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Showing posts from June, 2022

Are You Sure?

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  So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?” 2 Samuel 5:19 Are You Sure? When the Philistines heard that David had just been made king over all Israel, notice his humility in today’s Scripture. David was a great warrior who had won many battles, yet he didn’t proudly declare, “This is a no brainer. I’ve got this.” He got quiet and said, “God, what should I do?” He was saying, “God, I don’t want to go if You’re not going with me.” He showed his dependence on God. He recognized where his strength, his favor, and his ability came from. Sometimes when we face a challenge, we assume God is on our side and there’s no question about whether we go to battle. But a wiser approach is, “God, what do You want me to do with this opposition. Shall I attack, or shall I be still and let You fight for me. If I go in, will You give me the victory?” We’ve all fought battles where we didn’t come out like we thought. Maybe it was beca

The Best Anxiety Preventive!

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  The Best Anxiety Preventive Memorize and Meditate “ Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. ” (James 1:21) Soak your Heart For the Word of God to work in our heart, we need to make sure we have a clean heart, free from the control of sin. This is why we confess and repent of our sin to restore a working relationship with God. One of the best protections against sin gaining control is to humbly accept and plant the Word in our heart. God’s Word can save us from fear, anxiety, and a host of other maladies seek to control us. The Psalmist said he hid God’s Word in his heart so he would not sin against God. We want to soak our heart in the Word. Sow to the Spirit As I meditate on these concepts, I want to sow them to the Spirit by praying them into my heart and soul. I ask God to implant his Word deeply within my inner being. His Word is food for my spirit and soul. More times than I can rememb

A Work in Progress!

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  And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 A Work in Progress Everyone has something they’re dealing with. You are a work in progress. God has His own timetable. While He’s changing you, you need to feel good about who you are, knowing that God will get you to where you’re supposed to be. Most people say, “I would feel good about myself if I were more patient, less jealous, and hadn’t blown that relationship.” There will always be some reason why you won’t feel good about who you are. The accuser will make sure to remind you of something you’re not doing right, some way that you failed. If you’re going to live in victory, you have to put your foot down and say, “That’s it. I’m done being against myself. I’m done focusing on my weaknesses. I know I’m a child of the Most High God. I am redeemed, restored, and forgiven. God is taking me from glory to glory, so I’

The Richest Life!

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  The Richest Life Memorize and Meditate “ Yes, the Almighty will be your gold and your precious silver. ” (Job 22:25) Soak your Heart For many people, money and earthly wealth become a god. However, as we begin to soak our heart in the Word of God and see it working in us and in our circumstances, a new reality comes into focus. Our relationship with God is far more valuable than anything else. Whereas gold and silver are inanimate, all power belongs to God. He is alive. His works are wonderful. Life is found in him alone. Soak your heart in this truth, and God will become your gold and precious silver. Sow to the Spirit When I talk with God, I acknowledge that he is more precious to me than any material thing. He wants us to partake of his divine nature by way of his Holy Spirit working in us. As we sow these thoughts to the Spirit, we begin to experience the wonders of his Word and to taste a little of the power of the coming age. Flow with the Spirit What a sense of expectation we

Get Plugged In!

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  When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Psalm 73:16–17 Get Plugged In The writer of Psalm 73 was struggling to understand why God was allowing the people who were coming against him to prosper. He was discouraged. Yet he tells how in the sanctuary, he got a new perspective. He heard people thanking God and telling of His goodness. When he got around people of faith, people who knew that God was in control, that spirit of defeat and depression couldn’t stay. A few verses later, he was making bold declarations of faith. There are some breakthroughs that are only going to happen when you are in the house of the Lord. Your faith alone may not be enough. That’s why God has ordained you to be in a community of faith, and why you need to get plugged into a good Bible-based church. Together, we’re better. Together, we’re stronger. There’s power when your faith is connected to other believers’ faith

God’s Word Works!

