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Colossians 2:6-7 NLT And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
Once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, it’s not over. In fact, it’s just the beginning. Now, we must let our roots grow in Him.
How do we do that? Spend time in the presence of God communicating with Him. Spend time in His word, learning what Christ has done for us. Allowing Him to be a part of every decision we make. Denying our flesh pleasure to do what pleases Him.
As we grow in Him, our lives will overflow with thankfulness. We’ll also experience God’s supernatural power, favor, and blessings flow in our lives.
Just know that salvation is not the end. It’s just the beginning. Spend the rest of your life growing in Him.
#grow #in #wisdom #understanding #love #God #Jesus #thankfulness
Proverbs 14:31 NLT Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but helping the poor honors Him.
Everyone on the street asking for food or money is not lazy, a drug addict, or an alcoholic. For various reasons, some people genuinely have a hard time getting employment. Maybe at one time, they had a problem with drugs or alcohol, but now they’re delivered, and they’re ready to work. But, a lot of employers won’t hire a person without an address, reliable transportation, or a clean appearance. These setbacks force them to stay on the street begging for money.
We can be the bridge for them. If we allow ourselves to be compassionate and let the Holy Spirit lead us, He will put someone on our mind who genuinely needs help. It may be that same person we see on our way to work. We can befriend them and see if we can help in any way. We can give them some food, extra clothes, or listen up for a job that can help them.
Fear will tell us we’re throwing our hard earned money away to a lazy faker who will use it on drugs and alcohol. But if we trust God’s word and we’re led by the Spirit, we’ll gladly give it away, happy to be a blessing and believing God will honor His word by allowing us to receive a harvest on every seed we sow.
Be a blessing because everyone could use help.
Psalms 48:9 NLT O God, we meditate on your unfailing love as we worship in your Temple.
Life be lifing. Life can deceive us into thinking no one cares about us, God’s not hearing our prayers, and life isn’t going to get any better.
When these negative thoughts come, we need to meditate on God’s love. Start with salvation. Think about how God loved us enough to send His Son to take our place. Think about how Jesus saved us from hell and ultimate separation from the Father. Meditate on Jesus making us righteous, holy, and getting whipped to make us healed.
Meditate on personal victories God loved us enough to have. Think about all the many blessings He loved us enough to give us. Meditate on the love He shows us through our family and friends.
Instead of sinking down into depression, concentrate on His love and continue to meditate on it forever.
#meditate #onthis #God #loves #me #I #am #exceptionally #loved #Jesuslovesme #this #I #know
John 7:39 NLT (When He said “living water,” He was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in Him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into His glory.)
Before Jesus died, He let us know that the Holy Spirit would be given to everyone who believes in Him.
Notice that we don’t have to beg for the Holy Spirit. We don’t have to tarry, and we don’t have to say Jesus Jesus Jesus fifty times to receive Him. All we have to do is believe in Jesus, and we’ll automatically receive the Holy Spirit. We may not be filled with the Holy Spirit, but He’s there (Eph. 5:18). If you’ve received Jesus as Lord and Savior, you have the Holy Spirit.
Here are just a few reasons for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our helper forever (John 14:16-17). The Holy Spirit teaches us (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit is our leader and guide (Rom. 8:14-17). The Holy Spirit empowers us to accomplish God’s will (Acts 1:8).
Recognize the Holy Spirit that’s inside of you. Use Him in every situation. Don’t trust yourself or your own logic. Learn to hear His voice and do what He says.
#power #comes #through #HolySpirit
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NLT If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
All these spiritual gifts are nothing without love. We can shout and cry all night, but it means nothing without love. We can fast until we’ve lost half of our body weight, but it means nothing without love. Any religious duty we do, if not motivated by love, means nothing.
Love is a demonstration we can exercise every day. When we see a homeless person, we can give from a place of love. When we see our friend go through a difficult time, we can spend time with them out of love. When we know our supervisor is lashing out at people, we can pray for them in love. It’s not always going to be easy to love, but the opportunity to love will always be there.
Whatever you do, wherever you are, do everything from the motivation of love.
#God #is #Love #others #share #Jesus #with #all
John 7:6 NLT Jesus replied, “Now is not the right time for me to go, but you can go anytime.
A festival was happening in a place where Jewish leaders were trying to kill Him. His brothers were encouraging Him to come out from hiding and publicly display His skills and talents. Jesus chose not to go when they went.
Jesus understood timing. Because maybe an hour or a day later, He privately went to the festival and taught in the temple (v.10). He knew if He would have gone with His brothers, He or His brothers would have been arrested or killed.
