“Watch where you’re supposed to be going!”

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter (finisher) of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning (despising) its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2 New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
“Watch where you’re supposed to be going!” It usually happens when we are looking somewhere besides where we should be. We will invariably walk or drive in the direction we are looking instead of where we should be going. But the same thing is true of the way we live. We “live like where we look, where we see, and where we listen.” Wherever we are spending the most of our time that’s the way we will live also. If we spend our time with the world, with worldly people, in front of the “Boob Tube” (ever wonder why they nicknamed the TV that?) or other worldly media, then that’s the way we are going to live. If you spend your day watching soap operas then your life will be a soap opera lived out! Because what you feed on (sow) is what you will reap, because what you feed on the most is what gets into your heart. That’s why it’s important to fix our eyes and ears on Jesus! Forget or at least put aside this world and fix ourselves on Jesus, spend time with Him and His Word. Who He is, what He has done for us, and where He is taking us. When you understand that principle, it will change the course of your life.

Wonder Bread once had a slogan that said: “You are what you eat, from your head down to your feet!”
What are you feeding on the most, the world or the things of God? Don’t say: “Oh, it’s just a movie , it won’t hurt anything!” Wanna bet! Been there, done that! Wore the ‘Tee’ Shirt! It’s something sowed. Feed your kids Harry Potter stuff and they’ll turn out “New Age” , Wiccan or worse. Feed them just Wonder Bread and not fruits and vegetables and they’ll be fat! We must feed our spirit the things of God daily!

MY PRAYER…
Almighty and holy God, without Your grace and the gift of Your salvation, through Jesus, I could not approach You with confidence. Thank You for sending Jesus! Thank You for His life, His death, His burial, His resurrection, His exaltation and His intercession at Your right hand for me. I pledge this day to keep my eyes on Him! I pledge to live by Faith in Him and who He is. The report of a stranger I will not believe. In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen

Does your lifestyle make God appear to be a Liar?

He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself: he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.
1 John 5:10 New King James Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
If you believe in the Son of God the Word says you will have an inner witness within you. That means that you will know from the inside out that you are saved, that Jesus is at work in your life. That you will begin to change and be conformed into His image as He leads and guides you. You do not have to change before you come to God, but you must allow His Word to change you afterward. The worldly and un-Godly ways in your life will begin to disappear. You won’t have to rely on someone else telling you, you’ll know beyond the shadow of any doubt that the change is necessary. You’ll know that you know, that you know, that you know. Your knower will tell you so! If you remain unchanged then you make God out to be a liar, when really it’s just you and your hard heart and unwilling nature that stops the changes God would have you make. But if you don’t believe what the Word of God says about you, you’ve made God out to be a liar. I sure wouldn’t want to be in those shoes!

MY PRAYER…
Abba Father, Most Holy God, thank You for filling me with Your Spirit. Thank You for that inner witness at times when doubt tries to creep in. Thank You Father for Your ever present presence in my life. Thank You for knowing me and having a plan for my life to please You. Help me from this day forward to glorify You in what I do and say. Let Your Holy Spirit lead and guide me in all things, teaching me Your will and Your ways, by being my inner witness. Help me Father to remove all un-Godly things and ways from my lifestyle and to become God inside minded. In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen

Do you know that you are seated in Heavenly places with Jesus?

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:1-3 New King James Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
Scripture says that if you believe in Jesus and have been baptized into His death that you are also raised up with Him and made to sit in heavenly places with Him (Eph 2:6). This is known as a positional truth because it is what God says about us. We need to see ourselves as God does in His positional truths. We should seek those things that are of heaven, those things which will last with us through all eternity. We should lay up treasures for ourselves in heaven, where they can not be destroyed or taken by thieves. We need to get our eyes off of ourselves and the things of this world, the things that distract us from heavenly things, and get them unto Jesus…the Author and the Finisher of our faith. Only He can change our circumstances.

MY PRAYER…
Eternal Father, who was before creation and who is the Great “I AM”, help me to sow seeds in my life that will bear eternal fruit. Help me to see where You have raised me to be seated. Let Your Spirit guide and teach me to sow to the spirit and to avoid those things that are carnal and lead to death and destruction. Help me to keep my eyes on Jesus, my Author and my Finisher for I know that I can not accomplish anything on my own, but I need You and Your Holy Spirit to help and to guide me every step of the way. So Father, I ask You to fill me afresh each day with Your precious Holy Spirit, that indeed I may be endued with power from on High to accomplish that which I can not myself do for Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ mighty name, I pray.
Amen

Did you know, we are called to participate in the divine nature of God by God Himself?