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  God’s Word Works! Memorize and Meditate “ And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe. ” (1 Thessalonians 2:13) Soak your Heart If we are to taste the goodness of God’s Word, we first have to receive it, accept it, and implant it in the depths of our heart. We cannot read the Word of God the same way we read other books. God’s Word is living and powerful, and it will work in the life of the believer who views it as such. It works like a powerful medicine when it is properly ingested. We trust that it will prosper in us and accomplish the purpose for which it was sent. Sow to the Spirit As you talk to God, put this verse in your own words. Tell God you believe what it says, and that you look forward to it working in you and through you. View it as a powerful medicine that will work as you memorize and meditat

Give your Worry To God!

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                                                                                                                Give Your Worry to God “Don’t worry about anything.”  Philippians 4:6  Work doesn’t keep you up at night; worry does. In the Bible, God gives clear direction about the role worry should play in your life. Philippians 4:6 says,  “Don’t worry about anything”   Why do you need to let go of your worry? Worry is unreasonable.  Here are a couple of reasons why that’s true. First, worry exaggerates the problem. Have you noticed that, if somebody says something bad about you, the more you think about it, the bigger it gets? Second, worry doesn’t work. To worry about something you  can’t  change is useless. And to worry about something you  can  change is a waste of time; just go change it! Worry is unnatural.  No one is a born worrier. You might think you are, but you’re not. Worry is something you learned. Since worry is unnatural, it’s also unhealthy. Your body wasn’t designed to h

God is Real to Those Who Cultivate a Relationship With Him!

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  God is Real to Those Who Cultivate a Relationship With Him Memorize and Meditate “ Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. ” (Psalm 37:5–6) Soak your Heart This verse and a multitude of other verses in the Bible assure us that God is at work in the lives of his children. God is relevant. God is real to those who cultivate their relationship with him through Jesus Christ. If we commit our daily routine and mission work to him, and trust him to fulfill what he says, we can expect God to act in us and in our circumstances. He will bring forth the  Christ  in us, and we can expect him to grant success in our mission. Sow to the Spirit A verse like this is what I like to call a “button pusher.”  It makes me want to try it. When I talk with God, I tell him I am committing my way to him, and that I trust him to fulfill whatever role he has in mind for accomplishing his purposes. I recit

PRAY!

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  Loving God, you are generous and kind in bestowing the gift of your Holy Spirit on all who follow you. Teach me to manifest the presence of your Sprit within me in ways that reflect your love and care. Amen.

The Spirit Empowers!

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  The Spirit Empowers Memorize and Meditate “ For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. ” (Romans 8:13) Soak your Heart We cannot live the Christian life by our own power. By nature, we are shot through with sin. Only by the grace of God can we overcome the power of sin. This verse from Romans tells us that if we put to death the misdeeds of the body by the power of the Spirit, we will live and be able to overcome the power of sin. We have the choice to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to live under his control. Sow to the Spirit Acknowledge to God you are powerless to live the Christian life, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you walk under his control. Trust that he will empower you to live a life that is pleasing in his sight. Flow with the Spirit Receive by faith the life the Spirit will impart to your mortal body as you trust him to do so. Total dependence on him is critical. He is the condu

Grow with the Increase from God!

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  Grow with the Increase from God Memorize and Meditate “ For everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. ” (Hebrews 5:13) Soak your Heart The Word of God is to our soul what food is to our physical body. When we grasp this truth, we have a tremendous incentive to delve deeply into the Word and to establish a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Only through a rich diet of the Word dwelling in us can we be strengthened in our inner person. Not only that, but it is impossible for us to grow spiritually without “eating” the Word.  A child or a baby will not grow unless it moves on to a more mature diet. This verse confirms we will be unskilled in our spiritual walk unless we partake of a mature diet. Sow to the Spirit Express gratitude to God for providing his Word. Tell him how much you believe in it. Reflect on how the Word works inside you, transforming your attitudes and behavior. Flow with the Spirit As you listen to the Spirit,

PRAY!

