ABIDE IN JESUS :
If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered. – John 15:6
If I were to ask you to make a list of a hundred things you need to do to please the Lord today, you could do it, couldn't you? In fact, you probably have so many spiritual "do's" and "don'ts" cluttering up your mind that you'd hardly know where to start.
But you can relax. I'm not going to suggest you make a list of them. Instead, I'm going to help you simplify things by giving you only one: Abide in Jesus.
The one thing you're truly responsible for is your union with Him. If you keep your union and fellowship with Him intact, everything else will be taken care of.
"But, I'm facing some big problems right now. My life's turned upside down. I'm so rushed I don't know whether I'm coming or going. I don't have time to fellowship with the Lord today."
That's when you need to do it the most! You need to maintain your union with the Lord particularly when the storms of life come. I know that's often not easy to do.
Whether the storm is a sickness in your body or financial problems or family strife, the temptation will be to settle your attention and your mind on that problem. You won't even want to think about anything else.
That's what the devil planned on. That's the reason he sent that storm in the first place. To distract you from fellowshiping with God. To draw your attention away from your union with Him.
Don't fall into the devil's trap. Instead, keep your thoughts and affections trained on the Lord. As you do that, the force of faith will begin to flow out of you. And that flow will repel every form of darkness. It will bring you in triumph through every storm.
Fellowship with Jesus today.
A PICTURE OF HUMILITY
God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. —James 4:6
During the Easter season, my wife and I attended a church service where the participants sought to model the events that Jesus and His disciples experienced on the night before He was crucified. As part of the service, the church staff members washed the feet of some of the church volunteers. As I watched, I wondered which was more humbling in our day—to wash another person’s feet or to have someone else wash yours. Both those who were serving and those being served were presenting distinct pictures of humility.
When Jesus and His disciples were gathered for the Last Supper (John 13:1-20), Jesus, in humble servanthood, washed His disciples’ feet. But Simon Peter resisted, saying, “You shall never wash my feet!” Then Jesus answered, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me” (13:8). Washing their feet was not a mere ritual. It could also be seen as a picture of our need of Christ’s cleansing—a cleansing that will never be realized unless we are willing to be humble before the Savior.
James wrote, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). We receive God’s grace when we acknowledge the greatness of God, who humbled Himself at the cross (Phil. 2:5-11).
My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary, Savior divine;
Now hear me when I pray, take all my sin away,
O let me from this day be wholly Thine!
The most powerful position on earth is kneeling before the Lord of the universe.
YOU'RE PROTECTED FROM EVIL (2) :
'Hide me in the shadow of Your wings.' Psalm 17:8 NIV
Here are three ways you can open yourself up to the power of evil:
(1) By choice. The author of The Satanic Bible said, 'A successful witch or wizard must first surrender totally to Satan.' You're probably wondering what kind of person would say or do such a thing. But the fact is, God gives each of us a free will capable of surrendering to Christ or to Satan. Paul writes, 'Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves... so...present your [bodies] as slaves of righteousness.' (Romans 6:16-19 NKJV)
(2) By unrestrained indulgence. When any natural desire is indulged to excess, it can become an addiction and a force of destruction. Now, let's be clear here: addiction doesn't equate to someone being demon-possessed. Many Christians battle stubborn habits, and Christ has promised to set them free (John 8:32). When you were saved, Christ moved in and Satan moved out, because Christ won't live in a building with the devil.
(3) By dabbling in the occult. God told Israel that those who put their trust in mediums were to be cut off from the community (Leviticus 20:6). Ever wonder why spiritual mediums can't pick the right lottery number, win a fortune and feed the starving masses? Because they're fake, that's why! Speaking of Satan, Jesus said, 'There is no truth in him...he is a liar and the father of [lies].' (John 8:44NKJV) Don't mess with the powers of darkness through horoscopes or anything else. The only true guidance that comes from a star, comes from Jesus, 'the Bright and Morning Star.' (Revelation 22:16 NKJV)
BREAKING STRONGHOLDS :
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. - 2 Corinthians 10:4, NKJV
Scripture tells us that there is a battle going on in our minds. Our thoughts dictate our actions. That’s why the enemy will do everything he can to get you thinking in the wrong direction. Sometimes, it’s not our own thoughts that are holding us back; sometimes it’s that we’ve believed the negative things that other people have spoken. Those words are like seeds. If you dwell on them long enough, they’ll take root and become reality.
In life, there will always be people telling you what cannot be done, speaking negative things. Too often we latch on to those negative words and develop what the scripture calls a “stronghold.” That’s a wrong thought or action that keeps us from God’s best. The way you break those negative strongholds is by rejecting the lie, forgiving the person, and embracing the truth of God’s Word. In other words, you have to choose to delete that negative file in your mind.
Today, why don’t you take inventory of your thought life? Ask yourself, “Where did these thoughts come from? Do they line up with what God says about me?” Break the negative strongholds and embrace God’s truth so you can be all that God has called you to be!
