Having an attitude of gratitude will keep us in a grateful frame of mind. Being thankful and praising God even in the midst of a struggle sends God a message that we trust and have faith that He is sovereign (head, leader, supreme) in our lives.
Praising God in the midst of struggle can be a difficult task, but just like Jesus laid down his life to save me, I will lay down my frustrations, lack and fears to praise God for who He is. Proverbs 16:9 says that God establishes our steps. I'm grateful for being chosen and called into the family of faith. Ephesians 1:11-12, says In God we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:4-5 ESV, says Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, I'm grateful that no matter what is going in my life, God is always there ready to fulfill a good work through me. Romans 8:28 ESV, says And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
I'm grateful that where I am weak, broken, lost or confused, God is my strength, my rock, my refuge, my fortress and my redeemer. Thank God, He is my everything. Adopting an attitude of gratitude will condition me to exercise my spiritual fruits, which are having love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and be open to forgiving those who have sinned against me, like God has forgiven me of my sins. Having an attitude of gratitude will also keep me from focusing on the negative, so I can constantly seek God to receive direction and instruction.
To God be the glory, Amen.
Monday, June 22, 2015
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Scriptures to read
Scriptures to keep in mind:
Romans 8:5-6 ESV says, For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
Romans 12:1-2 ESV says, I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Jeremiah 29:11 ESV For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
John 1:10-13 ESV / He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Ephesians 5:9, ESV (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),
Romans 8:6-7, ESV For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.
Romans 8:5-6 ESV says, For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
Romans 12:1-2 ESV says, I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Jeremiah 29:11 ESV For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
John 1:10-13 ESV / He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Ephesians 5:9, ESV (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),
Romans 8:6-7, ESV For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.
Identity Crisis: Who Are You?
We see today that people are more and more wrestling with who they are or who they were born as. My message for those of us today is to remember that you are God's creation. Ephesians 2:10 says we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Philippians 4:6-8 tells us that we don't have to be anxious about anything, but if we are faced with any struggles to pray and God will provide the right path to get out of that stressful situation.
And when you pray, give thanks for who God is, thank Him for being in your life, pray that He give you wisdom to live right for Him, pray for guidance and direction, pray to be in a right relationship with him and remember to do this often. Always consider what is right in God's eyes and you will naturally seek out what is right. Also do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth, 2 Timothy 2:15 . We need to not only be hearers of the word, but doers also, for the word to truly be a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path.
I want to clearly state that this message is for those who are striving for a closer and upright relationship & walk with God and still find themselves struggling with their identity. I want to encourage you to remember that God created you in His image. God wants us to live like Jesus did, to be an example to those who are also in the family of faith, so they can see God in you and the way you live and model their life after the way you have modeled yours. As Proverbs 27:17 says, Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.
We are created to seek God daily, encourage, teach, minister, pray with, pray for one another, lead one another to the path of righteousness and to keep each other on the straight and narrow. We have to be consumed with the things of God or we will naturally seek out and be consumed by fleshly things, in which you will never find fulfillment. If we keep our minds stayed on the Lord we will have perfect peace according to Isaiah 26:3. Remember that you were created to be God's light to shine in a world filled with darkness. To comfort those who are suffering. Being someone's strength will give us the strength and courage to be and live in God's truth.
As we received a gift, we must use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace. If we speak with the knowledge and grace of God, we will more likely serve others by the strength that God supplies. Keep in mind that everything we do should be for God's glorification.
Prayer of the day: Psalm 19:14 ESV / Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
And when you pray, give thanks for who God is, thank Him for being in your life, pray that He give you wisdom to live right for Him, pray for guidance and direction, pray to be in a right relationship with him and remember to do this often. Always consider what is right in God's eyes and you will naturally seek out what is right. Also do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth, 2 Timothy 2:15 . We need to not only be hearers of the word, but doers also, for the word to truly be a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path.
I want to clearly state that this message is for those who are striving for a closer and upright relationship & walk with God and still find themselves struggling with their identity. I want to encourage you to remember that God created you in His image. God wants us to live like Jesus did, to be an example to those who are also in the family of faith, so they can see God in you and the way you live and model their life after the way you have modeled yours. As Proverbs 27:17 says, Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.
We are created to seek God daily, encourage, teach, minister, pray with, pray for one another, lead one another to the path of righteousness and to keep each other on the straight and narrow. We have to be consumed with the things of God or we will naturally seek out and be consumed by fleshly things, in which you will never find fulfillment. If we keep our minds stayed on the Lord we will have perfect peace according to Isaiah 26:3. Remember that you were created to be God's light to shine in a world filled with darkness. To comfort those who are suffering. Being someone's strength will give us the strength and courage to be and live in God's truth.
As we received a gift, we must use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace. If we speak with the knowledge and grace of God, we will more likely serve others by the strength that God supplies. Keep in mind that everything we do should be for God's glorification.
Prayer of the day: Psalm 19:14 ESV / Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Confessing Your Sins
Why should you confess your sins?
In addition to avoiding the negative effects of unconfessed sin, biblical confession is a way to experience more of God’s grace. Biblical confession should be in some ways a joy due to the rich benefits God gives us through it.
1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
This does not mean that God will only forgive a sin only if it has been specifically confessed. When a Christian repents and believes the Gospel of Jesus Christ, all of their sins, past, present, and future are immediately forgiven!
Confessing is part of the sanctification process and aids Christians in dealing with sin and healing from it. James 5:16 says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
Why confess your sin if God already knows your sin?
