Tag: society

God Took the Management of Our Hearts Out of Our Own Hands

Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Human rationalization leads us to believe that everyone at some level has a good heart. God’s Holy Word emphasizes that the opposite is true. The human heart is corrupt. Without Jesus Christ, the human heart is in fact deceitful above all things. Is it no wonder that in today’s news that we see evil called good and good called evil?

As a society, we have pushed God and His Son out of the picture. Collectively, we have placed our confidence in ourselves and others. The result has been in accordance with God’s Word. We now find ourselves in a culture that is desperately wicked. We see leaders that are delusional. We live among a people who mock the name of Jesus and persecute those that follow Him and choose to live by His standards.

How could all this happen? Does God not know how incapable we are to manage our own hearts? Of course He does. That is why He gave us His Son, Jesus, to be Our Savior. That is why He took the management of our hearts out of our own wretched hands and placed it under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who was instructed to open our minds and hearts to see the way, the truth and the life that is Jesus.

Let us seek the Holy Spirit to help prepare our hearts to receive Jesus as Our Savior. Let ask the Holy Spirit to mold our hearts to surrender to Jesus as Our Lord, Our Master and Our King.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for revealing the wickedness in our hearts. We thank You for providing Your Son, Jesus, so that we have a way to overcome our desire to be the rulers over our own hearts. We praise You for giving us the Holy Spirit to inspire us to turn our hearts over to Jesus. We pray that the lost around us may know the true nature of their hearts as they see the difference that Jesus Christ has made in our hearts. We ask all these things in the name of the Refiner and Purifier of our hearts, Jesus Christ.

The Word of God Magnifies the Differences Between the Ways of the Lord and the Ways of the World

Revelation 3:17
For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

In Jesus’ message to the church of Laodicea, He warns of the danger of becoming lukewarm in our relationships with Him and lukewarm in our application of His teachings in our lives. His message is so relevant today as we allow the work of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Holy Word to be largely diminished as we find ourselves trying to fit into the norms of our deviant society.

The teachings of Jesus can seem out of all proportion with our natural way of considering things. In fact, reading His teachings can lead to astonishing discomfort. Without the Holy Spirit’s guidance, it may be challenging for us to rationalize the inerrant teaching in the Word.

The corruption of the world has become so commonplace that it is often overlooked and at times completely approved of as acceptable behavior. The Word of God magnifies the differences between the ways of Our Risen Lord and the ways of the world. When the Holy Spirit leads us to see the power and joy in the lifestyle of Jesus Christ, we begin the process of gaining victory over the wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked men and women we once were.

Let us take hold of the inerrant Word of God. Let us believe in the truths that He has given us. Let us believe in who He says He is. Let us rebuke the lies of the world. Let us live abundant lives in Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son to show us the way, the truth and the life that is available to us through our salvation and the daily working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We pray that You will shine Your light on the world so that all the darkness is exposed for what it is. We ask You to alert us when we are moving toward the darkness and away from Your perfect light. We pray that the Holy Spirit will instruct us and strengthen us as we fully surrender to living in the fullness of Jesus Christ, never settling for the lesser things that the world might offer. May we be set on fire as disciples of Jesus. May we boldly proclaim the truth in Your Holy Word. May we be light to the darkness in the world around us. We ask all these things in the name of the Lord of all the earth, Jesus Christ.

When Sharing God’s Word, Speak the Truth as It is Written in the Bible

Deuteronomy 4:2
You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you.

Throughout the ages, God’s Word has always been challenged to some degree. But in today’s world, God’s Word is being challenged in totality. It was gradual at first, but now God’s detractors are bold and aggressive. Their messages are widespread and unforgiving. If you do not fall in line with the untruths that they sell, you are a bigot and a danger to society.

We are being told over and over again that the world’s values are changing and that we all need to change with it. In other words, God’s Word is not meant to be everlasting. It was only good for a different time and place.

When given the opportunity to share the Good News, we may find ourselves trying to massage the message so that it is more palatable to the listener. How dare we presume that our words are more pleasing to the lost than the Word of God? When we are sharing God’s Word with the others, we should speak the truth as it is written. We are doing the lost a great disservice if we give them anything other than the full truth. Our words are powerless when they are not grounded in the Word of God. Yet when we speak under the authority of the Word of God, our words hold the same truths and promises as the Word of God. Our words offer hope and assurance for those who are in need.

Let us seek a higher level of understanding of what is written in the Bible. Let us apply the teachings of the Holy Scripture to our lives. Let us move in the kingdom authority promised to us in God’s Holy Word.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us Your inerrant Word so that we may have knowledge of who You are, so that we may know how much You love us, so that we may know that You have created us in Your image and so that we may know that You have a perfect plan for our lives here on earth and in Your eternal kingdom. We exalt Your Name for all the promises that You extend to us in Your Holy Word. Lord, we pray that You open our minds to receive the truths in Your Word. We pray that You equip us to share the perfect truth in Your Word with those that You have placed in our lives. We ask all these things in the name of the Word Made Flesh, Jesus Christ.