God is Our Defense

There is little to no peace or security in our current world economy and civilization. We never know what catastrophe the news will publicize with the rising of the sun. The atrocities we humans perpetrate on one another are unthinkable; yet, they happen every day. Since sin entered the picture through Adam and Eve, wickedness abounds (Matthew 24:12).

The pride, selfishness and rebellion of the human heart allow sin to perpetuate throughout every generation (Romans 8:6). In some twisted way, people who are hurting will hurt other people to try to alleviate their own pain. Even if we distance our self from those who hurt us, we will only find true peace when we surrender our life to Jesus Christ and forgive our enemies (Philippians 4:4-8).

Trusting God, with gratitude in our heart and on our lips for all He already did for us, will allow us to transcend the daily grind of life and move us into the realm of viewing life from an eternal perspective. Then the peace of God, which cannot be found in the world or by thinking about carnal aspects of life, will flood our soul with serenity (John 14:27).

We will experience peace, even in the most horrific earthly trials, as we draw near to God and put our complete faith in His faithfulness (1 Peter 2:23). We gain our perspective by focusing on Jesus’ example through His betrayal, persecution, crucifixion and resurrection. He teaches us to suffer victoriously and He reminds us that Heaven awaits us in all of its glory (Hebrews 12:2).

God is our defense, no matter what we experience or how people treat us. If we trust in Him, live for Him and love Him with our whole being, He turns everything around for our ultimate good (Psalm 94:22; Romans 8:28). As we experience God’s will in the mundane circumstances of our day, we will also sense His presence during our trials. Christ in us will overcome obstacles for us and He will get all of the glory (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Prayer:
Father God, Your family is not a select race of perfectly mature and spiritual people, but it includes the outcast, the weak, the broken-hearted and the infirmed. You do not exclude anyone who calls on Your name for salvation, regardless of our human heritage or accomplishments. We are no longer strangers, but are included in Your family (Ephesians 2:19-22). The weary and distressed find rest under the shadow of Your wings (Psalm 91: 1,4).

Thought for the Day:
God is our only defense and our rock of refuge. – Psalm 94:22

A Biblical Worldview

A paradigm is our personal representation of truth as we see it. We process and categorize everything, which occurs around us or to us, through this model of our reality. Our paradigm makes us feel secure and allows us to live an orderly life. We often shift our paradigm to adjust to the changes in our experience or our philosophy of life.

One of the greatest shifts in our paradigm occurs when we respond to the call of God to accept Jesus as our personal Savior and Lord. He transforms our lifestyle, thought processes and behavior. We no longer seek futile pursuits, our morals line up with the Word of God, our character takes on the nature of God, our soul is satiated with all the fullness of God and our spirit is renewed by the power of God (2 Peter 1:4; Ephesians 4:17-24; 1 Peter 1:13-15; Romans 12:1-2).

As we grow in our faith in God’s faithfulness, we develop a Biblical worldview. Our paradigm takes on the values, prophetic encouragement and truth, as well as the hope, which God gives us in His Word. God’s grace creates in us a clean heart and we repent of each instance of sin (Psalm 51:10; Acts 3:19). He regenerates our spirit, sanctifies our soul and promises to glorify us with an immortal body at the resurrection (Luke 21:25-28; 1 Corinthians 15:53; Philippians 3:21; John 5:28-29).

As the foundation for everything an Authentic Believer thinks and believes, the Bible affects how we view the world. We reject any ideas presented in printed, audio and visual media, which are contrary to Biblical principles. We refuse to allow these carnal concepts to conform us a worldly pattern, because God gives us everlasting life, and no one will ever snatch us out of His hand (John 3:16, 6:40, 10:28).

Prayer:
Father God, we find the answer to all of life’s questions in the pages of the Bible, which You provided in order to give us hope and light in this troubled world in which we live. We refuse to take part of this world, because our citizenship is in Heaven (John 15:19; Philippians 3:20). We are no longer strangers and aliens, pilgrims who have no home, because we are now fellow citizens with the Body of Christ, and we belong to Your family as co-heirs with Christ of all that You possess (Eph 2:19; Romans 9:17). Your Spirit transforms us and renews our mind to God’s Word (Romans 12:2; John 17:17). Remind us to seek Your Kingdom first, because You always provide everything we need to sustain our life and to walk in serenity (Matthew 6:33; Philippians 4:7).

Thought for the Day:
Authentic Believers make a covenant with God to reject all carnal influences from the world and to focus on the pursuit of godliness.
– 1 Timothy 6:11

New Strides in Life

American youth grow up under the assumption that we can achieve the American dream. We go to college and we obtain job experience to guarantee our future success. However, life often careens out of our control. We pull our self up by our bootstraps and try all over again, shaking off the depression and hopelessness nipping at our heels.

Time after time, life sends us debilitating storms. We end up treading water, feeling like we will drown. There comes a time in everyone’s life that we eventually admit that we are ultimately powerless to overcome the negative aspects of our life. Some people give up, and end up with physical and mental illnesses; some turn to addictions; and some realize that we need a savior outside of our self (Romans 7:18).

First, we attempt to trust in a person to bail us out. We get into codependent relationships that seem to stifle us in the end. In order to reinstate our sanity, we eventually realize that we must come to believe in a higher power. Some people try Eastern religions, positive thinking or something that epitomizes wholeness to them. This lasts for a little while, but often fizzles out, because our spirit is still dead in sin.

