A Stable Orbit around God’s Son

God loves us so much, that He cares about every detail in our life. He knows the end of our life from the time He formed us in our mother’s womb (Isaiah 46:10; Psalm 139:13-16). He knows that this sin-cursed world can overwhelm us at times, but He is with us all the way.

 

We are groping in the dark during most of our days, waiting for the next shoe to drop, the next storm to hit, and the next catastrophe to assail us. Yet, He is always there, guiding us through unfamiliar paths, leading us through the darkness (Isaiah 42:16).

 

He promises to turn our darkness to light before us, as we take one step of faith at a time. He smooths out the rough places, so that we do not trip and fall. He never forsakes us (Hebrew 13:5). He satisfies our emptiness with His fulfillment.

 

Planets in our solar system orbit in a predictable pattern, because the sun is a stable center of gravitational pull. Without that pull, the planets would sling out into the universe without any order.

 

Without God as our center, we sling out into life without any stability; however, if Jesus Christ is the focal point of our universe, we too stay in a structured orbit around His will for us. He gives us eternal life (1 John 5:11-13).

 

We cannot access this blissful eternity unless we believe that Jesus is God, and the only Savior of this world. We repent of our sinful, humanistic lifestyle and totally surrender to His perfect plans for our life.

 

This is not a simple procedure. It requires that we stop relying on our self, and start consulting God for each moment of our day. We refuse to be anxious about anything, but totally trust in, rely upon God. Then God can stabilize our orbit.

 

Prayer:

Father God, we come to You with broken hearts, fears about our future, strained relationships with those we love, trials we cannot overcome, stress that robs us of our health, etc. Teach us to let go, and to allow You to take control of every issue that we face. We want to listen to Your voice each moment of our day to insure that we maintain our orbit around Your Son.

 

Thank You for eternal life, which starts right here on this earth. We shall never perish, because no one can ever snatch us out of Your hand (John 10:27-29). Thank You for crucifying our fleshly nature and helping us to realize that it is no longer we who are living our life, but Christ who is living in us and through us (Galatians 2:20).

 

Thought for the Day:

We have redemption by the blood of the Lamb of God, which means all of our sins – past, present and future – are forgiven according to the riches of His grace; we are now coheirs with Christ, and we received an eternal kingdom that cannot be shaken. – Ephesians 1:7; Romans 8:15-17

 

 

 

Cleaning up Our Clutter

 

When our soul is filled with inner clutter, and our home and schedule is inundated with outer clutter, it is all too overpowering for us. We cannot listen for God’s voice, because it does not compete with our distractions.

 

God’s voice cannot penetrate our cluttered awareness. Therefore, we clean house inside and out whenever our life fills with clutter and distractions. This helps to prevent our self from getting pulled in too many directions without any goals or purpose.

 

When we come to God, He strengthens and reinforces, with His mighty power and by His Holy Spirit’s abiding presence within us, our innermost spirit and soul. Jesus makes His permanent home in us.

 

Then He deeply roots and securely plants us in His love (Ephesians 3:16-17). As we abide in His presence, we experience for our self the love of Christ, which far surpasses a casual knowledge.

 

He boldly and completely floods our entire being with the richest measure of His fullness and Divine nature (Ephesians 3:18-19). He totally immerses us in His presence within us – both now and throughout eternity.

 

In order to fill up with all of Jesus, we simply empty our self of our clutter, and simplify our life. We no longer allow the pressures and distractions of life to monopolize our attention, nor do we rush headlong through our day.

 

This allows us to live each moment in the love and joy of the Lord, and then to fall into a peaceful sleep each night. We start by taking the time to listen to His inner guidance as we meet with our Father all through the day and night.

 

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that when we feel Your peace leave us, to stop and pray in a quiet place. This allows us to focus our attention on our spirit, body and soul – our thoughts, choices and emotions – to get in touch with You in order to find out what disturbed our peace. Sitting quietly in Your presence allows You to conform us from the inside out.

