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Wisdom and Discernment!

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  What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us…we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:12, 16, NIV Wisdom and Discernment The apostle Paul warned the Corinthians to be on their guard lest the enemy deceive them and lead them astray. He was saying that you have to recognize the enemy’s lies and schemes. The enemy can be convincing, but you have the advantage. Because you have the Holy Spirit inside, you have the mind of Christ. The Spirit of truth will check every lie that would try to stop you. Every morning, it’s good to pray that God will give you a spirit of wisdom and discernment. Pray that you’ll have wisdom that comes from knowing God’s Word and make decisions that honor Him. Discernment has to do with recognizing where a thought is coming from, what’s right and what’s not. God’s still small voice inside will alert you to things that are deceptive. It may sound and look fine, b...
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A New Identity in Christ!

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  A New Identity in Christ Who are you, really? As you consider this question, what (or who) is influencing your answer? Your relationships? Your vocation? Your self-perception? Your possessions? We often are unsure about who we are because we use what others think as our point of reference. What we do is often measured and judged by them—either as acceptable or unacceptable—and we allow our performance to define us. However, the only reliable source of our identity is God! He created each one of us, loves us, sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die for us, and transforms our lives through His Holy Spirit! In fact, at the moment we receive Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we are born again spiritually and our identity is radically changed. Second Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! ”  (NLT). When we allow God to define our identity we stand on a sure foundation for a life of peace...
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Do You Like Yourself?

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  Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:39, NIV Do You Like Yourself? One thing that holds us back from seeing changes in our life is when we don’t love who we are. If you’re not happy with the way God made you, there’s a constant battle going on inside—never feeling good enough always feeling wrong, with vague feelings of disapproval. If you don’t learn to like yourself as you are, weaknesses and all, you’ll always feel like you should be better. Added to the problem is that you have to live with you. You can never get away from yourself. If you don’t like yourself, life is going to be miserable.  It’s very powerful when you can say, “I like myself. Yes, I need to improve in some areas. I need to do better. But I’m at peace with who I am right now. I accept myself. I approve myself. I am not a finished product. God is in charge, and He’s still working on me, making me and molding me. It is not just up to me. I’m going to relax and enjoy life while God is in the process ...
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Begin Your Relationship with God!

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  Begin Your Relationship with God The key to having  Kingdom of God  principles for eternal significance become operative in your life is to make sure you have a living and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Once this relationship is established, the living and powerful Word of God can then begin to work in your life as you practice the principles of  Kingdom of God! Let’s take a walk together through a few verses of the Bible to showus how we can be sure we have the living relationship God wants us to have with Jesus Christ. It is through the gospel of Jesus Christ that life and immortality have been brought to light giving us the option to enjoy a life now that will echo into eternity. What Jesus Christ Did For Us The Apostle Paul said, “ I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptur...
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Faith Increased!

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  The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” Luke 17:5, NIV Faith Increased When Jesus told His disciples they were going to have to forgive someone who wronged them seven times a day, meaning to continually forgive, their immediate response was, “Lord, increase our faith!” They knew that based upon the opposition and the offenses that Jesus faced, they would face the same. They didn’t say, “Lord, increase our faith so we can do bigger miracles, and increase our faith so we have a larger vision.” They asked Him to increase their faith so they could forgive the wrongs, let go of the offenses, and keep the toxins out.  Sometimes it takes more faith to keep your heart free from impurities than it does to accomplish a dream. We’re praying for faith for a breakthrough, faith for a new level, and that’s good. But have you ever prayed, as these disciples did, “God, increase my faith so I can let go of the hurts. Increase my faith so I can forgive the person who betrayed me....
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The Spirit Operates!

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  The Spirit Operates Scripture: Galatians 5:16 “ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ” (NIV) There is a war inside of each of us. Though the old flesh always wants to reassert itself, the power of the Spirit can overcome it if we ask in faith for him to control how we think, feel, act, and talk. “ The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. ” (Romans 8:6, NIV84) The  mind  is key. The battle first takes place in our head. Whoever controls our mind, controls us. It is crucial we set our minds on what the Spirit desires. “ Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. ” (Romans 8:5, NIV) “ Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ” (Colossians 3:2, NIV84) Paul further wrote, “ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itsel...
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Nothing Lost, Everything Gained!

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  So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. Genesis 41:14, NIV Nothing Lost, Everything Gained For thirteen long years after Joseph’s brothers betrayed him, he was enslaved, lied about, mistreated, imprisoned, and forgotten. Given Joseph’s environment, the dream that God gave him of leadership and the identity that he was going to do something great could have easily been lost in bitterness. But rather than play the victim, Joseph was faithful to be his best, and the day came when God suddenly turned things around and made him the ruler of Egypt. We all have opportunities to lose who we really are. You go through a relationship breakup, a job layoff, or a financial setback, and thoughts will tell you, “You’re not valuable. Nobody wants to be around you. You’re nothing but a failure.” People will tell you to be content and make the most of it. Don’t take on that defeated identity and let it change you. What happens to you is not who you are. You’re a m...
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