There’s a right time for us. There’s a right time to marry, a right time to retire, a right time to minister to a friend or a loved one, and a right time to move.
The One who lets us know the right time is the Holy Spirit. When we trust the Holy Spirit and we’re sensitive to His voice, He’ll let us know the most favorable time to do everything. His timing may not be logical, but overall, it’s for our good. We also must trust that His “not yet” is for our good.
Don’t be in a rush or be anxious with God. Trust that His timing is beneficial for His Kingdom, for us, and for those around us.
#confident #in #God
Psalms 78:4-6 NLT We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders. For he issued his laws to Jacob; he gave his instructions to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, so the next generation might know them— even the children not yet born— and they in turn will teach their own children.
As parents, grandparents, and guardians, it’s our responsibility to teach our children about the word of God. It’s not the responsibility of the pastor, the youth pastor, or bible apps to teach our children. It’s ours.
It’s our responsibility to teach them to prioritize the things of God above everything else. Some of us have our children in 2 or 3 sports, but they can’t recite a bible verse. Some of our children can speak multiple languages, but they can’t overcome fear. This shouldn’t be. Everything must take a backseat to the word and the things of God.
So, read devotions with them. Read a verse a day and explain what it means. Show them how God was involved in them getting a new phone or ice cream. Allow them to see God’s protection when they only got a small scratch instead of a huge gash after tripping.
Let’s prioritize God ourselves so that they can prioritize God. Let’s teach them.
#teach #them #children #about #Jesus #goodness #of #God
Titus 3:8 NKJV This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.
We are saved by grace alone and not by our good works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Although good works don’t save us, it doesn’t mean they’re not beneficial.
If we call ourselves believers, we should be participating in good works. Good works consist of honoring God by obeying His word (in context), being led by the Holy Spirit and not our flesh, giving to the Kingdom of God and to the poor, being a blessing, etc. Anything God instructs us to do in the new covenant is considered good works.
Once again, we don’t perform these good works in order to maintain our salvation or to keep God from being mad at us. We do these good works based on our appreciation for what He’s done for us and to genuinely be lights for others.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).
#do #good
@everydaygodswill
Psalms 3:8 NLT Victory comes from You, O Lord. May You bless your people. Interlude
All our victories come from God and God alone. It’s not our intellect, our hustle, our connections, or our family. Every victory we have comes from God.
When we encouraged that brother or sister, that victory came from God, who allowed us to speak and gave us the words to say. That promotion came from God. God put us on the supervisor’s mind to receive the promotion. Even a close parking space came from God. The favor of God orchestrated us to be at the right time and the right place to get a good parking spot.
Never get it misunderstood. It’s not you. Every victory belongs to God.
#victory #belongs #to #Jesus
Matthew 17:15-18 NKJV “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.
There are a lot of people, believers included, who accept mental disorders and psychological phenomenons for themselves. They’ll accept that they have depression, anxiety, imposter syndrome, trauma issues, or some other psychological label. It may be a fact that a person displays symptoms of mental disorders, but facts can change. They don’t have to be permanently bound by that label.
When people accept mental disorders for themselves, they limit the power of God in their lives. Because they believe the diagnosis that they read online or was given to them and confess the diagnosis by telling others, they have more faith in the disorder than they do in the healing power of God’s word.
If our mental health is being negativly impacted, don’t accept the label. That’s not who God says you are. Because of Jesus Christ, we are healed and we have God-given ability of self-control (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Tim. 1:7). Accept what God says about you and nothing else.
#healed #redeemed #restored #whole #complete #in #Christ
Daniel 9:9 NLT But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against Him.
Our rebellion doesn’t stop God from being Himself. He’s not like man, where He removes His benefits based on our behavior. Regardless of what we do, He still loves us, cares for us, protects us, and provides for us.
Our rebellion may put us out of position to receive from God. Our rebellion may distract us from hearing His voice, and it has natural consequences. But despite our behavior, we’ve all experienced His grace and mercy where we received a blessing that we don’t deserve. These undeserved blessings are meant for our repentance (Romans 2:4).
Why continue to rebel against someone who’s so good to us? Receive His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness and live to honor Him.
#righteous #through #Jesus #Christ #made #right
John 8:31 NLT Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.
As we can see, Jesus is speaking to people who already believe in Him. He tells them they’re truly His disciples if they remain faithful to His teachings. This lets us know there’s a difference between a believer and a disciple.
A believer is someone who believes God sent Jesus as His Son to die for the sins of the world (Rom. 10:9-10). A disciple is a believer who remains faithful or consistently obedient to the word of God.
