Posts

Posted on

Open Your Eyes

JANUARY 28

MATTHEW 5:9_for they shall be called the children of God.

How do you find peace?

Peace comes from connecting the soul (mind, will, emotions) with the spirit. When the soul connects with the spirit, which is connected to Christ, it experiences confidence and security—regardless of circumstances. 

When peace is dependent upon life’s circumstances being exactly as you want, seldom will you find inward peace. 

Open your eyes.

See Jesus at work in your life.

Hear Him calling.

Focus on Jesus in the midst of your storms (physical, spiritual, or psychological).

Believe Jesus is who the Bible says He is.

Experience the peace that overcomes life’s circumstances.

John 16:33 (KJV), “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me [Jesus] ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

That verse says a lot! This life will not always go the way you want. Life comes with trouble. Jesus lets you know that He’s got this. That doesn’t mean you won’t hurt, moan, groan, and cry. If you didn’t do any of those—you wouldn’t have trouble.

Agree with Jesus and let Him overcome your world. You will be a child of God!

PRAYER

Dear Jesus, I praise You for overcoming the world. I know You can overcome the storms which rage within my soul. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.                    

Christ gives peace—To my soul!

Posted on

Give the Creator Credit

APRIL 1

MATTHEW 5:30_And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee…

More graphics.

The inevitable process is if the looking is not controlled, the act is very likely to follow. Jesus says before you get physically involved in sexual sin, it’s better to cut off your hand. Again, don’t go cutting off your hand!! Please stay with these devotions.

Let’s go back to Proverbs 6 concerning adultery, verses 24-29 (KJV), “To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. 25Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. 26For by means of a whorish woman, a man is brought to a piece of bread, and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. 27Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?  28Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?  29 So he that goeth in to his neighbor’s wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.”

The Bible says whoever touches her shall not be innocent—looking leads to touching, and touching leads to disaster! If you play with fire, you will get burned. If you feel the Bible is too binding and you are free to make your own decisions, please give the Creator of sexuality credit for knowing how it works.

You do have a free will to make your own decisions.

Your free will always bears the consequences.

As in every case, Jesus is trying to save you from misery and bondage.

You do not want to live a life of regret. 

 PRAYER

Almighty God, Thank You for warning me of disaster ahead. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ warns His disciples of disaster—I should listen!

Posted on

To Be a True Friend

JANUARY 27

MATTHEW 5:9_Blessed are the peacemakers…

I can never be a peacemaker if I am not willing to yield to someone else’s viewpoint. I can never be a peacemaker if I can’t find peace within myself. All this is fully dependent upon knowing who Jesus is and who I am in Him. 

I can only be a peacemaker if I am founded on the rock of Scriptural truth. I must not compromise convictions for the sake of being someone’s friend. I know that sounds backwards after I just said I must be willing to yield—but don’t forget there is a fine line. To be a true friend, I would never agree with something I know to be contrary to the Bible. The best way to love people is to help them find the path to freedom: truth! 

Needless to say everyone thinks their side is right, but for Christians there has to be a standard— the Bible. The Bible teaches the path to become a peacemaker is to love, to yield, and to serve. 

Romans 12:18 (KJV) says, “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.”

We just can’t live at peace with everyone in this life. This life is a time for good versus evil. If we follow the Biblical principles of love, yield, and serve, we can learn to be peacemakers, even in this evil world!

 PRAYER

God of Peace, I pray You will teach me how to love, yield, and serve. As much as is possible on my part, Lord, help me live in peace.In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.                             

Christ is my peace—He will teach me peacemaking!

Posted on

The Fine Line

JANUARY 26

MATTHEW 5:9_Blessed are the peacemakers…

Perhaps there are people in the world who do not want peace. With all the violence we experience at such high levels it certainly appears that way. What brings about conflict and violence?

By now you know what causes conflict between people—the heart. Either your heart is pure and set on righteousness or it is not. We have already discovered that you did not come into the world with a pure heart. To develop a pure heart requires decisions on your part. Decisions that involve the Bible, Jesus, and listening to the Holy Spirit. Without those three I don’t know a way to make good decisions.

Conflicts tend to come from self-centered, self-absorbed, my-way-or-no-way attitudes. If the conflicts are to be resolved, someone has to yield. Someone has to be willing to give consideration to the other’s point of view. Someone has to be willing to consider, and perhaps try out, the other’s suggestion. 

As with anything in life, there are lots of fine lines in peacemaking. When does peacemaking become caving in to political correctness or yielding to evil? When does peacemaking become caring more about what people think than what God thinks? 

Stay tuned!

PRAYER

Father of Peace, I know You want peace in the world. I know we live in a world that does not submit to You as ruler. Help me learn to be a peacemaker for You. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.                    

Christ is a peacemaker—He will help me become one!

Posted on

Can You See God?

JANUARY 25

MATTHEW 5:8_for they shall see God.

Just as the negative things we dwell on are embedded in the heart, Jesus’ teachings cleanse the heart. When your heart is purified—you will see God.

You see God when you fill your heart with the truths of His principles found in His Word.

You see God when you make sacrifices in your life in order to help someone weaker or needier than you.

You see God when you stand for truth even in the face of ridicule, scorn, and lies.

You see God when you make choices for righteousness and purity over self-satisfying indulgence.

You see God because your heart has been purified by agreeing with His truths over the world’s lies. You have made decisions in your heart to walk that road, follow that path, take up that cross, and become a disciple of Jesus.

You will never purify your heart by agreeing with the world’s standards. This means looking at images of impurity, speaking words of impurity, engaging in acts of impurity, reading novels filled with impurity, watching entertainment full of impurity, or listening to music about impurity.

You are not going to see God on any of those roads.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, Forgive me for the times I have chosen impurity over purity and the times I have agreed with lies because I didn’t want to walk the road of truth. Help me. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.                    

Christ’s truths are the road to purity—He will lead me!