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
2 Peter 1:4 King James Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
God made us in His Image, His Character and His Holiness, because He wanted us to be as much like Him as we could be. We were made not just to look like God, but also have His nature and character. We are called to participate in the divine nature of God Himself according to His Word. He has promised that if we have died with Christ in baptism, that we have then been seated in heavenly places with Christ. That we have then been made more than conquerors. We are assured that we will escape the corruption and destruction destined for the world. His promises are sure, they are eternal, and His Word will never change. He does not lie nor change His mind, if we will hearken unto His Word and follow it wholeheartedly we shall reap His precious promises!

MY PRAYER…
Almighty God, my Everlasting Fortress, thank You for giving me Your great and precious promises. Help me Lord to understand them and to walk them out in my life. Lord, I long to know You more fully and to be able to see Your face today, just as I believe I will one day in heaven. Thank You for giving me the means to protect myself and my heart from this world’s corruption. Lord, help me through Your Holy Spirit to walk in the spirit and not in the flesh. In all love and appreciation of what You have given me, I pray, in the name of Jesus.
Amen

Can you praise the Lord openly?

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
Psalm 95:1-2 New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
You can scream and shout and holler all day in front of a crowd of people at a sports event, why can’t you praise the Lord openly? What better way to express our joy than with laughter and song. We sing to the Lord because we are joyful and thankful for all He has done for us! Our music is not inhibited or held back, but exuberant and as full of heart as it is of sound. We praise Him with our whole being, all that we are. Just like David danced in the streets before the Lord. Thanksgiving and praise to Him is what brings us into the Father’s presence and it is our joy at the knowledge of what He has done for us that leads us to praise Him. Even if we are not musically inclined it’s okay. He said in His Word we could make a joyful noise unto the Lord. It’s our hearts that matter, not what we sound like.

MY PRAYER…
Most wonderful and glorious Father, thank you so much for sending Your Son and saving me from sin, death, and the law. Thank you for saving me and giving me the assurance, through your Holy Spirit, that I can come before you with exuberant and overflowing joy. Your love and grace have not only given me hope but have made me your child, a son and an heir. Hear my heart and be blessed by my sounds of praise. Through the mighty name of Jesus I pray and because of Jesus I will shout your praise forever and ever.
Amen

Do you want to accelerate your spiritual growth in the fastest way?

“Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser; teach a righteous man…and he will increase in learning.”
Proverbs 9:8-9 The Amplified Bible

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
Do you want to accelerate your spiritual growth in the fastest way? Then you need to learn to take correction, both from the Spirit of God and through His people when He sends them. You need to perform routine daily Spiritual Maintenance by spending at least a tenth of your day alone with God in prayer, praise, and pondering His Word, also you need to spend just some quiet time listening to what He is saying to you. Most of us love it when our pastor preaches about something we already know, or about some aspect of life we’ve already submitted to the Lord in. We think he’s a great pastor. We like him because he makes us feel good. But let that same pastor stand up and begin to preach about something we’re doing wrong, or some area that we need to change in or turn over to the Lord for His help and we immediately put up a wall and take offense. There will even be some who will get up and leave! We have got to get over that and learn to esteem the gift of the pastor that has been given to us by the Lord God and learn to accept the Lord’s chastening through him. Or for that matter through any of the elders or leaders the Lord has placed over us. I’d rather be chastened (corrected) by the Lord than to be broken, crushed, or rejected by Him! We need to learn to receive that word of correction or guidance and begin to examine ourselves and ask the Lord; “Is that right? Does that agree with Your Word? Do I need to make some adjustments or changes in this area Lord?” If any of the answers are yes, then make them and watch your spiritual life begin to flourish even more. A very wise spiritual man once said, “If you think you’ve already arrived, you really aren’t going anywhere anyway!” Remember correction is not rejection, it is direction given unto perfection!

MY PRAYER…
Thank you, Father, for loving me and sending me Jesus to be my example. I ask, that by Your Holy Spirit, You help me to live the life that Jesus would have me to live. Father help me to allow the ‘Teacher’ to teach me Your ways and help me Lord to receive correction when correction is due. Lord I want nothing more than to grow and mature in You more each day. In Jesus’ mighty name I pray.
Amen

God loves you regardless of whether you love Him or not!

This is love: not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 4:10 New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
He loved us first! He offered his Son to save us regardless of our decision to believe in Him or to ignore His grace. You can be a complete Atheist and God still loves you! Regardless of our condition or state or how bad of a sinner we are/were, God still loves us! Regardless of whether we loved Him or not. His love was, is and always will be Unconditional Love. We are given the ability to accept or reject the death of His Son as the sacrifice for our sins and the proof of His Love for us. It’s our choice either way. But, what we need to understand, as 1 John 2:1-2 emphasizes, is that He died for everyone else in the world too, and that now we must tell them of HIS sacrifice of love for them!

