[ecko_quote source=" Psalms 27:4"]One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple[/ecko_quote]
To pray, we must enter into God’s presence with the right spirit, approach, and preparation. The term “entering into God’s presence” is frequently used in the church today to refer to worship and prayer. However, in casual, twenty-first century Christianity, few really understand this concept. We often fall short of entering into God’s presence because we lack a genuine reverence for Him. In good olden days, a man would remove his hat when he walked past a church in order to show respect for the place in which God was worshipped. Today, we say, “That’s unnecessary. It’s the attitude of the heart that counts.” Yet I think we have lost the attitude with the custom.
We need to be spiritually sensitive to God’s holiness, might, and worthiness of reverence. We must also enter God’s presence with a heart of love. Jesus said the greatest commandment of all is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).
God is saying to the church, in essence, “Don’t obey Me because of the things you want from Me. Obey Me because you love Me. ‘If you love me, you will obey what I command’ (John 14:15). If you love Me, you won’t need chastisement and discipline to do what I ask of you.” God doesn’t want us to use Him merely as safety insurance from hell. He wants a relationship, not a religion.
He wants to be our Father. He wants communion with us—an atmosphere of intimacy in which we express our love, discover His will and then pursue it. Communion is entering into the mind and heart of God to become one with Him and His purposes.
Prayer: Father, please show me how to have oneness of heart with You. I want to give You the reverence and love that You deserve. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Thought: Enter God’s presence with the right spirit, approach, and preparation.
Image Source:
http://jonah.uec.nz/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/open-door.jpg
Myles Munroe
[ecko_quote source=" 2 Peter 1:10"]Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble[/ecko_quote]
God is not vague about your life. Therefore, it is essential that you learn the difference between vision and mission. You were designed to be unique and to fulfil a particular purpose. If you are to carry out this specific purpose, your vision must be specific. Otherwise, you will be just like everyone else around you. Remember, your vision—like your fingerprints—is meant to distinguish you from every other person in the world.
Let me use the Christian church as an example. The assignment that Jesus gave His followers two thousand years ago— “Go into all the world and preach the good news” (Mark 16:15)—is called the Great Commission. It is the “commission,” the joint or corporate mission of the worldwide church. Therefore, if a local church thinks its particular vision is to preach the gospel, then it has a mistaken idea of vision. It knows its mission, but it hasn’t yet found its true vision, that one thing that distinguishes it from all other churches.
One church is not assigned where another church is assigned. That is why an individual church shouldn’t compare itself with other churches in its city or nation or use another church as a measure of its own success. Each church is to fulfil its part of the Great Commission through the specific emphasis or approach that God has given it.
The same general principle holds true for you and your personal vision. What is the specific emphasis or approach in life that God has given you?
Prayer: Father, my mission as a believer is to see others won to the Lord Jesus Christ. Please open my heart to see the specific vision You have given me to fulfil this mission. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Thought: You were designed to be unique and to fulfil a particular purpose.
Image Source:
http://jonah.uec.nz/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/car1.jpg
[ecko_quote source=" John 19:11"]Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above[/ecko_quote]
Nothing that is not God’s will can come into the life of one who trusts and obeys God. This fact is enough to make our life one of ceaseless thanksgiving and joy. For God’s will is the one hopeful, glad, and glorious thing in the world and it is working in the omnipotence for us all the time, with nothing to prevent it if we are surrendered and believing.
One who was passing through deep waters of affliction wrote to a friend: “Is it not a glorious thing to know that, no difference how unjust a thing may be, or how absolutely it may seem to be from Satan, by the time it reaches us it is God’ will for us, and will work for good to us?
For all things work together for good to us who love God. And even of the betrayal, Christ said, “The cup which my Father gave me, shall I not drink it?” We live charmed live if we are living in the centre of God’s will. All the attacks that Satan, through others’ sin, can hurl against us are not only powerless to harm us, but are turned into blessings on the way.
Image Source:
http://jonah.uec.nz/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/good-2.jpg
[ecko_quote source=" Hebrews 12:1]Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us[/ecko_quote]
One of the most important phrases in today’s verse is “let us run with endurance.” Now that’s a constant challenge of the Christian life!