A believer can still be a believer but satisfy their flesh on nights and weekends. A disciple makes the effort to remain faithful, knowing if they miss the mark, God’s grace is available.
A believer can live a life filled with fears. A disciple doesn’t allow fear to reign. They trust what God says in His word and rely on the Holy Spirit to overcome all fears.
A believer develops their own plan and hopes God blesses it. A disciple submits all their plans to God, and ultimately, they want to fulfill His will in the earth.
It’s great that a lot of us are believers, but let’s graduate to become disciples.
#graduation #time #be #a #Christ #disciple #receive #follow #Jesus #obey #God
Judges 20:18-21 NLT Before the battle the Israelites went to Bethel and asked God, “Which tribe should go first to attack the people of Benjamin?” The Lord answered, “Judah is to go first.” So the Israelites left early the next morning and camped near Gibeah. Then they advanced toward Gibeah to attack the men of Benjamin. But Benjamin’s warriors, who were defending the town, came out and killed 22,000 Israelites on the battlefield that day.
The Israelites asked God for a battle plan. The Lord gave them an answer, but they still lost the battle. They consulted God again and went to fight, but still lost (Judges 20:23-24).
One would think that asking God would guarantee a victory for them, but it didn’t. We must remember that too.
When we get direction from God, we may not immediately get the results we want. After seeking God for a business strategy, we may think our profits should immediately increase, but it may take several months. God may show us how to be a better spouse. We implement those changes and think that our marriage should immediately become peaceful. It may not.
It may seem like we’re losing the battle, but like the Israelites, continue to seek Him. Don’t give up on His plans. Because after the Israelites’ third consultation with God in Judges 20:28, they got the ultimate victory.
Seek God, be patient, and trust His process.
#seek #God #again #patience #trust #the #Lord #victory
Judges 14:4 NLT His father and mother didn’t realize the Lord was at work in this, creating an opportunity to work against the Philistines, who ruled over Israel at that time.
How often do we not realize what the Lord is doing and the opportunities He’s making based on our decisions and experiences?
We may think the decision(s) we made ruined our lives, our relationships, or our careers, but God already accounted for that and He’s orchestrated a plan for this to work out in our favor. Even in our children’s lives, like Samson, they may not make the wise choice, but we don’t need to stress. God has already taken their decisions and worked it out for a favorable outcome.
Praise God He takes our decisions and the decisions of those we love and works it out for good.
#the #goodness #grace #and #favor #of #God
Acts 16:13-14 NLT On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there. One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying.
Believers are instructed to preach the gospel to everyone (Mark 16:15). After preaching the gospel, we may feel like it’s our responsibility to get them saved. We may feel defeated if a person leaves us without accepting Jesus Christ as Lord. As we can see in Acts, the Lord opens a person’s heart to receive. Our responsibility is to preach the gospel, but God opens the heart.
Don’t get discouraged if someone rejects the gospel or leaves the same. First of all, that’s their choice and we can’t go against another person’s will. Secondly, the gospel we preached could just be a seed. They may recall what we said and the prayer we prayed and accept Jesus 10 years later.
So, preach in the stores, at your job, in the streets, and at the mall. Don’t burden yourself with their salvation. Just preach and allow God to open their hearts.
#share #good #news #about #Jesus
Psalm 68:5 AMPC A father of the fatherless and a judge and protector of the widows is God in His holy habitation.
Some of us have had parents who were less than great. They may have put other relationships before us, abused us, disowned us, or they were never there.
These issues can have a long-term effect on us. It can make us distrusting, angry, easily depressed, unwise in our decisions, etc.
God understands these issues, and He’s accepted the responsibility to fill in the parental gap when our parents let us down. Whatever we need Him to be, His word guarantees He’ll be that.
He’ll only be a parent to us if we let Him. He’s not going to force His way in our lives. He’ll fill in the missing pieces from our lives, and He’ll love us like no other.
Allow yourself to heal and experience unconditional love by allowing God to be your parent.
#Best #Father #God #unconditionallove #receive #it #through #Jesus
Judges 14:16-17 NLT So Samson’s wife came to him in tears and said, “You don’t love me; you hate me! You have given my people a riddle, but you haven’t told me the answer.” “I haven’t even given the answer to my father or mother,” he replied. “Why should I tell you?” So she cried whenever she was with him and kept it up for the rest of the celebration. At last, on the seventh day he told her the answer because she was tormenting him with her nagging. Then she explained the riddle to the young men.
