Month: September 2017

Seeking God Inspired Work

1 Corinthians 3:19
For the wisdom of the world is foolishness to God.  As the Scriptures say, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.”
Satan’s craftiness is witnessed in the way that he gets us to focus on good things that we are good at, knowing that we will find praise in our efforts.  Satan in his cleverness knows that if he can get us to stay in our comfort zone, we will never meet our full potential.  More importantly, Satan recognizes that in the process of relying on our own capabilities that we will completely by-pass God’s inspiration in our work.
It is easy for us to take on projects that we are comfortable with and ones in which we feel our probability of success is very high.  There is nothing wrong with this position as long as we go to God for confirmation that the project is one that He ordains.
God inspired projects, however, are more likely to have us question our abilities to successfully complete them.  God is not concerned about our capabilities.  If He ordains something, it will be done.  God is looking for the opportunity to have His power and His glory, not our capabilities, reflected in the things that we do.  May we learn to seek the counsel and the might that He offers.

Let us forsake the wisdom that the world offers, lest we be trapped by our own pride.  Let us seek Godly counsel in all things.  Let us move forward with the urgings of the Holy Spirit, even if they are outside our comfort zone.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Holy Word that teaches how Jesus was interested in doing only those things that You asked Him to do.  In Jesus’ life, every project was carried out in accordance with Your will.  We pray, Father, that the Holy Spirit will teach us how to seek You first in all things.  We pray for the grace to be able to accept and act upon the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  May all that we do be for Your glory.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Blessed Hope and Assurance, Jesus Christ.

Giving Up Our Own Ability to Compete Against the Enemy

2 Corinthians 10:3
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.
To wage war against Satan relying on our on strength is pure folly.  To fight against the strongholds of our flesh without Jesus Christ is also pure folly.  Without Jesus Christ, we will lose each of these battles more times than not.  Without Jesus Christ, the small battles that we may win will only be pyrrhic victories.  The costly war will be lost.
Our only formula for victory over Satan and over the torments of our flesh is to cast all of our cares upon the Lord.  Through Him we have victory in everything.  The process of sanctification is giving up one’s own ability to compete and placing the battle entirely in the hands of Jesus Christ.
Ultimately, the battle is not against sin.  Jesus won the battle against sin on the Cross.  The battle is our struggle to let go of our natural lives in which have no power against the enemy and take on the spirit filled life of Christ which allows us to apply the supernatural power of Almighty God against Satan and his minions.  

Let us give up all confidence that we have in our own abilities to take on Satan.  Let us take all of our battles before the Lord.  Let us cast all of our cares on Him.  Let us claim the victory that He won for us on the Cross.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the blood of Your Son that cleanses of our sins.  We bless the name of Jesus who indwells us so that we may have the grace to turn away from our natural lives and turn toward our lives in Christ.  We pray that when the enemy comes prowling with the intent to destroy us and those around us that we look confidently to our Savior King.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Lord Mighty in Battle, Jesus Christ.

The Never Changing Love of God

Luke 15:20
And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to Him” is the opening verse in the passage about the prodigal son.  Luke wanted us to know that Jesus was not speaking to His disciples. Jesus’ audience was exactly who He wanted to reach with His message about the love of the Father.  Jesus used this parable to define the breadth, width and depth of the love of Our Heavenly Father for all people – no matter how much their lives separates them from being a disciple of Jesus Christ.
When the prodigal son returned in shame, he was a filthy and stinky.  He was a broken mess of a man – completely defeated.  His father saw no filth.  His father smelled nothing but the fragrance of the son that he so longed to see return to him.  The father did not scorn the son.  He celebrated his return and placed him in good standing once again.  
Jesus went into great detail to establish that Our Father in heaven will allow us to go as far away from Him as we choose.  He will allow us to choose the entitlements of the world over the entitlements of His kingdom.  But no matter what choices we make, He will not stop loving us.  He will not stop longing for us to return to Him no matter where we have gone in our travels away.  And when we do return, all of the heavens will celebrate our return.

Let us run to the One who waits for us with open arms.  Let us run confidently knowing that His love for us never changes.  Let us repent of our old ways so that we may receive the abundant love that covers us completely.  Let us share His perfect love and forgiveness with the world around us. 
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your loving kindness, Your mercy and Your grace.  We rejoice in knowing that Your love for us is so great that You see us only in the image of Your Son, Jesus, whose blood covers the stench of our sinful pasts.  Father, forgive us for the times that we have chosen the entitlements of the world over Your precious gifts.  We humble ourselves before You and ask that we may be Your servants for all eternity.  We pray our new lives in Christ will be an encouragement to others to join in Your heavenly celebration.  We ask all these things in the name of the One who washes us clean, Jesus Christ.

Importance of Choosing the Right Dwelling Place

Psalm 120:5
Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
It is believed that David did not actually travel to Mesech or Kedar, nor did he live among their people.  Mesech was often mentioned with Tubal, Gog and Magog.  The people of these lands were regarded as barbarians.  The Kedarenes were a people who lived in tents, moving from land to land looking for new pastures.  It is believed that David was using mention of these people to paint a picture of the types of his own people that he was living with.  His intention was to highlight the danger of becoming engaged in a society that is known to be ignorant, idolatrous and barbaric.
David’s warning is one that we should pay attention to.  We have to be especially attentive when we are being severely challenged by our circumstances.  We must learn to guard against being both short sighted and wrong sighted.  We must be extremely careful not to make our dwelling place in a lost world, looking toward that world for answers instead of seeking the favor of Our Lord.  We must exert a level of supernatural attentiveness.  If we do not, we will end up making many decisions in the darkness instead of in the light.
Why would we ever turn to the darkness of the world instead of the Light of the World, Jesus Christ?  It is not because the knowledge of the fullness of living in the light is not known to us.  It is because we are spending so much more time in the world than we are in the arms of Our Savior.  

