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Thank God Before the Promise!

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  He never doubted that God would keep his promise, and he never stopped believing. He grew stronger in his faith and gave praise to God. Romans 4:20–21, NCV Thank God Before the Promise Abraham was seventy-five years old when God promised him a son, but his wife, Sarah, had gone through the change of life. A child seemed impossible. Year after year went by with no sign of a baby. You can imagine the negative thoughts that came to Abraham over and over. He could have gotten discouraged, but he stayed strong in faith by giving praise to God. He gave thanks to God for the promise before he ever saw the promise fulfilled…when he was one hundred years old. Like Abraham, you may not see any sign of what God promised you. You could live worried, stressed, doubting. Try a different approach. Every time those thoughts tell you, “You’ll never get well, never break the addiction, never see your family restored,” turn that worry into worship. When God hears you thanking Him for something that...
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The Goal: Christ Formed In You!

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  The Goal: Christ Formed In You Scripture: Galatians 4:19 “ Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives. ” (NLT) Paul went to great pains to say that the ultimate goal is to have the person of Jesus Christ formed in us. We need to realize what it means for Christ to live in and through us—to invite the Spirit of Christ to work as he reveals himself to us. This is a lifelong process; I have yet to realize major aspects of this objective. However, I know that God wants to become more fully developed in my life and in the lives of other believers. So let’s learn together what is involved. One of the first truths to realize, believe, and trust in is this fact: “ For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. ” (Colossians 2:9–10, NLT) Jesus Christ is inside the bel...
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A Spacious Place!

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  When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; he brought me into a spacious place. Psalm 118:5, NIV A Spacious Place David enjoyed seasons with good breaks and open doors. But he says that what enlarged his life was when he was hard pressed. It was through the times when his family didn’t believe in him, when King Saul was jealous and trying to kill him, chasing him through the desert for years. He endured many situations that weren’t fair, including his own son trying to take the throne from him. But here’s the key: He used that pressure as fuel for his faith. He didn’t get bitter and give up when his dream looked impossible. He saw it as healthy pressure that was developing him, growing him up, with greater character, proving to God that he was ready to lead the people. You don’t really know who you are until you’re put under pressure. You don’t know your true character until it’s tested in the fire of adversity. Quit letting the pressure from a situation or person defeat you, make y...
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The Transformation: Christ Formed In You!

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  The Transformation: Christ Formed In You Scripture: 2 Corinthians 13:14 and Ephesians 1:17 “ May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. ” (2 Corinthians 13:14, NLT) “ I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. ” (Ephesians 1:17, NIV) Practicing the concepts of Kingdom of God is an outgrowth of our relationship with Jesus Christ. He progressively transforms our attitudes, thinking, feelings and actions as his Word invades the depths of our being. When we receive Christ, he takes up residence inside us and begins molding us into his likeness. This is not a work we do; it is a work of the Holy Spirit. Paul prayed that God would give us a Spirit of wisdom and revelation to know these basic truths. Again we see the word “revelation.” We progress in our Christian walk only to the extent that Christ reveals...
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Marvelous Grace!

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  But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles. Galatians 1:15–16, NLT Marvelous Grace  In Acts 9, Jesus appeared to Saul of Tarsus, who was the biggest enemy of the early church, having instigated a wave of persecution that scattered the believers. On Saul’s way to Damascus with the authority to put believers in prison, Jesus appeared and spoke to him. That day was his turning point. He became a follower of Christ, and his name was changed to the apostle Paul. He went from being the biggest threat to the biggest asset of the church, writing nearly half the books in the New Testament. He told the Galatians that God in His marvelous grace had chosen him before he was born to proclaim the good news to the Gentiles, which he never dreamed of doing. Paul was saying, “I thought I was doing the right thing, but God stepped in and showed me ...
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The Priority: Christ Formed In You!

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  The Priority: Christ Formed In You Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 3:5 “ Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ. ” (NKJV) We spend time with the people we love, and we spend time doing the things we love. Such endeavors frequently require patience. This is certainly the case in our relationship with God. The process of getting to know him takes time and patience. A lot of things cry for our attention. However, most of these distractions are temporal; they are in the process of perishing. Kingdom of God thinkers focus on the eternal: “…We do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. ” (2 Corinthians 4:18, NKJV) We want to make sure our heart is directed into the love of God—into his values and his purposes. “ If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the ...
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Lies and Deception!

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  Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1, NIV Lies and Deception The enemy’s scheme of lies and deception goes way back to the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve lived in the perfect garden with everything they needed. They had conversations with God every day. There was no sickness, no strife, no heartache, no worries. There was one tree out of thousands that God told them they must not eat the fruit from. No big deal. But along comes the enemy, who purposed to deceive Eve into focusing on the one thing she didn’t have, while overlooking all the great things she did have. He got her to question what God said, why He said it, and why God was withholding what would make them like Him. Rather than dismissing it, Eve started dwelling on subtle lies and soon gave way to disobeying God, with all its tragic consequences. It’s the same today. The e...
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