 

Thank You for giving us clarity and healing, and then directing us back to the center of Your will for us at that moment. When we abide in the Vine, we allow Your Holy Spirit to lead us moment-by-moment throughout the day and night. Help us to simplify, to listen, to obey and to abide in Your presence.

 

Thought for the Day:

We always feel remorseful when we realize, too late, that we missed the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit in some instance, and we also realize that we often miss out on success in our endeavors, because we did not listen to His still, small voice within us.

 

 

 

Living in Complete Victory

We all go through rough times in this sin-cursed world …rougher times, without the Lord Jesus in our life; but when we walk in obedience to God’s perfect plan for each moment of our lifetime, we have fewer trials and HE goes with us through all of our issues.

 

We need nothing and no one else in life. At the moment of our salvation we receive His continual presence in our life through Jesus’ shed blood. He fills our entire being: body, soul and spirit – with all of His fullness (Ephesians 3:16-19, Amplified Bible).

 

He loves nothing more than our complete trust in, obedience to, reliance upon, and devotion to Him each moment of our day. He is thrilled when we live, move and have our complete identity in Him (Acts 17:28). He rejoices over us with singing (Zephaniah 3:17).

 

God’s Spirit fashions us into the Temple of the Living God (1 Corinthians 3:16), works tirelessly to transform our mind (Ephesians 4:23), and births in us the divine nature of Christ (2 Peter 1:3-4). As we invite Him to completely make His home in our spirit, His presence becomes dearer and nearer to us.

 

If our heart is divided, and we attempt to serve two Masters, this grieves God’s Holy Spirit. We feel this divide to our very core, and we have a decision to make. Will we and our house serve only the Lord today and always (Joshua 24:15)?

 

God is able to do more in the life of a dedicated child, than He can in a rebellious life. His blessings for us are above and beyond anything we can imagine. We are so thrilled with Him, that we overflow with gratitude, and give Him the glory due His name (Ephesians 3:20-21).

 

We decrease so that He may increase within us (John 3:30). He purifies us of the dross of sin and gives us a deeper glimpse of His love for us (1 John 3:1-3). He also gives us hope and blessings for a secure future in Him (Jeremiah 29:11).

 

Prayer:

Father God, the fact that Christ abides within us by Your Spirit is at once amazing and unbelievable, until we begin to experience the true peace and joy of Your intimate presence in our life. We attempt to obey Your Spirit’s guidance for each moment of our day, and we see Your hand in our life when we do.

 

We look forward to serving You for eternity and for seeing You face-to-face. We thank You that in eternity the Believer will no longer suffer the ills of this earthly tent in which we now live (2 Corinthians 5:1). Having a pain-free, immortal body is something to which we look forward. We love You with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30).

 

Thought for the Day:

No lasting endeavor is ever fully accomplished unless it is part of God’s perfect plan for us in this moment of time; living in the center of God’s will depends on total surrender, which leads to total dependence, and results in complete victory.

 

 

Freedom from Sin

In modern society, many people unfortunately believe that some random gas explosion started our universe, and that evolution created the awesome body in which we dwell. They even think that creation holds itself together.

 

God’s Word tells us that Jesus upholds the world together by His Hand (Colossians 1:17), that God actually knitted together the formation of our body in our mother’s womb Psalm 139:13), and that the earth was formed by the spoken word of God’s Trinity (Genesis 1:26-28).

 

Authentic Believers in Christ are already seated in the Heavenly realm through His Spirit (Ephesians 2:6). There are many signs of our growing maturity in Christ, but freedom from sin is one of the most obvious.

 

Jesus became sin for us and paid the penalty we owed. We are not held in bondage to sin and death any longer, because Christ liberated us on Calvary’s cross (Romans 6:1-11; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Actually, sin no longer appeals to us.

 

We consider our self dead to sin, because Jesus Christ made us alive in Him. We may fall into sin now and then, by walking in the flesh instead of in the Spirit; but sin does not control us any longer (Galatians 5:15-25).

