Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY THURSDAY!

I pray all is well with everyone, and you're enjoying another beautiful Friday-eve. Over that last few weeks my Spirit has been battling with worry, but I can still see that bad habit slowly fading away. Worry is so toxic, and it causes stress, which could affect us mentally, Spiritually, and physically. The Bible teaches us, "Do not worry"; Jesus said it severally times in His Sermon on the Mount. Yet we're creatures of habit, and it's something that plagues us all. I'm learning that God is in control, and as long as I'm trying my best to live righteously, there's nothing I need to worry about. Remember, light always conquers darkness, so speak light into every situation, and have Faith in Lord. Worry is a state of mind, not a reality, and we’ll gain nothing from it, so live and let go. Enjoy the remainder of your day, and be blessed family!

Today's scriptures are about God knowing the heart of His children. There's so much misunderstanding when it comes to sin, forgiveness and salvation, that people are often lead astray. The only way to know the answer to all of your questions, or clear up any confusion, is to go to the Word of God. We're told to "seek first the Kingdom of God", and to seek requires diligence on our part. It's a known fact that God loves the world, and everything in it, because He's our creator. However, He holds a special place for those who love His Son (who is also Him). Jesus said: "for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.” (John 16:27) The ability to love comes from the heart, and sin comes from the flesh, so God judges us according to what's in our heart.

Yesterday we learned that Jesus freed us from the law, and that could only be true because of the love we have within. We're free to love Him with all of our heart and soul, because of His grace. We're free to be close to Him, and commune with Him, whenever and however we choose. We're free to be forgiven for mistakes, and to be open to growth and wisdom, in order to adequately serve the Kingdom of God. We are free to be His children, and to express our love to others, the way He's expresses His love to us. He understands the frailties of the flesh, and looks beyond that, with the offer of unconditional forgiveness.

God knows our intentions, thoughts, and foresees our actions, so there's nothing we can get away with. Our inner thoughts and feelings tell Him all that He needs to know, so we must work on getting right from the inside out. We must be open to the changes Jesus is making our lives, no matter how uncomfortable or inconvenient they may sometimes seem. You know the times when you feel in your heart that you should go to church when you really don't feel like it, or when you should loan money to that friend in need, who you know can't pay you back. There are times when you should be nice to people, when you really don't feel like being bothered, or when you help someone you don't necessarily like. Those things come from the heart. God doesn't look at the fact that you are less than perfect, but the fact that you're trying. He looks at the fact that you love Him, and love those around you, everything else can and will be worked out.

Meekness, forgiveness, and giving are three traits of a loving heart, and God will do His part to make sure your actions line up with your heart. He doesn't judge us on our intelligence, earthly success, or popularity among men, but on how meek and humbled we are. He loves us just the way we are on the inside, so it's important to work on being that person who moves on what comes from within. It's written: Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 12:3) We must make it a point to speak and move by the Spirit. If you can confess Jesus as Lord to anyone you come in contact with, you're speaking from the heart, and that makes God proud. Seek the Lord, and all of His righteousness, and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you. Yes, you have to allow it, and follow Him, because you have free will. God won't force you choose Him; it's your choice.

Sin keeps you in bondage, which stunts your Spiritual growth. God understands failures and doesn't fault us for them. He waits for us to come to Him for forgiveness, and deliverance from the hold they have over us. In order to do that, just ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart, and show you how to lay those sins down. Be very observant, and watch Him work. In life we have choices, and being in tuned with the Holy Spirit makes it a lot easier to choose God over the world. The good news is, those times when you may choose wrong, God will quickly forgive you, so you could move forward, but you must move with Him. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, "I walk slowly, but I never walk backward". Always remember that God will spend our entire lifetime shaping and molding us into perfection, so take your time, and be open to the transformation. If He can work with me, He can surely work with you. He's brought me a long way, and He isn't done with me yet.

