Purpose

Regardless of the circumstances in which we were conceived and born, God has a divine plan and purpose for each person. His plan is for peace and good and not for evil, as stated in Jeremiah 29:11. It can be so easy to focus on perceived disadvantages that we’ve experienced in life and become resentful. But Christ was very clear about the truth of living in this world. ‭‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭33‬ ‭says, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” I’ve come to understand that, while living in a sinful and fallen world system, we are actually citizens of heaven, when we are in Christ. We are just traveling through this temporary world. God’s plan is for us to live in the reality of His eternal Kingdom while sojourning through this short lived experience on earth. 

It can be challenging to remain focused on this heavenly truth because we are bombarded with messages from this carnal world. Media, news and advertising appeal to the carnal senses of the flesh. They all try to entice and pull us into a mindset that is fixated on what is temporary and passing away. The real purpose of being born is to have eternal life with our Creator. Knowing this truth changes the way I see every situation and circumstance that I face. There is a bigger picture, a bigger plan. It’s not about how much fame and fortune we can acquire. It’s not about being the best in everything or having the best of everything. It’s about our eternal purpose and destiny, which is being in the presence of our Creator. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, open my understanding of Your eternal purpose for my life. Give me spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear. I want to be Kingdom minded.

Abiding

In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve for perfect fellowship with Him. They were in perfect obedience to God until the serpent (satan) came on the scene and tempted them to disobey. He tempted them to eat from a certain tree that would open their eyes to know the difference between good and evil. Satan wanted them to step outside the boundaries that God had set for them. Once they acted on their decision to disobey, everything changed. There was no going back. The consequences were in motion and would continue for generations to come. ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭8‬-‭11‬ says, “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” 

Up until that point, Adam and Eve had pure hearts and pure minds. They were under the protection of God, as they obeyed and remained under His covering. Mankind has been suffering from that decision of disobedience ever since. But God in His divine wisdom and mercy made a way for us to get back to that place of divine fellowship. He sent Christ to pay the penalty of our disobedience. He gave each person the opportunity to come back under the protective covering of God. We just need to abide and dwell in Christ and we will have restored fellowship with Him. ‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ says, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” Christ is the only way to restore fellowship with God. He renews our minds so we are not thinking rebellious thoughts against God. The more we desire fellowship with Him, the further we move away from desiring the forbidden fruit. Instead, God prepares a table before us and we feast on the fruit of the Spirit. ‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭5‬ says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” We can’t overcome sin without abiding in Him. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for making a way back to perfect fellowship with You, through Christ. Holy Spirit, draw me closer to Christ and water the seed of the Word planted in my heart, that I would bear much fruit.

Day By Day

The Christian life is a marathon not a sprint. There is no quick process to living a holy life. We constantly have to deal with the carnal desires of the flesh. But one thing I know is that consistency in daily communion with God eases the process. The marathon is no longer an arduous task but rather a journey alongside my Savior. He coaches me and cheers me on as I run my race of faith. He strengthens me when I feel fatigued and think I can’t go any further. It’s a daily process with the Holy Spirit. He keeps me focused on the end goal, which is eternity.  ‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭says, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ says, “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.”

The Lord keeps us looking up and forward so we don’t get distracted by the carnal things of this world, which are temporary and passing away. ‭‭II Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬ ‭says, “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” When I was an athlete I trained daily. I was motivated by the possibility of winning a competition. With God, it is not a possibility of winning. We absolutely definitely win the prize of eternal life through Christ. We just need to stay the course and remain in Him, day by day. 

Prayer 

Heavenly Father, thank You for the assurance of salvation through Christ. Thank You for giving me Your Holy Spirit to guide and lead me daily. Thank You for strengthening me to stay the course with You.