Manipulation is a serious thing. It attempts to put pressure on the other person hoping they can change their minds. From young children saying, “Let me play with it or else I’m not going to be your friend,” to older adults saying, “If you marry them, I’m not ever speaking to you again.”
Manipulation has ruined friendships, families, and careers. It’s not right and it’s demonic.
If someone makes a decision that we don’t like, we shouldn’t manipulate them to change their minds. We should accept it and move on or pray that they make wise choices. Some people don’t know they’re manipulators. If you want to check if you’ve manipulated a situation, ask the Holy Spirit and He’ll reveal that to you.
On the other side, if we make a decision that someone else doesn’t like, we need to pray and ask God if what they’re saying is beneficial. If it is, then make the Spirit-led adjustments. Either way, we shouldn’t bow to the manipulation of others.
Some people are good at manipulating others. If we’re unaware of people’s manipulation tactics, ask the Holy Spirit for His help. He’ll show us when we’re being manipulated and how we should handle it.
Let’s not manipulate others and let’s to the Holy Spirit to avoid being manipulated.
Acts 2:44-47 NLT And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
When we make Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, there are some characteristics we should be displaying as a believer.
In verse 45, it says they sold their possessions and shared the money with those in need. This lets us know we shouldn’t be selfish as believers. We must be willing to give to anyone as the Holy Spirit leads.
Verse 46 says they worshipped together at the Temple. This contradicts the mindset of a lot of believers today who feel like they can just watch church online or not to go to church because they feel like it’s a scam. It’s not about how we feel. It’s about worshipping God together as one. Find a local church to join and worship our Lord with other believers.
Verse 47 states that believers consistently praised God. Whether things are going our way or not, it’s important for us to praise God consistently.
As a result of believers displaying all these characteristics, more people were saved. If we display these characteristics, unbelievers around us can be saved. Let’s put these characteristics on display.
#consistent #praise #worship #together #generous #giver #belike #Jesus #Believers
Acts of the Apostles 2:42 NLT All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.
After accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, believing He died for our sins, there are some characteristics we must display. We shouldn’t remain the same once we get born-again. Acts 2:42-47 gives us guidance on those characteristics.
First, it states they devoted themselves to the teaching of God’s word. This lets us know we need to hear God’s word consistently. With the technology we have now, we’re able to hear God’s word every day.
Secondly, they fellowshipped with one another. We shouldn’t want to be isolated from other believers. We should be sharing our battles, our victories, and our God-given strategies to overcome.
Next, they partook of the Lord’s Supper. None of this would be possible without Jesus. Partaking of the Lord’s Supper reminds us of the sacrifice He made. 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 instructs us to do this to remember Him. Also, we don’t need to wait until our church has communion to do this. We can take a cracker and some juice anywhere and partake of the Lord’s Supper ourselves.
Then, they devoted themselves to prayer. Prayer keeps us in constant communication with God. We tell him our issues, our needs, and desires. He gives us encouragement, ideas, instructions, and plans.
Praise God for showing us how to be a believer.
#listen #to #study #Word #of #God #pray #communicate #fellowship #with #believers
A lot of us have heard through John 3:16 that our belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for our sins gives us eternal life. If you haven’t, now you know. Eternal life doesn’t mean living forever. John 17:3 defines eternal life.
John 17:2-3 NLT For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.
God’s word says eternal life is to know God and Jesus. This knowing is not limited to having knowledge of their existence. This knowing means to have intimate fellowship and relationship with them. This knowing means loving them with our whole heart (Matt. 22:37). It’s means putting them and their agenda first (Matt. 6:33). It means trusting them, spending time with them, and following God’s instructions through His Spirit who is inside every born-again believer (Prov. 3:5-6; Gal. 5:16). Eternal life is getting to know God through His word.
Jesus died so that everyone can have eternal life. Take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to know the Almighty God, who is our Father.
John 3:16 NLT “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
Inspired by Andrew Wommack
#abundant #life #in #Christ #walk #free #through #the #Holy #Spirit #fellowship #with #God #Jesus #didit
This is probably one of the most controversial topics in the body of Christ.
On one side, there are believers who think women should be silent in the church based on Paul’s instructions in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and 1 Timothy 2:11-12.
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says. If they have any questions, they should ask their husbands at home, for it is improper for women to speak in church meetings.
1 Timothy 2:11-12 Women should learn quietly and submissively. I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly.
On the other side, there are believers who think women can minister the gospel. They use several scriptures showing women ministering the gospel.
-God made Deborah a prophet over men and women (Judges 4-5).
