March 12. TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY MARCH 12, 2010
STORMS
DEFINITION:
A violent outburst or outbreak of expression; a commotion; to rage or complain with violence or fury; to rush angrily; an atmosphere disturbance; a vehement outbreak; snow, wind or rain; a violent assault.
SCRIPTURE:
He calms the storm so the waves are still. Psalm 107:29.
For you have been strength to the poor and a refuge from the storm.
Isaiah 25:4.
KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING:
Even though we as believers have our trust in the Lord, we all have many storms in our life. We have storms in our personal life, in our marriage, with our children, in our jobs, in our church and with our neighbors.
Recently we have had several close friends have serious storms in their lives relating to health issues. Sometimes we wonder why God allows this to happen. It is important for us to realize that God does not cause these storms but He allows them for several reasons. Today let us take a few minutes and look at those reasons and apply them to our lives.
First of all God allows storms to come into our lives to get our attention. We get so busy with the “THINGS” in our lives that we get caught up in just doing what we want to do and forget God. When we act this way and forget God we then rely on our own abilities and think we can handle every situation ourselves. When this happens to believers God will allow a storm to happen in our lives just to get our attention and help us refocus on what is important.
Secondly He allows storms to get some sin out of our lives. God wants us to live a pure and clean life and since we are sinners we often fail to meet the standards that God wants from us. Then sin creeps into our lives and we pass it off and do not consider a little sin to be a problem. God will allow a storm to enter our lives to act as a warning. But the longer you hold that sin the stronger the storm will be. God does not want us as believers to live with sin in our lives.
He also allows a storm in your life because He wants you to surrender something. It is so easy in life to let evil and even material things get between our lives and God. For example one can begin to forget God when your business becomes successful. Success often separates us from God, but more so just “THINGS” can separate us from God. When He wants us to surrender something in our lives, He will make it clear to us and if we do not respond He will allow a storm to come and wake us up to the fact that we are not self-sufficient.
We are not in control, God is and if we are willing to surrender all to God, He will not only will go through the storm but He will reward us with His blessing. We need to understand that when we do the things that gets us through these storms that God always rewards us with something better.
In Romans 12:1-2 Paul tells us that God will allow storms to come into our lives because He wants us to conform to His image. God wants us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice which is Holy and acceptable to God and that we are not to be conformed to this world but He wants us transformed by the renewing of our mind so that we may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God for our lives. And He will allow a storm to come into our life in order to bring us back to doing what His will is for us.
Finally He will allow a storm to come into our lives in order to equip us to serve Him better. As we have said many times before, we can get lazy and He wants more from us. If we feel that we cannot accomplish what He wants us to do, we are reminded by a storm coming into our lives that He is ready to equip us to do the job He wants from us.
God is loyal to us as believers. The Psalmist tells us in Psalm 89:9 that God rules the mighty seas and calms the stormy waves. We need to acknowledge that God is the one who is in control and that He has the power to control any storm in our lives. All we need to do is to put our complete trust in Him, call upon Him and then be open to His direction and respond in faith believing.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Matthew 22:37.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
PRAYER
Thank You Almighty God for bringing storms into my life to wake me up from my tendency to sit back and not serve You as You desire. Give me the strength to lead my family as together we step out in faith to reach our neighbors and friends for You.
March 14, 2010
Lazy: March 11, 2010
March 11. TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY MARCH 11, 2010.
LAZY
DEFINITION:
Adverse to or disinclined to work or exertion; slow; sluggish; lack of interest or drive.
SCRIPTURE:
“But his Lord answered and said unto him, ‘you wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.’” Matthew 25:26.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Many people today are possibly considered lazy. Lazy people really have too much time on their hands with very little purpose in life. Since they have so much time they either watch hours of television, go to movies, surf the internet, read papers or books and just sit and accomplish nothing. God has given us the gift of time and He expects us to use our time to His glory. Unfortunately many believers do not understand this or just do not respond to what God expects of them.
In the parable of the talents that we read about in Matthew 25, Jesus gave to each of the three servants the number of talents determined by their ability. He gave them no more than He thought they could handle. When the servants came back to report on how they invested their talents the master responded to the servant that received five talents and had doubled them by saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” The same response was given by the master to the servant that received two talents and doubled them. But the servant who received one talent told his master that he was afraid of what he might do if he lost the talent given him, so he hid it in the ground. The master responded by saying that he was a wicked and lazy man.