Physically speaking, running is one of the healthiest activities that we can do to improve our health. Running is great for the cardiovascular system and helps promote health in a variety of ways. The problem is that many people when they start jogging try to run too hard and end up burning out in just a short period of time.
Unfortunately, the same can be true of our spiritual lives. Many of us run hard and fast for Christ, but quickly lose energy and heart and find ourselves out of strength. Why? Because we haven’t laid aside the things that hold us down. It’s like trying to run with weights tied to your ankles!
The Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint. And the only way you will be able to run with endurance is to do what the verse today says…to lay aside the sin in your life that weighs you down.
Are you struggling today in your walk with Christ? If so, take an honest look at your life and see if there is any sin that is unconfessed. If there is, confess it and cast it aside. When you do you will find you will once again be able to run…and to do so with endurance.
Cast aside any sin that is weighing you down, so you can run with endurance.
Image Source:
http://jonah.uec.nz/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Endurance.jpg
Resource: Jack Graham
[ecko_quote source=" Galatian 2:20"]I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me[/ecko_quote]
A Christian has died to sin. Sin has no control over a corpse. Temptation can present itself enticingly and persistently, yet a corpse will not succumb! Before you were a Christian you were keenly vulnerable to sin. Sin held you in its grip. When you became a Christian, your old self-died (Gal 2:20). Sin now has no more control over you than temptation has over a corpse.
You have died to sin. You can still sin, but you are no longer in sin’s power. If you choose to succumb to temptation, you are rejecting the freedom from sin that Christ gained for you by His death.
God’s grace is a further motivation for us to resist sin. It was God’s grace that enabled Jesus to endure mocking, beating, and crucifixion at the hands of those whom He had come to save. It was grace that led God to forgive our sin despite our rebellion against Him. It is this same grace that God expresses toward us each time we sin against Him. Knowing this grace, we cannot continue to practice sin (Roman 6:1-2) We cannot presume upon God’s forgiveness by committing further offences.
You are no longer the helpless victim of your sin. The victory has already been won. God does not have to win a victory over your sin; He already has! You need only to apply His victory to each area of your life. If there is a sinful habit, an ungodly attitude, or an unrighteous relationship that you need to put to death, claim the victory of Christ’s resurrection today. Then you will be free to experience the abundant life that God intends for you.
Image Source:
http://jonah.uec.nz/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/sin-picture-1.jpg[]
[ecko_quote source="2 Corinthians 6:2"]Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.[/ecko_quote]
God always deals with people in the realm of “NOW”. He is not concerned about what we aim to do in the future or what we had done in the past. Therefore, our obedience must be now. Any delay in obedience is simply disobedience. Abraham, Moses, David and many others in the Bible obeyed to the voice of God right away. Instant obedience is all that matters.
In the final hours, when Jesus was on the cross, the two criminals who were hanging on either side heard what Jesus was saying. One took hold of the opportunity and gave his life to the Lord, while the other accused and blasphemed Him. In response to the one who accepted Him, Jesus said “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will with be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).
My dear ones, we do not know when it will be our final hour on this earth and when we will receive our call from the Lord. The Roman Emperor Constantine believed that once he was baptised, his sins would be washed away and that he would attain salvation and entrance into heaven. Because of this assumption, he put off baptism and planned to be baptised just before he died. It has been thought that Constantine put off baptism as long as he could so as to be absolved from as much of his sin as possible. Similarly, many believers play with sin in an anticipation that they may turn to the Lord, ask for his forgiveness, and receive His salvation just before their final moments. How foolish to think this way? Luke 12:20 clearly states “But God said to him, Fool! This night your soul will be required of you”. Dear ones our time is in His hands.
An aeroplane crashed and burned several years ago, killing all the occupants, except for one man who was miraculously delivered without any burns to his body. He was a guest on many of the talk shows and a sought-after speaker for many years, telling his story of the miraculous delivery from certain death. In one of the talk shows, he was asked two questions. The first question was, "What had you done the morning before you took your flight?" His response indicated him spending time in prayer and studying the scriptures.
