JACKS DAILY DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
(Philippians 1:6) “And I am certain that God, who began a good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns”.
God is committed to the task of conforming you and I to the image of His Son.
Now understand… its not a physical transformation.
He’s not making us look like Jesus looked physically on the outside… but inwardly in character, in patience, in gentleness, in goodness, in grace, in truth, in discipline.
He’s committed to conforming our lives to the inner character of His Son.
Years ago I worked as a millwrights helper and would watch as modern technology and fabricators worked together to create certain parts and tools that were needed for the many upgrades and or repairs that were underway
One of the lathes I learned to operate was a tracer lathe.
It had an air-controlled “finger” that traced its way along a fixed template.
The template was an exact pattern of what was to be turned out on the lathe.
And as this very sensitive little finger followed along the template, its every movement caused the tool that was cutting the metal to cut that exact shape.
When it was finished, we had a finished product from the lathe that was a precise replica of the template.
Spiritually speaking… that is the Father’s specialty.
He places His finger on the template… His Son… and He watches over His workmanship.
At times the tool bites in, causing the heat to increase because of the friction.
We squirm and may even try to get away.
But we are His workmanship, and the Father won’t let us go.
He holds us tightly in the lathe of His will.
His goal is that we bear the image of His Son.
That’s the Father’s task or main purpose in our relationship with Him.
He’s committed to it.
Little by little… line upon line He’s changing us.
Another verse brimming with encouragement is (Ephesians 2:10) which says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them”
Look again at those first five words: “For we are His workmanship.”
We’re His project.
He’s got His eye on us.
He knows what our tomorrow holds.
He knows what the year will hold for us.
And He is working on His project all year long.
He’s shaping and moulding and making us like He wants us to become and He knows what we need to accomplish the task
The key to a finished product is the ability to stay in Him… let Him have His way… submit to His way… His will… and try to put Him first in every aspect of our lives.
Good Day
(Galatians 2:20), “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me"
The apostle Paul wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me… and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
What does Jesus Christ do when we allow Him to live in us?
Well one thing for sure is that He does not live our lives for us and He doesn’t make our choices for us.
No!
The Bible makes it clear that we are to be the temple and abode of God (2nd Corinthians 6:16)… but how does Christ live in us?
Well as Paul writes in (Romans 8:9-11) it is through “The Holy Spirit,”
“You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.
And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.
And if the Spirit of Him (God) who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead (God) will also give life to your mortal bodies “because of His Spirit” who lives in you”.
The Bible makes it clear that we are to be "the temple" or "the abode" of God.
(2nd Corinthians 6:16) “for ye are the temple of the living God… as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them… and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
But again…how do God and Christ live in us?
The answer is through the Holy Spirit who “indwells” us… and to the degree to which we submit to the Holy Spirit, and we follow the leading of God’s Spirit, and let Him set up residence in our lives… thats the degree to which we will become more like Him in nature, character, spirit, attitudes, approach and love.
What all the scriptures on this subject reveal, is that Jesus Christ’s life will be in us as we seek to make His way of life our way of life… to walk as He walked, to live as He lived.
(1st John 2:6) “Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did.”
The Apostle John wrote this epistle to address false teachings and to distinguish true believers from those who merely profess faith.
By instructing believers to “walk as Jesus walked” or “to live as Jesus lived… John emphasizes that authentic faith is inseparable from right or righteous living.
This instruction counters early Gnostic tendencies that separated spiritual knowledge from moral behavior, reinforcing that belief in Jesus must be accompanied by action
The Bible also calls this “putting off the old man and putting on the new man"
(Ephesians 4:22-24) “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires… and to be made new in the attitude of your minds and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
The more we depend on the Holy Spirit to become like Christ, the more His life will be in us and, thus, the more He lives in us.
But that process “is under our will and control”... not His.
God wants us to “choose” to live as Jesus lived by our own free choice.
This involves humbly, earnestly seeking to become like Jesus Christ so His life becomes our life.
God’s desire is for each of us is to be “conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29)
(1st Corinthians 16:19-20) says “We are not our own we are bought with a price!”
