Tag: Spirit

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You Decide

OCTOBER 3

MATTHEW 7:8_and he that seeketh, findeth…

God does some seeking Himself. Proverbs 20:27 (KJV), “The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” Okay, so it sounds a little strange or even humorous in the King James, but if you translate belly and inward parts as the very depth of your being, you may do better. 

This verse tells something about your spirit. If you are a triune being: body, soul, and spirit—what is your spirit? Think of it as the part of your being which communes with God. It also is the part which is eternal. 

Your spirit is housed within the body, and you can’t see it. Yet, you know it is there because it communes with the Holy Spirit. This is what searches the innermost part of your being—kind of like a conscience. 

Your soul (mind, will, emotions) also is housed in the body, you can’t see it either. Yet, you know the soul is there because you think. You decide whether to follow God’s path or the devil’s. You can cry when you hurt and smile when you’re happy.

The body is the only part of your being you can see. One day it will die. The spirit will live on.

You have the freedom to decide where your spirit will live—for eternity.

PRAYER

God Who Sees, Help me as my spirit and the Holy Spirit guide me. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.                                   

Christ uses my spirit to lead me—I will follow!

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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 Bling Melts

AUGUST 19

MATTHEW 6:31_saying, what shall ye eat or, what shall ye drink, or wherewithal shall ye be clothed?

Remember how Jesus referred to Himself as Bread and as Water? This is spiritual bread and water. It feeds the spirit and satisfies the soul. The spirit can overpower the body, but it must be yielded to Jesus. Just because you are a spiritual being does not automatically make you salty-lit-up disciples of Jesus. You either yield your spirit to Jesus or yield it to the devil.

The devil also has the power to meet needs, but anything he supplies is temporary. The devil’s temptations sparkle and dazzle with an abundance of bling. They offer a way out of suffering. Who doesn’t want a way out? The devil can satisfy your physical but never your spiritual. A spirit yielded to the devil can never be satisfied. Your spirit was created with a yearning to know and be in a loving relationship with Jesus. Once the devil has you in his trap—nothing satisfies. All his bling melts away and cravings are worse than they were before you yielded.

Adam and Eve’s son, Cain, met his needs the easy way. Their son, Abel, chose God’s way.  Genesis 4:7 (KJV), “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door…”

Cain committed the first murder. His easy way cost the life of his brother.   

PRAYER

Lord Who Cares, Help me to be strong and choose Your way. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ can make me strong—I ask Him to!

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You Decide

AUGUST 10

MATTHEW 6:29_that even Solomon…

Solomon is an interesting man. He was the son of King David and Bathsheba. He was not the son of their adulterous affair, that son died shortly after birth. David repented of his departure from God’s path and God gave him other sons. God’s hand was on Solomon from birth. 2 Samuel 12:24 (KJV) records Solomon’s birth, “And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the Lord loved him.” God loved Solomon from the day of his birth. This is specifically recorded in Scripture because of David’s deep repentance and God’s great mercy. Perhaps, it is a kind of peace offering between the two.

Because God loves you from the day you are born (and even before), He has a plan for your life. Your plan in life is unique to you. Otherwise the world would be a pretty odd place.

For life to function there must be leaders, and there must be followers. There must be teachers, and there must be students. There must be administrators, and there must be workers. There must be coaches, and there must be players. It’s how life works.

You have a natural response in your spirit to what God calls you to be. As always, you decide to follow or not.   

PRAYER

Dear Savior, Thank You that You loved me before I was born. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ calls me to a plan—He will show it to me!

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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!