sold drugs, and believe Him when He says, this is who I sent to help, bless, or teach you.
Don’t forfeit God’s blessings or the answer to your prayers by dismissing the person or group of people that God sent just for you.
#listen #learn #grow #wisdom
Judges 6:36-37 NKJV So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said— look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.”
John 20:24-25 NKJV Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
What’s the commonality between Gideon and Thomas? They desired to see natural events to believe spiritual truths. Jesus lets us know blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed (John 20:29).
Because God is gracious, He may honor our internal desire to see something natural to believe, but this isn’t the norm. We’ve got to grow up and mature and walk by faith (believing the truth of God’s word) and not by sight (what we experience with our natural five senses) (2 Cor. 5:7).
When we believe the truth of God’s word without any evidence from our senses, that’s faith (Heb. 11:1). That’s the faith we need to obtain everything God has promised through Jesus.
It doesn’t matter if it’s manifesting healing in our bodies or recovering from heartbreak, when we only believe what God has said and act like it is so, we’ll experience every promise of God.
#trust #believe #God #faith #Jesus
Psalms 46:1-3 NKJV God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah
For application purposes, let’s update the troubles we may experience today.
Though the doctor may tell us we have a disease we’ll have to battle for the rest of our lives, though our car breaks down and our finances are low, though our relationships with our parents are problematic, though our dream marriage has become a nightmare, and though our children are making poor decisions, we will not fear. Why not? Because we’ve made God our safe place, our strength, and our help.
If the enemy can get us to fear about the troubles we’re facing, he has us trapped because we’re focused on the troubles instead of God. But if we can shift our focus on God, listen to His voice, and do what He says, our fear will be replaced with faith and our troubles will be resolved.
It doesn’t matter what the trouble is, if we make God our everything and focus on Him, fear cannot stay and troubles will die.
#focuson #God #rest #in #Christ
John 17:20-21 NKJV “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
Allow your mind to conceptualize this. We are one in Christ and Christ is in God, and in Colossians 1:27 it says, Christ is in us and in Romans 8:9 says, the Spirit of God dwells in us.
We can’t get any closer to God than this. We are one in Him.
There are some who put God far, far away. He’s not. He’s closer to us than breath. Whenever we need Him, He’s right there. And if we know He’s there, we won’t panic when trouble comes. We know He sees what we’re going through and we can call on Him for comfort, direction, and strength.
Since we’re in Him, we also know we’re protected from the evil one (John 17:15). Satan can’t arbitrarily hurt us and we’ve been given all power over him (Luke 10:19). Knowing we’re in Christ keeps us from living in fear.
Finally, notice that this oneness is not dependent upon our behavior. Jesus already paid the price for sin (1 Peter 3:18). If we sin, our sin doesn’t take us out of Him nor Him out of us. This oneness is totally His desire for those who believe.
These are the benefits we can enjoy by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord. Understand and operate in these benefits to reign in life.
#Christ #inus #God #withus #oneness
Isaiah 14:15-17 NKJV Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit. “Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners?’
There are some who make Satan out to be this big bad formidable foe who is on the same level as God. He’s not. They think if we provoke him, he’ll attack our health, our families, or something bad will happen to us. He won’t.
As we can see from Isaiah, those who gaze at him will be unimpressed. If we combine his underwhelming image with Luke 10:19 where Jesus says, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you,” we’ll definitely see that he’s overrated.
Satan has no power over us. Jesus stripped him of any power he’s ever had (Colossians 2:15). Through Christ, we have all authority over him (Luke 10:19). We have the authority to use the name of Jesus over any situation he’s involved in, we have the power to speak life over dead situations, and God protects us from him (John 14:13-14; Prov. 18:21; 2 Thess. 3:3).
Let’s stop giving him more credit than he deserves. Let’s use our God-given authority over him and reverse everything that he’s touched.
#authority #in #Christ
Acts 2:43 NKJV Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
Acts 2:46-47 NKJV So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
As believers, when we get on one accord (in unity), without any hidden agendas or false motives, with genuine love in our hearts for one another and appreciation for what Christ has done, we’ll experience signs, wonders, miracles, and more people being saved.
As long as these church members are talking bad about those church members, this pastor criticizes that pastor, and believers are only focused on themselves, we’ll never collectively see the miraculous or growth in the body of Christ.
Let’s walk in love and live peacefully with believers and unbelievers alike. Let’s want the best for ourselves and the best for others. Let’s be on one accord because together we’re stronger against the powers of darkness. Let’s be one.
#unity #in #Christ
1 Corinthians 3:3-4 NKJV for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?
If someone says a person is carnal, we may think they’re sinful. Carnal means governed by mere human nature not by the Spirit of God. If we only focus on or are governed by what’s happening in the natural, we’re carnal. So, a person practicing sin is carnal, but believers can be carnal too.
Paul lets us know one of the biggest ways believers are carnal is through envy, strife, and division. When we have envy, strife, and division in the body of Christ, we’re displaying our carnality. If we’re divided over denominations, we’re acting carnal. If we’re divided over speaking in tongues or not speaking in tongues, we’re acting carnal. If we’re divided over healing, prosperity, or prophesying, we’re acting carnal. We may not agree on every interpretation of scripture, but we shouldn’t allow our disagreements to cause envy, strife, or division.