That price was the precious blood of Jesus!
In keeping with this thought is (Colossians 1:27)… “To them God has chosen to make known the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
The Father and Jesus Christ seek to lead us through the power of the Holy Spirit, by revealing knowledge and understanding and giving us the spiritual strength to change and live righteously.
But God will not force us to live this way... it is our free choice.
We have to “want to", we must “seek” to have the Holy Spirit become the motivating factor within each of us, for Him to give us the help we need to achieve that end.
We must want for, long for, and purpose in our heart, to have or find or develop “the desire” to change.
A 100 percent commitment of heart to change, that is the only thing we can bring to the table.
As we read in (Philippians 2:13) “For it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for His good pleasure”,
This means we must long for and cry out to God, for the help we need to change.
We cannot and we must not submit or give in to the lie of the devil that says “this is the way I was born and I can’t help it… It’s just the way I am!”
John said, “In Him was life… and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4).
Jesus Christ’s life illuminates the path… the way in which God wants us to live.
He calls each of us to the path... but we must want to get on it.
If we do, when we do, He will give us all the help we need to grow.
But again, only if we seek it… and desire after it.
He will not force the help on us... nor will He “arbitrarily” make the changes we need to make for us.
Many seem to believe that just saying a simple prayer becomes an automatic free pass, and that Jesus does or will do everything for us.
To many of us do not put an earnest effort into “seeking to change” to become like Jesus Christ.
Paul writes in (Ephesians 2:10) “for you have been created unto good works”.
The heart and core of Christianity is the fact that we must be “diligently seeking to change”, to become like Jesus Christ, to have His life formed in us.
(2nd Corinthians 13:5) “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith… test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you”?
This fundamental truth of “seeking to change” is not understood by the many who think that “Christ living in us” means, He takes over.
No!
Jesus Christ does not just “possess” us as in demons possessing people.
The Christian life involves using “our own free” to will allow the Holy Spirit to have free reign in us… helping us to develop “Christian character” through right choices.
Christ lives in us only to the degree we use or allow the Holy Spirit to have His life in us, and to live as He lived.
So my question for you to do is, “Do you have the want to”?
Good Day!
(John 14:6) “I am the way the truth and the life”
The Christian way of life is the best way of life possible!
Jesus said He came so His followers “may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10)
In John (8:36) He said “Him whom the Son sets free is free indeed”.
God’s way of living, has great benefits for this life and offers “pleasures forevermore” (1st Timothy 4:8) (Psalm 16:11)
But that doesn’t mean that Christian living is easy… and the challenges and difficulties of “this way of life”, come to help us grow, develop patience and perseverance, and to have Jesus Christ’s mind and the character of God grow in us.
They come to make us stronger spiritually and to mature in ways that the easy life never can.
We are to learn to think and act like God because He wants us to be His children forever!
God gave us the Bible to teach us the best way to live and to give us examples of others to learn from.
The good and bad examples in the scriptures can make what may seem to be abstract principles, come to life.
I write these articles each day to lead you into His Word, help you build an understanding of His ways… that will help you understand biblical principles for dealing with the challenges of life.
(1st Timothy 4:8) “but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come”.
(Psalm 16:11) “You make known to me the path of life” you will fill me with joy in your presence and with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
It is my prayer each morning, that these devotional topics will challenge you and help you build a stronger and better understanding of God and the relationship He wants us all to enjoy with Him.
That they will challenge you to stretch your faith.
(Psalm 16:11) “You make known to me the path of life” you will fill me with joy in your presence and with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
It is my prayer each morning, that these devotional topics will challenge you and help you build a stronger and better understanding of God and the relationship He wants us all to enjoy with Him.
That they will challenge you to stretch your faith.
That they will help you grow in the knowledge of “God’s way” and to mimic, practice and act upon them.
God’s way is the way of love… it’s the way of peace.
Humans have yearned for and struggled to attain peace, but still it has eluded us.
History is the story of human conflict, violence and war.
Even times of relative peace, seem in the long-run, to have been nothing more than the preparation period for the next war.