-Huldah was a prophet (2 Kings 22:14).
-The Samaritan woman at the well spreads the gospel (John 4:39).
-Mary Magdalene was the first to spread the gospel after the resurrection of Jesus (Mark 16:9-10).
-Priscilla, the wife of Aquila, assisted her husband in educating a male preacher about the gospel (Acts 18:26).
-Two women, Euodia and Syntyche, telling others the gospel of Jesus Christ (Phil. 4:3).
Then, there are believers who fall somewhere in between. They believe women can minister the gospel, but not in the presence of a man or in a church setting.
So, what’s right? Can women minister the gospel? Based on scripture, in context, they can.
For those who point to 1 Corinthians 14 as evidence for women not ministering, we must look at what was going on in the church at Corinth. The church was chaotic and out of order. People were prophesying, speaking in tongues, and speaking out loud at the same time. Paul was establishing order specifically in Corith.
We know Paul didn’t have a problem with women speaking because he comments on the appearance of women when they pray or prophesy in 1 Corinthians 11:5-6. If women shouldn’t speak at all, Paul shouldn’t have mentioned anything about their appearance when they publicly pray or prophesy.
1 Timothy 2:11-12 was Paul’s letter to Timothy about the church at Ephesus. It states women should learn quietly and submissively. I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly.
Like the church at Corinth, this was for a specific instance. In the same chapter, he talks about the praying posture. Most, if not all of us, aren’t raising our hands every time we pray and no one says anything, but some want to magnify women not teaching men. That’s hypocritical.
If we’re to take this literally, that means all women college professors, supervisors, accountants, and mothers of adult men are wrong for teaching men. Oh, you think Paul is talking teaching in church settings? Well, that can’t be right because Priscilla educated a male preacher without being condemned and Paul literally had women with him ministering the gospel in Philippians 4:3.
God calls men and women to minister the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Christ, there is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For we are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28).
Philippians 4:8 NLT And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
This is God’s word to us. God wouldn’t ask us to do something that was impossible. If He instructs us to think a certain way, surely we can do it.
God’s word instructs us to fix our thoughts on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise. All the other garbage that enters our minds can be replaced with these things.
We can’t control what enters our minds, but we can control what stays in our minds.
Controlling our thoughts controls our lives. Our lives will go the direction of our thoughts. If our thoughts are depressing, fearful, and negative, that’s where our lives will go if it’s not there already. We can’t expect a prosperous life with negative thoughts. However, when we consistently think on good, excellent, and praiseworthy things, our lives will match our thoughts.
If we find ourselves thinking negatively, don’t stay there. Replace those thoughts with thoughts that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise.
#replace #negative #with #positive #good #pure #lovely #admirable #true #excellent #thoughts
Hebrews 10:20-22 NLT By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
Because of the blood of Jesus, we can boldly enter the presence of God (Hebrews 10:19). We don’t need a priest or someone else to intercede for us. We can boldly approach God on our own.
The blood also cleanses our conscience of guilt. We ALL miss the mark. Some of us miss it more than others. Because God is holy and awesome, a guilty conscience makes us feel unworthy to be in His presence. It makes us feel ashamed to ask Him for something. That guilty feeling of deliberately dishonoring God and letting Him down has been cleansed by the blood of Jesus.
Our conscience being cleansed is received by faith. There’s nothing we can sense or feel that confirms we’ve been forgiven. We must believe that Jesus’s blood cleansed us of all our past, present, and future sins. So, let that guilty feeling go and boldly approach Him as if you’ve done nothing wrong.
Praise God for the blood of Jesus. Without it, we all would be lost.
#Thank #God #for #Jesus
Hebrews 10:19 NLT And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus.
We can enter the presence of God because of the blood of Jesus. It’s not our good works, righteous behavior, or being sinless that gives us access to God. It’s the blood.
Sometimes, people feel unworthy to approach God themselves. They feel like God wouldn’t hear or answer their prayer because of their sin. So, they have a priest or someone they felt who lives a holy life to intercede for them. This is sin consciousness.
Every single one of us (priest included) misses the mark and falls short of God’s glorious standards (Rom. 3:23). We may be acting better than someone else, but God isn’t comparing us to someone else. He has a standard, and if we break one law, we’re guilty of breaking them all (James 2:10). The ONLY way we can approach God is through the blood of Jesus. His sacrifice gives us 100% access and acceptance with God.
Don’t let satanic thoughts or anyone else tell you that you can’t be in the presence of God because of this or that. It’s the blood of Jesus alone that gives us access to God.
