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In Union with Father, Son and Holy Ghost

John 17:22
The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one.
Jesus prayed that all of His disciples might be as one, united in the fullness of the Godhead – Father, Son and Holy Ghost.  In this fullness, Jesus wanted all of His disciples to have the glory that He shared with the Father.  He wanted His disciples to have the holy character that He had.  He wanted His disciples to lead fruit-filled lives supernaturally inspired by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus knew and taught that this was all possible through Him.
Psalm 139 confirms that a life like the one that Jesus prayed for His disciples is possible for each of us.  Each one of us is wonderfully made by God.  Just as God created every aspect of the universe, He created each of us to fulfill a unique and wonderful element of His plan for all eternity.   Through His Son, he released capabilities to us that are beyond our imagination.
Our flesh will always limit us as we try to reach the awesome and productive place that is ours through our relationship with Jesus Christ.  We will only reach the fullness of our lives when we surrender completely to Our Savior so that He can give us the glory that was given to Him.  We are freed to become all that the Creator of the Universe planned for us to be when we let go of our carnal lives and grasp on to our supernatural lives through Jesus Christ.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that we were formed in our mothers’ wombs with the exact set of capabilities that You set aside for us to be able to serve You for all eternity.  We praise You that we were fearfully and wonderfully made in accordance with Your perfect plans.  We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will reveal to us the frailties of our flesh that grieve You so that we may turn away from them all.  May we grasp the fullness of the way everlasting that You have provided us through Your Son.  May we be one with You just as the Son is one with You.  We ask all these things in the name of the Son of the Most High God, Jesus Christ.

Shaking Loose From Personal Independence

Matthew 16:24
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

A true disciple of Jesus is one that walks in the same anointed way that Jesus walked.  A true disciple follows His Master’s example on a daily basis.  A true disciple is energetic and passionate about every task assigned by the Master.  A true disciple is one that denies self and takes up the Cross that Jesus has prepared for him or her.
The “terrible twos” is the time during which most humans begin to express their own individuality and independence.  It is during this time that most of us realize for the first time that we are our own person and can make choices for ourselves.  Unfortunately, our favorite word as a two-year old is “no.”  Our rebellious nature wants to reject all the good counsel of our parents in order to fully express our own independence.  This independent behavior has a tendency to carry over into our relationship with Almighty God.  We set a pattern early for ourselves which establishes the importance of our desires over loving authority.  We establish lifestyles in which our decisions are made based on the needs of our flesh and not on the desires of Almighty God for our lives. 
Let us shake loose from the independence that we have strived so hard to attain throughout our lives. We can miss much that God has in store of us if we do not learn to deny ourselves and surrender completely to the will of Our Savior.  Our Savior has gone before us and shown us the way.  Let us follow Him daily.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the grace that You provide so that we are able to take up the Cross of Your Son and follow Him.  We thank You for Your patience with us as we learn to deny our sinful natures, our ungodliness and our worldly lusts.  We pray, Lord, for the strength to exercise the humility, zeal, patience and self-denial that the Cross demands.  May we carry out every duty for Your glory and for the gain of Your kingdom.  We ask all these things in the name of the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, Jesus Christ.

God Only Honors That Which He Blesses

Galatians 4:22
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman.
Even though Abraham was approaching 100 years old and Sarah was approaching 90 years old, Almighty God promised that He would supernaturally open the womb of Sarah and upon the seed of Abraham He would build the nation of Israel.  But Sarah and Abraham lost faith in the supernatural promise, so they sought natural, manipulated means to help God’s plan.  Sarah allowed Abraham to sleep with their pagan slave, Hagar.  Through the natural union of Abraham and Hagar, Ishmael was born.  Thirteen years later, God supplied the supernatural birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah.
Because God promised Abraham he would raise up great nations through him, God allowed Ishmael to be a great nation.  But because Ishmael was the product of the natural process, there was no covenant with the nation of Ishmael.  In fact, God told Abraham that “Ishmael will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand will be against him; and he will live to the east of all his brothers.”  The conflicts in the middle east today are the result of Abraham taking matters into his own hands.
The only covenant that God honored was the one that was of the supernatural process.  We should take great care not to rush ahead of God when He has a plan for our lives.  While God will allow us to take to our own measures, He can only honor that which He blesses.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the many promises that You have given us and we rejoice in knowing that You have a special plan for each of us.  We pray, Lord, for the wisdom to wait on You. We ask the Holy Spirit guide us and instruct us in accordance with Your perfect will for our lives.  We ask all these things in the name of the Keeper of Our Promises, Jesus Christ.