 

By the law of the Spirit of life in Christ, Jesus set us free from the law of sin and death, which formerly controlled our thoughts, words and behavior (Romans 8:2). As we serve God, the desire to sin diminishes in us even more (Romans 12:10; Matthew 23:12; Proverbs 13:10).

 

Prayer:

Father God, You never send judgment without first sending a warning. In the Old Testament times, You used prophets. Today, You use preachers who teach the truth of Your Word in its literal entirety. Your warnings now also come in other forms.

 

There have been record weather events, constant wars and rumors of wars, false messiahs, more famines and earthquakes than ever before in history, and there is not one Christian nation left due to a falling away and their love for You growing cold (Matthew 24:5-8). We look forward to Your soon return to take the government upon Your shoulders (Isaiah 9:6).

 

Thought for the Day:

Jesus had no thought for Himself, but only felt love for a dying world lost in sin’s degradation; therefore, the Kingdoms of this world are teetering and will soon become the Kingdoms of our God and King Jesus – Revelation 11:15

 

 

Restoring Health to our Body, Soul and Spirit

 

Little by little and step by step, God will reveal to us the root causes of much of our psychological damage. By healing from the trauma we face in our lifetime, we learn how the mind and body work together very intricately.

 

When we experience trauma of any degree of severity, our nervous system goes on the alert. Our adrenal glands overwork and soon dysfunction. Our gut leaks micronutrients, which adhere to our organs, and that cause our immune system to attack our organs.

 

Some of us also live in a constant state of stress, panic, and even terror. Added to intellectual and emotional stress, we often experience physical trauma that increases our mental disorders, because stress weakens all of our muscles and organs and our health is compromised.

 

There are several ways to fix this. Try some of these activities:

• Take a slow barefoot stroll through the grass and pay attention to nature all around
• Take a searching emotional inventory and discern the root cause of them one by one
• Spend time in your favorite place, and breathe deeply in order to destress (use your imagination if you cannot get there physically)
• Focus on the positive attributes in your life and give yourself time to enjoy them
• Stop all negative self-talk in your mind and through your words; instead, encourage yourself and feel empathy for your grief and losses
• Hang out with friends and have fun
• Sit in silence, and praise and listen to God’s thoughts on these and other matters.

 

Prayer:

Father God, remind us to pay attention to our internal feelings and needs, to what is going on around us, and to what causes us stress and negative emotions. This enables us to resolve the issues with Your wisdom and direction. Conversing with You and journaling the conversation release us from stored up harmful energy that robs us of Your peace and joy.

 

Help us to keep our mind on You, and on good and wholesome thoughts, avoiding the negative spirals that tend to drown us in our sorrows (Philippians 4:8-9). When scary memories from the past overwhelm us, hide us under the shadow of Your wings, and release us from the lies Satan planted in those memories. You are our shield and our fortress (Psalm 91:4).

 

Thought for the Day:

In our modern society, we need to slow down, because we move too fast; enjoying each moment as God gives it to us, and praising Him regardless of our circumstances will help us to restore and enjoy health to our spirit, body and soul – our thoughts, emotions and choices.

 

A Surrendered Life

When we surrender our life to Christ, He raises us from the death of carnality and sin to the glorious liberty of the sons of God (Romans 8:21). We are seated with Jesus in the presence of Almighty God (Colossians 3:1).

 

Our focus in life changes from possessions and accomplishments, which are important to people in this world, to Heavenly thoughts and pursuits that pertain to the Kingdom of God (Colossians 3:2).

 

God’s wrath over unbelief will one day come upon the earth in the form of the Great Tribulation (Colossians 3:5-7; Revelation). We will not suffer through this outpouring of God’s vengeance, however, because as His children, Christ died for us and we live with Him (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10).

 

We used to participate in sin and debauchery, lost from God’s mercy and grace (Colossians 3:8), but now these behaviors belong to our old earthly nature. Jesus’ peace rules in our heart, and we feel gratitude toward the Lord for all He did and is doing for us (Colossians 3:15).