Christians confess their sins to God to practice humbleness before him and to fess up to the bad things they have done. It takes a humble person to admit their mistakes! Humility is a vital part of confession and aids the restoration of Christians who have quenched the Spirit of God. Peter in 1 Peter 5:6 says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”
A True Confession is Done in Humility with an Attitude of Repentance
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you. 1 Peter 5:6
“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6
“…you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God…For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation…” 2 Corinthians 7:9-10
Read more: http://www.unlockingthebible.org/confession-bible-verses-confessing-sins/
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Compromise
Pray that you will not compromise yourself, so you won't be tempted. It's in the Bible, Matthew 26:41, TLB. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
Don't even start down an evil path. It's in the Bible, Proverbs 4:14-15, TLB. "Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way."
Don't let sinners influence you. It's in the Bible, Proverbs 1:10, TLB. "My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them."
The man who walks righteously does not compromise. It's in the Bible, Isaiah 33:15-16, TLB. "He who walks righteously and speaks what is right, who rejects gain from extortion and keeps his hand from accepting bribes, who stops his ears against plots of murder and shuts his eyes against contemplating evil—this is the man who will dwell on the heights, whose refuge will be the mountain fortress. His bread will be supplied, and water will not fail him."
Read more: http://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/compromise
Humble Yourself and Be Exalted
by Joyce Meyer
Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you.
1 Peter 5:6
1 Peter 5:6
The apostle Peter is a good example of a man who had to be humbled. In Matthew 26:31-35 we see that Peter thought more highly of himself than he should have. In this passage, we read that just before the crucifixion Jesus told His disciples they would all be offended and fall away from Him. In verse 33, Peter declared to the Lord that he would never do such a thing. In response, Jesus warned Peter that before that very night was over, his fears would cause him to deny Him three times; but Peter could not conceive that he would ever be that weak.
Peter really did not know himself, and many of us are the same way. We look at others and judge them, thinking, I would never do that. Then when we find ourselves in a similar situation, we do things we would have never believed possible. Peter needed to go through the experience of failing, of falling apart in the crisis hour. He had to see his weaknesses before he could bring them to the cross and find God's strength.
Yes, Peter failed miserably. He denied Jesus three times. He fell apart in a crucial time, but the end result was good. The experience humbled him and brought him to the place where God could use him greatly. God can only use humble men and women. We must humble ourselves and He will exalt us (see 1 Peter 5:6).
For more Daily Devotionas visit: http://www.joycemeyer.org/Articles/Devotional.aspx
Friday, June 5, 2015
Why Can't I Fully Submit to God?
Satan is called the "god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4), and due to Adam's sin, we are born on his team (Romans 5:12). John Bunyan pictured this conflict in his allegory The Holy War. Prince Emmanuel besieges the city of Mansoul to wrest it from the power of Diabolus. Unfortunately, the citizens of Mansoul are blindly committed to Diabolus and fight against Emmanuel, to their own detriment.
When we reach the age when we can make moral choices, we must choose whether to follow our own sinful inclinations or to seek God (seeJoshua 24:15). God promises that when we seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). When we find Him, we have a choice to make: do we continue following our own inclinations, or do we surrender to His will?
Romans 6:13says that God demands that we surrender the totality of our selves; He wants the whole, not a part: “Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.” Jesus said that His followers must deny themselves (Mark 8:34)—another call to surrender.
The goal of the Christian life can be summed up byGalatians 2:20: "I have beencrucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Such a life of surrender is pleasing to God, results in the greatest human fulfillment, and will reap ultimate rewards in heaven (Luke 6:22-23).
Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/surrender-to-God.html#ixzz3cBaiDwBP
When we reach the age when we can make moral choices, we must choose whether to follow our own sinful inclinations or to seek God (seeJoshua 24:15). God promises that when we seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). When we find Him, we have a choice to make: do we continue following our own inclinations, or do we surrender to His will?
Romans 6:13says that God demands that we surrender the totality of our selves; He wants the whole, not a part: “Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.” Jesus said that His followers must deny themselves (Mark 8:34)—another call to surrender.
The goal of the Christian life can be summed up byGalatians 2:20: "I have beencrucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Such a life of surrender is pleasing to God, results in the greatest human fulfillment, and will reap ultimate rewards in heaven (Luke 6:22-23).
Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/surrender-to-God.html#ixzz3cBaiDwBP
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Make it Happen
HOW TO BUILD A LIFE OF LOVE
1. ___________________ how mature love acts and responds.
2. ___________________ your day with a daily reminder to love.
3. ___________________ what God says about love.
4. ___________________ acting in unselfish, loving ways.
5. ___________________ from other loving people.
“Keep company with God and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.” Eph. 5:2 (Mes)
“In this life we have three lasting qualities: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love!” 1 Cor 13:13 (Ph)
Exploring the Meaning
WHAT IS LOVE?
o LOVE IS A ___________________
“Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another” 2 John 1:6 (NLT)
o LOVE IS A ___________________
“Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it—because it does!” 1 Cor. 14:1a (Mes)
o LOVE IS A ___________________
“Let us stop just saying we love people; let us really love them, and show it by our actions.” 1 John 3:18 (LB)
o LOVE IS A ___________________
“ God is love. If we keep on loving others, we will stay one in our hearts with God, and he will stay one with us.” 1 John 4:16 (CEV)
A Daily Prophetic Word - 6/3/2015
http://www.purposedriven.com/day16/
WHAT MATTERS MOST
All About Love: 1 Cor. 13
Rick Warren
“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself,'What shall I do, for I don’t have space to store my goods?’ Then he said, 'Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build me larger ones! Then I’ll say to myself, "I have so many good
things stored up for me - now rest, eat, drink, and be merry!” But God said to him, 'You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and then to whom will all your things belong?’ Thus will it be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God." Luke 2:16-21 (NAB)
“If you are a follower of Christ Jesus ... All that matters is your faith that makes you love others.” Gal. 5:6 (CEV)
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