Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY THURSDAY!

Today's scriptures are about God's mercy, which brings righteousness and truth. Have you ever heard the saying "the truth will set you free"? What do you think that means? It's always been said that one lie leads to another, and the next lie has to be bigger, to cover the last lie, and it always spirals out of control. When you're trapped in a lie, it becomes a great burden, so it's just easier to tell the truth, and deal with the consequences. That's the same principle when it comes to sin. One sin leads to the next, and it becomes a trap that you cannot get out of, and then a burden that weighs heavy on your heart, especially in the life of the believer. Eventually you'll be a slave to the flesh, and will do whatever it takes to make it happy, to escape the eternal pain it brings. I know this feeling first hand, because I've been there. I used to live a life of an unsaved person, because I was in pain. I surrounded myself with sinners, and was heavily influenced by the "world", yet on the inside I never wanted to live that type of life. My soul was in so much turmoil, that I got caught up in that web of trying to break the cycle of using one sin to cover up the next. I was saved at a very young age, and baptized on my 15th birthday, so I had the Holy Spirit in my heart. He always made His presence known, but I chose to ignore Him. It wasn't until I found out the truth about God that I began to allow Him to turn my life around. When I realized how gracious and merciful my God is, I wanted nothing more than to please Him, and do right by Him. There's always redemption in Christ, and it doesn't matter how long you've been a sinner, or what type of sin you've committed, there's forgiveness, due to His mercy, and ability to create righteousness within you. The blood of Jesus cleanses you from all unrighteousness, so count it all joy! All God needs from you is your confession, which is the whole truth of your sin, and then ask for forgiveness. Once you do that, and repent, He'll know that you're ready to move forward, and will often times deliver you from the burden of that sin, so you won’t have to battle with it. He knows your heart, and knows full well if you're truthful about that repentance, and because of His mercy He'll always forgive and forget. God is a God of peace and love, and will do whatever it takes to keep you there. He knows that we'll be much better stewards when we have that peace in our heart, so He'll instill it within us, but it's ultimately up to us to choose Him. If there's one thing I hope will come out of me sharing my testimony with you, is that it will help you avoid half of the heartache and pain I endured. Had I only known how much God loves me, I could've made different and better choices, and maybe I would've come out of my wilderness a little sooner. However, I know God used all of my trials as stepping-stones to victory. Once I knew and accepted the truth, it did indeed set me free. That's the wonderful thing about Jesus, and studying His life and His teachings, because He explains things so richly, yet keeps it simple to understand. He gives you this, "it is what it is", type of truth. He's not only told us how to live by truth and righteousness, but He showed us, in everything He did. So even if you don’t understand some of His parables, pay attention to His demeanor and conduct. Nothing was more important to Him than His relationship with the Father, and His love for the people. That was His whole life, and He truly did something that we could never do, nor are expected to. His love is our perfection. He gives us one key piece right here: "Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” (Mark 10:15) Little children are innocent and sweet, and are constantly learning, and seeking answers to life, while still relying on their parents or caregivers to provide their every need. They experience honest humility in just being them, and without some type of guidance, they'd be lost. Does that sound familiar? The truth is that God gave us His Son Jesus to teach us how to go back to being "Little Children" in Spirit, by truly depending on Him. He opened Himself up to us, by His grace, and offers freedom through Christ. We now have the freedom to go to Him whenever, and for whatever, in the Name of Jesus. We've been let off of the hook, and no longer have to try to be righteous or perfect all by ourselves, because it will never happen. We're offered strength, peace, and happiness in and through all things, and will never have to worry about bearing the weight of the world again. Allow His truth to set you free today. Jesus is waiting, ready and willing, to give you freedom, what are you waiting for? Say that prayer today! My favorite verse today is: God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. (2 Corinthians 5:19)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455323&dtype=Scripture
http://www.intouch.org/site/pp.aspx?c=cnKBIPNuEoG&b=4943197
http://www.intouch.org/site/apps/nl/newsletter.asp?c=cnKBIPNuEoG&b=4943547

I love you!