This parable contains a lesson for us. It is not a sin to be lazy but being lazy makes one unsuccessful and God does not want us to be unsuccessful. The unsuccessful and lazy person is most often self-centered and living for his own pleasure. Many of these people talk about getting away from their laziness tomorrow and tomorrow never arrives.
God has given each of us various talents and abilities and since all that we have belongs to Him, He expects us to use these by honoring Him and to use our God given abilities the way that He has called us to do. Those that are diligent in using their abilities to serve the Lord will be rewarded and those who are lazy will receive God’s condemnation.
This verse we have written above found in Matthew 25:26 combines laziness and wickedness. This is because being lazy means one is basically accomplishing nothing in life and God sees this type of person, not using his God given talent, as useless to furthering His kingdom. And so often living this kind of lazy life, leads to wicked daily activities in God’s sight.
There are many verses in Proverbs that refer to laziness but none of them are positive. Proverbs 10:4 tells us that “lazy hands make a man poor but diligent hands bring wealth.” In Proverbs 12:24 we are told that “the lazy man will be put to forced labor and the hand of the diligent rule.”
Just as this parable tells us, it is the same for us today. Faithful servants are rewarded by God and given more responsibility but unfaithful servants are not rewarded but also have what they have taken away from them. If you are lazy in your job or lazy around your home you will not be rewarded by God with greater responsibilities. In Proverbs 13:4 it tells us that the lazy man desires and gets nothing. For the lazy there is no satisfaction in life.
Laziness also cannot be hidden. Proverbs 24:30-31 reads that when one goes by the field of a lazy man you will find it over grown with weeds and thorns. These verses should challenge all believers not to be lazy but to be diligent in serving our Lord.
You can increase your vision and find a place to serve God and then look to do the impossible. When we say impossible we refer to even little things like giving an hour or two a week to teaching Sunday school or being a youth sponsor in your church. Give some time to sing in the choir. Volunteer to help at your children’s school. These are just ideas to help you enlarge your vision and to begin serving God in places where you have not served before.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Matthew 22:37.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
PRAYER:
Forgive me Lord for the tendency I have had to be lazy in my walk with You. Increase my vision today and open doors for me to serve You. Help me to begin at home where I can have a greater influence on my family.
LAZY
DEFINITION:
Adverse to or disinclined to work or exertion; slow; sluggish; lack of interest or drive.
SCRIPTURE:
“But his Lord answered and said unto him, ‘you wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.’” Matthew 25:26.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Many people today are possibly considered lazy. Lazy people really have too much time on their hands with very little purpose in life. Since they have so much time they either watch hours of television, go to movies, surf the internet, read papers or books and just sit and accomplish nothing. God has given us the gift of time and He expects us to use our time to His glory. Unfortunately many believers do not understand this or just do not respond to what God expects of them.
In the parable of the talents that we read about in Matthew 25, Jesus gave to each of the three servants the number of talents determined by their ability. He gave them no more than He thought they could handle. When the servants came back to report on how they invested their talents the master responded to the servant that received five talents and had doubled them by saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” The same response was given by the master to the servant that received two talents and doubled them. But the servant who received one talent told his master that he was afraid of what he might do if he lost the talent given him, so he hid it in the ground. The master responded by saying that he was a wicked and lazy man.
This parable contains a lesson for us. It is not a sin to be lazy but being lazy makes one unsuccessful and God does not want us to be unsuccessful. The unsuccessful and lazy person is most often self-centered and living for his own pleasure. Many of these people talk about getting away from their laziness tomorrow and tomorrow never arrives.
God has given each of us various talents and abilities and since all that we have belongs to Him, He expects us to use these by honoring Him and to use our God given abilities the way that He has called us to do. Those that are diligent in using their abilities to serve the Lord will be rewarded and those who are lazy will receive God’s condemnation.
This verse we have written above found in Matthew 25:26 combines laziness and wickedness. This is because being lazy means one is basically accomplishing nothing in life and God sees this type of person, not using his God given talent, as useless to furthering His kingdom. And so often living this kind of lazy life, leads to wicked daily activities in God’s sight.
There are many verses in Proverbs that refer to laziness but none of them are positive. Proverbs 10:4 tells us that “lazy hands make a man poor but diligent hands bring wealth.” In Proverbs 12:24 we are told that “the lazy man will be put to forced labor and the hand of the diligent rule.”