It’s not that the human heart doesn’t long for peace, or that many individuals haven’t devoted themselves to trying to “mediate” conflicts and promote peace.
Those who work ceaselessly for peace are to be applauded, but their efforts are too often in vain.
The Bible accurately described the human condition in (Romans 3:17) “The way of peace they have not known.”
The Bible accurately described the human condition in (Romans 3:17) “The way of peace they have not known.”
The Bible explains how our first parents rejected God’s “peaceful way” and were deceived into accepting the “deadly, destructive way”, foisted on humanity by the serpent in the Garden of Eden.
And ever since, violence and war have been the result of this wrong, selfish way of thinking.
The Bible tells us that Satan, humanity’s greatest adversary, currently rules this world, and broadcasts his attitude of hate and violence into the minds of men… (Revelation 12:9) “that ancient serpent called the devil, or?Satan, who leads the whole world astray”.
His influence helps amplify our natural selfishness to a fevered pitch as described by James:
“Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?” (James 4:1).
“Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?” (James 4:1).
But Jesus Christ desires the opposite attitude for His followers… “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).
God wants His children to learn “that way” and to enjoy its benefits and to become like Him.
By practicing Christian living, we learn to control our emotions and grow in spiritual maturity.
As we grow as we mature, we demonstrate the reality of a relationship with God to the world around us… the values that Christ has, and the love He extends to humanity.
It’s a way that this world hasn’t known (Romans 3:17), but it’s a way that God reveals throughout the Bible.
It’s the way our loving God wants and commands us to live and the benefits are “out of this world” and are priceless.
Jesus spoke in (John 14:6) Saying “I am the way”.
So in the days ahead I’m going to look at some of the ways we can live that will help us grow into mature believers
Godly ways, spiritual ways, “ways” that are not of this worlds thinking but they are “ways”, that will help us to be effective witnesses of His love and peace to our society.
Ultimately, “the way” to His redemption and salvation for humanity.
Good Day!
(2nd Corinthians 7:10) “Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted.”
There’s a difference between confessing your sin and repenting of it.
In Scripture, the word repentance means “to turn away from sin.”
By confessing your sin, you acknowledge what you have done… by repenting… you turn away from it.
And the good news is that there’s no limit to God’s forgiveness.
The moment you ask for it, you receive it.
But here is the thing.
God doesn’t intend for you to keep repeating your sinful patterns over and over again.
That’s where “godly sorrow” comes in.
Paul wrote, “You sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you” (2nd Corinthians 7:11).
Paul is not asking a question here, he is stating a fact.
When you sorrow over sin, it changes you!
The purpose of Godly sorrow is to bring us to bring us to a place where we are broken, submitted, obedient and pliable.
God does not want us to walk in shame or defeated condemnation.
But he does want us to be a people whose “desire in life” is to rise above sin and its “mastery” over us.
He wants us to allow Him (God) to “conform us” (Romans 8:29) “to the image of His Son.”
When we are filled with Godly sorrow over our sinful ways, we are like Paul whom cried out in (Romans 7) “why is it the things I want to do I don’t and the things I don’t want to do I do?
Oh God who will deliver me from this wretched body of flesh.”
Paul isn’t giving us headline news of disgraceful misconduct here, but is sharing his personal awareness of the power of indwelling sin, experienced as “sinful desire”.
This sinful desire is with us till the day we die.
The world puts it this way. “It’s just the way I am.
But friend you don’t have to be that way.
You don’t have to accept the old conditions.
Paul writes also in (2nd Corinthians 5:17) “if any man be in Christ he is a new creature. Old things
pass away and ‘behold’ (watch, take note) ‘all things’ become new.”
Our problem is that we tend to roll over and allow sin to continue in our mortal bodies, rather than “fight the good fight of faith”.
You can change! You can be different! You can rise above your old nature.
But it takes “Godly sorrow over sin” to “develop the desire” to want to overcome sin and this worlds evil nature of sin.
However… we can’t do it on our own!