Hanging on the Cross of Our Savior

Galatians 5:24
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
The works of the flesh are many and are manifest throughout the lives of all men and women.  Unfortunately, there is much in the works of the flesh that leads all of mankind into sinful patterns.  If uncontested by the spirit, the affections and lusts of the flesh are the things that will keep each of us out of heaven.  

The endless pursuit of life in the flesh will lead us to a constant and unavoidable destiny that is certain to be deviant from the way, the truth and the life that is in Jesus Christ.  Living in the flesh takes us on a path that is not compatible with maintaining a course of positive spiritual growth.  Deterioration and destruction are inevitable.
Only by turning to Our Savior in order to pursue a life in the spirit, can we overcome the inherent flaws of our flesh.  Only by focusing on our relationship with Our Savior, instead of ourselves, are we able to avoid destruction.  Only by hanging on to the Cross of Our Savior are we able to put to death the desires of our flesh.  Only by surrendering completely to the will of the Father will we find supernatural victory over the things that torment us.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing the sacrifice of Your Son so that we may live in the spirit and not in the flesh.  We praise the name of Jesus who is the way, the truth and the life.  We rejoice in knowing that we can overcome all the frailties of our flesh because of the victory that Jesus won for us on the Cross.  We pray for the grace to maintain a constant focus on Our Savior so that we may be freed from the stirrings of the corrupt nature that remains in our flesh.  Father, we seek the fullness of our lives in Christ so that we may bear much fruit for Your glory.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Crucified King, Jesus Christ.

The Only Acceptable Sacrifice

Hebrews 10:14
For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
Under the law in the old testament, regular sacrifices were required to atone for sins.  The high priests served as mediators, offering up the blood sacrifices to atone for the sins of the people.  The people had no access to their own atonement for sin.  More importantly, they had no way of individually insuring that they would be acceptable to Almighty God.  This all changed when Jesus ushered in the new testament.  Under the new testament, the law was replaced by grace and all men were enabled to access their own atonement through one mediator, Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.  No man can get into heaven without recognizing the sacrifice of the precious Lamb of God.  No matter who we are or what we have, reinstatement with God the Father is only possible by accepting Jesus Christ as Our Savior.  No matter how vile, corrupt and sinful we may be today, we can receive the eternal life that God promised and made available to all men through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Salvation is not earned, but accepted by every man who calls on the name of Jesus as his Savior.  For the shed blood of Jesus has the power to wash away all that separates us from the Father.  There is no other way that is deemed acceptable.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your new covenant which established Your Son as the only sacrifice necessary to fulfill the law for all men to be deemed acceptable before You.  We exalt Your name for providing a way for us to receive the eternal inheritance that we could not earn on our own.  We pray, Lord, that we will always be mindful of the suffering of Our Savior.  May our lives reflect our thanksgiving for His sacrifice.  May our joy in Jesus Christ draw others to Him.   We ask all these things in the name of the precious Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

