Tag: transformation

The Lord Provides Every Good Thing

Psalm 34:10
The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

We can find great comfort in the Psalms as we discover David’s prayers that he used to silence his fears. Through his faith David often looked to the Lord in prayer. He was wonderfully revived and comforted time after time.

Be assured that God owns everything. If we seek Him, we can expect the fullness of His provisions in our lives. He does expect a little from us. He expects us to put Him first in our finances, first in our interests, first in our relationships, first in our schedule and even first in our troubles. If we do these things, we will lack no good thing.

Let us follow the good model shown to us by David. Let us not turn to the world where we will find trouble. Let us not trust in ourselves, thinking that our own efforts will be sufficient.

Let us seek God’s provision in all things. Let us look at His promises instead of focusing on our problems. Let us be persistent in our prayers until we receive what we cannot see now but hope for with the same faith as David.

Let us be positive and let God develop our potential. Let us rejoice in seeing Him provide more than we can imagine. Let us marvel as He surrounds us with people who are filled with His precious love.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing us with every good thing that we need. We praise the name of Jesus who has provided us with our greatest need – to be washed clean by His shed blood. We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will teach us how to taste and see Your goodness as we learn to put our total trust in You. May Your grace be sufficient to transform us from living lives in the flesh to living lives in the spirit. We ask all these things in the name of the One who brings salvation to all people, Jesus Christ.

The Power of the Indwelling Christ in Our Lives

Colossians 2:6-7
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

We are called to walk in the fullness of Jesus Christ who dwells within us. We are to mirror in every way His love, patience, humility, meekness and faithfulness in carrying out His duties. But more than that, we are to lean on Him. We are to derive from Him the grace and strength that we need to live under His influence, by His direction and through His assistance.

In Jesus, we find beauty, glory, fullness and everything suitable for living our new lives in Christ. We should not consider our own plans ever again, unless they are derived by seeking the guidance of Our Savior first. We must learn not to lean on our own understanding, but to trust in the Lord to make our paths straight.

Once we acknowledge Our Lord and receive the benefit of the good and perfect plans that He sets aside for us, we must express our gratitude for all that He has provided. For God justly withdraws His provision from those that receive it without thanksgiving.

Let us move swiftly to the yoke of Jesus Christ. Let us receive the fullness of all of His promises as we pour out our burdens upon Him. Let us tell the world of the peace and comfort that He provides us. May it all be for the glory of Our Lord and Servant King.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing Your Son, Jesus, to dwell within us. Make us mindful of His presence at all times. Teach us to gladly, joyfully and willingly seek the plans that have been set aside for us through Our Savior. Mold our hearts so that we will be ready to receive the fullness of Christ into our lives. We pray that You fill our hearts with continuous gratitude and thanksgiving for our ever present King. We ask all these things in the name of the One who transforms us through His indwelling presence, Jesus Christ.

The Process of Understanding and Assimilating What God Has Prepared for Us

John 16:12
I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

Almighty God has created each of us to fulfill a unique need in His kingdom. His plan for our lives is much, much bigger than anything that we have ever imagined. We are just not ready to take it all in. Our flesh simply gets in the way with what the Holy Spirit has to teach us. And of course, for many of us, we dig our own holes which makes the process even harder. Nonetheless, for those that have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, His spirit will provide our strength where we are weak.

Even the apostles were not ready to receive and understand all the teachings of Jesus. Without the filling of the Holy Spirit, their flesh simply could not handle what was going to be revealed to them in the spirit. It was only after Pentecost that the apostles were able to boldly proclaim the full gospel.

What a wonderful transformation when the Holy Spirit opens our minds to receive and understand the things that made no sense to us or had no value for us before. In the blink of an eye, our blinders are removed. Without even being cognizant of the process, we begin to assimilate truths that had been unavailable to us before. Then, just as suddenly we are able to share them with those who have been prepared to receive them.

Let us prepare our hearts to receive all that the Holy Spirit has for us. Let us fulfill the plans that Almighty God has created us to fulfill. Let us become all that God has created us to be.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the Wonderful Counselor that You have provided to guide and instruct us. We humbly ask that You prepare us to receive all that the Holy Spirit has to teach us. May we become willing vessels, ready to take on the fullness of Your living water. We pray that we will be eager to have the living water pass through us to bring life and enlightenment to those around us. We ask all these things in the name of the Living Water, Jesus Christ.

The Gates of Heaven Opened to Receive Us

Romans 6:5
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

When Jesus chose to accept the will of His Father, He chose to die on the Cross for the sins of all mankind. Jesus’ death did not come quickly. It was necessary for Jesus to suffer every scourge mark, to suffer every ounce of pain and to suffer the loss of every drop of blood for His sacrifice for mankind to be made complete.

