I have everything I need for life and godliness. Everything. God has equipped me through the knowledge of Him.
I have spent so much of my life embarrassed by my falling, that I've tried to cover it up over and over again. When I cover, I corrupt the healing process; I create more pain, spreading it to my loved ones. But here's the good news (can you feel a brand new day!). The Lord helps the fallen.
As a believer, I have often wandered away from Him. In some sense, I stray every day. He calls me back.
My hope must be in the Lord. I don't know what He has in mind. It's His plan, not mine.
The Lord says don't be shy about my requests!
The Lord wants me to ask Him for help. That's when He shows His righteousness.
Doing God's will didn't just come to me magically when I was reborn, but my desire to obey began to emerge.
According to the verse, the Lord directs my heart to the love of God. This is a divine work of God. I want to use the word magic, but that would be wrong. It's a miracle. Does that seem too strong a thing to say?
I am in Christ. I am a new creation. This is His promise. The old has passed away. He says, "Behold!" Look here. Don't miss this: The new has come. Since I am new, it follows that the Lord will work that new creatureliness out in me.
And I get to pray for other believers. This verse teaches me how I can pray for them, and more importantly what I can expect from God.
Do it heartily for the Lord. To do things for the Lord, I need to practice His presence. I must remember He is with me. I am seeking Him. Praying.
I am blessed to have godly friends that I reach to. They reach out to me too. We listen to and help each other. They remind me to be bold, to forgive, to make amends, and to be honest. They are Christ-like though they might not ever describe themselves that way.
Now, how do I get to the part where I am not afraid when the mountains get shoved into the ocean? I don't know. But He is clearly saying that I don't have to be afraid. For I'm a child of the true God, the deliverer who brought a nation out of Egypt.
I am a believer in Jesus who died and rose again, and ascended to heaven. And yet I struggle with trusting the Lord. There's something in me that wants to control things. My pride sprouts up easily.
It's hard to change a man, to reach down inside and take out the pride virus and install a new program called humility.
Here's what I've learned. Trust the Lord. Trust Him, eyes locked. Don't waver. Yes, I do waver. But I know to hone back in to the true source. Scripture. Godly preaching. Fellowship with believers. Prayer. I matter to Him. He loves me. He will never leave me.
Believers come to the light. I am a believer in Jesus, the light. I am a child of the light. I want to be in the light as He is in the light. Yet, I don't always feel so "lighty." I can feel so foggy.
God always pushes in. He always shows up and says, “What are you doing? I’m right here to help.” And finally in great desperation, I reach out, and cry out to Him.
He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is above all powers. All. There aren’t other gods. He is the one and only.
What characterizes a believer? A believer in Jesus is anxious for nothing. I love how the scripture uses words like "nothing." It leaves no out, no wiggle room. The bible says it, so this is possible for me. I can be anxious for nothing.
I'm reaching forward to the things ahead. I'm in motion. If I sit around, I get moldy, and slip back into my mess.
What I know for certain is this: I am not God. I serve Him. I follow Him. I rely on Him. That sounds great. And it is. But I am a mess. Still, He works. How many times I have thought I could be my own savior!
He formed me. And smack dab in the middle of my messy rebellion, He redeemed me (bought me) out of the darkness into His glorious light.
What I can say for a fact is this: I am being healed. It is happening. I see it in others too. In a few short months, I have seen God work in my life. Confession. Healing. Joy. These are part of my life. Daily. But, oh, I'm not kidding, it seems so slow!
Just look at this trio: Rejoice ALWAYS. Pray Without CEASING. In EVERYTHING give thanks. And just to make sure I don't miss it, He says: This is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Who am I in Christ? I am this: dearly loved. Sacrificially so.
In Him I have boldness. Oh my, I don't feel bold. I feel timid. I don't want to open my mouth. I don't want to reveal my thoughts. I carry around old remembered shame from my childhood. I'm afraid of more hard knocks. But this verse says I HAVE boldness.
I am His workmanship. Part of that is that He is teaching me, patiently.
I'm a fool. I'm not saying that I'm stupid, but I fall into quicksin... I mean quicksand so easily. And he rescues me.
