Receive the Grace of God

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in the present age, looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
Titus 2:11-13 New King James Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
In a world that has no absolutes, in a world of failing, decaying moral standards, lost ethics, and just plain human moral degeneration to an animalistic state, salvation by the unmerited grace of God beckons us to change our lifestyle in response to God’s grace. In a world that has digressed to the same state as Sodom and Gomorrah, which God destroyed because of their degenerate homosexual lifestyles. Anyone who receives grace and refuses to pursue Godly righteousness (refuses to allow the Word of God to change them) demonstrates his/her ignorance or just their plain hardness of heart. Have they really received His Grace? God will give the worldly up to their unrighteousness, He will allow them to do what they want to do, before they are destroyed for it. This includes all those of the world who practice homosexuality and other degenerate immoral lifestyles, Paganism, Wicca, or any other non Christian religion, and even those who condone such a lifestyle. That does not mean He approves of it or is a part of it, they make their own choice. In our day, in our time, to be saved means we must also pursue righteousness — not so that we may earn our salvation, since salvation is the gift of God and not of works, but so that God’s saving grace will not be fruitless in us. It also means we should NOT stand idly by and let the world become an immoral, homosexual cesspool, that some call gay! There’s nothing ‘gay about homosexuality. We need to stand our ground and help keep the moral and civil laws governing us pure and Godly in nature. God, His Word, the Bible do not condone ‘same sex’ marriages! Looking to Jesus, who HAS (past tense) redeemed us with His precious blood, making Him the Lord of our life. When Jesus is the Lord of your life you will let Him lead and guide, change you from the inside out. You will begin walking the talk of a Christian life, not just talking it, but living it every day. Being a Christian means living a lifestyle according to the Word of God. Living like Jesus did!. Knowing and understanding “Jesus Christ and Him crucified for us!” Receive His Grace and be changed.

MY PRAYER…
Holy Father, I confess that I live in a confusing time. Satan is always distorting the distinction between right and wrong, good and evil, moral and immoral. Father, I thank You that You have sent Your Holy Spirit to be our Comforter and our Guide and Teacher. That He will lead us into all truth of You and will expose the lies and deceitfulness of Satan in the world around us. Because You have been so gracious with me, may my life today reflect the righteousness You gave (past tense) me through Jesus. May the words of my mouth, the thoughts of my heart, and the actions of my life be pleasing in Your sight. That which is not from or of You I denounce in my life. Through my Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer, Jesus, I pray.
Amen

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No man has ever walked this earth without sin, except the Man Jesus Christ.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1 John 1:8 King James Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
There isn’t a man that ever walked the face of the earth that didn’t have sin, save the Man Jesus Christ Himself. And there will be NO man who walks this earth in the future that is without sin either. Even if you think you are without sin, you are not! “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.(Rom 3:23)” For we were born of the first Adam’s seed, who put mankind into sin, gave us a sin nature by inheritance, and we have deceived ourselves if we say we have no sin or have never sinned. But, God (everybody say, “But, God “) in His great mercy (un-merited favor) saw fit to send His only Son to pay the price for us and for our sin. He had to because there was no other way we could be made righteous before Him. NO priest, or minister can absolve your sins for you, the Bible says: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1John 1:9) He, God, Jesus will forgive us. He did not say to go ask the priest to forgive you, he can’t, God has to. God’s righteous judgment would have demanded our death. But, Jesus bought us out of sin, sickness, disease, poverty, depression, bondage and whatever else you might need recovered from with His blood on the cross that great day over 2000 years ago. We must now walk (be renewed by) in the light of His grace and mercy. Receive what Jesus has already done for you and allow His Word to change and conform you into the image of Him. Go to God, in the name of Jesus, and ask for His forgiveness. The Word says, “…He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1John 1:9). The priest, or reverend, or Mary, or some other canonized saint can NOT forgive your sin. It is God who forgives, not some man or woman and God alone.