Just as this parable tells us, it is the same for us today. Faithful servants are rewarded by God and given more responsibility but unfaithful servants are not rewarded but also have what they have taken away from them. If you are lazy in your job or lazy around your home you will not be rewarded by God with greater responsibilities. In Proverbs 13:4 it tells us that the lazy man desires and gets nothing. For the lazy there is no satisfaction in life.
Laziness also cannot be hidden. Proverbs 24:30-31 reads that when one goes by the field of a lazy man you will find it over grown with weeds and thorns. These verses should challenge all believers not to be lazy but to be diligent in serving our Lord.
You can increase your vision and find a place to serve God and then look to do the impossible. When we say impossible we refer to even little things like giving an hour or two a week to teaching Sunday school or being a youth sponsor in your church. Give some time to sing in the choir. Volunteer to help at your children’s school. These are just ideas to help you enlarge your vision and to begin serving God in places where you have not served before.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Matthew 22:37.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
PRAYER:
Forgive me Lord for the tendency I have had to be lazy in my walk with You. Increase my vision today and open doors for me to serve You. Help me to begin at home where I can have a greater influence on my family.
Deceit: March 9, 2010
MARCH 9. TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY MARCH 9, 2010.
DECEIT
DEFINITION:
The act or process of deceiving; the quality of being deceitful; misrepresentation of the truth; intentional concealment; fraud; cheating, misleading; untruthful.
SCRIPTURE:
“He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who tells lies shall not continue in My presence.” Psalm 101:7.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
When you carefully look at the definitions of the word deceit, as we have given above, you will see that it includes the misrepresentation of the truth and the intentional concealment of a wrong. For many people today misrepresenting the truth and concealing a wrong is a way of life and they never consider this to be a sin against God. But we need to remind you, dear friend, that when you misrepresent the truth or conceal a wrong it is deceit and in God’s sight a sin.
Because of our sinful nature deceit runs rampant in our society. Think about what you say and do every day and what you see and hear every day that you know is not true. How does that affect your opinion of that person? Then think about yourself. Is there cheating, misleading, being untruthful and fraud in your life? And if so do you think that it affects people’s opinion of you?
If you have any doubt whether there is deceit in your life or in your family’s lives, then take just one day and watch and weigh every one of your words and actions. Then take the time to listen and watch your family, friends and neighbors. You will be surprised to see how much deceit, cheating, misleading and untruthfulness surrounds you every day. We all know when we are not being truthful so we must be aware that deceit is the result of a conscious effort in our lives.
In addition when you watch television, read the magazines and newspapers all that you will see and hear is an undercurrent of lies, cheating and evil things. Unfortunately this is the world we live in. Parents lie to and mislead their children. Children lie and mislead their parents. Teachers and bosses lie and spouses lie to each other. Some might say that they do not lie but that they stretch the truth and others say that it is just a little white lie. Stretching the truth in God’s sight is a lie. God does not color code our lies. A lie is a lie in God’s sight whether it is large or small.
Lying is deceitful and misleading and basically happens when one is either trying to cover up a mistake, a failure in life or just making oneself look good. Living, as we all do, in a “ME” generation people will do and say what they think is best for them with no consideration of anyone else. Thus a lie or some deceitful comment in order to complete a task or to make one just feel better is always in order and considered proper, until we get caught.
Unfortunately there are those that call themselves Christians who are deceitful. They perform the same way as a non believer because they are not in tune with God. In God’s sight this is sin and not acceptable. The Psalmist in the verse that we have written above makes it very clear as to how God feels about deceit. God is truth and deceit and truth cannot dwell together in God’s kingdom
When a person has a deceit problem they will not dwell in the house of the Lord and will not be in the presence of God. The Psalmist also tells us in Psalms 32:2 that, “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” God blesses those who are truthful and can only forgive one of their sins if he or she truly confesses them to God.
Being deceitful in God’s sight has very serious consequences. The scriptures tell us that if we are deceitful we will not dwell in HIS HOUSE! WOW! This is serious because it affects one’s whole eternity. We need to understand that deceit hurts God and it is not acceptable in His sight.
