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Sons of God

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Sons of God

You received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba,” Father.

Romans 8:15, NIV

What makes you and I  think we can do without a personal prayer life? It’s through prayer that we come into a personal, intimate relationship with our heavenly Father.

Do you long to have a closer relationship with God, but you don’t feel worthy? Are you convinced you are a nobody and therefore would never be accepted, much less welcomed, into His presence?

Praise God! Our entrance into His presence is not based on our own worthiness but on the worthiness of Jesus Christ! When we enter God’s presence in Jesus’ name, we are as accepted by God as Jesus is, because God counts us as His own dear children!

Jesus invites you and I, in His name, to come into His Father’s presence through prayer, crawl up into His lap by faith, put our head on His shoulder of strength, feel His loving arms of protection around us, call Him “Abba” Daddy, and pour out our hearts to Him.

Blessings

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Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit

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Immature Elm seeds.

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Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream…. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7-9

We cannot separate actions from consequences. Why, then, do we allow our culture to tell us that we can plant seeds of one kind and bear fruits of another? The world tells us that we can plant seeds of promiscuity and carelessness and bear fruits of beauty, happiness and even love. But the results are disease, unwanted pregnancy and unhappiness.

Root and fruit are inevitably intertwined.

Isaiah 32:17 says, “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.”

One of the surest ways to change your life for the better is to stop sowing seeds that bear bad fruit! Plant seeds of righteousness and put those roots in your life. Unlike the culture around us, the Bible takes a very clear position on right and wrong.

Ask Him to guide your actions so you will produce good fruit that is pleasing to God.

Further Reading

•Jeremiah 6:19

•John 15:4

•Galatians 5:22-23

God Bless

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The key to success or failure lies in doing things at the word of Jesus

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The key to success or failure lies in doing things at the word of Jesus

AT THY WORD

Luke 5:5, “And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.”

LUKE 5:1-11

Peter and his companions had been working hard all night. Their efforts had not produced even one fish. They had given up and were headed home. But Jesus told them to try it just one more time.

It would have been easy for Peter to reject Jesus’ command. After all, Peter had been a fisherman all his life. Jesus was just a preacher. What did He know about fishing? Yet something, or rather someone, caused Peter to try just once more.

Many people are like Simon Peter and his partners. They have done all that they know to do and yet they’ve come up empty-handed. This breeds a despair and hopelessness that causes many people to quit trying. Yet, just one word from Jesus could make the same tasks that have been unproductive on our own bear great fruit.

The key to success or failure lies in doing things at the word of Jesus. Peter said, “at thy word I will let down the net.” God‘s words always get results.

Today, make sure your efforts are directed by God and you will experience the results that have eluded you in the past.

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How long will you slumber, O sluggard? It is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it

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How long will you slumber, O sluggard? It is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it

READ: Proverbs 6:6-11

How long will you slumber, O sluggard? —Proverbs 6:9

While studying the book of Proverbs in my small-group Bible study, our leader suggested that we change the description of a lazy person from a sluggard to a slacker (6:6,9). Ah, now he was speaking my lingo. I immediately started thinking of all the people I consider to be slackers.

Like the men and women who fail to teach and discipline their children. Or that guy who refuses to help around the house. Or those teenagers who neglect their studies and play Internet games day and night.

If we’re honest, we’re all susceptible to this. What about being a “prayer slacker” (1 Thess. 5:17-18), or a “Bible-reading slacker” (Ps. 119:103; 2 Tim. 3:16-17), or a “non-exercising-of-our-spiritual-gift slacker” (Rom. 12:4-8), or a “non-witnessing slacker”? (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8).

If we are not doing what we know God wants us to do, we are certainly spiritual slackers. In fact, when we refuse to obey God, we are sinning.

Listen to these challenging and convicting words from the book of James: “It is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it” (4:17 NLT). Let’s not be spiritual slackers. —Cindy Hess Kasper

When we know what God wants us to do,

But then we refuse to obey,

We’re ignoring the voice of the Lord,

And sinfully choosing our way. —Sper

We may make excuses for not obeying God, but He still calls it disobedience

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At the end of every trial – lies the blessing of God

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The Lord Wept

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At the end of every trial – lies the blessing of God.

James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

When temptations, trials and tribulations come into your life you need to be resolute, standing firm, knowing that at the end of every trial lies the blessing of God and the manifestation of His promises over your life.

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Walking with God

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King James Version of the Bible

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Walking with God

Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You.