All The Good Things That He Promises

Genesis 9:13
I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth.
Almighty God provided the rainbow as a sign to all living creatures that He would never flood the earth again.  When we see a rainbow, we are certainly reminded of His covenant with us.  But why stop with the intermittent rainbow?  We can look at all of creation and be constantly reminded of the many other covenants and promises that Our Heavenly Father has set aside for us.  He has so many promises of provision and protection that are ours to claim.
Unfortunately, we spend more time seeking the good things of the earth instead of the good things that God has in store for us.  While the good things we seek in life may indeed be things that any righteous person would deem good, they will fall short of satisfying us if they are not what God has in His will and plan for our lives.
The irony is that getting the good things from God is so simple.  All we have to do is abide in Him and we will be given all the good things that He promises us.  We need to seek the relationship first and He will provide all the things that He knows will satisfy us perfectly.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the many promises that You have made to us through Your Holy Word.  We praise Jesus, who made it possible for us to receive all that You have set aside for us.  We humbly come before You, Father, to proclaim our desire to spend our lives seeking an intimate relationship with Your Son instead of seeking the things of this world.  We pray that Your grace be with us always as we learn to choose the good things of Your kingdom over the good things of this earth.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Exceeding Great Reward, Jesus Christ.

The Merciful Patience of Our Heavenly Father

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Our merciful Lord bears with our wicked world.  He defers His anger as so many, all of us included at some level, turn to idolatry, superstition, heresy, disobedience, profaneness, immorality and general lack of reverence for Almighty God.  Through it all, Our Father in heaven is steadfast in seeking His will that none shall perish.  Having already sacrificed His Son to atone for our sins, He sends His Holy Spirit to set in us a desire to repent of our sins.  The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins so that we see the desperate need that we have to accept the gift of salvation from Jesus Christ.  
Aided by the Holy Spirit to accept the atoning work of Our Savior, we are washed clean of our sins.  We then enter into a new period of repentance as we battle our flesh daily.  God knows that we must still deal with the corrupt nature of our flesh, so He provides the the Holy Spirit to stand beside us.  In our continuous battle against our sin nature, the Holy Spirit will never leave our side.  God’s endless patience is evident.  In the depth of our sin, the Holy Spirit strengthens us as we fall and ultimately leads us to victory over sin, sanctifying us for our eternal place of glory. 
During this daily battle of sanctification, the Holy Spirit shows us our sins in an entirely different light.  Instead of just seeing our sins as the iniquity that damns us, we begin to see our sins in light of the pain and suffering that they caused and continue to cause Our Lord.  The Holy Spirit helps us take the agony we experience when we realize what we have done and turn it into sorrow and repentance as we consider our past, present and future sin.  The Holy Spirit then guides us into a deeper relationship with Our Savior.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your perfect love and forgiveness as expressed through the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus.  We ask for Your forgiveness, Father, for our sins that sent Your Son to the Cross on our behalf.  We praise Your Name for the patience that You have with us as we continue to struggle with our sin natures.  We thank You for providing the Holy Spirit to aid and guide us as we battle against our flesh.  We pray, Lord, that the Holy Spirit will strengthens us to turn away from the darkness in our lives today so that we may turn toward the marvelous light of Our Savior for all eternity.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

From Slave of Sin to Bond Servant to the King

Genesis 41:40
You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.”
The Pharaoh gave Joseph great power and responsibility in his kingdom.  He proclaimed Joseph to be his equal except in the final level of authority.  In a sudden change of condition, Joseph went from imprisoned slave to a ruler of great standing.

So it will be for us one day as we take our places in the kingdom of God.  We will escape our carnal lives where we are enslaved to sin.  We will then stand before God in the image of His Son with the same glorified body.  We will be given the power and responsibility to rule and reign under the authority of Jesus Christ for all eternity.
Joseph went through many trials and tribulations in his life that prepared him to rule over Egypt.  None of it was easy, nor was it brief.  Joseph went from the pit to the prison to throne room all under the hand of Almighty God.  All of it was necessary for Joseph to be able to handle all that he would be given by the Pharaoh. 
So it is with us.  We have a lifetime of trial and tribulation.  God uses all of it to prepare us for our place in His kingdom.  We will grow in wisdom and discernment just as Joseph did.  All we have to do is submit to the will of God in our lives, just as Joseph did.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for preparing a place for us in Your kingdom.  We bless the name of Jesus who made it possible for us to be rescued from the prison that is this earth.  We pray that the Holy Spirit will lead us into submission to Our Savior, Jesus Christ.  May we learn to lean on Him in all things.  May we learn to live under His absolute control.  May we claim our rightful places in Your kingdom.  We rejoice in knowing that one day we will escape our slavery to this world to become bond servants of the King of Kings for all eternity.  We ask all these things in the name of our mighty and holy King, Jesus Christ.