#full #access #to #God #through #Jesus #Christ
2 Corinthians 1:19 NLT For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says.
In Christ, when it comes to God’s promises, it’s always Yes. Through Christ, God will do exactly what He said in His word. His promises aren’t based on our performance or behavior. It will always be yes.
Now, our unbelief can stop His Yes from coming to pass. God wants to freely give and give, but if we doubt His ability or think we weren’t good enough to receive God’s promises, they won’t manifest. That’s not on God. That’s on us.
Whatever need or desire you have, come to God expecting to receive. He’s already approved it. Now let your faith in His Yes receive it.
#freely #give #us #life #more #abundantly
John 8:12-14 NLT Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” The Pharisees replied, “You are making those claims about yourself! Such testimony is not valid.” Jesus told them, “These claims are valid even though I make them about myself. For I know where I came from and where I am going, but you don’t know this about me.
Jesus knew who He was. He said He’s the light of the world. The Pharisees’ lack of validation didn’t shake Jesus’s confidence or belief about Himself.
There may be some Pharisees in our own lives that attempt to discredit the truth about us. They may say we’re ugly, unworthy, unlovable, unintelligent, and more. We must know the truth about ourselves. The truth is what God says about us in His word (John 17:17). Anything else is a lie.
Once we know the truth, like Jesus, we can boldly make claims about ourselves. We can say we’re loved by God regardless of how we perform (Rom. 8:31-39). We can say we’re blessed despite what circumstances look like (Gal. 3:14). We can say we’re healed regardless of the pain (1 Pet. 2:24). Don’t look for validation. Just declare who God says you are.
#loved #favored #healed #blessed #enough #redeemed #valuable #strong #beautiful
Judges 6:14-16 NLT Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”
Like Gideon, some of us have so many excuses as to why we can’t do what God called us to do. We’ll use excuses like not having enough money, not being married, not having the education and experience, or our age. None of that matters when God calls us to do something.
The answer to all of our excuses is God being with us. When we know God is with us, we’ll overcome every obstacle we’ll face. He’ll supply the finances, He’ll cause us to have favor with people, and He’ll open a door we didn’t even know existed.
Don’t let your excuses be bigger than God. If God called us to do it, surely He’ll see it through.
#trust #God #just #believe #faith #can #move #mountains
Jeremiah 6:16 NLT This is what the Lord says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’
It’s been said that God’s ways are old-fashioned and for a different time. Things like the sanctity of marriage, disciplining children, no sex before marriage, and simply being a blessing are said to be for a different generation. Since so many people feel like God’s ways are not for them, they go by however they feel or whatever society says is acceptable.
When people do whatever they feel, they’re deceived into thinking they’re living in freedom. Little do they know, they’re giving Satan access to their lives (Ephesians 4:22-27). Relationships are toxic, depression is high, children are killing each other, and there’s no discipline for their flesh.
Meanwhile, the old way, God’s way, is still available. It’s not only available, but it promises rest for our souls (mind, will, imagination, emotions, and intellect). God’s way also makes us wise, joyful, and insightful (Psalm 19:7-11).
At the end of the day, like the scripture says, it’s a crossroad. It’s a decision we have to make. Will we follow our own path, which leads to chaos or choose the old way, which leads to life and peace?
#life #peace #joy #soundmind #found #in #God #led #by #Holy #Spirit #be #like #Jesus #saves #redeems #sets #free #restores
Acts 26:20 AMPC But made known openly first of all to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout the whole land of Judea, and also among the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works and live lives consistent with and worthy of their repentance.
A lot of people gave their lives to Christ recently for Resurrection Sunday. They said a prayer of faith, believed in their hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, and some were baptized.
That’s excellent. However, after we repent, we need to live a life consistent with the teachings of Jesus Christ. We need to love, forgive, give, be a blessing, use our authority to heal and deliver, and flee from sin. It doesn’t mean we’ll live a perfect life, but with the Holy Spirit’s help, we can make our lives a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1). This means we’re denying our flesh the right to control our lives. By making Jesus Lord, we’re letting the Holy Spirit govern our decisions.
Don’t just say the prayer of faith and live how you want to live. Honor His sacrifice by doing good works and living a life consistent with and worthy of our repentance.
#live #for #walk #with #God #led #by #Holy #Spirit #Jesus #saves #redeems #sets #free #restores
2 Corinthians 1:9 NLT In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.
Whenever we face a troubling situation, it’s important to rely on God and not ourselves.