Jesus is the key to salvation, and receiving a righteous heart. All you have to do is invite Him into your life, and His Spirit will enter your heart, and make you whole again. If you believe that Jesus is Lord, and have accepted Him as your Savior, but don't feel like you've grown, or feel lost, then prayer is a good way to start. Ask God to show you the way to peace, and then seek Him. Spend quality time with Him, in His Word, and in His presence, and you'll start to notice His work. There's nothing separating you from Him, and you couldn't have done anything too bad in the past to lose your salvation. He's been waiting on you to come to Him in repentance. Just be honest with Him, and sincere about it, because He knows your heart. My favorite verse today is: Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalms 139:23-24)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Today's scriptures are about our transformation from sinner to saint. Sin may be one of the most talked about subjects in Christianity, because it's a huge issue with all mankind. It's been an issue since the beginning of creation, and continues to plague us today. Sin hinders our growth, and disrupts our peace, so it's like a virus that gets into our soul, and quickly infects all areas of our life. If not properly dealt with, sin could cause death, so we must always be aware of its hold on us, and do our best to avoid it. Nonetheless, when we do fall short, and we will, we must quickly confess and repent. We're born in sin, and are slaves to sin up to the day that we are cleansed by the Blood of Jesus Christ.
Paul talks all about it in Romans 6, and he starts the chapter: What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Rom 6:1-4 NIV) Jesus’ entire existence had to do with freeing us from the bondage of sin. As His followers, we too must die with Him, meaning our sinful and wicked nature. Once He enters our life, our Spirit is resurrected in Him. However, we are required to surrender to Him, just as He surrendered His life for us on the cross. That’s the only way to experience the best of this new life. Once we surrender, God begins to cleanse us, giving us a new walk and talk. He clothes us with righteousness, piece by piece.
We must be careful not to take God's grace for granted. This reminds me of the story of Jonah, and why he ran, when God told him to go warn the people of Nineveh to change their ways, before they allowed wickedness and sin to destroy them. Jonah knew the reputation of these wicked people, but knew God better. He would rather have died then to see these people, who totally disrespected and disregarded God, be forgiven. After God forgave and restored these people Jonah was angry at Him, and it's written: He prayed to the LORD, "O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. (Jonah 4:2) If it were up to Jonah these people would’ve been destroyed, however, God was able to save an entire nation of people, who ultimately ended up singing His praises. This story helps me better appreciate, and fear, God all at the same time, because I know all of the consequences of sin are real, but I also know that He will quickly forgive me when I ask. I know that no matter how many mistakes I make He's there. I know that before He just writes me off, He'll go to great lengths to win me back. He's constantly refining me, and everything that happens to me, is meant to make me a better person.
I'm grateful that God sees us as He does, because He's the only Judge that matters. A lot of our sin comes from trying to please other people. We sacrifice a great deal to have “the good life” that’s outlined by man. Wealth, prestige, success, careers, education, etc., all determines how valuable we are in the eyes of others. There are so many that sell their soul, or compromise their integrity to get these things on a grand scale, and that’s very sad. Don’t get me wrong, God wants us to have the “finer things in life”, but at what cost? I think we could accomplish so much more for the Kingdom of God, if we live like no one but God is watching.
Too much focus on sin, and trying to avoid it, will only lead us to sin more. More focus on God, and learning His ways and commandments, will naturally minimize our sin. For example, if you're fasting junk food, but constantly thinking “no cake, no cake, no cake…” the only thing on your mind is cake, which will cause you to fall short. Instead of thinking “no cake”, try thinking of what you could have instead. The good news is, we're incapable of never committing a sin, that's a known fact, so we don't have to focus on that. However, we need to focus on how we can better please God. He's responsible for making us righteous, because we're incapable to do that for ourselves.
Loving God with all your heart, and loving your neighbor as yourself is the only thing that we're required to do. Jesus never said, "don't sin, and you'll go to Heaven". He simply said love me, and I will give you the desires of your heart. The key to overcoming sin is to trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and then getting to know Him. Once you learn who He is, you can't help but love Him! My favorite verses today are: Ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him. (Colossians 3:9-10)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about being cleansed of our iniquities. Look around you, and then look at yourself in the mirror. Do you notice the iniquities of the world, let alone the iniquities inside of you? I could go on and on about the state of the world, and how the moral values have faded, and integrity is at its lowest point, but we don’t have much time for that. Sometimes it isn’t good to dwell on the negative, but we should acknowledge it, and try to find a solution. The world’s sins start on the inside of each individual. We must be held accountable for our own sins, because that’s the only thing that we can really control. I just thank God for Grace and mercy, because without His favor, where would we be? It’s hard to imagine, but things could always get worst. The irony of the state of sin, and the commotion it causes in our heart, is that it doesn’t have to be that way. From the day that Jesus died on the cross, our sins were exonerated. Jesus offered us living water, so that our sins could be easily washed away. Jesus said: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 6:37-38) Upon acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior, He’s instilled in our heart, and His living waters flows within us. His blood makes that possible, and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. We simply need to ask for forgiveness, and it’s granted. Notice He said, “if any thirsts, let him come to Me”, so it doesn’t matter what you’ve done, when, where, or why you’ve done it, you will be forgiven. All that’s needed is at that very moment, go to Him, by praying to God in His Name, confessing your sins, and asking for forgiveness. Now you may be thinking, “if it’s that easy, why should I stop sinning?” and I have the answer to that. Jesus’ death saves us from the eternal consequences of sin, not the moral consequences. Remember, you reap what you sow, more than you sow. Sin causes an overwhelming sense of discontent and anguish in your heart. Most sin will bring pleasure for the moment, but will ultimately lead to destruction. I started off today referencing the sins of the world, so I’m going to acknowledge some of the consequences. The earth is essentially deteriorating at the core, because of our blatant disregard and abuse of the earth and it’s natural resources. It seems like each day there’s a new form of cancer, and life threatening and incurable diseases like the AIDS virus are spreading like wildfires. The family value system is broken (for lack of a better word), because we don’t value the sanctity of marriage, and we neither respect our precious bodies nor ourselves. Need I say more? These are all the affects of sins, so yes, you can pray and ask for forgiveness and still get into Heaven, but your life is worth much more than that. While you’re here, you’re expected to strengthen your personal relationship with God, as well as the body of Christ. You’re meant to share your light, and the living water that’s in your heart, with unbelievers and the people who’s lacking. You’re meant to spread God’s love across ALL nations (Matt 28:19). How can you efficiently do that if you covered in sin? It’s written: Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “ I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go. Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea… “ There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.” (Isa. 48:17-18, 22) Commit that last verse to memory; it’s so good, I’ll write it again, “There is no peace for the wicked”! Did He say no salvation? No, He said no peace, and next to salvation, peace is the most precious gift we could ever receive. God will willingly cleanse you from all unrighteousness whenever you ask Him, because He loves you that much. However, He does require repentance in order to restore your peace. Jesus is the source of all love, peace, joy, and happiness, because through Him living water flows. If you haven’t confessed Him as Lord and Savior, then you should stop what you’re doing, and do it right now. It’s a quick, yet sincere prayer, asking God to forgive you of your sins, and inviting Jesus into your heart as Lord and Savior. If you haven’t said this prayer yet, and feel like something’s missing in your life, then that’s the only answer. Allow Him to restore your peace. My favorite verse today is: I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me. (Jeremiah 33:8)

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