Thoughts#2330

 HIS reckoning

God has promised a closing time, a reckoning where human power and influence cannot buy out the truth and where each person will have to face up to what he or she has done. Evil will overtake those who have been partners with evil. Those that hate good people, righteous people, will be condemned in their own hate. God's righteousness, truth, and justice will not be short-circuited!

Psalm 34:21   

Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.

May His love enfold you…

May His peace surround you …

May His light touch you …

May God’s bountiful Grace fulfill your every need

2330

Thoughts#2329

 Reach out

God has a plan to reach the world with his grace. We start where we are and reach out to those around us. We then share the story of Jesus with those in our region. Then we reach out and take the gospel all over the world. As we offer ourselves to be used, we also trust that the Holy Spirit's power and presence will go with us.

Acts 1:8   

[Jesus said] "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

2329

Thoughts#2328

 Reach out and share

   

God has a plan to reach the world with his grace.

We start where we are and reach out to those around us.

We then share the story of Jesus with those in our region.

Then we reach out and take the gospel all over the world.

As we offer ourselves to be used, we also trust that the Holy Spirit's power and presence will go with us.

Acts 1 : 8   

[Jesus said] "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

2328

Thoughts#2327

 Pray

Prayer is the battle

Whichever way God engineers circumstances, the duty is to pray.

Wherever God has dumped you down in circumstances pray, cry out to Him all the time.

"Whatsoever ye ask in My name, that will I do."

We have to labour along the line of God's direction, and He says pray.

"Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His harvest."

John 14 : 12     

And greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father.

2327

Thoughts#2326

 Our daily battles

The battles we face are physical and spiritual.  It is the spiritual battle with powers that we do not easily see and which are very powerful. We should not dismiss this as an imaginary battle or as an irrelevant struggle. Just as clearly as Satan was crouching at Cain's door, desiring to have him, so he crouches at our door (Gen. 4:7). He will use his forces of evil to do all he can to defeat, destroy, or corrupt us. We must take this war seriously and recognize the spiritual power of our foe.

Ephesians 6:12  

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

2326

Thoughts#2325

 Be good

   

God has promised 

•           a reckoning where human power and influence cannot buy out the truth

•           each person will have to face up to what he or she has done.

•           evil will overtake those who have been partners with evil.

•           those that hate good people, righteous people, will be condemned in their own hate.

God's righteousness, truth, and justice will not be short-circuited!

Psalm 34 : 21   

Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.

2325

Thoughts#2324

 Patience and faith

Like faith, there is another force that goes along with it that is just as important. It is patience, the ability to stand fast on the  Word of God even when your victory seems slow in coming.

Patience is not automatic. It would not go to work unless you let it go to work. It is wrong to think that faith and patience will go to work for us without our help. We just let the devil tear our lives apart.

In the first place, James says, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God" (James 1:13). And in the second place, that trial is not going to make your faith stronger. In fact, it will destroy it if you will let it.

James 1:4

But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

2324

Thoughts#2323

 Death of my old nature

We must ask God to enable us to put away completely our old human nature - the former lifestyle corrupted by deceitful desires.

We must ask God to help us to be renewed in the spirit of our mind, to put on a new nature, created in His likeness in true righteousness and holiness.

We must God to make us holy and righteous with his righteousness!

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; 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

2323

Thoughts#2322

 Be attentive

So often we are focused only

on the things that we like,

on the things that we are good at doing, or

on the things that we are interested in accomplishing.

God wants us to use every piece of his spiritual armor. He wants us to be disciplined and grow in the areas of our spiritual weakness and the areas we do not necessarily find exciting or interesting. Our evil opponent is cunning and will try to attack us in the areas of our weakness and defenselessness. So let us not just commit to be attentive in the areas of our interest and strength, but also in those areas where we are not.

Ephesians 6:11

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

2322

Thoughts#2321

 Source of our strength

   

Some of our strength to fight evil comes from

our experiences in the past,

the encouragement of others,

our knowledge of the truth in the Scriptures.

Ultimately, however, our strength comes from God's mighty power.

Paul uses his letter to the Ephesians to remind Christians that this power is what raised Jesus from the dead (1:19-20). Through that power in us, God can do much more than we can ask or imagine (3:20-21).

Most important of all, as we put on our spiritual armor and dedicate ourselves to spiritual discipline, God blesses us with his power and might. We can be strong in God's mighty power.

Ephesians 6:10

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

2321

Thoughts#2320

 Know His motive

God wants us to be His holy children, even before the world began. God paid the huge price, the sacrifice of his Son Jesus, for our adoption into his family.

What is God's motive in doing this?

His desire and delight in loving us.

Ephesians 1:4-5 

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.

2320

Thoughts#2319

 Remember Him

This is the key to holding onto the blessings of God.

When pressure comes,

when troubles and trials are bearing down on you,

remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead!

Remember that when Jesus arose, you arose. When He came out of hell and defeated the enemy, you came out of hell and defeated the enemy. His victory is your victory because you're in Him.

2 Timothy 2:8

Constantly keep in mind Jesus Christ, the Messiah, [as] risen from the dead.

2319

Thoughts#2318

 Our past

We must thank God for the new life that He has infused into our being.

We were dead because of the misdeeds and sins in which we walked, following the course of this world, following the commander-in-chief of evil, the spirit that now energizes all who disobey.

