Month: June 2013

When we sin, it is very important that we confess the sin and repent of it quickly.  We are not to hold on to it for any reason – not even to punish ourselves.  

We must take God’s merciful grace and shed ourselves of our sins.  We must cleanse ourselves through the power of the Holy Spirit and move on to a new higher level of relationship with the Father.

We must recognize that Christ has atoned for all sin for all eternity.  To hold on to any sin, even in guilt, is to continue to suffer its destruction in our lives.

God’s call on each of our lives is unique.  While He gives all of us the same commandments to follow, He will give each of us specific areas in which He wants us to obey Him.  It is for our own good and for His glory that He calls us to specific areas of obedience.

God told the Jews not to eat pork.  He was protecting them from the inherent health issues related to cooking pork improperly.  The Jews did not realize why they were being called to obedience in this specific area, but it was for their good and ultimately for God’s glory.

If God calls us to a specific area of obedience or gives us a command specific to our circumstances, it will be for our good.  If we are obedient to His calling, we will receive the good that God planned for us and He will receive His glory.

When called to share the Good News of the Gospel, we often try to slightly change the wording to make it more acceptable to the listener.  How dare we assume that our words are more pleasing than the Word of God itself.

We can and should confidently speak the Word of God exactly as it was written.  While our words are powerless, the Word of God holds truths that deliver their promises without failure.

One of the most difficult lessons to learn for each believer is to trust the Lord in all matters concerning his or her life.  For most, it is a lesson that is not fully internalized even up to the death bed.

God has promised His perfect provision for our lives.  At times, we just cannot see past our circumstances to receive the fullness of His grace.  How much more joy could we have in life if we would simply focus on Our Provider instead of our problems? 

The throne of grace is open 24-7.  The access into the throne room is through prayer.  If the throne room is continuously open, are we not fools if we only access it infrequently.

If the bank would give us funds anytime that we visited, would we not run there on a steady basis?  In all likelihood our presence there would be as frequent as our schedule allowed.  We would be incessant visitors to the bank.  

We should approach God’s throne with the same sense of urgency and persistence.  The content of His Treasury is far greater than anything that we can find on earth and He releases it to us when we ask Him.

The Great Potter has a plan for each of His creations.  The creations with the greatest worth are the ones that He leaves in the fire the longest.  For it is the fire that seals in the lasting beauty and value of the piece.

As one of God’s creations, we should rejoice and praise God for taking the time to see us through our fiery trials.  Our Heavenly Father will use each trial to take us to a higher place in His kingdom.

Sin is our nature.  It never leaves our flesh.  We must always be alert to its lurking in our lives and the fact that Satan stands ready to exploit its power over us at a moment’s notice.

Our only refuge from sin is Jesus Christ.  We must constantly renew ourselves through the power of the Holy Spirit within us.  We must allow for His strength to be perfected in our weakness.  If we ever consider ourselves adequate for the battle, we will surely fall to our sinful nature.

Our corporate sin sent Jesus to the Cross to die.  Our individual sins will lead to our deaths unless we go to Jesus to accept our gift of redemption from the death penalty.

Through Jesus we receive the exchanged life of joy for the old life of sin and its miserable consequences.  We must recognize in the process that it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit within us that we are able to live a life that brings glory to God and results in the joy that we experience.

We can be certain that we have much to be concerned about in our own lives when we are constantly judgmental of others.  We should be careful not to look at others with a judgmental eye, seeking to find the stains of sin in their lives.  We should seek instead the path of intercession for others.  We should be diligent in prayer for the blood of Jesus to cover them so that they may stand spotless before the Father.

As we turn our focus on prayer for the salvation of others, the eye of judgment will leave us.  The spiritual cleansing that we seek for others will be imparted to us through the Holy Spirit.

In Numbers 6:24-26, we read of the priest’s prayer for the people.  “May the Lord bless you and protect you.  May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.  May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.”

These are the things that we desire for everyone around us when we submit our own lives to Jesus.  When we abide in Jesus, we will seek nothing but the best of what God has to offer for all of the people in our lives.  Numbers 6:24-26 is a great way to start our prayers of intercession.