Receive and Enjoy the Gift of Christ

 ”For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.“

Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭23‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Since the day we are born, we have the gift of Jesus available to open and enjoy all the days of our life and for eternity. The process of opening the gift of Christ consists of our believing that He is the son of God, who came to redeem us, and forgive us of our sins. It requires our belief and our confession of sin which leads us to the knowledge of our salvation. Once we have received Christ, we are filled with His Spirit and through His Spirit, we will have a lifelong relationship filled with His love, His guidance, His conviction, and His love for God. 

The Holy Spirit will  open our eyes to see the world differently. He will open our hearts to receive, and to share God‘s love beyond measure, and beyond our own strength and ability. It does not mean that we won’t stumble and fall into temptation, but it does mean that when we realize the sin in our lives, through the convection of His spirit, we will want to turn to Him and receive His forgiveness and freedom from the guilt and burden of sin.  If you are weighed down with guilt, fear, hopelessness, just reach out to God and call on Christ to come into your life and enjoy Him forever.

God,…Guard My Heart

 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

During these days with turmoil and evil seen in Israel, I am struggling to not add to the hatred and anxiety on display in the world. I cannot keep my heart in check.  I pray that God will guard my heart and He will make me a light in the darkness. Jesus prayed…“I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.”

‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Only by keeping my eyes on God and recalling His Word shared in the Bible can I cope and recognize that truth is true: good is good…confusion fades away. Satan is the father of lies, chaos, and confusion.  False reaching and aligning yourself with liars and deceivers will plunge you into darkness. Seek God and His Truth and be free of the burden of hopelessness. 

Delight In The Lord

 “You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you, and you will pay your vows. You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you, and light will shine on your ways.”

‭‭Job‬ ‭22‬:‭27‬-‭28‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Our default attitude should be to Delight In The Lord.  In all situations and at all times we can find delight and thankfulness in knowing Jesus.  When we begin to recognize and realize the nearness of God, through Jesus, every day will become a day of service, worship, and gratitude.  If such attitudes are evident in us, we will bring hope to those around us, and in that hope, the lost will find Jesus and His love 

What the world needs now…..

 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭11‬, ‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The world needs what only the Holy Spirit can produce and as believers in Jesus we are the conduits  God loves us and His desire is for us to discover and feel His love.  The confusion and lostness of the world is evidence of Satan’s work.  The Holy Spirit will overcome the lies and confusion that Satan brings, but the Spirit of God is only given to those who know Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Call on Jesus and He will respond  Spend time searching your heart and calling for God to fill you with His love and the gift of His Son and the Holy Spirit and your life will be forever changed  

Jesus brings calm to the storm.

 “And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭29‬ ‭ESV‬‬

1 Corinthians 14: 33... For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—

In a Bible study I was in, the question was asked, "What is Satan's goal?"  Two or three people said in unison "chaos" which surprised me.  I expected to hear sin or temptation, but as we discussed this, it became clear that chaos really describes what we face every day...the confusion, the distortions, the lack of clarity, the doubts that surrounds us.

When we are confronted with life's challenges and trials, if we focus on all that is challenging us, we soon become overwhelmed.  We become so focused on our problems that we forget that Christ is beside us.  Psalm 23 1-2: The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.

Jesus Christ is the only One who can bring order and peace into this world of chaos.  Fox News, CNN, government are all contributing to the chaos because they tend to come between us and Jesus. 

The wonderful thing is that as we focus on Jesus when we are in the midst of chaos, we allow Him to be our Shepherd and the chaos of Satan is put in it's proper place...behind us.