When we chose to accept Jesus Christ as Our Savior, we chose to let our old sinful man die. Just as Jesus’ death was not carried out quickly, our old sinful nature will not be completely put to rest in short fashion. For the old sinful man in us to die completely, we will have to endure trials, tribulations and sufferings of all type that will transform us to be completely in the will of Our Father in heaven.

With the sacrifice of His human body complete, the Holy Spirit resurrected Jesus’ spirit from His body to return in His glorified body to the Father. When we die in Christ, the same power of His resurrection will lift us from our old lives in the flesh and enable us to stand sinless before the Father in our glorified bodies. It will not be because we became better people. It will be because we will have become completely new people in Christ. It will be because we have been united with Him through His resurrection for all eternity.

Let us joyfully claim our victory over death and sin. Let us exalt the name of Our Resurrected Savior.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for raising Your Son to meet You in heaven after His death on the Cross. Thank You for preparing the way for us to gain our eternal inheritance as Your children through the power of the Resurrection. Father, release the full power of the Holy Spirit in our lives so that we can surrender completely to our new lives in Christ, leaving behind forever the old man that torments us daily. We ask all these things in the name of Our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ.

The Ongoing Process of Becoming Holy

2 Corinthians 3:18
And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Is it not unimaginable that one day we will stand before Our Father in heaven in the image of His Son? Is it not incomprehensible that one day we will be completely free of sin, holy and pure just as Jesus is holy and pure? Is it not the most wonderful thought to know that one day we will stand before Jesus in honor and glory and we will see His glorious body with our own eyes and we will be like Him? Such are the immutable promises of Our Heavenly Father to us through His Son, Jesus.

We were all created in the image of Our Heavenly Father. We were created to be with Him and be one with Him, one with Jesus Christ and one with the Holy Spirit. Even though we are now burdened by our sins which God cannot accept in His presence, we can still look forward to the day that we will stand in glory in His presence because of the atoning work of His Son, Jesus. As Christians, we can live confidently knowing that the intolerable existence of our sin is removed by the blood of Our Savior for all eternity. We can rejoice in knowing that our transformation is ongoing now and will continue until it is completed when we stand before the Lord.

Yet, day to day, as we seek our transformation, we remain in a battle with our flesh that seeks to remain in sin. We must rely on the strength promised to us by Our Savior.

Let us claim His promise to perfect His strength in our weakness. Let us seek the aid of His Holy Spirit to help us overcome the daily torments of our flesh and the regular attacks of the enemy. Let us submit and fully surrender to the ongoing, sanctifying process of being transformed into the image of Our Lord.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for creating us in Your image. We come before You to confess our sins to You, to repent of our sins and to thank You for providing Your Son, Jesus, to redeem us from our sins. We pray, Lord, that You will provide the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives so that we may turn away from everything that displeases you and turn toward everything that is pleasing to you. May we stand before You one day in the image of Your Son and hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” We ask these things in the name of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Realizing Our Full Potential in Christ

Psalm 139:23
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

It is hard to understand, but we are in many ways strangers to ourselves. We may hate sin and we may repent of all the sin in our lives, yet our natural eye is unable to see the depths of our iniquities. Our human nature with its sin stained flesh is simply incapable of making an unbiased assessment of the darkness within us. We must do as the psalmist did. We must ask God to search our hearts and reveal to us everything that is displeasing to Him.

Jesus Christ died on the Cross so that we could stand blameless before the Father. To prepare us for this time, the Holy Spirit dwells within us to guide us through the sanctification process. The Holy Spirit takes us beyond the carnal limits of our own understanding. Inspired by the light of Our Savior, we are allowed to see the full depth of the darkness of our sin and the full height of our potential in Christ. Rest assured that we would never properly examine ourselves without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Let us report for full inspection in humble recognition of our need. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will search our hearts. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to uncover every speck of darkness in our hearts, especially those that we do not see ourselves. Let us faithfully repent of what is revealed to us so that we may live in the fullness of a life in Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for making us righteous through the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus. We thank You for providing the grace that we need and the ever present assistance of the Holy Spirit so that we may submit to the transformation process from sinner to saint. We pray that You open the gateways of our minds so that we may see and repent of all of the shackles of sin on our lives. We pray that we may see and grasp the fullness of your plans for our lives as revealed to us by Your Holy Spirit. We ask these things in the name of the purifier of our souls, Jesus Christ.

Boldly Proclaiming the Powerful Saving Words of the Bible

1 Corinthians 2:1
When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan.

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.

Let us be sure to boldly proclaim the powerful saving Words of the bible and not our own words designed to tickle the ears of others. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to prepare the hearts of those around us to receive and accept the Truth.

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.

