Tag: Savior

The Victory Jesus Won for Us on the Cross

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 urgings of the flesh that seems attractive to pursue. If uncontested by the spirit, the affections and lusts of the flesh are the things that close the doors to heaven.

The endless pursuit of life in the flesh leads 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 forms 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.

Let us cling to the indwelling spirit of Our Savior, Jesus Christ. Let us claim our victories over the passions and desires of our flesh that were crucified with Him on the Cross. Let us celebrate the joy of living in the fullness of the presence of Our Lord.

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.

Only One Way to Heaven is Deemed Acceptable

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.

Let us live in continuous thanksgiving for the One who exchanged His divine station in heaven for a lowly station on earth so that He could fulfill His Father’s plan for salvation for all men. Let us live in continuous praise for the Lamb of God who was the necessary sacrifice for us to be able to exchange our carnal station on earth for a sanctified place with Him in heaven for all eternity. Let us boldly proclaim what He has done for us so that those around us may know Him and claim Him as their Savior.

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.

The Joy of a Fully Repentant Life

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.

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. Ultimately, the Holy Spirit strengthens us as we fall and leads us to victory over sin, sanctifying us for our eternal place of glory.

Let us seek the Holy Spirit for the supernatural aid that we need to recognize and fully repent of our sins. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to examine our hearts to reveal those dark spots that we keep hidden even from ourselves. Let us learn to live in the joy of a fully repentant life.

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 the Chief Cornerstone of our lives, Jesus Christ.

The Gifts of Our Constant Companion – Holy Spirit

Romans 8:11
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Once we have accepted Jesus Christ as Our Savior, we are immediately and permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit of the Lord. The Holy Spirit works in and through us to accomplish the will of God. His power leads us, convicts us, teaches us, and equips us to do the work that God has set aside for us.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we receive all of His gifts: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We are provided these gifts so that we may proclaim the Good News of the Gospel through our living testimony.

The Holy Spirit’s powerful indwelling is an amazing gift we should never take lightly. Because the Spirit of the Lord is within us, we also receive the powers that Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would receive by way of the Spirit of God resting upon Him. The prophet Isaiah proclaimed that Jesus would be endowed by the Holy Spirit. “And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him–the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.” Isaiah 11:2

Let us live in the confidence and the power that the Holy Spirit gives us. Let us use the wisdom and understanding we are given to perceive the truth that God reveals to us so that we are able to convey it to others. Let us use the counsel and might that we have been given to originate, plan and execute the work that God calls us to do. Let us take our new found knowledge and fear of the Lord so we are able to live our lives surrendered to Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gifts and the power that we receive through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We praise the name of Jesus who made it possible for us to receive this supernatural blessing that empowers us far beyond our natural capabilities. We pray that the influence and power of the Holy Spirit will be manifest in all that we do. We ask that we may be made fruitful vessels of the fullness of Your Holy Spirit working in our lives. We ask all these things in the name of Our Keeper and Our King, Jesus Christ.

Giving Thanks for the Greatest Blessing in Life

Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.

During our recent Thanksgiving holiday now gone by, we all took time to pause and thank our Heavenly Father for all of the love, protection and provision that we have enjoyed in our lives. We may have even been humble enough to give thanks for our salvation. But did we take time to consider and give thanks for the awesome gift of grace that we receive from Almighty God each day? With the Christmas season of gift giving rushing toward us, let us be sure to add the gift of grace to our Thanksgiving list.

The ever flowing grace of God is what makes all the other blessings in our lives relevant. Not one of us would even accept the gift of salvation if we had not first received the gift of grace. Our sinful, human nature without the grace of God is simply incapable of accepting the idea that a Savior is needed for entry into the eternal kingdom of God. The greatest blessing that we receive in life, for which we should give thanks every day, is the supernatural grace that we are provided which allows us to acknowledge that we are destitute without Our Savior and we are powerless without His presence in our lives.