It is also written in Proverbs 12:20 that “Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but counselors of peace have joy.” As Christians we can have joy in our hearts if we do not practice deceit as part of our character. It is impossible to live a life of joy and be deceitful. When we lie we have to live with stress because of our concern of being caught. It is important to be honest in all that we do. We will fail and when we do we need to ask God at that time to forgive us.
Our children are watching us along with our family, neighbors and those at our workplace and church. What kind of an image do you leave in their minds? Is God being honored through your words and deeds?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Matthew 22:37
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
PRAYER:
Help me today to get rid of any deceit in my life. May others always see Christ through me and take away from me all possible thoughts and actions that may be dishonest, misleading or deceitful to others.
DECEIT
DEFINITION:
The act or process of deceiving; the quality of being deceitful; misrepresentation of the truth; intentional concealment; fraud; cheating, misleading; untruthful.
SCRIPTURE:
“He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who tells lies shall not continue in My presence.” Psalm 101:7.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
When you carefully look at the definitions of the word deceit, as we have given above, you will see that it includes the misrepresentation of the truth and the intentional concealment of a wrong. For many people today misrepresenting the truth and concealing a wrong is a way of life and they never consider this to be a sin against God. But we need to remind you, dear friend, that when you misrepresent the truth or conceal a wrong it is deceit and in God’s sight a sin.
Because of our sinful nature deceit runs rampant in our society. Think about what you say and do every day and what you see and hear every day that you know is not true. How does that affect your opinion of that person? Then think about yourself. Is there cheating, misleading, being untruthful and fraud in your life? And if so do you think that it affects people’s opinion of you?
If you have any doubt whether there is deceit in your life or in your family’s lives, then take just one day and watch and weigh every one of your words and actions. Then take the time to listen and watch your family, friends and neighbors. You will be surprised to see how much deceit, cheating, misleading and untruthfulness surrounds you every day. We all know when we are not being truthful so we must be aware that deceit is the result of a conscious effort in our lives.
In addition when you watch television, read the magazines and newspapers all that you will see and hear is an undercurrent of lies, cheating and evil things. Unfortunately this is the world we live in. Parents lie to and mislead their children. Children lie and mislead their parents. Teachers and bosses lie and spouses lie to each other. Some might say that they do not lie but that they stretch the truth and others say that it is just a little white lie. Stretching the truth in God’s sight is a lie. God does not color code our lies. A lie is a lie in God’s sight whether it is large or small.
Lying is deceitful and misleading and basically happens when one is either trying to cover up a mistake, a failure in life or just making oneself look good. Living, as we all do, in a “ME” generation people will do and say what they think is best for them with no consideration of anyone else. Thus a lie or some deceitful comment in order to complete a task or to make one just feel better is always in order and considered proper, until we get caught.
Unfortunately there are those that call themselves Christians who are deceitful. They perform the same way as a non believer because they are not in tune with God. In God’s sight this is sin and not acceptable. The Psalmist in the verse that we have written above makes it very clear as to how God feels about deceit. God is truth and deceit and truth cannot dwell together in God’s kingdom
When a person has a deceit problem they will not dwell in the house of the Lord and will not be in the presence of God. The Psalmist also tells us in Psalms 32:2 that, “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” God blesses those who are truthful and can only forgive one of their sins if he or she truly confesses them to God.
Being deceitful in God’s sight has very serious consequences. The scriptures tell us that if we are deceitful we will not dwell in HIS HOUSE! WOW! This is serious because it affects one’s whole eternity. We need to understand that deceit hurts God and it is not acceptable in His sight.
It is also written in Proverbs 12:20 that “Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but counselors of peace have joy.” As Christians we can have joy in our hearts if we do not practice deceit as part of our character. It is impossible to live a life of joy and be deceitful. When we lie we have to live with stress because of our concern of being caught. It is important to be honest in all that we do. We will fail and when we do we need to ask God at that time to forgive us.
Our children are watching us along with our family, neighbors and those at our workplace and church. What kind of an image do you leave in their minds? Is God being honored through your words and deeds?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Matthew 22:37
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
PRAYER:
Help me today to get rid of any deceit in my life. May others always see Christ through me and take away from me all possible thoughts and actions that may be dishonest, misleading or deceitful to others.
Power: March 8, 2010
March 8. TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY MARCH 8, 2010
POWER
DEFINITION:
The capability to do, act, or accomplish something; the control or command over others; a Deity; physical and mental strength; influence; might; influential.