Paul writes in (Romans 8:9-11) “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you… but if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
You need the indwelling spirit of God to lead you, to caution you, to reveal to you the deception of sin.
The world says “there is a way which seems right unto a man” (Proverbs 16:25 and Proverbs 14:12)
(Hebrews 11:1) says that “for without faith it is impossible to please God!
Faith means “going outside ourselves “
(Romans 7:18) As Paul writes “there’s no innate good within us” and we must flee sin daily, yes hourly, yes every waking moment!
We must rest in Christ, not only for justification and deliverance, but for power to overcome sin…
Our problem is that we tend to roll over and allow sin to continue in our mortal bodies, rather than “fight the good fight of faith”.
You can change! You can be different! You can rise above your old nature.
But it takes “Godly sorrow over sin” to “develop the desire” to want to overcome sin and this worlds evil nature of sin.
However… we can’t do it on our own!
Paul writes in (Romans 8:9-11) “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you… but if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
You need the indwelling spirit of God to lead you, to caution you, to reveal to you the deception of sin.
The world says “there is a way which seems right unto a man” (Proverbs 16:25 and Proverbs 14:12)
(Hebrews 11:1) says that “for without faith it is impossible to please God!
Faith means “going outside ourselves “
(Romans 7:18) As Paul writes “there’s no innate good within us” and we must flee sin daily, yes hourly, yes every waking moment!
We must rest in Christ, not only for justification and deliverance, but for power to overcome sin…
there is no victory or “fruitfulness” in life” apart from Him.
The inference here is that God wants us to live and learn and act like His children, and it all starts with Godly sorrow for the condition we are in and repentance the key to change
Godly sorrow simply makes us keenly aware of our situation and causes us to be more diligent when it comes to changing or curbing our behavior.
When you allow sin into your life, you violate your core of righteousness, your core of integrity, who you are in Christ…
The inference here is that God wants us to live and learn and act like His children, and it all starts with Godly sorrow for the condition we are in and repentance the key to change
Godly sorrow simply makes us keenly aware of our situation and causes us to be more diligent when it comes to changing or curbing our behavior.
When you allow sin into your life, you violate your core of righteousness, your core of integrity, who you are in Christ…
Satan tries to keep bringing us down to His level by using our old nature against us.
But never forget that God came down to our level at the cross so He could lift us with Him into “Heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 2:6)
“God… made Him (Christ) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2nd Corinthians 5:21).
You’re a “regenerated spirit” living in an “un-regenerated body”, and when you permit or allow sin into your life, it violates the very core of who you are!
Or at least it should!
And that will cause you “Godly sorrow”, leading to repentance and a turning away from sin.
Don’t settle for saying… “This is just a habit I can’t break, but it’s okay because God will forgive me.”
Yes, God will forgive you, but He doesn’t want you to “settle for a cycle of sin”, repentance, forgiveness, and then repeat it all over again.
He wants you to be strong and effective… filled with victory in His service.
It is the person filled with the Spirit and yielded to Christ that will find that victory!
It is the person that says, “I live, but it is no longer I that lives… but Christ that lives in me.
And the life that I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God… Who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
The key to victory over sin is “Christ in you”, the “Holy Spirit in you” and submitting to His leading.
What must come from us… is the “want to”
Good Day!
(Genesis 19:26) ‘His wife looked back…and…became a pillar of salt.’
Before destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, angels of the Lord rescued Lot and his family.
"When they had brought them outside…he said, Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains lest you be destroyed” (Genesis 19:17)
But the record reads… “His wife looked back… and became a pillar of salt”.
There’s an important lesson here for each of us... and that lesson is that we must resist the temptation
to linger in the quicksand of past mistakes… either your own or other people’s.
It can be hard to see ahead when horrendous things have happened to you in the past.
Because when you get bogged down in the past, you miss what God has for you in the present, and
And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
You may ask me for anything in My name, and I will do it.”
God created you for a unique purpose in life.
You may be thinking “if that’s true why is it so hard”?
Friend it’s because you have an enemy of your soul that wants to destroy you and keep you from fulfilling your destiny in the Kingdom of God.
Keep you from being a threat to his Kingdom of Darkness.
His mandate is to distract you and I from steadfastly running the race.
The distractions of this world and all it has to offer are deceitful stumbling blocks by the enemy to cause us to look back and in most cases long for what used to be.
However John says… “Love not the world nor the things that are in the world”. (1st John 2:15)
Lots wife could not see her future because she loved what lay behind her.
She loved the world.
But the Bible teaches us to press on toward God “for the eye has not seen nor has the ear heard nor has it entered into the heart of man all the things that God has prepared for those that love Him.”
(1st Corinthians 2:9)
The old song say’s, “this world is not my home, I’m just passing thru”.
This world has nothing to offer you and I except regret, sorrow and unfulfilled expectations.
It’s time to get off of that “Long Black Train” that is fueled by those hideous lies of the enemy and get on “Heavens Express” with its promise of peace joy hope and fulfilled purpose.
You have to make the change… nobody else can do it for you.
We are here to help you but you have to take the first step, you have to refuse to look back, you have to be steadfast and unmovable, disregarding the old and moving forward to the new.
God say’s to you today, “behold I make all things new”.
He says “if any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things pass away and behold all things become new” (2nd Corinthians 5:17)
Don’t long for the old ways, the old life, the old world.
It has nothing to offer but death, regret and sorrow.
Don’t look back!
But press ahead unto the mark of the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:13)
Good day!
It can be hard to see ahead when horrendous things have happened to you in the past.
Because when you get bogged down in the past, you miss what God has for you in the present, and
fail to see its connection to your future.
The good news is that it’s not too late to allow God to use you and move you forward on your journey.
He can heal the wounds others have inflicted on you.
He can make you wiser as a result of the poor decisions you made in the past.
It’s not too late to become who or what you were created to be.
God delights in transforming our weakness into strength.
He can create treasure from what you’ve discarded as rubbish.
Even if you’ve “fallen a way”, and detoured from the path you know He wants you to follow.
Now is the time to return to His road. "I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11)
You’ve stood at a stand still long enough.
It’s time to move forward and don’t look back.
The mirror of regret will only keep you from moving forward to your destiny.
The enemy of your soul wants you to stay right where your.
He wants to keep you focused on past mistakes, wrong choices, and the comforts of this world because in doing so… you become consumed with your self, with little or no attention given to the task we are all chosen for.
But God say’s “greater things than these shall ye do” (John14:12)
“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing... and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
The good news is that it’s not too late to allow God to use you and move you forward on your journey.
He can heal the wounds others have inflicted on you.
He can make you wiser as a result of the poor decisions you made in the past.
It’s not too late to become who or what you were created to be.
God delights in transforming our weakness into strength.
He can create treasure from what you’ve discarded as rubbish.
Even if you’ve “fallen a way”, and detoured from the path you know He wants you to follow.
Now is the time to return to His road. "I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11)
You’ve stood at a stand still long enough.
It’s time to move forward and don’t look back.
The mirror of regret will only keep you from moving forward to your destiny.
The enemy of your soul wants you to stay right where your.
He wants to keep you focused on past mistakes, wrong choices, and the comforts of this world because in doing so… you become consumed with your self, with little or no attention given to the task we are all chosen for.
But God say’s “greater things than these shall ye do” (John14:12)
“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing... and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
You may ask me for anything in My name, and I will do it.”
God created you for a unique purpose in life.
You may be thinking “if that’s true why is it so hard”?
Friend it’s because you have an enemy of your soul that wants to destroy you and keep you from fulfilling your destiny in the Kingdom of God.
Keep you from being a threat to his Kingdom of Darkness.
His mandate is to distract you and I from steadfastly running the race.
The distractions of this world and all it has to offer are deceitful stumbling blocks by the enemy to cause us to look back and in most cases long for what used to be.
However John says… “Love not the world nor the things that are in the world”. (1st John 2:15)
Lots wife could not see her future because she loved what lay behind her.
She loved the world.
But the Bible teaches us to press on toward God “for the eye has not seen nor has the ear heard nor has it entered into the heart of man all the things that God has prepared for those that love Him.”