Among these lost people - we once lived in the passions of our flesh. We followed the desires of our body and the passing whims of our mind. We were by nature  doers of evil doomed to destruction, like the rest of mankind.

It is by God’s undeserved kindness that we are saved!

Ephesians 2 : 1-3

DEAD IN SINS

2318

Thoughts#2317

 Be at peace with others

   

It is not enough to turn from evil. We can clean the rotten things out of our life, but if we do not actively practise what is good then a worse evil will rush into the void. (Mat. 12:43-45)

Let us be a people eager to do good and with a passion to "wage peace."

Psalm 34:14

Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

2317

Thoughts#2316

 Telling the truth

   

God reminds us that our words and the way we use our speech greatly influence the quality of life we enjoy.

Evil speech and lies we tell -  they set loose a force of deception and damage that we cannot control. This unleashed power not only damages those about whom and to whom we speak, but they eventually bounce back and come back and bring their deadly effect back into our own lives. Let us  speak what is right, good, wholesome, holy, true, and a blessing. (Ephesians 4:20-5:12)

Psalm 34:12-13

Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.

2316

Thoughts#2315

 Faith

Some aspects of faith are beyond description: they can only be experienced and known by doing them.

Taste the Lord.

Sample his goodness.

Lean on his grace.

Take protection in his care.

We are blessed to find him near and take our protection from life's greatest dangers and death's greatest fears.

Psalm 34:8

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who

takes refuge in him.

2315

Thoughts#2314

 Who do you trust ?

This is an important question.

Pay close attention to my answer,

To trust Him whose

power will never be worn out,

love will never decrease,

kindness will never change,

faithfulness will never fail,

wisdom will never be confused,

perfect goodness can never be diminished

You will be a happy man if these are your trust. 

Isaiah 36:5

"Now on whom dost thou trust?"

2314

Thoughts#2313

 Help one another

Psalm 34:6

This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out

of all his troubles.

    

So few hear the cry of the poor or respond to the troubles of the underprivileged. If we are going to be true children of God, His values must become our own, His lost sheep must become our search.

Let's help others around us who are in need.

2313

Thoughts #2312

Tithing

When you tithe, you give God the legal right to intervene in your financial affairs, to bless you richly, and to defend you against the destruction the devil brings. When you tithe, you lay a foundation for success and abundance establish deposits with God you can draw on when you need them.

Malachi 3:11-12

And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land.

2312

Thoughts#2311

 Comfort

God comforts us because   

we are heartbroken

we need a blessing

God loves us.

We are comforted to comfort others.

There is something about comfort that cannot be fully realized until it is shared with someone else.

It is that final step in the healing process of grief, disappointment, hurt, and loss. Until we share the comfort we have received, until we pass it on to another, our comfort is weak and shallow and limited. 

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

2311

Thoughts#2310

His Promise

   

God not only buys us out of our bondage and debt to sin, but he also promises us that he will provide protection for those who trust in Him. Our future is tied to Him and not to our ability to provide and protect what we need.

Psalm 34 : 22

The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

2310

Thoughts#2309

Wait for the result

Many people do not have the patience to wait for the result to happen.

They will pray for others or lay hands on someone and pray for healing or deliverance and then, when they do not see any immediate, outward change taking place, they will withdraw their faith and assume nothing has happened.

Next time you're tempted to evaluate what God is doing by the looks of things, do not do it. Remember instead that it is faith, not appearances, that makes miracles happen. It's the only real evidence that you need!

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

2309

Thoughts#2308

How to be nourished, blessed and sustained

While even the fiercest hunters cannot ensure their security and nourishment, those whose hunger is for God will find themselves nourished, blessed, and sustained.

Psalm 34 : 10

The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD

lack no good thing.

2308

Thoughts#2307

Our hope

Our hope in Christ for the future is the mainspring and the support of our joy here. It will animate  our hearts to think often of heaven, for all that we can desire is promised there.

Here sin is a constant grief to us,

we

are weary and toil worn, 

are always in the field of battle;

are so tempted within,

are so molested by foes without,

that we have little or no peace;

Colossians 1 : 5

The hope which is laid up for you in heaven.

2307

Thoughts#2306

Are you terrified ?

How does the devil see you? Does he see you as a terrifying and  mighty warrior of God...or does he see you as a wimp he can whip  in a minute?

How you want the devil to see you depends on you.

If you're not strong in the Lord in your own sight, you need to change that. You need to get so full of God's Word and so full of the Holy Ghost that you walk around like a spiritual giant. Turn the tables on the devil and let him find out what it feels like to be a grasshopper for a change.

Numbers 13:33

And we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight

2306

Thoughts#2305

To be mastered

To have a master means that there is

one who knows me better than I know myself,

one who is closer than a friend,

one who fathoms the remotest abyss of my heart and satisfies it,

one who has brings me into the secure sense and

one who solves every perplexity and problem of my mind.

To have a master is this and nothing less

Our Lord never enforces obedience;

In the Bible obedience is based on the relationship of equals, that of a son with his father. Our Lord was not God's servant, He was His Son.

John 13 : 13    

You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord', and rightly so, for that is what I am.

2305

Thoughts#2304

Surrender

   

Let us seriously look into our hearts and surrender those things that hold us back from fully following and serving God. We know what they are.

Jesus comes to us with his nail-scarred hands and reminds us that He gave up everything to redeem us. He now wants us to surrender to the Cross the things that hold us back.

Matthew 10 : 38-39

And anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

2304