MY PRAYER…
Loving Father, thank You for making a way for me where there was no way. Thank You for showing me the sin in my life and making a way for my forgiveness through the blood of Jesus. Father, help me by the power of Your Holy Spirit to walk and live a sinless life from this day forward. Change me Lord and renew my mind in You. Help me to know that I have been cleansed with the blood of Jesus and been made righteous before You, through His righteousness. In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen

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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 the un-Godly ways in your life should 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 you should be changing. Your knower will tell you so! If you remain unchanged after making Jesus you Lord 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 had 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

You must 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 and praise to the Lord should not inhibited or held back, but be exuberant and as full of heart as it is of sound. We should praise Him with our whole being, with all that we are. Just like David danced in the streets before the Lord, we should praise Him openly before all to see. 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

Accelerate your spiritual growth!

“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

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God loves you regardless of whether you love Him!

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

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Grow A Little Spiritually Every Day!

“Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.”
Luke 13:18-19 King James Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
If you’re going to grow in the kingdom of God, you’re going to do it just like a seed that’s been planted in the ground. How does a seed grow? All at once? No, it grows constantly– 24 hours a day–a little at a time until it accomplishes what it was created to do. Many of us don’t operate that way spiritually. We study and pray very hard for a few days and then quit or slack way off. We want it all right now, microwave Christianity! Then, when some emergency or sickness or some other disaster comes, we make a mad desperate attempt to pray and stand on the Word, calling all our brothers and sisters to be in agreement with us! While all the while realizing that, for some reason, we’re just not as strong as we ought to be spiritually. Why not? God’s Kingdom works on the principal of “Seed time and Harvest”, you don’t get a harvest without first sowing seed. And seed takes time to grow. There’s no such thing as an overnight success in the kingdom of God! There’s no over night ‘super Christian’! Real strength, real growth comes as you consistently and constantly keep the Word before your eyes, in your ears, and in the midst of your heart. Not just when you want to or when you feel like it, but constantly, like the seed, a little at a time. Make up your mind to begin that daily process of constant growth today. Determine to start putting the Word in your heart consistently. Every day a line here, a line there–a CD here, a CD there, maybe a video here, and video there, line upon line, precept upon precept as your spirit man grows and becomes strong in the things of God! Eventually, your faith will be bigger than you ever dreamed it could be. Remember to tithe of your time to the Lord also. A tithe of 24 hours is 2.4 hours a day that you should be giving totally to God!

MY PRAYER…
Almighty God, I thank You for giving me a measure of faith that I can plant in my heart and cause to grow. Thank You Lord, for Your steadfast love and enduring faithfulness even when I falter. I thank You for Your grace and mercy. I thank You for Your might and power. I thank You for Your awesome holiness. I thank You… for being You and choosing to reveal Yourself to mortals like me. I Thank You Father for loving me so much that You sent Your Holy Son Jesus to bear my sin, my punishment, my sickness, my disease, my poverty, my depression, and my lack of fulfillment in the law, that through His sacrifice I might have life and life more abundantly. Father help me to develop a steadfastness in spending time with You and in Your Word. In Jesus’ name, your Word made flesh, I pray.
Amen

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What do you have in your life now that will last forever?

The Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
What do you have that is forever? Nothing, unless it is spiritual. Most everything we have falls apart, breaks, grows old, rusts away, or runs down in a short time, and if that doesn’t finish it then the purifying fire of the Lord on the day of judgment will. Nothing material will leave this earth with us when we go. Nothing, not even a piece of clothing. But we have three things that will last forever: God (Triune – in all three persons), our Christian brothers and sisters, and our praise for God. These are eternal. We must protect these through our daily spiritual maintenance with God, be sure and give Him the time that’s His. Remember, the tithe belongs to the Lord, that’s a tenth! Not just a tenth of our first fruits and money, but a tenth of our daily time is also His. Only what you store up now in heaven will last forever.

MY PRAYER…
God, I look forward to the day of Your next great surprise. I join the angels in standing on tiptoe as I look into the clouds to see my Lord, Your Son, return in all glory and splendor and watch as He receives the exaltation, the honor, and the praise He deserves. I’ll stand in awe as every knee bows to the King of Kings and every tongue speaks forth nothing but praises. I praise You for that day now, even though I see it only by faith. Until I see You on that day, know that my heart’s desire is to serve You, even when my weakness gets in the way of showing it as fully as I should. But, I know that when I am weak then I am made strong through you. My thanks and praise to You in Jesus’ name.
Amen

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