(1st Corinthians 2:9)
The old song say’s, “this world is not my home, I’m just passing thru”.
This world has nothing to offer you and I except regret, sorrow and unfulfilled expectations.
It’s time to get off of that “Long Black Train” that is fueled by those hideous lies of the enemy and get on “Heavens Express” with its promise of peace joy hope and fulfilled purpose.
You have to make the change… nobody else can do it for you.
We are here to help you but you have to take the first step, you have to refuse to look back, you have to be steadfast and unmovable, disregarding the old and moving forward to the new.
God say’s to you today, “behold I make all things new”.
He says “if any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things pass away and behold all things become new” (2nd Corinthians 5:17)
Don’t long for the old ways, the old life, the old world.
It has nothing to offer but death, regret and sorrow.
Don’t look back!
But press ahead unto the mark of the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:13)
Good day!
(Job 11:16) “You will forget your trouble and remember it only as water gone by.”
Satan is a master at bringing up our past to cause us stumbling blocks for our future.
He will use emotions such as shame, remorse, discouragement, and self doubt… to rob, steal, disorientate and cause you to lose hope and lose direction for your future.
When we don’t get help for past emotional hurts, we can find ourselves acting out of character.
We start treating others like we were treated, and we hurt the most important people in our lives… and our relationships can be effected and fall apart.
Being stuck in the past is not what God wants for us.
He has new things He wants to do in and through us.
(Isaiah 43:18-19) says: ‘Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past. Look at the new thing I am going to do. It is already happening…. don’t you see it?’
If we’re still emotionally tied to our past, we’ll struggle to step into the new things ahead of us.
Regret, bitterness, resentment, anger, and hurt keep us trapped.
But it’s often “easier said than done” to let go of them and move on.
So how do we let go!
In the Bible, Job faced a lot of trouble and heartache.
When he was struggling, one of his friends gave him this advice…
“You must give your whole heart to God and hold out your hands to him for help… You will forget your trouble and remember it only as water gone by” (Job 11:13-16).
The same advice goes for each of us today!
You must give your whole heart to God.
We need to hand everything over to God and ask Him to help us work through these situations and emotions.
We can’t simply forget about them or pretend that we’re not bothered by them anymore.
That will just make things harder in the long run.
Instead, we need to go through the process of dealing with them… so we can ultimately find healing and freedom.
It’s possible for us to move on and develop emotionally, we just need to be open to the process God wants to take us through.
So today, if you really want to experience the freedom Jesus talked of when He said "Him who the Son set free is free indeed" (John 8:36)... then you must set everything else to the side and begin to follow Him (Matthew 4:20)
That’s what the disciples did.
They left their nets behind them, and they followed Jesus.
With your whole heart!
What ever you are going thru right now, Jesus is calling your name.
He is calling you to follow Him with out looking back... and without bringing your past with you.
It’s a new life with a new purpose, with a new plan, with new victories and a new future
Stop looking into the mirror of regret.
Stop bringing up the past!
Let it be your teacher, and leave her there.
When you were in school you learned a lot of lessons.
Some of them you failed and had to relearn... but there came a time when you graduated and
The same advice goes for each of us today!
You must give your whole heart to God.
We need to hand everything over to God and ask Him to help us work through these situations and emotions.
We can’t simply forget about them or pretend that we’re not bothered by them anymore.
That will just make things harder in the long run.
Instead, we need to go through the process of dealing with them… so we can ultimately find healing and freedom.
It’s possible for us to move on and develop emotionally, we just need to be open to the process God wants to take us through.
So today, if you really want to experience the freedom Jesus talked of when He said "Him who the Son set free is free indeed" (John 8:36)... then you must set everything else to the side and begin to follow Him (Matthew 4:20)
That’s what the disciples did.
They left their nets behind them, and they followed Jesus.
With your whole heart!
What ever you are going thru right now, Jesus is calling your name.
He is calling you to follow Him with out looking back... and without bringing your past with you.