With the cherished moments of our Thanksgiving holiday fading away, let us take the opportunity to give thanks for the supernatural gift of God’s grace. Let us always be mindful that only through the grace of God and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that our eyes are opened and our hearts are prepared so that we can see and accept the way, the truth and the life that is in Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we give thanks today for Your ever flowing gift of grace. We pray, Lord, that we will be acutely aware of how far we fall short of Your glory without Your grace. May our hunger for Your grace release the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. May the Holy Spirit lift us up into the fullness of our lives in Christ. May the world know us by the fruit that we bear because of our acceptance of Your grace. We ask all these things in the name of the One who is the ultimate evidence of Your grace, Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Walking in the Fullness of Our New Life in Christ

Romans 6:6
We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

The tree that gave its life, so that the formation of the cross was possible, allowed the Cross to meet its responsibility. Without taking the life of the tree, there would be no crucifixion story.

In a similar fashion, Jesus Christ gave up His life so we could meet the requirements necessary for us to be children of God. Without the taking of the life of Our Savior, there would be no salvation story.

Along the same lines, we put our old man to death so that we might shed the ways of wickedness, error and ignorance that are inherent in the will and understanding of our sin nature. By allowing our old man to be crucified with Christ, we take on our new lives in Jesus Christ in which we rely on Him for everything. Without us giving up the life of our sin nature, there would be no sanctification story.

Let us embrace the sanctification process. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to look into our hearts and reveal everything that the old man is trying to hang on to. Let us repent of everything the Holy Spirit shows us so that we may walk in the fullness of our new nature in Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the endless grace that You provide us so that we are able to accept Your Son as Our Savior and are able to submit to His rule and reign in our lives. We bless the name of Jesus who died for our sins to make it all possible. We praise the name of the Holy Spirit for preparing our hearts to receive Our Savior and for revealing the darkness in our hearts so that we may submit our old lives for crucifixion with Our Savior. We pray, Father, that You will empower us to go out to tell the world about our salvation story. May we bring honor to Your name, the name of Your Son, Jesus, and to the Holy Spirit. We ask all these things in the name of the Worthy Lamb, Jesus Christ.

The Way to Real and Lasting Self-Improvement

Galatians 6:14
But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Man throughout the ages has always tried to define what creates a better and more satisfying lifestyle. From a secular standpoint, many different types of programs, processes and religions have taken turns being touted as the new thing that will change lives for the better. But none of these have stood the test of time, nor will they ever. In the end, the secular programs and processes are about as effective as New Year’s resolutions.

No plan except the salvation plan of Our Savior has real and lasting merit. As the apostle Paul taught repeatedly, vain and carnal hearts will never come up with a plan that even approaches the way, the truth and the life that is offered to us through the Cross of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.

We can read every single book on how to improve ourselves. We can attend every seminar that promises to make positive changes in how we live our lives. Life changes that are instituted from any of these will produce nothing of real and lasting value. No matter how much we believe that we have improved ourselves, it will not be sufficient. Until our minds and hearts are changed supernaturally by the regenerating influence of the Holy Spirit, we will only change the elements of this world. Only through the Cross will we truly change and claim victory over the foolishness that the world offers and that our flesh demands.

Let us claim the promise of Our Savior to perfect His strength in our weakness. Let us call on the Holy Spirit to guide us on our path of sanctification. Let us rejoice as God reveals His plans for our lives.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to give us victory over the weakness that is our flesh. We rejoice in knowing that by accepting Your Son as Our Savior that we can overcome all of the trials and tribulations that the world offers to us. We pray that we will be given the grace and the wisdom to see the folly that we will undertake if we arrogantly look to our own abilities to secure our future. We ask that the influence of the Holy Spirit will keep us in humble submission to Our Lord and Savior at the foot of His Cross. May we deny all riches, praises, honors and pleasures of the world in exchange for our renewed lives in Jesus Christ. We ask all these things in name of Our Savior King, Jesus Christ.

The Treasure of Mercy Offered to All

Ephesians 1:7
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.

When we think of forgiveness, we usually think of it in terms of how it plays out in our natural interactions with others. We may find it hard to forgive someone who has offended us, but we can usually find the mercy to forgive them under the right conditions. They come to us and express sufficient regret and express a sincere desire that they will never do it again. Conversely, we feel like we should be forgiven if we are willing to express our sorrow for the pain we have caused to another and we are willing to say we will not cause that harm again. In the natural, among people of good hearts, this process works much of the time.

Almighty God looks at forgiveness in a different light. He certainly requires the same natural interactions of forgiveness that we are familiar with. For God to forgive us, He requires us to come before Him humbly and confess our sins. For God to forgive us, He requires us to repent of our sins. But Our Father in heaven also requires supernatural interaction. Because of His holiness, we cannot approach Him with our expressions of sorrow and repentance unless we have accepted Jesus as Our Savior. For Our Savior must first approach the Father as Our Mediator. He must identify us as ones who have been cleansed by His atoning blood. In the supernatural, under these conditions, this process works every time without fail.