That We May Have Peace in Our Lives

John 16:33
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
Jesus prepared his disciples for what was to come.  He forewarned them to expect tribulation in their lives.  He then inspired them by letting them know that in the face of every adversity that He had already secured the victory for them.  So it is with us.

In every element of our lives, we are certain to experience resistance.  Whether our activity is on the physical, emotional or spiritual level, we cannot avoid being challenged.  This is simply a fact of life.  How we handle the resistance that comes against us is dependent upon our level of proficiency in each key area.  Our ability to cope will be determined by our strength, our emotional stability and our holiness.  The good news is that we become more capable in each area every time that we respond successfully to the challenges we face.  Constant successful response to what the world throws at us builds up our proficiency in each area.  The more times that exercise is chosen over idleness, the stronger we will be.  The more times patience is chosen over anger, the more peaceful we will be.  The more times righteousness is chosen over sin, the closer we come to reaching the holiness that Jesus has set aside for us.  The more times we make good choices in any of our activities, the more proficient we become in producing positive results in all areas of our lives. 
But we must be aware of the trap that pride brings upon us.  If our success leads us to lean solely on our own strength and capability, we will be in for some very hard times.  Let us learn to rely on Our Lord.  If we do not lean regularly on the One who promises to overcome the world for us, at some point the world will overcome us.  May all of our choices be made under the guidance of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us and under submission to Our Savior who won victory for us on the Cross.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that we may have peace in our lives no matter what is coming against us.  We bless the name of Jesus who died on the Cross so that we may have victory over all evil.  We rejoice in knowing that we can have comfort when the world is trying to steal it from us.  We pray that our pride will not lead us to believe in our own ability to overcome the world.  We ask, Father, for the wisdom to lean on Our Savior in our times of tribulation.  May we be built up in every area of our lives through our submission to Your Son.  We ask all these things in the name of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. 

The Inspired Word of God Delivered by His Servants

1 Corinthians 2:4
And my message and my preaching were very plain.  Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied on the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Persuasion is man’s means of swaying the thoughts of other fellow men and women.  By nature and certainly by cultural pressure, when most of us try to persuade anyone on any topic, we are usually careful not to offend anyone if we can avoid it.  One of the biggest mistakes that we make as Christians is to carry over this mindset when we talk about the salvation message with non-believers.  If we are not careful, we end up manipulating the salvation message to please the ears of the listener.  All the while, we are actually withholding from them the truth and the power that is in the Word of God.
The apostle Paul in his teachings to the Corinthians emphasized the point that the power to convert was not in fanciful speech.  He knew that the people would not be stable in their faith if they were resting on the words of men and not on the power of God’s words.  He also knew and taught that His teaching had no power without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Be certain that Jesus did not come to earth worried about His message being politically correct.  In fact, He stated clearly that His teachings would be sure to divide households.  Know that politically correct messages will get no one into heaven, nor will they keep anyone out of hell.  Only the Word of God inspired by the Holy Spirit and delivered by His servants produces the supernatural power that leads to real persuasion and conversion.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the power that Your Holy Word has in transforming our lives.  We rejoice in knowing that we are serving You and pleasing You when we share Your inerrant Word with others.  We pray that the Holy Spirit will inspire us to be bold in proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel and direct us in choosing the right message for each time we are in a position to share our testimony.  We ask, Father, that You prepare the hearts of those around us to receive the truth and respond to Your message of salvation.  We ask all these things in the name of the Word of God, Jesus Christ.