It’s a new life with a new purpose, with a new plan, with new victories and a new future
Stop looking into the mirror of regret.
Stop bringing up the past!
Let it be your teacher, and leave her there.
When you were in school you learned a lot of lessons.
Some of them you failed and had to relearn... but there came a time when you graduated and
left school behind and moved forward to pursue your career.
You closed the school doors behind you and stepped into your future.
Its time to close the door of your past… and move forward with God.
Your past is not your future.
What you were… is not what you are now…
There is nothing more the past can offer you, so today start living for the present and let God lead you into your future.
He says “I know the plans I have for you, not plans for evil but plans to give you a future not plans for evil.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
“Looking ahead unto Jesus the Author and the Finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2)”
I challenge you today to let go of your past, your ambitions, your plans, and give yourself completely to God.
Put Him at the “for front” of everything you are planning and thinking about doing.
Every time you make a decision to do something or pursue something ask yourself, ‘how will this effect my relationship with God and His plans for me’.
By being ‘God conscious’ in everything you do, you will soon begin to feel His presence with you… you will begin to sense Him speaking to your ‘inner man’.
Being focused on God with every decision you face, is what is called “walking with God”.
Come start today… and let God bring you into and lead you into the promised land He has for you!
Paul tells us in (1st Corinthians 2:9) “The eye has not seen and the ear has not heard all the things that God has in store for those that love Him”.
Good Day!
You closed the school doors behind you and stepped into your future.
Its time to close the door of your past… and move forward with God.
Your past is not your future.
What you were… is not what you are now…
There is nothing more the past can offer you, so today start living for the present and let God lead you into your future.
He says “I know the plans I have for you, not plans for evil but plans to give you a future not plans for evil.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
“Looking ahead unto Jesus the Author and the Finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2)”
I challenge you today to let go of your past, your ambitions, your plans, and give yourself completely to God.
Put Him at the “for front” of everything you are planning and thinking about doing.
Every time you make a decision to do something or pursue something ask yourself, ‘how will this effect my relationship with God and His plans for me’.
By being ‘God conscious’ in everything you do, you will soon begin to feel His presence with you… you will begin to sense Him speaking to your ‘inner man’.
Being focused on God with every decision you face, is what is called “walking with God”.
Come start today… and let God bring you into and lead you into the promised land He has for you!
Paul tells us in (1st Corinthians 2:9) “The eye has not seen and the ear has not heard all the things that God has in store for those that love Him”.
Good Day!
(Job 11:16) “You will forget your trouble and remember it only as water gone by.”
Satan is a master at bringing up our past to cause us stumbling blocks for our future.
He will use emotions such as shame, remorse and discouragement… to rob, steal, confuse and doubt Gods love and forgiveness causing you to lose hope and lose direction for your future.
When we don’t get help for past emotional hurts, we can find ourselves acting out of character.
We start treating others like we were treated, and we hurt the most important people in our lives… and our relationships can be effected and fall apart.
Being stuck in the past is not what God wants for us.
He has new things He wants to do in and through us.
(Isaiah 43:18-19) says: ‘Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past. Look at the
new thing I am going to do. It is already happening…. don’t you see it?’
If we’re still emotionally tied to our past, we’ll struggle to step into the new things ahead of us.
Regret, bitterness, resentment, anger, and hurt keep us trapped.
But it’s often “easier said than done” to let go of them and move on.
So how do we let go!
In the Bible, Job faced a lot of trouble and heartache.
When he was struggling, one of his friends gave him this advice… “You must give your whole heart
If we’re still emotionally tied to our past, we’ll struggle to step into the new things ahead of us.
Regret, bitterness, resentment, anger, and hurt keep us trapped.
But it’s often “easier said than done” to let go of them and move on.
So how do we let go!
In the Bible, Job faced a lot of trouble and heartache.
When he was struggling, one of his friends gave him this advice… “You must give your whole heart
to God and hold out your hands to him for help… You will forget your trouble and remember it only
as water gone by” (Job 11:13-16).
The same advice goes for each of us today!
You must give your whole heart to God… you must put God first in your life!