MY PRAYER…
Precious Father, Almighty God, why You should love me and send Jesus to die for me I will never fully understand. But I thank You for Your love, Your mercy, and especially Your grace (unmerited favor) and I receive Your love. Thank You for Your sacrifice for my sins. Thank You, Jesus, for coming to save me and to show me the way. I pray in Jesus’ name and by His intercession at the Father’s right hand for me.
Amen

Justification before God is easy!

Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Romans 3:24 King James Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
It is so easy to receive justification before God that many refuse to accept it because they don’t believe it can be that easy. Instead they want to try to work out their justification through works of the flesh or penance to a priest. They want to clean up their life themselves, first before coming to God. Do they really think they have the power on their own to do that? If they did, then why are they in such a mess now! Why do they even need God then! They think they have to earn their way into the Kingdom of God. It can’t be done that way! It can’t be earned! You must just accept that by grace through faith you become a child of God, a ‘Saint’ in the Kingdom of God (without works). Now I didn’t say you become a “Saint” by becoming a child of God, the Word of God said that! You do not have to be ‘canonized’ by the Pope to a saint in the Kingdom of God! The Word of God clearly says that all we need to do is freely receive His grace. “Freely” What do you do when someone gives you something free? You take it, say thank you, and are blessed! Just back up 4 verses in Romans 3 and read what it says leading up to this verse.

(Romans 3:20-22) “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh (mankind) be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:” Notice it says, “..unto all and upon all them that believe…” That includes everyone out there in this world so that you can believe and come to God. He so loved the world! Not just Christians.

MY PRAYER…
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your grace. Thank You for the seed of faith that allows me to believe Your Word. Father, I ask in the name of Jesus that you would give unto to those who read this prayer the Spirit of wisdom and revelation into the knowledge of Him: That the eyes of their understanding be enlightened; that they may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints (those who believe) is, that they may understand the simplicity of Your grace unto those who believe. That they may “Freely” receive justification through Jesus our Lord.

In Jesus’ name, I pray.

Amen

Abraham ‘believed’ God it and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
Galatians 3:6-9 King James Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
Notice that as Abraham believed God it was accounted to him for righteousness. Not by anything else that he did or by his works, or by keeping the law, only by his ‘faith’, his belief, in what God had said to him. Notice that God promised in His Word to justify even the heathen (the unsaved worldly people) through that same faith that brought Abraham his righteousness. The just shall live by faith! When you have been justified by God you have become His righteousness through Jesus! All we have to do is believe that God is and that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek after Him, make Jesus our Lord and He will (actually HE has already) justify us through the Blood of Jesus.

MY PRAYER…
Precious Father, I know that I was not worthy for You to justify. But because You loved us so much You made a way where by we could be justified. You sent Jesus to the Cross for us. On the Cross the penalty was paid. In the Grave the victory was won. At Your right Hand the reign begun. And Jesus now and forever sits at Your hand making intercession for those that will call on Him in faith. I pray Father, that everyone reading this will get a revelation of Jesus Christ and Him crucified for them. In Jesus name.
Amen

Are you the righteousness of God?

And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
Romans 4:22-24 King James Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSES…
Paul is talking here about Abraham, the father of faith. Because Abraham believed that what God promised him He was fully able to do (faith in God), God accounted his faith unto him for righteousness. But the Word of God goes on to say that not only was righteousness accounted unto Abraham for his faith but also to those of us who believe on Him who raised Jesus from the dead. It’s so simple people. All we have to do to be righteous (to be Just) in the sight of God is believe in Jesus and God who raised Him from the dead. To come to Him in Faith, we don’t have to do anything else to obtain righteousness, our righteousness is from and through Christ Jesus. We don’t have to get our act together or clean up our lives first, we can’t without His help anyway. Jesus has washed us with His Blood and made us clean (righteous) before God. It is soooo easy, yet religion has made it so hard to grasp. All we have to do is Believe – no proof needed!

MY PRAYER…
Precious Father, thank You for making it soooo easy for me! So easy that many will not believe it is so easy. Father, thank You for providing for my righteousness through Your Son and my Lord Jesus. Thanks Abba Daddy for giving me that which I was not worthy to receive. That which I could in no way earn You lovingly gave to me as a free gift, if only I would receive it. Father, I exercise my faith and I accept that which I was not worthy to have, but that which You have freely given. Thank You Lord for sending me Jesus to show me the way, the only way! In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen