06 Sunday Jul 2014
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Where would I be without Jesus? That is a question I often ask myself. The video below by Shane and Shane reminded me how empty my life would be without Him. In the end, I could have it all and still have nothing if not for His saving grace and the Holy Spirit’s presence in my life.
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03 Thursday Jul 2014
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Today’s reading caught my attention when I read Revelation 13:9-10, 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear. 10 “If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed.” This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people. Endurance in the midst of suffering is hard. But it helps to know God is always by our side and the Holy Spirit is always in us.
14 Saturday Jun 2014
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The verse that stood out to me today is 1 John 4:13, This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. God presence in our lives is proof that we really belong to Him.
26 Monday May 2014
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When God originally gave the law, it was meant to show right from wrong and to eliminate tribal knowledge from one person to the other. The law was meant to give a clear path to God’s expectations of each person’s life. But even in the law there would always be imperfection. No person can fulfill every aspect and command of the law perfectly. For this reason God provided a new covenant through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the perfect atonement for our sins, thus providing the perfection required by God in His eyes. In Hebrews 8:13 it says, By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear. The “new” covenant is no longer established through a new set of rules, it lives inside of us through the Holy Spirit. God’s desire now turns into something we desire with all our hearts and minds.
26 Saturday Apr 2014
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Today we begin the book of Philippians which is another letter written by Paul. The purpose of the letter is to strengthen these believers in Philippi by showing them how true joy comes only through Jesus Christ. Each of the four chapters shows a different way we can experience joy despite our circumstances. Chapter 1 talks about finding joy in suffering; Chapter 2 is about finding joy in serving; Chapter 3 talks about finding joy in believing; Chapter 4 is about finding joy in giving. As Philippians 1 talks through finding joy in suffering, Paul says in verses 27-28, 27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. We can find joy in knowing that despite our suffering, in the end, we are saved by the blood of Christ.
25 Friday Apr 2014
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The life of the believer can sometimes feel like a battle. And just like any battle, we must be equipped to fight and defend ourselves. Ephesians 6:14-17 describes this as The Armor of God, 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. While this list may seem like items we must provide for ourselves, it is critical to realize all armor comes from God through the power of the Holy Spirit. One of my biggest struggles in life is finding peace. The harder I try to attain peace, the more it eludes me because my peace cannot come from me, it can only come from God. When I let go and give God control and the ability to arm me for battle, I am able to face any struggle in my imperfect existence with His perfect power.
19 Saturday Apr 2014
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Today we begin the book of Ephesians. This book is another letter written by Paul to the church at Ephesus and the main purpose of this letter was to encourage and strengthen believers their faith. As I was reading, and since tomorrow is Easter Sunday, Ephesians 1:7-8 stood out to me, 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. The events on Easter give us the redemption and forgiveness of our sins. But there is another part to this passage which was brought on by the resurrection and is mentioned in verse 8; wisdom and understanding, which can only come with the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
30 Thursday Jan 2014
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One of my favorite passages of the Bible is Galatians 5:22-24, 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by listening to the Holy Spirit and feel His presence in our lives, only good can come out of it. God wants us to experience all the good things in life. Not that we won’t experience difficulty, but what come out of our lives in all circumstances reflect the goodness of God.
10 Tuesday Dec 2013
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This world tells us we must be tough, strong, powerful and harsh in order to survive in it. But God has a different plan in Zechariah 4:6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. The key word here is Spirit because the only things of lasting value come from God’s Spirit leading us. As we make the decision to live our lives for God, we must trust less in our own strength and abilities by trusting God and the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
10 Thursday Oct 2013
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No wonder Judah was in so much turmoil. The king basically listened to everyone and agreed with everyone. First he listens to Jeremiah, then he listens to officials about killing Jeremiah, then he rescues Jeremiah. Jeremiah 38:4-5 said, Then the officials said to the king, “This man should be put to death. He is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin.” 5 “He is in your hands,” King Zedekiah answered. “The king can do nothing to oppose you.” When we have issues to resolve there is only one voice we should listen to. It is the voice of God through the Holy Spirit. Sometimes the voice is not perfectly clear, but if we do not ask for direction and truly listen for an answer, we will never know what God really wants us to do.
Daily Devotion 