Tag: Holy Spirit

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Get On Board!

AUGUST 23

MATTHEW 6:32_for your heavenly Father knoweth ye have need of these things.

The Bread of Life and the Living Water which spring up in your soul come from your heavenly Father. John 4:14 (KJV), “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Your clothes of righteousness also come from God, Isaiah 61:10 ) KJV), “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness …” 

Jesus teaches that God understands all your needs. He knows the needs of your body: food and clothes.  He understands the needs of your spirit: everlasting life and righteousness. You were not created to be self-sufficient. Your body, soul, and spirit have needs, and Jesus meets them all.    

The greatest need God placed in you is to know Him. Be in a relationship with the Father, through the Son, guided by the Spirit.

Get on board with God’s design!

PRAYER

Perfect Jesus, Only You can meet all my needs of body, soul, and spirit. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.                                                       

Christ knows every need I have—He can meet them all!

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The Believer Has the Bread of Life

AUGUST 22

MATTHEW 6:32_For after all these things do the Gentiles seek…

It is easy to say don’t worry, but it is not easy to do. Jesus leads us to a place where it becomes easier: faith and trust. Faith and trust come from being filled with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit teaches truth. Truth leads to freedom! Even freedom from worry.  John 8:32 (KJV) is worth repeating several times, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free .” 

Remember, Gentiles are considered non-believers. Ones who do not put faith and trust in the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Without faith and trust, opportunities for truth and freedom are reduced. John 8:36 (KJV), “If the son [Jesus] therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”  

Worry fits into the design of a non-believer. When unbelievers fall upon hard times, they are without a source of overcoming power. Suppose a financial depression hits the country. Any money that may have gone toward comforts is now applied to the essential of food. It is a difficult time for believers as well as non-believers. The believer hurts during this time just as the non-believer.

But, the believer has the Bread of Life—from which to find hope.

PRAYER

Living God, Help me find hope by trusting in You. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ wants to give me hope—I will accept it!

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Nobody Ever Said It Is Easy

AUGUST 18

MATTHEW 6:31_Therefore take no thought…

Remember when the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness for a time of testing? There was nothing easy about it. Jesus was called to fast, and the devil tempted Him to break the fast and eat. If you recall, Jesus used the same weapon against the devil that we should use: the words of truth. In this instance Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 (KJV), “… man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.” 

If your family is going through some kind of a struggle, the devil’s temptation is for you to worry. Nobody ever said it is easy not to worry when you are struggling. Use this time to shout out the Joshua chapter 1 cheer: “Be strong and of a good courage.”This is the time to defy thoughts of worry about where your next meal is coming from, or some other need. This is a time to quote the entire verse of Joshua 1:9 (KJV), “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” You’re not in this alone.  Whithersoever covers everywhere. Thou goest doesn’t necessarily mean a certain place. It could mean where you are in the circumstances of your life.

You don’t have strength to just not worry—overpower worry with the truth of Scripture.

PRAYER

Mighty Warrior, You know my circumstances and are with me. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ is a warrior for me—wherever I am in life!

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Can You Trust God?

AUGUST 15

MATTHEW 6:30_which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven…

The life span of grass sounds pretty brief—maybe it is. Regardless of how brief, during its time on earth, God gave it soil, rain, and sun. And beyond the basic needs, God added beauty. This is not to say a field of grass does not have beauty of its own—it surely does. But, God loves to add beauty in life. This kind of beauty is a fringe benefit of a life of faith. Faith in the true God—not just a god.

This is the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The God who gives provisions. God’s supplies to His creation include beauty—amazing beauty. Even the wealthy, resplendent King Solomon had no match for God’s beauty in nature. 

Jesus wants you to see how much God cares for and about you. Jesus helps with trust. Can you trust that the God who takes care of grass is concerned about every aspect of your life? Psalm 16:11 (KJV), “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

God wants you to stay on His path. He wants to fill you with joy. God wants to stretch forth His hand and give you pleasure.        

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, I praise You that only You can give me fullness of joy. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ is the fulfillment of joy—He fills me with it!

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Thrive!

AUGUST 9

MATTHEW 6:29_And yet I say unto you …

This verse begins with another of Jesus’ pay attention proclamations.

Previously, you were meditating on the beauty of the lilies of the field. All they do to acquire their beauty is to be in good soil, and take in some sunshine. But something is missing. Rain. All life is dependent upon water.

Rain is another part of the lily’s effortless beauty. Lilies do not make rain any more than they make the sun or the soil. In order for a lily to be a lily, it requires all three. All three come from God.

If you’ve done any gardening, you know during dry spells you must water plants to keep them alive. Earth water will satisfy your plants’ thirst.

If you’ve done any gardening, you know something else. Earth water keeps plants alive, but rain from heaven causes them to thrive.

Human life is made of three parts, a body, a soul, and a spirit. For a life to become the beautiful, fragrant creation it is intended to be requires three ingredients: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These life sustaining ingredients make the difference in a life that survives and one that thrives.

Don’t miss what’s coming. Jesus’ and yet means that after all you’ve learned about lilies—there’s something deeper.

 PRAYER

Dear Jesus, Help me to thrive in the power of the Triune God! In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ calls me to thrive—He has made a way!