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  Gracious God, guide me each day by your Word and teach me to be ready to help others and obey the law of Christ. Amen.

Be a Gap Stander!

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  So he said he would destroy them—had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him to keep his wrath from destroying them. Psalm 106:23 Be a Gap Stander Today’s Scripture describes a time after God had delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, then miraculously parted the Red Sea and gave them food and water in the desert. Despite all He had done for them, they started worshipping a golden calf along with partying and being immoral. God was so angry that He would have destroyed them had not Moses fasted and prayed, asking God to have mercy on the Israelites. Because one man stood in the breach for them, God changed His mind and spared their lives. Why don’t you do as Moses did and stand in the gap for family, friends, and coworkers who are off course and making poor choices. They know better, but they’re doing wrong anyway. It’s easy to stand in judgment against them and write them off. But you can be the one who makes a difference. Live your life as a gap stander.

How to Tap Into God’s Power During the Storms of Life!

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  How to Tap Into God’s Power During the Storms of Life Memorize and Meditate “ Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead. ” (2 Corinthians 1:9) Soak your Heart Our only hope to live the Christian life rests in trusting God to provide the power to live in harmony with his will. Jesus told us that apart from him we can do nothing. We are spiritually bankrupt. Our eternal salvation is provided by trusting in Christ alone. In everyday life, salvation can only be worked out as we trust in him to live through us. We need to continually remind ourselves of this core understanding. Sow to the Spirit God’s power raised Jesus Christ from the dead, and that power is available to us as we learn to tap into it. As we commune with the Holy Spirit and allow him to control us, God’s grace overrides the power of sin. As we trust in him, his life flows through us, allowing us to partake of his all-powerful divine nature. Flow wi

Be a Blessing

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                        Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Proverbs 3:27   Be a Blessing Today’s Scripture says that when you know you can be a blessing, when you have the resources to help a person in need, or when you can teach them the skills you’ve learned, don’t put it off. You may think, “I can’t help them. I have to focus on fixing my own problems.” But when you make sacrifices to help other people’s dreams come to pass, God will always help make your dream come to pass. As you bless others and show them favor, God is going to bless and favor you. Don’t live focused only on yourself—your problems, your sickness, your trouble at work. Go and be a blessing to someone in need. Sow a seed with your finances or a word of encouragement. Go visit your coworker who’s in the hospital and pray for them. Call your friend and speak faith into their dreams. Take your elderly neighbor an evening meal. When you help solve their problems, you’re

Think O-I-L: Opportunity, Impact, Legacy

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  Think O-I-L: Opportunity, Impact, Legacy Memorize and Meditate “ Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. ” (Philippians 3:12–14) Soak your Heart We must constantly remind ourselves that we are in the process of dying to self so we can live for the Christ who died for us. As outlined in today’s verse, Christ has taken possession of us so we will not waste our time, talent, and treasure on perishable things and secular goals. In order to reach ahead, we have to let the past go. We can’t redo those days. Our goal is to be conformed to Christ and his will. Sow to the Spirit In your prayer life, think of the acronym, “O-I-L.”  The let

Great Character!

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  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21 Great Character You don’t overcome evil that has been done to you by repaying the person with the same evil they did to you—they hurt you, so you hurt them; they betray you, so you betray them. Not only will you make the problem worse and multiply the conflict, but you’ll get stuck where you are. It will keep you from rising higher. When unfair things happen to you, the apostle Paul says to not take revenge, but to leave it in God’s hands to repay. That takes a big person, that takes great character, and it’s really a test. When you prove to God that you’re not bitter, you’re not vindictive, you’re not holding a grudge, you’re big enough to swallow your pride and do good to them, then He knows you’re ready to be promoted. He’s not going to promote you to pay somebody back. When you’re the bigger person, when you are loving even though someone else doesn’t deserve it, that’s freeing you to go to the next level. A Pr