Let us repent of every sin and iniquity in our lives. Let us ask Our Lord to forgive us with true contriteness in our hearts. Let us rejoice as we are washed clean of every blemish that separates us from Our Father in heaven. Let us praise the name of Our Redeemer who saved us through the richness of His grace.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your perfect, unconditional love and the mercy plan for forgiveness that You have provided through Your Son, Jesus. We bless the name of Jesus for making it possible for us to come before You with our confessions and our desire to repent of our sins. We rejoice in knowing that Our Savior stands before You as Our Mediator and that His atoning blood covers us so that we are acceptable to receive Your forgiveness. We pray, Lord, that we will always be mindful of what it cost You to reinstate us in Your favor. May the world around us see us in the light of Your favor and be drawn to Your Son to receive the same treasure. We ask all these things in the name of Our High Priest, Jesus Christ.

He Perfects His Strength in Our Weakness

John 8:34
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.

In Ephesians, Paul taught that before we accepted Our Savior that we all once walked the course of the world, following the spirit that is at work in the lives of the disobedient. Through the teachings of Paul and John in the Holy Word, we learn that Jesus is the only way that we can attain freedom from the slavery of sin that we have been born into.

It is through Jesus Christ that we have victory over our sins. Once we have accepted Jesus as Our Savior, He comes to dwell within us. With the presence of His Holy Spirit within us, we are set free from the bonds of slavery of sin. Sin is no longer the ruler in our house, Jesus Christ is.

Because our freedom of choice is never taken away, our flesh constantly battles to take control over our lives and Satan constantly works to deceive us in an effort to make us slaves to sin again. But Jesus Christ stands with us and, in accordance with His promises, He perfects His strength in our weaknesses and He provides victory over all evil. He provides all that we need to overcome our sins.

Let us seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we face the challenges associated with our walk of sanctification. Let us choose to submit to the urgings of the Holy Spirit each time our flesh and the enemy try to take us off our pathway to holiness. Let rejoice in our victory over sin through Jesus Christ as we strive to be holy as Our Savior is holy.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your perfect love that provided Your Son to free us from the slavery of sin. We praise the name of Jesus for taking on all sin so that we may become heirs to Your holy kingdom. We ask forgiveness for all the times that we have chosen to offend You through our sins. We repent of these sins and ask for the fullness of the promise of Jesus to perfect His strength in our weakness. We pray for the grace to surrender today and live forever as bond servants to Our Savior. We ask all these things in the precious, holy and mighty name of Our Blessed Hope and Assurance, Jesus Christ.

Considering God’s Perspective on What We are Doing

1 Corinthians 10:31
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

We are too often focused on getting everything we can out of life from a physical and material standpoint. In fact, we are so focused on the material things that we often do not take a moment to consider God’s perspective of what we are doing, how we are doing it, or why we are doing it. Even in our ministries, we often get caught up in the numbers. Our focus turns toward man’s measurement of what we are doing and not God’s.

In God’s eyes, it is not about how much or how many. God takes full responsibility for the bottom line. What He is concerned about it is the “how” and “why” behind our efforts. Are we leaning on Him for our accomplishments and not on our own abilities or the capabilities of the world? Are we doing what we are doing for our own personal gain and recognition or are we doing it for the gain of God’s kingdom and for His glory?

Our model for life is Our Savior. Through His obedience, His suffering and His death, He lived to make intercession for us. He lived in accordance with the will of His Father. He lived to bring glory to His Father in heaven.

Let us repent of seeking what the world has to offer ahead of what God is offering us. Let us get off the fence. Let us focus completely on Almighty God in all things, big or small. Let us bring honor to Our Heavenly Father with our every action.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us living proof of Your ways through Your Son, Jesus. We bless His name for the way, the truth and the life that He revealed to us through His time on earth. We pray, Lord, that You will prepare us to walk this earth in the same manner as Our Savior. May we love You above all things. May we seek You in all things. May we love our neighbors unconditionally as we love ourselves. May it all be for Your glory. We ask all these things in the name of the Son of the Most High God, Jesus Christ.