Paul later mentions our foundation should be Christ (v. 11). We may not agree on tongues or healing and she may be Methodist and he may be Church of God in Christ, but our foundation needs to be salvation through Christ alone.
Let’s put away our carnal ways and get more spiritual. Because when we’re one and led by the Spirit of God, we’re unstoppable.
#unity #in #Christ
Ephesians 6:2-3 NKJV “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”
Notice, it didn’t say little children, honor your father and mother. Also notice, it didn’t say honor your father and mother if they were good parents. It simply tells us to honor our parents. So as adults, regardless if our parents were good or present, we’re instructed to honor them.
To honor means to reverence or have deep respect. It doesn’t mean put them first, put them before our spouse, or do everything they say. We honor our parents with the help of the Holy Spirit. If He tells us to call and check up on them, call. If He tells us to send them a gift, send something. It shouldn’t matter how we feel or how they’ve treated us. We’re simply obeying the Holy Spirit, but at the same time, we’re honoring our parents.
Some of our parents could have been better, to say the least. Depending on the circumstances, we may have to honor them by faith. We honor them by faith by looking past how they’ve treated us and honoring them as if they were great. To our flesh, this is extremely difficult, but the Holy Spirit will help us with this too.
Don’t be prideful, stubborn, or disobedient. When we honor our parents, God promises us a long, successful life. Let’s begin or continue to honor our parents.
#honor #your #parents #faith #HolySpirit
Isaiah 54:9 NLT “Just as I swore in the time of Noah that I would never again let a flood cover the earth, so now I swear that I will never again be angry and punish you.
God Almighty has sworn that He will never be angry or punish us. He’s not swearing this because we did something good. He’s swearing this because all His wrath, anger, and punishment, for our sakes, for our sin, was put on Jesus. All of it.
Since all of His anger was put on Jesus, He has no anger left to give towards us. So if we sin, instead of getting angry and punishing us, the blood of Jesus is a reminder that the punishment for our sins have been paid (Hebrews 9:12).
Religion likes to keep people sin conscious (Hebrews10:1-2). It likes to tell people that God’s going to get them for doing this or that. If they’ve made Jesus Christ Lord and Savior, that’s not true. God isn’t getting anybody. He’s already gotten Jesus.
So, thank Jesus for taking our place to receive God’s punishment and anger. He swore He’s not going to be angry or punish us, so believe it. And know, all He has left to give is love and righteousness.
#Jesus #bore #our #sin
2 Corinthians 4:17 NKJV For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
Negative circumstances have an expiration date. It’s just for a moment. It could take a week, a month, or a couple of years, but God guarantees an expiration date on our afflictions.
Until that date comes, our responsibilities are to focus on the finished works of Jesus. We need to meditate on God’s Word and see and believe how Jesus made us righteous, perfect, and holy. We need to see and believe how Jesus healed our bodies, how Jesus prospered us, and how we’re delivered from God’s wrath.
If our affliction stems from the behavior or lifestyle of our children, we need to see and believe that our children are taught of the Lord and great is their peace (Isaiah 54:13). And see and believe Psalms 112:2 which says, our children will be successful everywhere.
Our meditation of God’s Word counteracts what we’re experiencing in the natural and it gives us something to look forward to. Praise God for the expiration date of our afflictions.
#meditate #on #Bible #Word #Truth
Psalms 2:11-12 NKJV Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.
Way back in Psalm 2, David prophetically speaks of Jesus. When we honor, reverence, and respect Jesus as Lord and Savior, we’re in right standing with God. If we don’t, we can expect the wrath of God. It’s as simple as that.
God sent His best gift to save mankind. Rejecting that gift, which is currently still on the table, is an insult to Him and heaven.
There’s no amount of literature we can read or stories we can hear that will make us believe. We’re just going to have to accept His sacrifice by faith.
Don’t be deceived by logic and reasoning. Don’t think you’re more intellectually superior than those who believe. Don’t let the wrath of God be poured out on you based on stubbornness. Accept the free gift that God sent in His Son Jesus by believing He sacrificed Himself to save us from the penalty of sin. Accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.
#receive #Jesus #Christ #Savior #God
2 Timothy 1:7-8 NLT For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News.
Have you wondered what’s stopping every believer from sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with others? It’s fear.
A lot of us like to isolate verse 7, which is good because we shouldn’t fear anything. But in context, it’s talking being free from fear to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.
God knew that fear and shame will be the biggest things that stop the believer from talking about our Lord Jesus Christ. In biblical days and in certain countries today, it’s fear of physical punishment or death for sharing the gospel. For many of us now, it’s fear of what other people will think about us sharing the gospel. Regardless of the reason, God didn’t give you the spirit of fear. So, by default, it’s Satan who implants the spirit of fear in us to stop us from sharing the gospel.
So be bold and unashamed to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and don’t let fear hold you back.
#boldly #share #Jesus
Graced To Do God's Will 