Let us turn away from all the darkness that the world is offering.  Let us, instead, run to Our Lord and seek the treasures of the eternal light that He is holding for us.  
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing us with escape from the darkness that this world offers us.  We rejoice in knowing that we have the favor of Our Savior, Jesus Christ.  We cry out to You, Our Lord, for Your peace and Your holiness.  We pray that You will strengthen us to overcome the evil that surrounds us.  We ask that Your Holy Spirit guide us in setting aside time to spend with our blessed Savior.  May we become vessels of light to the world around us as we surrender to the Light of the World.  We ask all these things in the name of our refuge from the world, Jesus Christ.

The Danger of Clinging to Our Blessings

Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
We are mere vessels on this earth.  Whatever we receive from the Lord in good times or in bad times needs to be released into the world.  We will find that we are particularly effective in glorifying Our Father in heaven when our good works are evident during the times that we are under burdensome trials.   
Upon receiving His Living Water, we must share what we have received with the thirsty amongst us.  To dam up the outpouring that we receive can actually damage us.  The vessel that receives and receives without pouring out will eventually burst or at the very least, fill to the point of being unable to receive any more.  Then upon being filled without flow, the vessel will become stagnant.
Upon receiving His Light, we must let His Light flow through us to the darkness in the world around us.  Jesus taught that we are the light of the world and emphasized that no one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but places it on a stand so that all can share the light.  It is our responsibility to allow others to be exposed to the Light that is within us.
Even when we find ourselves in the darkest places, let us be sure to allow our light to shine before men.  Let us insure that the light of the Gospel and the knowledge of the mysteries of God’s grace are openly declared and manifested in the world.  Let us be known for our zeal and our fervency, our sincerity and our openness and our integrity and our persistence even under trial.  Let us endure in our trials so that the Father is glorified in all that we do.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for all the blessings that You pour into our lives.  We pray that You will protect us from clinging to our blessings to satisfy ourselves.  May we freely take our blessings, whether they be things of this world or portions from Your heavenly treasure, and pour them out before You.  May the Holy Spirit guide us so that our sacrifice and our works are suitable and pleasing to You.  May the world receive Your Light and Your Living Water through us.  May it be for Your glory.  We ask all these things in the precious, holy and mighty name of Jesus Christ.

The Plentiful Flow of Living Water

John 7:38
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
By faith, we receive Jesus into our lives.  When we receive Our Savior, we receive His living water.  This life giving stream has flowed from Our Redeemer throughout all time to every place and person.  The same life giving stream can flow continuously from our hearts if we are in submission to the Cross and not to ourselves.  

Through the fount that is Jesus Christ, we also receive the sanctifying and comforting presence of the Holy Spirit flowing into and through our lives.  Through the work of the Holy Spirit, the flow can manifest itself in many ways.  It can range from the smallest, unseen kindness to a magnificent production on the grandest of stages.  The flow is as a fountain of living, running water that is providing continuous streams that are all at once cooling, calming, refreshing and cleansing.  The flow is plentiful, constant as a river.  It is a continuous stream of the fullness of Jesus Christ and His grace.  

Let us prepare ourselves to be willing vessels.  Let us submit fully to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives so that God’s goodness may be poured out through us to the world around us.  
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for using us as founts of Your living water.  We praise You for the refreshing and cleansing that it brings into our own lives as we allow the waters to pass through us.  We humbly and anxiously submit to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  We pray that we come into the fullness of the flow so that the thirst of those around us may be quenched as we are quenched.  We ask all these things in the name of the Life Giving Spirit, Jesus Christ.

Manifesting the Holiness That God Has Given Us

1 Peter 1:16
Since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
Holiness is the desire and duty of every Christian.  Recognizing that sustained holiness is beyond our grasp because of our sin nature, we must be mindful that it is still remains our responsibility as followers of Jesus Christ to reflect His holiness in our lives.  We must seek holiness in all of our endeavors under all circumstances.  We should reflect our holiness as we engage with all people.
Of course, this level of holiness is not reachable through our own efforts.  We must trust in the grace of God for His holiness to be reflected in our lives.  We must turn to the Holy Spirit for strength so that we can manifest the holiness that God has given us through the presence of His Son in our lives.
We shall be holy.  It is a promise from Our Savior.  We just will not be absolutely holy at any time in our life on earth.  Absolute holiness is the final product for the disciples of Jesus Christ.  We will become absolutely holy when we go to meet Our Lord for all eternity.  

Let us prepare ourselves to live in the fullness of the manifest holiness of the One who dwells within us.  Let us strive to have the world see us as holy. 
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the atonement that You have provided through Your Son which allows us to be holy, as You are holy.  We rejoice in knowing that we are in perfect union with You when we are abiding in Your Son.  We ask, Father, that the Holy Spirit will help us to be on guard against the sins to which we are inclined.  We pray that Your countenance shine upon us and Your grace be with us always so that we may turn away from evil and obey Your will in all areas of our lives.  May the world see the holiness of Your Son in our lives.  We ask all these things in the name of Your Holy One, Jesus Christ.