SCRIPTURE:
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the world.” Acts 1:8.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
The machines and mechanized devices we use today in our daily lives make life so much easier for us. All of these devices have something in common. They need a power source. They come equipped with a fuel tank, an electrical plug or a solar cell. And these devices are useless unless they have power. A Vacuum cleaner needs to be plugged into an electrical out-let and an airplane cannot fly without fuel.
People today are searching for a power source for their lives. Some look to money and others look to education or a political office. These sources of power are acquired by our own methods. Political leaders want power to control their governing policies. Parents want power to control their children. But this kind of power, when a person relies on himself, is doomed to failure over time.
God is all powerful and has provided a power source for us that is greater than all other sources because it comes directly from Him. Jesus tells us in the above scripture that the Holy Spirit is that source for our power. It is important for all believers to remember that for power in our lives we need to be controlled by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus was speaking to His disciples shortly before His ascension into heaven when He was commissioning them to be His witnesses. He knew that the disciples could not do this in their own power so He tells them that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit would come upon them.
This power is freely given to us today but we must be willing to plug into the source. Unfortunately most people face life with all its issues and problems relying on their own abilities. When we have the Holy Spirit within us we have strength and a power that a non-believer does not understand and we do not have to face our day to day issues, both negative and positive, alone and in our own strength.
The apostle Paul fully understood the power of the Holy Spirit in his life. Paul wrote to his churches giving them and us much information concerning the power of the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 5 he tells us that the Holy Spirit gives us the power to overcome our sinful desires and the evils we face every day. In Romans 8 Paul tells us that we must be controlled by the Holy Spirit and He will give us power to please God.
In Galatians 5:22 Paul lists the results of what the Holy Spirit has the power to do for us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. God gives us power through His Holy Spirit to allow us to accomplish things for Him that we might think are humanly impossible.
In the verse we have written above we are reminded by the writer that God gives us power for a specific reason. That is to be witnesses for Him. We are to be a witness of Christ’s love and power to those we meet each day. God through His Holy Spirit gives us power and boldness not only to live a God fearing life but so we can speak out with authority about our faith.
We are told that we must act with this power available to us and these are marching orders to begin in our own Jerusalem. This is our family, our home and our work place. Is your home considered by all that live with you a God honoring home? Is Christ the head of your home?
Then we are told that we are to reach out beyond our home and workplace. To our Judea and Samaria. This is to our neighborhood and city. Everywhere we plant our feet on a given day, God expects us to be witnesses of Him wherever we go and He has given us the power to accomplish this.
And finally we are to reach out to the end of the world. This is a command for all believers to be involved in world mission programs proclaiming that Jesus is Lord.
What kind of vision do you have to help reach people for Jesus? Do your spouse and family join you in this vision? Do you limit God’s potential power in your life because of your lack of vision? Do you show enough concern for your family, your community, your church and your world? Do others see Christ in you and do they see your vision to honor God?
Do you have a caring heart or do you just sit back with the attitude that I am doing all I can and someone else can take care of my neighbors, my community and the world’s problems? These are very important questions that you need to ask yourself. Begin today to take advantage of the power that God has waiting for you.
God gives us power through His Holy Spirit to accomplish what humanly might seem impossible. In Exodus 9:16, God directed Moses to go before Pharaoh and demand that Pharaoh let His people go --- to leave Egypt. And God assured Moses that he would have the power that he needed to accomplish this. This is the power that only God could give.
We are reminded that He is all powerful and that He is our power source. In Ephesians 3:20-21, we are reminded that we serve a great God and that He is “able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”
If you are looking for more assurance that God is a power source for your life then look at Ephesians 3:16 where Paul writes that He asked the Father to give the church at Ephesus the power to be strong inwardly through His Spirit.
And in Colossians 1:11 Paul tells the church at Corinth that “God will strengthen you with His own great power so that you will not give up when trouble comes.”
The power is there for us through the Holy Spirit and is only limited by our lack of faith or lack of vision. It is time to dream big dreams and then act by asking God through the power of His Holy Spirit to work through you. Do not limit what God wants from you.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Matthew 22:37.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
PRAYER:
I love You Lord, because You are my strength, my rock, my protection and my Savior. Thank You for being my rock so I can run to You for safety. Thank You for giving me power through Your Holy Spirit to be a witness for You this day.
POWER
DEFINITION:
The capability to do, act, or accomplish something; the control or command over others; a Deity; physical and mental strength; influence; might; influential.