Everyone ever born has an innate knowledge of God within their soul, and they are yearning for their spirit to be reborn (John 3:1-21). Once we come to Christ as our Higher Power, He helps us to clear our conscience of the dead works of unforgiveness, anger, resentment, bitterness, etc. He is greater than anything this world has to offer (Philippians 2:13).

He also reminds us of people to whom we need to ask forgiveness, and He helps us to make amends for the harm we perpetrated on their life (Lamentations 3:40; Luke 6:31; Matthew 5:23-24). We can obtain Christian counseling or find an accountability partner to continually hold us responsible to walk in God’s Truth (James 5:16; 1 Corinthians 10:12).

As we humble our self before the Lord, He replaces our moral deficiencies with the fruit of His Spirit (James 4:10; Galatians 5:22-23). We come to know Him intimately, and He progressively exchanges our carnal nature for His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). God assures us of His love, which transcends our human understanding. Filling us with His Spirit He slowly and deliberately floods our entire being with Himself (Ephesians 3:19).

Prayer:
Father God, remind us that no one is perfect, and we can forgive those who harmed us and ask forgiveness from those whom we have harmed. As we pray and read Your Word, draw us closer to You, tell us Your Will for each moment of our life, and give us the power to carry it out (Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 3:16). Thank You for totally forgiving us for our transgressions of Your law and for sanctifying us daily as we walk toward Your perfection (1 John 1:9; Matthew 5:48).

Thought for the Day:
Nothing but living in service to Jesus Christ can fill the void that continually haunts our life. – Romans 12:1

The Son’s Light

Have you ever sat in the sun, soaking up the balmy rays and receiving the vitamins, nutrients and minerals, which God provides for us through this giant orb of fire? We feel the heat warming us through our skin. This same sun penetrates through the ocean too, for miles below the surface, giving the plants the light they need to grow.

Jesus is the Son of God and He provides for us spiritually just as the sun functions physically. He dwells within us, penetrates every area of our life and gives us the nutrients we need to live spiritually healthy lives in this morally deficient environment. If we, by faith, are willing to trust in Him with our whole heart as He directs our steps, He responds through us in each situation, which we face (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Everything in life requires faith. Even something as simple as subconsciously sitting down in a chair, requires that we have the faith that it will hold us up. Therefore, it is easy to put that same faith in God, who does all things wondrously in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The proof that God lives in our life is the activity of His Holy Spirit in our body, soul and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

We experience His presence in our life each moment of the day, as we converse with Him about His love and guidance for us. People see Christ in us through His love in our eyes and our Godly actions toward them (Matthew 5:16; Colossians 1:27). God places His fruit in our soul and we live in contentment with all that He provides for us each day (Galatians 5:22-23; Matthew 6:11-13; Philippians 4:11-13).

Prayer:
Father God, thank You for delivering us from Satan’s objectives for us, as well as from our bondage to this world. We are so blessed to live as Your slaves instead. Thank You that sin and death have no more control over us, since Jesus overcame them for us by His resurrection (Romans 6:9; 2 Timothy 1:10). This is how we are able to live fruitful and fulfilled lives for Your honor and glory (Romans 6:22). Keep us as the apple of Your eye and lead us by Your Spirit to do the works You created us to do (Zechariah 2:8; Ephesians 2:10).

Thought for the Day:
We know that God is alive, because we live, move and have our being in Him. – Acts 17:28

Free Indeed

As a child of God, we can dwell in His presence, through our connection with the sacrifice of His Son. We can also fellowship with Him and hear His voice (Revelation 3:20). We have access to the Most Holy Place any time day or night (Hebrews 4:16), and we can stand against Satan’s wiles regardless of the circumstance in which we find our self (Psalm 139:8).

Circumstances from our past frequently disturb our daily life now. We have dreams, nightmares, fleeting memories or an ache in our soul, which we cannot explain. We fear facing these distant experiences and we do not realize that they will continue to haunt us until we uncover Satan’s lie in the midst of them, and hear God’s truth about them.

These memories continue to effect every moment of our life, even if we refuse to consciously think about them. They fuel our current emotions and cause us to over-react to a minor incident. We can unburden our soul of these negative emotions by allowing God to search our heart, to reveal to us our anxious thoughts, and to free us from Satan’s bondage over our past (Psalm 139:23-24).

God’s truth is our lamp and light and it searches our mind and emotions (Psalm 119:105; Proverbs 20:27). God’s Spirit leads us into all truth (John 16:13). If we are open to facing the lies Satan planted in our past, and are willing to take the time to listen to God’s truth about those experiences, He shall set us free indeed (John 8:36).
( http://www.theophostic.com )

Prayer:
Father God, help us to sit quietly before You and to receive Your healing from the lies Satan planted in our past. Speak to us by Your Spirit to set us free from his bondage in our soul. We thank You for wanting us to walk in Your truth and for making this a possibility in our life. Heal us from the buried secrets of our past, which affect every moment of our life until we allow You to shed Your light on them, to share Your truth to us about them and to set us free.

Thought for the Day:
The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in every Believer and wants to set us free to serve and worship God in spirit and in truth. – Romans 8:11; John 4:24