Psalm 143:8, NKJV

Every morning that I’m home, weather permitting, I walk with two friends for two and a half miles. We have to abide by two basic rules when we walk, or we can’t walk together. The first rule is that we must walk at the same pace. The second rule is that we must walk in the same direction. The same two rules apply when walking with God.

To walk at this pace means that we are living our lives in step-by-step obedience to His Word. To walk in the same direction means that we surrender the direction of our lives to Him. The only way we can know His pace and direction is to prayerfully read His Word.

What adjustments do you need to make so you can walk with God? Adjustments in your daily and weekly schedule? Adjustments in your attitude and ambition? Adjustments in your personal habits of prayer and Bible reading? Make sure you are not too busy for daily prayer and Bible reading or you will get out of step and lose your sense of direction.

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The power of choice has a good side and a bad side to it

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The power of choice has a good side and a bad side to it

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it

was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise,

she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her

husband with her; and he did eat.

Genesis 3:6

The power of choice has a good side and a bad side to it. It is simple:

You enjoy the good benefits every time you make a good choice and you

suffer the negative consequences every time you make a bad choice.

Adam knew better than to violate the one limitation God gave him, yet

he did it anyway. In that moment, another principle was revealed as

well: The higher you rise in any organization, family or society, the

more people will be affected by your choices-for better or for worse.

No matter how much we demand it, dream about it or wish it wasn’t so,

God’s plan for man does not allow us to live in a vacuum. He created us

to weep together, rejoice together and experience birth and death

together. This is what it means to be a human being created in the

image of the triune God who is One.

Prayer for Today

Father,

Thank you for your forgiveness and for your grace which redeems the

years the locusts have eaten and gives me hope and a future. Thank you

for placing me in a family and in the body of Christ. In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

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God Is The Only One That Can Promote You

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God Is The Only One That Can Promote You

DRAWN BY God’s POWER

Mark 1:37, “And when they had found him, they said unto him, All [men] seek for thee.”

MK. 1:35-39; LK. 4:42-44

This is an amazing statement. Jesus‘ ministry was only a few months old and the masses of people were already seeking him out.

This is even more astonishing when you realize that Jesus had not used any of the conventional methods of publicity. In fact, Jesus had already rejected publicity during His first ministry in Jerusalem (Jn. 2:24-25). There was no natural explanation for Jesus’ success.

God is the one who promoted Jesus. And He used supernatural means to do it. It was not the slick techniques of Madison Avenue that brought the crowds–it was the awesome manifestation of God’s power.

Just the day before, Jesus had cast the demon out of a man at the synagogue in Capernaum (Mk. 1:21-28). This caused the whole city to gather at Peter‘s house and Jesus healed every one of them (Lk. 4:40).

Jesus’ display of the miraculous power of God was the spark that the Holy Spirit used to light a fire in the hearts of these people. Jesus had this power because of His intimate relationship with His father. It is no accident that He was praying while all men were seeking Him.

As you seek to touch others with the new life that you’ve found in Christ, let God confirm His Word with the miraculous manifestations of His power through you

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God will use what you put at His disposal to allow things to come into your life

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God will use what you put at His disposal to allow things to come into your life

God will use what you have at His disposal.

Proverbs 6:6-11 “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise,

7 Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler,

8 Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest.

9 How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep?

10 A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep—

11 So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.”

While God has promised to supply all your need according to His riches in glory, you need to realize that you still have a part to play. God will use what you put at His disposal to allow things to come into your life. As an example, He will use your business to channel finances into your life. He will use your faith, mixed with action to bring blessings and provision into your life.

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Pray for God’s Guidance

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Pray for Guidance

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.

2 Corinthians 1:3

In order for cultures to become violent, barbaric, and uncaring, they have to be trained in violence, barbarism and selfishness.

In Amos 1:11 God points out that when we “pursue with the sword” we “stifle all compassion.” He was not pleased and “his anger raged continually and his fury flamed unchecked.” He was speaking of the city of Tyre, but He could have been speaking of any of today’s youth. In our movies, video games, television and music, the culture of fury is glorified. Violence is presented as the one and only solution to problems. Pursuing our neighbors with “swords” is glorified over compassion, forgiveness and understanding. Is it any wonder that our youth load guns instead of playing with one another?

Our nation was founded on positive values-life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is important to return to these God-given pursuits, and we need to ask for His help.

As a society, we need to demonstrate love, not violence. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in choosing forms of entertainment that are pleasing to God.

Further Reading

•Ephesians 4:32

•Philippians 2:1-3

•Colossians 3:12-13

God Bless

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In the kingdom of God, we won’t be given any great opportunities until we are proven faithful in the small things

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In the kingdom of God, we won’t be given any great opportunities until we are proven faithful in the small things

MINISTRY IN ACTION

Mk. 1:31, “And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.”

