Tag: Spirit

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Stuff Breaks

JULY 13

MATTHEW 6:19_where moth and rust doth corrupt…

Jesus doesn’t want you to be consumed by anything but His love. And He doesn’t want you to hoard that—He wants you to give it away!

The Creator understands body, soul (mind, will, emotions), and spirit. He understands how they work independently and together. Remember John Donne’s no man is an island phrase? Whatever God’s ultimate plan is for your life will involve people. Some may be family, some may be friends, some may only be acquaintances, and some you may never meet. But God wants to teach you how to love the people He brings your way. In order to love freely, your heart must be free. A heart bound by the love of wealth simply can’t give itself away in a 180 degree topsy-turvy fashion. 

Jesus gets a little graphic concerning possessions. They can rust. Moths can eat holes in them. Stuff breaks. It tears up. Earthly possessions are frail at best. Why would you let your heart get all wrapped up in stuff that breaks? 

Psalm 49:16-17 (KJV), “Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; 17 For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.”

What is made in this life will remain in the earth.

PRAYER

God of All Truth, Free my heart to love You and Your people. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ wants people in my life—He teaches me to love!

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A Time for God to Examine

JULY 9

MATTHEW 6:18_but unto thy Father which is in secret…

You want your fast to be seen by God: to examine your heart and motives.

You learn more about how to let God lead, and you follow. 

Your spirit grows stronger.

These are the kinds of things the Father sees in secret.

Prayer, Bible study, and meditation on Scripture, are perfect condiments to fasting. This opens the door for The Big Three: Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge. Psalm 119:1-7 (KJV) comes alive, “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. 2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. 3 They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. 4 Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. 5 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! 6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. 7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.”

That’s some powerful stuff, but self-denial is a powerful act.

Fasting is by no means the only form of self-denial. Just changing the channel, or turning off the TV when something wicked shows up, can open these same doors.

Your Father sees everything that’s done in secret.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, I seek You with my whole heart, I want to walk in Your ways. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ walked in the law of the LORD—He teaches me!

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Not a Piece of Cake

 JULY 7

MATTHEW 6:17_and wash thy face.

Maybe Jesus added this instruction just in case you did pour that bucket of oil on your head! More likely He added it as a way of saying, “Get up and prepare for the day just as you would any day.”

Food is the source of the body’s energy. When that source is denied, energy begins to deplete. When you feel tired and lack energy, the sad, disfigured face could come naturally. Whether it is natural or not, Jesus does not want you to draw attention to your fast. He wants you up and at it. Jesus wants you to receive the blessing He has in store during this time of self-denial. 

Self-denial is not easy for whatever reason you are denying yourself, and certainly denying the body of its food source is no piece of cake. Hmm, probably not the best wording when discussing fasting. If the purpose of your fast is to be spiritually strengthened, trust that will happen. Once the fast is over, you may glean from your spiritual benefits for months to come.

Transformation is progressive. Some parts are instantaneous (like your love for Jesus), some come short term, and some transformations are a long term process. Only the One who loves and wants your very best will re-create you—so your spirit, not physical, controls your actions.

PRAYER

Loving Jesus, Please give me the strength when I need to deny myself. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ denied Himself—He did it to love me!

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God’s Final Amen

JUNE 23

MATTHEW 6:13_forever. Amen.

These two words at the end of the Lord’s Prayer may seem to be insignificant, but … no way. For that matter, they may be the most powerful in the entire prayer! 

Forever means without end. An ongoing kingdom with ongoing power and ongoing glory. Nothing can stop forever—not even death! Forever is continual. There are no gaps in forever. Forever is security. Forever can never fail.

Amen is translated as let it be or it shall be. That’s how prayers should end. I have worshiped You. I have thanked You. I have laid all my needs before You. Now, let it be.

Amen can also add an exclamation for a profound word of truth—Amen! 2 Corinthians 1:19-20 (KJV), “For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. 20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.”

In Jesus, is God’s yes. Jesus was God’s promises in the flesh. Now He is those promises in the spirit. He is also God’s final Amen, which glorifies God and all His works. Revelation 3:14 (KJV), “… These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.“ 

Amen is one of Jesus’ names!        

PRAYER

Faithful God, In You is yes to all of Your promises. You are the Amen. The finishing work of God’s glory. Praise Your name! In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ is the Amen—I praise Him!

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Good-Versus-Evil

JUNE 19

MATTHEW 6:13_but deliver us from evil…

Because the world is full of evil does not mean good does not exist. Nor does it mean good does not prevail. Good prevails more than evil—it is just harder to see. Ultimately, it will prevail once and for all. In the meantime, you live with evil.

Every day is a good-versus-evil battle. The times when evil wins are difficult. Just to see some of the world’s evil on the News can be disturbing. It causes an oppressive spirit to hang heavy in your soul. You ask God how such things can happen. You wonder how humans reach such a level of degradation.

When there is evil in your personal life—you need hope.  

When you pray not to be led into temptation add, as Jesus did, to be delivered from evil. The devil intends evil daily. That’s his intention—it does not mean he wins. God intends mercy daily. God holds all the cards. One card God holds which the devil can never get his hands on is found in Romans 8:28 (KJV), “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Get to know this verse and praise God for it. This is why good prevails more than evil. God can take the devil’s evil and cause good for His people. The times when evil wins a battle are not the end of the war. Your hope is in this verse.

Somewhere in the long run God’s compassion and power will use pain to make you a better person!              

PRAYER

God of Hope, Please deliver me from evil. I know evil is in the world, but I know You are greater than the world. I praise Your power that helps me! In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ can make good from the devil’s evil – He does it for me!