 

God’s Spirit within us enables us to overcome trials and to walk in His Spirit (Galatians 5:15-25). Of all of the virtues we garner through our relationship with the Trinity, love is the most important because it binds us in perfect unity to God and to His Body (Colossians 3:14).

 

Prayer:

Father God, Christ is our whole life now, and when He appears, we will appear with Him in glory (Colossians 3:4). You planned that the comfort of Christ in us richly abides with us as we teach and admonish each other with the wisdom of Your Word. We give praise to You in corporate worship, and we help one another to carry our burdens (Colossians 3:16).

 

Thank You for Your Body, Father God, and for giving us local expressions of Your Church in every city and town across America. Whatever we do, even if it is what we eat or drink, or say or do, we do everything in Jesus’ name, from a surrendered life, for Your glory, and with thanksgiving to You (Colossians 3:17).

 

Thought for the Day:

If sin still controls us, then we did not surrender that part of us to the Spirit of God in us; and if we do not have God’s Spirit within us, we are not Born Again until we make a true confession of our sins, place all of our faith in Christ, and completely surrender to His lordship and His Spirit in our life; as authentic Believers our life is now hidden with Christ in God.

– Romans 8:9; Hebrews 10:26; 1 John 3:6-9; Matthew 25:3; Colossians 3:3

 

God’s Faithfulness Reaches to the Heavens

We often struggle in life, spinning our wheels and failing more than experiencing victory. Then, over the years, we come to realize that we can do anything, which God calls us to do, through the strength of Christ, who abides within us (Philippians 4:13).

 

This faith in God’s faithfulness allows us to delight in His love and to be thankful to God, reverently and joyfully worshipping Him for all that He does for us throughout each day (Hebrews 12:28). God never changes. He is always devoted to us (Hebrews 13:8).

 

This union is the only stable part of our life, and it can never be taken away from us, regardless of our circumstances.

A man once asked a friend, “How are you?”

The friend replied, “Not too well, under these circumstances.”

Then the man questioned, “Well, what are you doing under there?”

 

This puts life into proper perspective for us. In Christ, we are victors over our circumstances. God has plans for us in them, and He will always walk with us through them. We can access the power of His mercy, grace, deliverance, joy, provision and strength at any moment day or night.

 

Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy, but we have no fear of him, because we have abundant life through Jesus who lives within us (John 10:10). We have no cause to be anxious about anything, if we pray about everything.

 

God’s peace surpasses all human reasoning, and guards our thoughts and emotions because of Christ’s completed work on the cross (Philippians 4:6-7). He provides for all of our needs, and He even blesses our children because we walk in His ways (Psalm 37:5).

 

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for the salvation You secured for us through Your Son’s scourging, crucifixion, death and burial. Thank You also for the freedom we have now through His righteousness and His resurrection life within us. Help us to walk worthy of His sacrifice and help us to live as a testimony of Your goodness and holiness (Ephesians 4:1; Colossians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:12).

 

When we are blind to the outcome of our circumstances, You lead us through paths that we never realized were possible. You guide us all, turning our darkness into light before us, and making the rough places smooth. You will never leave us alone to struggle through life, and You will never forsake us (Isaiah 42:16; Psalm 37:5).

 

Thought for the Day:

God wants to be the Lord of our life as we completely surrender to Him all of our negative emotions: worry, fear, depression, insecurity, loneliness, grief, etc; when we trust in His goodness and love, He stabilizes the orbit of our life and even the most negative concerns will work out for our ultimate good. – Romans 8:28

 

 

Branches on the Vine

A deeper understanding of the truth that we are branches on the Vine will set us free. What does a branch do? Nothing…It simply hangs out with the Vine. It bears the fruit sent to it by the Vine, and the branch stays healthy by remaining continually connected to Vine.

 

A branch may get beaten up by the storms of life, pecked by birds and drilled by bugs, but it continues to receive all of the life-giving nutrients and the constant support from the Vine. It blossoms with this vital life flowing through it.

 

As long as we remain in Christ, we are eternally secure. We did nothing to earn our place on the Vine, and we can do nothing to remove our self from the Vine. Our union with Him is our most prized possession.