Our natural tendency is to figure out how to get out of this terrible predicament solely. We may search the internet to see what “experts” have to say. We may ask someone who has gone through a similar situation. We may use our logic to figure it out. All of this sounds wise, but if it didn’t come from God, it’s self effort.
When an unfortunate event happens, first ignore your flesh because it’s going to be screaming, DO SOMETHING!!! Next, calmly ask God what to do. Listen to His voice and do exactly that. It may seem illogical, but do it anyway. After that, see what else He has to say. Do this until the situation changes. It may take some time to see a change, but don’t try to speed it up by doing something yourself. If we miss the mark by trying to fix it in our flesh, let His grace abound (Romans 5:20).
If the great Paul had to learn this lesson, we do too. Rely on God and not ourselves.
#rely #on #Christ #trust #God #first #consult #Holy #Spirit
Proverbs 3:26 NLT for the Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.
God is our security. He protects us from all sides. As our security, His job is to ensure that we don’t get caught in traps. This means we need to be listening to what He’s saying as we go through life. If He tells us to go left, we should go left. If He tells us to not take the job, we shouldn’t take the job. If He tells us to start exercising, we should start exercising. To avoid traps we can’t see, whatever our security tells us to do, we should do it. This doesn’t mean we’re exempt from trouble, but we minimize its impact on our lives.
God is our security. We should know we’re safe with Him. And since He’s always with us, we should feel safe all the time wherever we go. We were never meant to be our own security. Our job is to rely on Him. Unless He tells you, stop putting a gun in every room of the house. Let Him protect you and your family. Stop checking the stock market every hour. Let Him secure your finances. Stop being nervous when you leave the house. He’s our protection.
We don’t have to worry about a thing. Just rely on our security and we can live an enjoyable care-free life.
#free #protected #safe #loved #in #Christ
Revelation 5:12 NLT And they sang in a mighty chorus: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered— to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.”
Jesus is the Lamb. He sacrificed His life totally for us. He didn’t have to do it, but because of His love, He took on all of our punishment. Everything that was meant for us, He took it instead.
For that, we say, worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered. Because of His ultimate sacrifice, He’s entitled to power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing. This is not only meant for Him. We have access to these things, too. God made us joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17). Since we’re joint heirs with Christ, this is available for every born-again believer.
These seven things we have access to, through Christ, are all we need to be successful in every way. Our success is His glory. Every time we succeed in any situation, God is glorified.
Praise God for giving us all the tools we need to overcome and be successful. It’s through Christ and for God’s glory.
#tools #for #success #found #in #Christ #alone #Jesus #is #Savior #Lord #redeemer #supplier #everything
Psalms 105:4 NLT Search for the Lord and for His strength; continually seek Him.
Seeking God is a priority when we really need an answer to which job to take, how to manage our finances, if we should get surgery, or who to marry. We’ll fast and pray for those types of answers, but what about when things are going well?
When things are going well, we have a tendency to push God to the back. If we have a good job, we’re financially good, we’re healthy, and our family is prospering. The tendency is to minimize God.
As we can see, God’s word instructs us to continually seek Him. This means when we need answers and when life is going in a positive direction.
With God, there’s always something to do. Feed the poor, mentor the youth, work on ourselves, or be a blessing to someone else. Just because life is going great doesn’t mean we shouldn’t seek God. In every situation under every circumstance, seek the Lord.
#seek #God #and #you #will #find #Him
Psalms 2:12 NIV Kiss His Son, or He will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for His wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.
In the old covenant, God’s word prophetically spoke to all of us. It’s instructing us to kiss or pay homage to or submit to God’s Son. Who is God’s Son? Jesus.
The consequence of not submitting to Jesus is destruction. It’s not God destroying us. We destroy ourselves by not accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord (Romans 10:9).
One decision will cause us to experience the wrath of God or His everlasting love. Please submit to God by making Jesus Christ Lord and Savior.
#Jesus #Way #Truth #Light
1 Chronicles 16:11 NLT Search for the Lord and for His strength; continually seek Him.
It’s great that we wake up early in the morning or carve out some time at night to spend time with God. It beats not spending time with Him at all. But if that’s the only time we spend with Him, we’re missing out on His wisdom, help, strength, and advice throughout the day.
God wants us to communicate with Him all throughout the day. He’s happy with our 30 minutes to an hour in the morning or night, but think about all the fellowship we’re missing out on by limiting Him to a specific time. Think of it this way, how strong would our relationship be with our spouse if we only spoke to them once a day? Not very strong.