SCRIPTURE:
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the world.” Acts 1:8.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
The machines and mechanized devices we use today in our daily lives make life so much easier for us. All of these devices have something in common. They need a power source. They come equipped with a fuel tank, an electrical plug or a solar cell. And these devices are useless unless they have power. A Vacuum cleaner needs to be plugged into an electrical out-let and an airplane cannot fly without fuel.
People today are searching for a power source for their lives. Some look to money and others look to education or a political office. These sources of power are acquired by our own methods. Political leaders want power to control their governing policies. Parents want power to control their children. But this kind of power, when a person relies on himself, is doomed to failure over time.
God is all powerful and has provided a power source for us that is greater than all other sources because it comes directly from Him. Jesus tells us in the above scripture that the Holy Spirit is that source for our power. It is important for all believers to remember that for power in our lives we need to be controlled by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus was speaking to His disciples shortly before His ascension into heaven when He was commissioning them to be His witnesses. He knew that the disciples could not do this in their own power so He tells them that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit would come upon them.
This power is freely given to us today but we must be willing to plug into the source. Unfortunately most people face life with all its issues and problems relying on their own abilities. When we have the Holy Spirit within us we have strength and a power that a non-believer does not understand and we do not have to face our day to day issues, both negative and positive, alone and in our own strength.
The apostle Paul fully understood the power of the Holy Spirit in his life. Paul wrote to his churches giving them and us much information concerning the power of the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 5 he tells us that the Holy Spirit gives us the power to overcome our sinful desires and the evils we face every day. In Romans 8 Paul tells us that we must be controlled by the Holy Spirit and He will give us power to please God.
In Galatians 5:22 Paul lists the results of what the Holy Spirit has the power to do for us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. God gives us power through His Holy Spirit to allow us to accomplish things for Him that we might think are humanly impossible.
In the verse we have written above we are reminded by the writer that God gives us power for a specific reason. That is to be witnesses for Him. We are to be a witness of Christ’s love and power to those we meet each day. God through His Holy Spirit gives us power and boldness not only to live a God fearing life but so we can speak out with authority about our faith.
We are told that we must act with this power available to us and these are marching orders to begin in our own Jerusalem. This is our family, our home and our work place. Is your home considered by all that live with you a God honoring home? Is Christ the head of your home?
Then we are told that we are to reach out beyond our home and workplace. To our Judea and Samaria. This is to our neighborhood and city. Everywhere we plant our feet on a given day, God expects us to be witnesses of Him wherever we go and He has given us the power to accomplish this.
And finally we are to reach out to the end of the world. This is a command for all believers to be involved in world mission programs proclaiming that Jesus is Lord.
What kind of vision do you have to help reach people for Jesus? Do your spouse and family join you in this vision? Do you limit God’s potential power in your life because of your lack of vision? Do you show enough concern for your family, your community, your church and your world? Do others see Christ in you and do they see your vision to honor God?
Do you have a caring heart or do you just sit back with the attitude that I am doing all I can and someone else can take care of my neighbors, my community and the world’s problems? These are very important questions that you need to ask yourself. Begin today to take advantage of the power that God has waiting for you.
God gives us power through His Holy Spirit to accomplish what humanly might seem impossible. In Exodus 9:16, God directed Moses to go before Pharaoh and demand that Pharaoh let His people go --- to leave Egypt. And God assured Moses that he would have the power that he needed to accomplish this. This is the power that only God could give.
We are reminded that He is all powerful and that He is our power source. In Ephesians 3:20-21, we are reminded that we serve a great God and that He is “able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”
If you are looking for more assurance that God is a power source for your life then look at Ephesians 3:16 where Paul writes that He asked the Father to give the church at Ephesus the power to be strong inwardly through His Spirit.
And in Colossians 1:11 Paul tells the church at Corinth that “God will strengthen you with His own great power so that you will not give up when trouble comes.”
The power is there for us through the Holy Spirit and is only limited by our lack of faith or lack of vision. It is time to dream big dreams and then act by asking God through the power of His Holy Spirit to work through you. Do not limit what God wants from you.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Matthew 22:37.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
PRAYER:
I love You Lord, because You are my strength, my rock, my protection and my Savior. Thank You for being my rock so I can run to You for safety. Thank You for giving me power through Your Holy Spirit to be a witness for You this day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