We need to hand everything over to God and ask Him to help us work through these situations and emotions.
We can’t simply forget about them or pretend that we’re not bothered by them anymore.
That will just delay the inevitable and make things harder in the long run.
Instead, we need to go through the process of dealing with them… so we can ultimately find healing and freedom.
It’s possible for us to move on and develop emotionally… but we need to be open to the process God wants to take us through.
So today, if you really want to experience the freedom Jesus talked of when He said ‘Him who the Son set free is free indeed’ (John 8:36), then you must set everything else to the side and begin to follow Him. (Matthew 4:20)
The same advice goes for each of us today!
You must give your whole heart to God… you must put God first in your life!
We need to hand everything over to God and ask Him to help us work through these situations and emotions.
We can’t simply forget about them or pretend that we’re not bothered by them anymore.
That will just delay the inevitable and make things harder in the long run.
Instead, we need to go through the process of dealing with them… so we can ultimately find healing and freedom.
It’s possible for us to move on and develop emotionally… but we need to be open to the process God wants to take us through.
So today, if you really want to experience the freedom Jesus talked of when He said ‘Him who the Son set free is free indeed’ (John 8:36), then you must set everything else to the side and begin to follow Him. (Matthew 4:20)
In (Matthew 19:21) Jesus said to a rich young man who had just vowed to follow him... "go sell all you have and give it to the poor and then come follow me"
(Matthew 6:33) Jesus said “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness… and all these things will be added unto you”
(Matthew 11:28) “Come unto me all ye that labour and I will give you rest for your soul”
That’s what the disciples did.
They left their nets behind them, and they followed Jesus with their your whole heart!
What ever you are going thru right now, Jesus is calling your name.
He is calling you to follow Him with out looking back.
With out bringing your past with you.
It’s a new life with a new purpose, with a new plan, with new victories and a new future
Stop looking into the mirror of regret.
Stop bringing up the past… let it be your teacher, and then leave her there… in the past!
When you were in school, you learned a lot of lessons.
Some of them you failed and had to relearn, but there came a time when you graduated and left school behind and moved forward to pursue your career.
You closed the school doors behind you and stepped into your future.
Its time to close the door of your past… and move forward with God.
(Matthew 6:33) Jesus said “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness… and all these things will be added unto you”
(Matthew 11:28) “Come unto me all ye that labour and I will give you rest for your soul”
That’s what the disciples did.
They left their nets behind them, and they followed Jesus with their your whole heart!
What ever you are going thru right now, Jesus is calling your name.
He is calling you to follow Him with out looking back.
With out bringing your past with you.
It’s a new life with a new purpose, with a new plan, with new victories and a new future
Stop looking into the mirror of regret.
Stop bringing up the past… let it be your teacher, and then leave her there… in the past!
When you were in school, you learned a lot of lessons.
Some of them you failed and had to relearn, but there came a time when you graduated and left school behind and moved forward to pursue your career.
You closed the school doors behind you and stepped into your future.
Its time to close the door of your past… and move forward with God.
Your past is not your present, nor is it your future.
What you were… is not what you are now… nor what you will be and become tomorrow.
There is nothing more the past can offer you, so today start living for the present and let God lead you into your future.
He says “I know the plans I have for you… not plans for evil but plans to prosper you and give you a future (Jeremiah 29:11)
“Looking ahead unto Jesus the Author and the Finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2)”
I challenge you today to let go of your past, your ambitions, your plans, and give yourself completely to God.
Put Him at the “for front” of everything you are planning and thinking about doing.
Every time you make a decision to do something or pursue something, ask yourself, ‘how will this effect my relationship with God and His plans for me’.
By being ‘God conscious’ in everything you do, you will soon begin to feel His presence with you… you will begin to sense Him speaking to your ‘inner man’.
Being focused on God with every decision you face, is what is called
“walking with God”.
Come start today… and let God bring you into the “promised land” He has for you!
Paul tells us in (1st Corinthians 2:9) “The eye has not seen and the ear has not heard all the things that God has in store for those that love Him”.
Good Day!