So, wake up in the morning, spend time in His word, and talk to Him. Next, receive advice on what to wear, what to eat for breakfast, and what route we should go to work. At work, let Him lead you on what to do first and how to handle that customer or supervisor. Ask for guidance during the afternoon when you’re managing your family and preparing dinner. Finally, converse with Him at night and receive His love, forgiveness, and correction.
Luke 18:1 NLT One day Jesus told His disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.
#commune #walk #with #God #relationship
Romans 8:14 NLT For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
The Holy Spirit is our best help in life. He teaches us all things (John 14:26). We’ll be empowered by Him (Acts 1:8). If we’re wise, we’ll allow Him to make all our decisions for us.
He’ll show us how to make life more enjoyable. He’ll keep us free from exhaustion. He’ll stop us from making a mistake. He’ll make major tasks seem effortless. He’ll help us with our parenting and our finances. Whatever we need Him for, He’s there to help us. Even something minor like what to wear for an event.
Let’s train our ear on discerning the voice of the Holy Spirit. Since Jesus gifted us the Holy Spirit, surely we need him every day.
John 14:16-17 NLT And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
#Holy #Spirit #advocate #counselor #helper #wisdom #guidance #direction #advice #leader #mind #of #Christ #God #life #more #abundantly
Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.
There is a time and a season for everything. The chapter goes on to list examples such as, a time to tear down and a time to build up, a time to cry and a time to laugh, and a time to grieve and a time to dance.
Once again, there’s a time and a season for everything. Here are more examples that aren’t mentioned but are beneficial in our daily lives.
There’s a time to work and a time to call it quits for the day. There’s a time to clean up and a time to rest. A time to take on another responsibility and a time to say, “No.” There’s a time to give and a time to save.
The only consistent one that can help us with these times is the Holy Spirit. It may seem logical to keep working, but the Holy Spirit knows that our children need our undivided attention. It may seem noble to take on another responsibility, but the Holy Spirit knows how to keep us from being burnt out. It may seem wise to save money by not buying those shoes, but the Holy Spirit helps us enjoy the fruit of our labor.
Every single day, consult the Holy Spirit on when, where, and how to do something.
#Holy #Spirit #advocate #counselor #helper #wisdom #guidance #direction #advice #leader #mind #of #Christ #God #life #more #abundantly
Romans 8:35-37 NLT Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
Negative circumstances have a tendency to make us question God’s love for us. He may have done some wonderful things for us over the past 2 years, but as soon as trouble comes, questions about God’s love for us may enter our minds.
First of all, these questions are demonically influenced. Satan will use anything to get us into doubt and unbelief. If he can make us doubt God’s love, it’s like a domino effect. Nothing else will work.
Secondly, our circumstances have nothing to do with God’s love for us. In fact, if we face circumstances, this is evidence of God’s love for us. How? With every circumstance we face, He’s preordained victory. As we believe He’s already given us the victory over thoughts of depression, being laid off, or family problems, this should reenforce His love for us.
Despite what we face, God loves us. He loves us when things are going well, and He loves us when we face challenges. Don’t ever doubt God’s love for you.
#God #loves #us #irrevocably #undeniably #immensely #eternally
Jeremiah 1:19 NLT They will fight you, but they will fail. For I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Most, if not all of our fights, will be faith fights. Situations will come against us. It may be financial situations, health issues, lack of sleep, unfair treatment at our jobs, or problems in our marriages. Whatever fight that comes to us, it will fail. As long as we keep our faith, hope, and dependence on God’s word, God will take care of it, and it will not succeed against us.
Now, if we see the problems bigger than God or if we try to go at it without Him, the situation could get worse, but here’s the good news. Even if we dig ourselves in a deeper hole through doubt, self-effort, or unbelief, as soon as we turn and depend on God, He’ll take care of it all.
With God by our sides, we will never fail. Trust and depend on Him.
#trust #depend #rely #on #God #He #will #take #care #of #you
James 1:22 NLT But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
Implementation is the process of putting a decision or plan into effect; execution.
We can hear the word of God, read the word, and talk about the word daily, but if we don’t implement it in our lives, it does us no good.
To get the best results, we must implement all of God’s word in our lives. What good does it do us if we implement the word we know we can do in our own strength but not do the word that seems impossible or foolish to us? This includes loving someone who just disrespected us, giving to receive, and having joy when everything in us wants to be sad or depressed.
If God’s word says we have something, we can do something, or we can resist something it’s time to implement His word in our lives.
Implement God’s word in every area of your lives.
#implement #do #the #Word #through #Jesus #empowered #to #please #God
Graced To Do God's Will 