I find it fascinating and annoying that the scripture often says, "Fear not." At first, it seems like such a rotten thing to say to someone who is anxious! Just stop that freight train of anxiety. Stop it. But it's a FREIGHT TRAIN. I can't stop it.
When I get real, then, I begin to understand. "Give me understanding according to your word." I can begin to get at it. I can sort it out with His word. But if I wallow in denial, even looking in His word will be futile. My pain must be honestly expressed.
I get to ask Him to be gracious to me. It's a loving relationship. I don't come to Him as if He might not listen. No, I come to Him fully expecting that He knows me and is of course listening and wants to be gracious to me.
I am a child of the one true God. I am His servant. The songwriter of this Psalm just up and says, "Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love." Oh, I want to have the faith and courage to talk to God like that.
Grace is given according to the measure of Christ's gift. He has infinitely more even when we think He's given it all.
He reminds me that I am loved. That I am His child, chosen. He revives me. Breathes encouragement into my fragmented thoughts.
He reminds me again and again to walk in the Spirit, to walk in the Light. To always pray in the Spirit. I'm not expected to fight the good fight by myself!
I have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. That's what the verse says. I have crucified, past tense. So, why do I put on that old rotten corpse of my flesh again to try to serve Him, to battle sin, or even do this thing called life? Makes no sense!
To live a Christ honoring life he gave me power. How often do I see myself as powerful? To be honest, not often. Except for that arrogant kind of powerful. I feel that. That power is anger which is powered by fear and shame. That's not the power he gives.
I always knew I wanted to be a serious believer. Then, I'd see verses like this and my heart would sink. Here's why: the first part is fine, glory in His holy name, okay. Then, let the heart rejoice for those who seek the Lord. Still, I'm with it. Seek the Lord and His strength. Yes. I can do that.
Walking in the light is the opposite of living in denial. Living in denial is where I'm comfortable. I feel shame, avoid God, avoid people. Isolate. But we are made to be in relationships.
The Lord said to his people, the enemy is coming but fear not, I am handling it. Contentment. He provides for me. He sustains me. He puts my feet on a solid rock. And He tells me to be godly. Godliness and contentment. They go together.
He gives me humble power. Humble - I know it's not me. Power - It is the Lord. I can't do. God can do. I welcome Him to do in my life. To fill me up. To do MORE than I can even think to ask.
I have (right now) peace with God. If I am trying to work for peace with God, I am wasting my time. I am already justified. But I know I get this confused sometimes.
Now here it comes. Seek His presence continuously. Wait. What did that say? It's like that verse that says - pray without ceasing. Apostles and prophets must not know me, nor the millions of other believers who know that this isn't possible.
How a believer knows He matters to God...
Sin does not define me. I am a believer, a lover of God, His word, and his church. Even when I feel like a mess, a sin slob. Why? Because Jesus paid my sin debt in full.
Contentment: what a blessing! Not feeling hassled, not feeling anxious, though the winds of trouble blow, content. That comes straight from the Lord. As does godliness.
Today, I am steadfast, immovable, ALWAYS abounding in the work of the Lord, and I know that in the Lord my labor, my work, is not for nothing. It is for His kingdom. And He wins. I'm on the winning side. Today.
That blows me away. In some sense, I reflect His glory. How can that be. I feel that I am always struggling to stand firm in the faith as it says in 1 Corinthians. Still, I reflect His glory. And this verse speaks to this process when it says, "We... are being transformed into His image."
Setting my mind on the Spirit is an action that I do. Being a Christian is not passive.
Stand firm in the faith he says. Now, I'm stuck. I have wavered all over the place in my faith. Faith? Yes. He gives me the gift of faith again and again.
The Lord is good to me. I want to be a man who sees that and says it. Who knows it in my innermost thoughts where that awareness bubbles up regularly.
Enduring temptation is part of what forges a believer into the warrior God is training.
Temptation is not sin. I get tempted. Everyone does. It is part of the fabric of being human, even believers. And I might think that this temptation is unique to me. That I need to work my way through it in my own way. That's just my pride. "I got this. No one can help me."
How a believer in Jesus "counts it all joy" when in trial...