Law Of The Spirit

In our human experience on earth, things change constantly. Social norms change with the times. Even laws change. But God’s spiritual laws never change. They have always been in motion since the beginning of time. Jeremiah‬ ‭17‬:‭10‬ ‭says, “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.” We are all held accountable for our choices and actions, good or bad. It is a spiritual law that is unavoidable. We cannot escape it. Unfortunately, some people are deceived and believe they can escape the consequences of their sinful actions through their own human means. 

God has given us the only escape, which is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. When we surrender our sinful life, we accept that Christ took the penalty of our ungodly choices and actions. Through Christ, we now live by a different set of rules. We live by the law of the Spirit. Romans 8:2-4 says, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” As much as we may try in our human efforts, we cannot live up to God’s standard of goodness and holiness. We live a life of holiness by the  supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. Thanks be to God for giving us the gift of the Holy Spirit! 

Prayer 

Heavenly Father, thank You for pouring out Your Spirit so I can live holy unto You. Cleanse my heart by the blood of Jesus so I would desire You and Your ways above all things.

Sea Of Forgetfulness

The truth of God’s redemption through the sacrifice of Christ can be hard to grasp with our human minds. Our brains store memories of the good and bad events in life. We remember wrongs that have been done to us. We remember the sins that we have committed and the wrongs that we did to others. This is where the supernatural power of the blood of Christ comes into play. When we repent and receive cleansing by the blood of Jesus, God remembers our sin no more. Psalm 103:12-14 says, “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.” We cannot just forget our sins. It is the supernatural work of God that causes us to have a new mind in Christ. 

Hebrews 10:17-18 says , “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” And Micah 7:19 says “He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” When God says he is casting our sins and iniquities in the depth of the sea, it means it is out of sight, not to be remembered. Not only does He not remember our sins because of Christ, but He also erases them from the memory of the earth. There is a time to share our testimonies of where God has brought us from. But we have to be careful not to constantly bring up what God has cast away and forgotten. We are literally new creations in Christ. We will continue to be transformed into the image of Christ as we daily receive His cleansing flow of blood so our minds are renewed, casting all sin in the sea of forgetfulness. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for cleansing me by the blood of Christ and remembering my sins no more. Thank You for making me a new creature and restoring me to perfect fellowship with You.

The Blood Of The Lamb

I’m sure many of us have heard sermons with 5 or 10 points on how to be an overcomer in this world as a Christian. From Genesis to Revelation, God gives us the tools and strategies for overcoming. He does not make it complicated. In fact, God sums it up in Revelation so we have no confusion. Revelation 12:11 says, “And they overcame him (satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

The blood of Jesus is the foundation of our faith. It is only through the sacrifice of Christ that we have salvation and eternal life. And salvation does not just mean going to heaven. It means salvation in every area of our lives here on earth. When we daily confess the saving power of Christ over lives, we are overcoming. The last part of that scripture refers to loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). This is the first commandment. If we keep this commandment, we will most definitely be an overcomer. Death has no sting. Even if we die for the sake of the gospel of Christ, we win. We have heaven to gain. The blood of Christ has made a way to the Father.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Christ to be my salvation. I confess that I am an overcomer because Christ defeated death, hell and the grave through His blood and resurrection from the dead.  

Prayers Of The Righteous

The Lord has been really hitting the point that prayers have no boundaries. God’s power has no boundaries. When we pray God’s Word, the Holy Spirit carries the Word out into the world and it reaches to the ends of the earth. James 5:16-18 says, “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.”

To be clear, Elijah was led by God to pray for the rain to stop and start again. He was an ordinary man that was filled with God’s Holy Spirit and obeyed the Word of the Lord. When we pray according to God’s will, things will happen. It may not happen when, where and how we think it will happen. But we know that God’s Word does not return void and it will accomplish God’s will (Isaiah 55:11). God can do the impossible. He is the creator of the heavens and the earth. Our prayers are not too big for Him. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help my unbelief. I want faith to believe in You for the impossible. I want salvation for those who appear to be too far gone. I want solutions for problems that seem unsolvable. Holy Spirit, fill me with boldness to pray for mountains to be moved.