 

The Vine Dresser will prune us in order to allow us to bear more fruit (John 15:11). This discipline is painful in the moment, but the wisdom that we learn brings us fulfillment for the rest of our life (Hebrews 12:11).

 

Even when we discover a flaw in our thoughts, words or deeds, we do not need to obsess over it. We simply repent of it, and trust God’s Spirit to perfect that area in us. God’s grace is always sufficient for us.

 

It is by believing in our heart that Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead, by praying without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17-19), and by declaring our faith in Him to anyone who will listen, that we find our true joy in salvation and our intimate union with God (Romans 1:17, 10:9-10).

 

Prayer:

Father God, Your grace is sufficient to see us through every trial and shortcoming in our day. You fill-in our cracks, bolster our weaknesses, perfect our deficiencies, and redeem us for eternity. We need You every moment of our day and night, and we trust in Your faithfulness to walk with us and in us all the moments of our life.

 

You are all we ever need to bring us peace, joy and fulfillment in this life. In our hopelessness, You give us Your power; in our discouragement, You give us Your truth; in our lack, Your provide for our needs; in our confusion, You give us direction. You are our all sufficiency (2 Corinthians 12:9).

 

Thought for the Day:

God did not create us, pat us on the head and send us out into the world alone; instead, He gave us the Bible for encouragement, hope and direction; He gives us His Spirit to sanctify and perfect us; and He gives us His love every moment of every day.

 

Godly Health – Minimizing Stress

 

 

Surrendering to God’s plans for us prevents stress that causes future illness in our bodily organs, our judgment, our memory, our emotions and our relationships. We simply eliminate one issue at a time, until the peace of God rules in our heart.

Knowing the Difference

There is a difference between knowing about, believing in, and abiding in Christ. Most of humanity know about Jesus, what He did, and who He was. They usually call Him a great man, love personified, or a prophet.

 

Many people believe in Jesus and that He is God’s Son, but they see no relevance between Him and their own life. Some of these join the church as a social club where they can serve their community and make friends.

 

However, even the demons believe and tremble (James 2:19). We may even give God a few minutes every day as we read a devotion, meditate on a verse, or read a few paragraphs in God’s Word. Yet, we do not totally surrender to Him and do His will for us (Ephesians 2:10).

 

The road to intimacy with God is narrow, and very few find it (Matthew 7:13-14). We get convicted of our sins and pray a prayer, but we were never converted. The Holy Spirit never moved in to sanctify us (Romans 8:9).

 

Some of us are authentic Believers, and we want more of God in our life; but we do not understand the reality of the fact that, at Salvation, we already received all of God’s Trinity. They live within us, but we usually ignore them or discount their conviction and direction.

 

Busyness and codependency prevent our communication with the Trinity. We over-schedule our calendar, volunteer for too many projects, and forget to seek God’s will for each moment of our day and night. This is a secondary issue, however.

 

What we actually want is more intimacy with God. A closer walk such as Elijah and Enoch experienced. Then we live a life of fewer trials, and more supernatural blessings, which include consistent Martha Moments in which to serve Him and amazing Mary Miracles in which to praise Him (Luke 10:38-42).

 

Prayer:

Father God, You gave us negative emotions as red flags to signify that we are out of Your will for our life. We have some area where we are not caring for our self, for Your Kingdom or living in Your plans for us (Ephesians 2:10). In the center of Your will, Your peace, which transcends all human understanding, fills our heart and mind through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).

 

Focusing on Your love and promises for us will calm our soul, replace worry with faith in Your faithfulness, and enable us to look for the seed for a miracle, which You plant in every trial (Isaiah 30:18). We long for more intimacy with You, and trust You to teach us how to walk in obedience to You and to continually abide in Your presence.

 

Thought for the Day:

Intimacy with God is an all-consuming state of existence: We pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17-19), we wait on the Lord’s timing and direction (Isaiah 40:31; Romans 8:25; Psalm 27:14), and we live, move and have our being in Christ alone (Acts 17:28).