The second question they asked him was, "As the fuel was igniting and flames were rushing through the cabin, was everyone crying out to God?" I believe his answer will always stay with you. He said that while their clothing and flesh were burning, he fully expected to hear people crying to God for help. But what he heard was cursing and screams of vile accusations towards God. He went on to say, for a long period of time this has troubled him. Why would people, with imminent death ahead, curse God? He said, it was revealed to him during a time of prayer that in a disaster, most people will die no different than the way they have lived. He said it's just like what Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of your heart, your mouth will speak."
As I think about this man's testimony, it has solidified my belief that what we think, speak, and do in our daily lives builds a foundation in our heart that affects our blessing and protection. Sadly, many Christians unknowingly live their lives with the same attitude, putting off an intimate relationship with God for one reason or another. We must remember that what you put into your heart is what comes out of your heart in the form of words, actions and deeds.
Remember, what we sow into our lives is what we are bound to reap. You can't expect a mango tree to grow out of apple tree seeds. Don't let this article discourage you if you have your course set in the wrong direction, but be encouraged and change your course today while you still have time. Although, it may take time, with persistence and faith in God, it will eventually happen. Speak the promises of God over your life and cast down the vain imaginations of doubt and unbelief that the enemy will attempt to place in your mind.
Image Source:
[http://www.elp.com/content/dam/diq/online-articles/2014/07/timeisnow.jpg]
[ecko_quote source="2 Corinthians 6:2"]Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.[/ecko_quote]
God always deals with people in the realm of “NOW”. He is not concerned about what we aim to do in the future or what we had done in the past. Therefore, our obedience must be now. Any delay in obedience is simply disobedience. Abraham, Moses, David and many others in the Bible obeyed to the voice of God right away. Instant obedience is all that matters.
In the final hours, when Jesus was on the cross, the two criminals who were hanging on either side heard what Jesus was saying. One took hold of the opportunity and gave his life to the Lord, while the other accused and blasphemed Him. In response to the one who accepted Him, Jesus said “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will with be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).
My dear ones, we do not know when it will be our final hour on this earth and when we will receive our call from the Lord. The Roman Emperor Constantine believed that once he was baptised, his sins would be washed away and that he would attain salvation and entrance into heaven. Because of this assumption, he put off baptism and planned to be baptised just before he died. It has been thought that Constantine put off baptism as long as he could so as to be absolved from as much of his sin as possible. Similarly, many believers play with sin in an anticipation that they may turn to the Lord, ask for his forgiveness, and receive His salvation just before their final moments. How foolish to think this way? Luke 12:20 clearly states “But God said to him, Fool! This night your soul will be required of you”. Dear ones our time is in His hands.
An aeroplane crashed and burned several years ago, killing all the occupants, except for one man who was miraculously delivered without any burns to his body. He was a guest on many of the talk shows and a sought-after speaker for many years, telling his story of the miraculous delivery from certain death. In one of the talk shows, he was asked two questions. The first question was, "What had you done the morning before you took your flight?" His response indicated him spending time in prayer and studying the scriptures.
The second question they asked him was, "As the fuel was igniting and flames were rushing through the cabin, was everyone crying out to God?" I believe his answer will always stay with you. He said that while their clothing and flesh were burning, he fully expected to hear people crying to God for help. But what he heard was cursing and screams of vile accusations towards God. He went on to say, for a long period of time this has troubled him. Why would people, with imminent death ahead, curse God? He said, it was revealed to him during a time of prayer that in a disaster, most people will die no different than the way they have lived. He said it's just like what Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of your heart, your mouth will speak."
As I think about this man's testimony, it has solidified my belief that what we think, speak, and do in our daily lives builds a foundation in our heart that affects our blessing and protection. Sadly, many Christians unknowingly live their lives with the same attitude, putting off an intimate relationship with God for one reason or another. We must remember that what you put into your heart is what comes out of your heart in the form of words, actions and deeds.
Remember, what we sow into our lives is what we are bound to reap. You can't expect a mango tree to grow out of apple tree seeds. Don't let this article discourage you if you have your course set in the wrong direction, but be encouraged and change your course today while you still have time. Although, it may take time, with persistence and faith in God, it will eventually happen. Speak the promises of God over your life and cast down the vain imaginations of doubt and unbelief that the enemy will attempt to place in your mind.
Image Source:
[http://www.elp.com/content/dam/diq/online-articles/2014/07/timeisnow.jpg]