MT. 8:14-17; MK. 1:29-34; LK. 4:38-41

How did Peter‘s mother-in-law minister unto Jesus and His disciples? Did she sit them down and preach to them? Certainly not. Yet sometimes people think the only way we can minister to another is to admonish them with the scriptures.

Peter’s mother-in-law apparently ministered to them by serving them. The word translated “minister” is the same word that was translated “deacon” twice in the New Testament, and “serve, served or serveth” eight times.

We can minister for the Lord by doing some of the menial tasks that many consider to be unimportant. Jesus said that even a cup of cold water given in His name would not go unrewarded (Matthew 10:42).

Many people are waiting for the important jobs to come along where they can make a big impact or receive a lot of recognition, while they pass by many lesser opportunities every day. But in the kingdom of God, we won’t be given any great opportunities until we are proven faithful in the small things (Luke 16:10).

Today, ask the Lord to show you ways you can minister to others by serving them.

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Faith pleases God

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Faith Pleases God

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

From the very first line of the Bible, God requires us to have faith. He doesn’t go into elaborate detail about who He is or how He created everything. God doesn’t lay out His case as a logical legal brief. He just states plainly, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Once you read these words you are compelled to either walk in faith and believe the Word of God or choose to dismiss it.

It’s clear that it takes faith to believe the Bible, because there are many unanswered questions. God wastes no time trying to talk us into believing His Word. The ability to believe God’s Word is a gift of faith from Him (Ephesians 2:8).

If you find yourself questioning the reality of God’s Word, then you need faith. How can you get faith? “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

Read the Word of God, listen to the Word of God, repeat aloud the Word of God, meditate on the Word of God and sing God’s Word. This will allow faith to come-for without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).

Further Reading

•Hebrews 11:6

•Proverbs 3:5-6

•Romans 8:24-25

God Bless

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Let the Spirit of God live through you as He did through Jesus and you will either make people mad or glad, but there will not be indifference

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Unclean Spirits

Mark 1:23, “And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out;….”

MK. 1:21-28; LK. 4:33-37

Many people don’t associate demon possessed people with places of worship. Yet most of the demons that Jesus cast out were encountered in the church. Why would demon possessed people be in church?

In some cases, the people were there because they were seeking help. The church, like a hospital, offers people the cure and therefore, attracts those who are sick.

In other cases, the devil sows these types of people in the church to spread spiritual disease. A church that is teaching the true Word of God should either try to evangelize these individuals or make them so convicted that they move on. Sad to say, demon possessed people can thrive in most religious settings today.

We always need to show love for the sinner as Jesus did, but we should cut the devil no slack. If a person wants to keep an evil spirit on the inside of them, they should not feel at home in church.

Let the Spirit of God live through you as He did through Jesus and you will either make people mad or glad, but there will not be indifference.

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Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever

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Hebrews 13:8 says: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”

Jesus is the Christ, the one who heals the sick, the one who raises the dead, the one who multiplies the bread, the one who calms the storm, the one who saves the lost, the one who opens the blind eyes, and the one who brings peace.

He is the Christ, the Son of God today. He is the Christ of the present. Yes, He was the Christ yesterday, but He certainly is still the Christ today. He will be the Christ tomorrow, but He wants to be your Christ right now. He is on your side. What He has done for others, He desires to do for you today. Let Him be the Christ of your moment, the Christ of your circumstance, the Christ of your storm, the Christ in your sickness, because He desires to do for you what He did yesterday. He was there then, He is now here with you.

He’s the same!

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My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27

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My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27

Ever have one of those days when you realize you’re off track?

In one of my not so bright moments, I entered a 1.2 mile ocean swim.  Some were hoping to win a medal.  I was hoping to finish before dinner!

I’d practiced in the swimming pool.  But in a wind-chopped ocean?  No problem, just swim from buoy to buoy. In my case, that became, boy oh boy!

Half a dozen swimmers swam by me.  So I joined up.  How much easier it became.  My hand slapped the rescue canoe along with the others.

“Where you folks headed?” asked the guy in the canoe.

I looked around—we were at least a quarter mile off track!  So many swimmers couldn’t be wrong, could we?

Jesus, enjoying a clear view of the shoreline says—“Need help getting back on course?”

Wise are the ones who nod and swim in the direction He points!

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Will You Let God? God is able!

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Will You Let God? God is able!

If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers.

Deuteronomy 7:12

There are many believers today who have received answers to their prayers and don’t even know it. From the moment they prayed, the Lord sent the answer.