Every Single Thread of Our Lives is Stitched in Place by Almighty God

1 Peter 4:13
But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

If we are to be used by God, He will allow us to go through a multitude of experiences that are meant to transform us into instruments of His good work. Some of the experiences will be easy, but some of the experiences will certainly be difficult. All will be meticulously worked into the fabric of our lives with the final product in mind.

We need to understand that the sufferings that we go through are not those of ordinary men and women. We are being prepared for greater things to come. While we view our lives in the fabric of time, God views our lives in the fabric of eternity. While all we see is the weaving of one single thread at a time, God sees the final finished product all woven together in accordance with His will and plan for our lives.

Because God is who He is, the final product will be much more beautiful and useful than anything that we could ever even imagine or hope for. We will get to realize it when we stand before the Father in glory and the whole tapestry is revealed to us.

Let us be joyful as every single thread of our lives is being stitched into place by Almighty God. Let us rejoice and be glad in anticipation of the final tapestry that God has prepared for us as we share in the glory of His Son.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for allowing us to experience life through many different trials. We rejoice in knowing that when we are struggling in the tribulations that the world brings to our door that Your Holy Spirit is always there strengthening us and guiding us to the next experience that You have set aside for us. Father, we pray for the patient perseverance to endure through all that You have prepared for us. May we be transformed according to Your will and plan for our lives. We ask all these things in the name of our Spiritual Rock, Jesus Christ.

God Draws Us Closer During Times of Trials

Isaiah 43:2
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

The trials of fire and water can be in the context of natural disasters or they can be in the context of figurative calamities which come upon us rapidly and are immediately overwhelming to us personally. Whether our trials are figurative or literal, God promises that we shall not be consumed by any trouble or peril that threatens to distress us greatly. In fact, God assures us that He plans to turn our trials to our advantage. He intends to teach and instruct us through our afflictions as He delivers us out of them.

Suffering will come in our lives. It is not a matter of if, it is only a matter of when. We can be comforted in knowing that through all these trying times that God will be with us. He will never leave us or forsake us. He promises to not only guide us and strengthen us through these things that are so troublesome to our flesh, but to use each of these times to nurture us and draw us closer to Himself.

When all is said and done, we will find that it is during the times of suffering that we see the greatest transformation in our lives. With our eyes focused on Our Savior and not our problems, we will see layers of self peeled away and the likeness of Christ rising up in us. Through His grace, we will see the fires of chaos burn away our uneven edges and the overflowing waters carry away our dross.

Let us find Jesus in the storms of our lives. Let us draw closer to Him as we receive the comfort, guidance and strength that He promises. Let us grow spiritually through His nurturing during our times of greatest trial.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the comfort of knowing that You are always with us. We bless Your name for the strength that You provide for us to wade safely through the storm waters of life. We pray that Your Holy Spirit will teach us how to focus on Our Savior Jesus Christ and not on the trials that are trying to overwhelm us. We pray that You will provide refreshing when we are so weary in the battle. We ask all these things in the name of Our Fortress and Our Protector, Jesus Christ.

Created in the Image of the Living God

2 Corinthians 3:18
And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Is it not unimaginable that one day we will stand before Our Father in heaven in the image of His Son? Is it not incomprehensible that one day we will be completely free of sin, holy and pure just as Jesus is holy and pure? Is it not the most wonderful thought to know that one day we will stand before Jesus in honor and glory and we will see His glorious body with our own eyes and we will be like Him? Such are the immutable promises of Our Heavenly Father to us through His Son, Jesus.

We were all created in the image of Our Heavenly Father. We were created to be with Him and be one with Him, one with Jesus Christ and one with the Holy Spirit. Even though we are now burdened by our sins which God cannot accept in His presence, we can still look forward to the day that we will stand in glory in His presence because of the atoning work of His Son, Jesus. As Christians, we can live confidently knowing that the intolerable existence of our sin is removed by the blood of Our Savior for all eternity. We can rejoice in knowing that our transformation is ongoing now and will continue until it is completed when we stand before the Lord.

Yet, day to day, as we seek our transformation, we remain in a battle with our flesh that seeks to remain in sin. We must rely on the strength promised to us by Our Savior.

Let us claim His promise to perfect His strength in our weakness. Let us seek the aid of His Holy Spirit to help us overcome the daily torments of our flesh and the regular attacks of the enemy. Let us submit and fully surrender to the ongoing, sanctifying process of being transformed into the image of Our Lord.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for creating us in Your image. We come before You to confess our sins to You, to repent of our sins and to thank You for providing Your Son, Jesus, to redeem us from our sins. We pray, Lord, that You will provide the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives so that we may turn away from everything that displeases you and turn toward everything that is pleasing to you. May we stand before You one day in the image of Your Son and hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” We ask these things in the name of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.