PLEASE GOD NOT PEOPLE :
And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. - Mark 10:43-48
The devil will always have someone available to tell us why we shouldn't expect to get results when petitioning God. Most people would rather stay with the crowd and not do anything to draw attention to themselves even if that means not getting their needs met. They will try to make you conform as well. If this man would have listened to the crowd, he would not have received his healing. "Ye have not, because ye ask not" (Jas. 4:2).
This blind man is a good example of an active kind of faith. He was not passive in his approach toward healing. He boldly cried out to Jesus for mercy. When the crowd ridiculed him and told him to be quiet, he cried out even louder for mercy.
Many people believe that God can perform the miracle they need but relatively few are willing to actively pursue it until they get results. They are afraid of what others will think of them. This man had his attention focused only on Jesus. Nothing else mattered and that is why he got healed.
An integral part of faith is seeking God only with your whole heart. If we are concerned about what people think so that we can gain their approval, we will never take a stand in faith for anything that we might be criticized for. This one thing has probably stopped as many people from receiving from God as anything else. You cannot be a "man-pleaser" and please God at the same time. Satan uses persecutions to steal away God's Word and thereby stop our faith. To see faith work, we must say with Paul, "let God be true, but every man a liar" (Rom. 3:4).
Our spirits are the only part of us that have experienced total redemption.
Thank God for the redemption He has provided for you today.
HEALTHIER, STRONGER EACH DAY:
Acts 2:46 - So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,
Back then in the early church, Christians would meet each other every day, either corporately in the temple or from house to house in smaller groups. And when they met in their homes, the Bible tells us that they would break bread. That’s the Holy Communion, and they took it every day!
Now, I am not saying that you must take the Holy Communion every day. But if you feel led to and you want to, go ahead! The thing about taking the Holy Communion daily is this: If you are sick, you can be made well on a gradual basis. This means that you get healthier and stronger from day to day—first thirtyfold, then sixtyfold, then a hundredfold!
You see, while you can receive healing through the prayer of faith (Mark 11:24), it sometimes puts pressure on you because it requires you to believe that you receive it all—complete healing—the moment you pray. There is nothing wrong with the prayer of faith, but you may find yourself saying, “I must believe I receive it all, now! I must believe I have it all, now!”
But the Holy Communion allows you to receive a measure of healing every time you partake in faith, so that you get better and better. The more you take it, the better you become. There is no pressure to believe that you receive it all at once. Isn’t God good? He meets you at your level of faith!
Now, there are cases I know of in our church, in my family and in my own life, where the manifestation of healing is immediate and complete. If it happens that way, praise God! But if not, don’t worry. The more you partake, the better you will become.
I know of people who take the Holy Communion three times a day, just like they would medicine! Why not? My friend, if you are very sick and you are diligently taking your medication three times a day, why not give the Lord’s Supper the same amount of attention? Why not boost your recovery rate? And the next time you eat the bread and drink the cup, you may just find your disease totally gone!
Thought For The Day :
If you are diligently taking your medication three times a day, why not give the Lord’s Supper the same amount of attention?
ANGER MANAGEMENT
“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. - Ephesians 4:26–27
When you encounter someone who is nasty to you, how do you normally react? Many of us tend to get angry, and if we really lose our cool, we end up saying or doing things we regret later.
My friend, the Bible says, “Be angry, and do not sin.” It’s not a sin to feel anger, but don’t allow that anger to cause you to sin. And don’t give place to the devil by letting that anger take root in your heart.
“How do I do that?”
Focus your attention on how much God loves you!
Once, I was walking to my car and I saw a man walking in front of me with his wife. His car was parked next to mine. When he opened his car door, he did it with such force that it hit my car with a loud “thud!” Then, he glared at me as if I had wronged him. Without a word of apology, he got into his car and slammed the door. His wife quickly went into the car like a meek little lamb.
I was on my way to church, full of the Holy Ghost, ready to preach on God’s love. But now, I was angry! I sat in my car, nostrils flaring. I said, “Lord, I am angry!” The Lord said to me, “Do you know that I love that man?” I said, “Yeah, but I don’t want to know about it right now, Lord.” The Lord then told me that the reason that man behaved that way was that he really did not know how much He loved him. So he was grouchy. He was angry. He was bitter toward life.
“Now, you experienced it only once,” the Lord said, “Imagine living with him like his wife does.” Then, He said, “Son, do you know that I love you? You are blessed because compared to him, you know how much I love you.” As I focused on God’s love for me, my anger melted away.
Beloved, in moments of anger, the devil wants you to focus on what the other person has done to you. But God wants you to focus on what He has done for you at Calvary. Today, feed on His love for you, and let Him turn every bitter situation sweet!
PRAYER FOR THE DAY :
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.” (Psalm 28:7)
Dear Lord God, I praise You. I honor You. The law of the Lord is perfect; reviving my soul this morning. Let Your smile shine upon my face and teach me Your decrees for I yearn for it. May God open my eyes to see wonderful things in Your law and pour out Your sweet Spirit upon me that my heart may sing You praises and not be silent! Bless me O Lord! Remember me with favor O God! Make me Your humble servant and a brilliant masterpiece in Your hand.Thank you Lord for your Mercy its endures forever & ever....
Gratefully, in Jesus’ holy name. Amen !!!
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