Yet when they were told what they needed to do they refused to listen. They had the attitude of Naaman, whose pride almost robbed him of his healing…or like Samson, they refused to give up their addictions and live a holy life.

God desires to heal His people in every instance. In fact, God desires that no sickness be among His people (Deuteronomy 7:15). Yet in many cases, people have illnesses because they fail to obey Him faithfully.

Obedience and faith are prerequisites to covenant fulfillment. Without them we cannot receive from God for He doesn’t reward rebellion nor can He operate in disbelief.

Is there something that you desire from God? Are you willing to walk in faith? Are you willing to obey no matter what?

If you are willing to let Him, God will do all that He has promised to do for you according to His Word.

Further Reading

•Kings 5:10

•Isaiah 65:24

•Exodus 15:26

God Bless,

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The Solution to Sin

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The Solution to Sin

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

Ephesians 2:13, NIV

God is righteous and just. But God is also loving and merciful. He cannot be less than Himself. Satan, in his temptation of Adam and Eve and in his plan to defeat the purpose of God, failed to take into account the very character of God. He failed to realize one very important thing – how much God loved the man and woman He had created and the depths to which His grace would go in order to bring them back to Himself. It never entered Satan’s wicked, self-centered imagination that God would commit the fullness of His eternal, divine nature to bring man back into a right relationship with Himself. It never occurred to Satan, whoever seeks his own preeminence, that the Creator of the universe would lay down His own life in atonement for man’s sin. But that’s exactly what happened. The solution to the problem of sinfulness is the cross of Jesus Christ. Amen!

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But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty

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English: Disciples chosen and sent out

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THE CHOSEN ONES

Mark 1:16, “Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.”

MT. 4:13-22; MK. 1:16-20; LK. 5:27; JN. 5:38

Jesus never chose an apostle from among the religious system. Every one of his twelve disciples were men that He chose from the secular world. It wasn’t because God didn’t have faith in those who were religious. It’s just that most of those who were part of the religious system didn’t have any faith in God.

One of the most common mistakes religious people make is to put faith in themselves. They think God will use them because of their great holiness or special abilities.

Paul said, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, [yea], and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are” (1 Cor. 1:27-28).

People who recognize their own inabilities are of necessity more dependent on God. That is the way God wants it. The Lord is constantly searching for someone who recognizes they are nothing so He can do something through them (2 Ch. 16:9).

Instead of thinking of your responsibilities, just respond to His ability

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Give Every Day a Chance. Forgiveness!

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Give Every Day a Chance. Forgiveness!

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:20

A friend shared with me the fate of a hoarding grandmother.  She refused to part with anything.

She couldn’t rest because junk covered her bed.  She lost treasures because they were obscured by mountains of trash. Jewelry, photographs, favorite books—all were hidden.

No rest.  No treasures.

Squirrel away your hurts and expect the same.  Or clean your house and give the day a fresh chance!

“But” you say, “the hurt is so deep.”

I know, they took so much.

But why let them keep taking from you?  Haven’t they stolen enough?

“But, I’ve been so angry for so long.”

Forgiveness won’t come overnight.  But you can take the baby steps in the direction of grace.  Forgive in phases.

Quit cussing the perpetrator’s name.  Start praying for him; understand her.

Give the grace you’ve been given!  Make it a day changer!

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We often fail to see the potentials in others and even in ourselves because of our preoccupation with the outward appearances and actions. But within every born again person is a new creation which is waiting to be released

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We often fail to see the potentials in others and even in ourselves because of our preoccupation with the outward appearances and actions. But within every born again person is a new creation which is waiting to be released

FAMILIARITY BREEDS CONTEMPT

Luke 4:24, “And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.”

LUKE 4:16-30

A modern day equivalent of this verse is “familiarity breeds contempt.” Those who know the most about us also know more of our faults than anyone else. As a general rule, our weaknesses will blind most people to our strengths.

However, in the case of Jesus, there were no faults or failures to bias these people. In this instance, the problem stemmed from the people’s lack of perception. They knew Jesus better than most in the flesh, but they had failed to see who He was in the Spirit.

Jesus was God in all His power and majesty, yet He was clothed in flesh –a human in every respect (1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 1:3). These people looked on Jesus’ outward appearance and failed to see God within (1 Sam. 16:7).

Likewise, we fail to see the potential in others and even in ourselves because of our preoccupation with the outward appearance and actions. But within every born again person is a new creation which is waiting to be released (2 Cor. 5:17). All it takes is someone who believes.

Today look beyond the exterior in yourself and others and help bring into reality what we can be in Christ.

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