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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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Walking in the Newness of Life!

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  Walking in the Newness of Life Scripture: Romans 6:4 “ When we were baptized, we were buried with Christ and shared his death. So, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the wonderful power of the Father, we also can live a new life. ” (NCV) Living a new kind of life is now possible for the believer who understands and practices these wonderful concepts. We have seen how the Spirit of Christ seals us, how we must choose to be controlled by him in our thought life, and how we can put to death the misdeeds of the body by the Spirit of Christ. The reality of Paul’s insight—“ I was put to death on the cross with Christ, and I do not live anymore—it is Christ who lives in me. I still live in my body, but I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself to save me. ” (Galatians 2:20, NCV)—becomes more of our everyday life experiences. The Spirit of Christ overpowers the old self so we can walk in newness of life. In fact, our lives become hidden in Christ: “ For you ...
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Romans 8:1-17!

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  Romans 8:1–17: The apostle Paul says that living according to the Spirit and in union with Christ Jesus sets us free from sin and death. Being controlled by human nature is in opposition to being led by the Spirit. Today’s Key Verse: Romans 8:1 GNT There is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus. Read 8 There is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus.  2  For the law of the Spirit, which brings us life in union with Christ Jesus, has set me free from the law of sin and death.  3  What the Law could not do, because human nature was weak, God did. He condemned sin in human nature by sending his own Son, who came with a nature like our sinful nature, to do away with sin.  4  God did this so that the righteous demands of the Law might be fully satisfied in us who live according to the Spirit, and not according to human nature.  5  Those who live as their human nature tells them to, have...
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Giving Equals Investment!

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  Giving Equals Investment Scripture: Matthew 6:20–21 “ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ” (NIV) THE TWO BIG REASONS TO GIVE 1. Giving is your investment in eternity.  It is your eternal investment account. The Christian life is all about giving, and we are not just talking about money. Giving includes giving one’s self, time, talent, and treasure. Only two things will last for all of eternity: God’s Word will endure forever, and the souls of people will live forever in one of two places. Everything else perishes. Everything you and I can see and touch is going to perish. Our relationship with Jesus Christ will determine  WHERE  we live in eternity. How we spend our time, talent, and treasure will determine  HOW  we live in eternity. 2. Giving is the MAJOR GATEWAY  for God to work big time in the...
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Back to Wholeness!

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  He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” Genesis 3:10, NLT Back to Wholeness When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they immediately felt guilty and hid. They went from loving God to being afraid. They lost their innocence, their joy, their wholeness. Too often, we do the same. We make a mistake, have a disappointment or a broken relationship, and we go into hiding. You can lose part of yourself. Things happen that have taken your joy, limited your vision, stopped your creativity. Now you’ve settled in that area. You’re not pursuing your dreams, not enjoying your family, not passionate about life. God is saying, “Come out of hiding and go back to who I created you to be. Let Me love you back to wholeness and give you a new beginning.” Get your fire back, get your dream back. No more isolating, checking out, pretending to be there but not engaging. This is a new day. That lost part of you is coming back—the creative you, the outgoing y...
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Guarding Our Hearts at All Costs!

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  Guarding Our Hearts at All Costs Scripture: Proverbs 4:23 “ Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. ” (NIV) When we come to Christ, we give him our hearts in worship. This lays the foundation for all that follows in life. “ If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ” (Romans 10:9–10, NIV) As soon as we trust in Jesus Christ, alone, as our Lord and Savior, we are sealed by the Spirit of God, and we are justified and made acceptable to Almighty God. Now that we are secure in him, we are in a position to do the works he has prepared for us to do. We are counseled to “ Let the message of Christ dwell among [us] richly as [we] teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God wit...
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Two Kinds of Faith!

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  Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.” Daniel 3:28, NIV Two Kinds of Faith In the book of Daniel, because three Hebrew teenagers refused to bow down to the king’s golden statue, they were thrown into a fiery furnace. They said, “The God we serve is able to deliver us from the fire, but even if He does not, we will not worship the image of gold.” Miraculously, they not only survived, but they came out unharmed and without even the smell of smoke. There are two kinds of faith. There’s delivering faith, when our all-powerful God instantly takes you out of the problem, keeps you out of the fire, parts the Red Sea. Then there’s sustaining faith, when God makes you fireproof and takes you through the fire as the pathway to your destiny. Most of t...
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