“I died so you can have life and have it more abundantly.”

Facing adversity may cause you to believe God has removed His love from you. Nothing can be further from the truth.

The love of Christ never falters or ceases to flow into your life.

You may not be able to grasp the love of Christ because of strong emotions or feelings of being abandoned by Christ. The truth is you will never be separated from the love of God.

God does not want you to feel His love. He wants you to accept His love by faith.

We tend to measure the love of Christ by our successes in life. In doing this you are relating to Christ by your emotions and not by His Word.

At times, God chooses to withdraw His blessings from your life but you cannot interpret this as sign He does not love you. The enduring love of Christ is at work in ways you cannot understand.

The love of Christ is not related to your emotions and cannot be perceived by your emotions. Your emotions will betray you but the Word of God will never fail you.

When you feel like God has left you stranded out in the cold this is probably the strongest affection of His love for you.

The ups and downs of life have no effect on the love of Christ. God’s purpose is to strengthen your faith and cause you to be deeply rooted in Him. He wants your loyalty above all else.

Your emotions come and go but Christ never changes. He accomplishes His purposes through His Word.

The love of Christ will never fail you but it comes through testing and believing in the promises of God when there is nothing evident to support His presence in your life.

You may feel unloved by Christ but this is the very moment He is doing a precious work in your life!

 

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

You and I look in all the wrong places for confidence to meet our many needs.

The priorities for most are financial security, success, health, and happiness with our spouse and family. These benchmarks tend to determine our moods and attitudes about God.

Confidence comes when you are achieving the important things of life and you take a tail spin when things are not working out to your benefit.

The challenge is staying grounded in Christ through the ups and downs of life.

Jesus tells you the adversities of life will strengthen your faith so rejoice and be glad during times of distress. This is a bitter pill to swallow when all you see is bleakness and lack of hope.

Most believers talk about faith but the reality is they find happiness in the material things of life. This happens because we have been brainwashed to believe security comes through prosperity.

How can you have confidence in Christ when things seem to be spinning out of control? Here are my suggestions after facing many years of severe testing and difficult setbacks in life:

Pray to Christ to strengthen your faith and help you let go of things you cannot control.

Meditate on the promises of God. Let the the Word of Christ dwell richly in you with all wisdom and understanding. The promises of God are alive and powerful. They are a vibrant and healing therapy during difficult times and speak into your heart!

Listen to the voice of Christ. He wants to speak words of wisdom, comfort, and deliverance.

Develop the mind set of David who lived by this precept; “My help comes from the Lord who created the heavens and earth”. Speak this every time you begin to falter into unbelief or doubt.

Live in the characteristics of Christ! He is a God of greatness, power, glory, victory, and majesty. Praise God for His unending love, compassion, and mercy.

Seek out “like minded” believers for counsel and prayer. Where two or more are gathered you will find the Spirit of Christ!

Ask God to help you accept and build your faith on this powerful promise; “I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living”.

Approach Christ everyday by faith believing “The Lord is the strength of my life”.

When all else fails, God is standing ready to embrace you with His life!

 

 

 

“The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands.” John 3:35

Jesus Christ is a mysterious and powerful God!

He has power and dominion over all things in heaven and earth and His name is exalted above all names. He rules with authority and justice. Your destiny is in His hands!

It is impossible to grasp or influence the actions of our almighty God. And, the logic of Christ defies human or worldly thinking.

Christ has no boundaries. He operates in a domain you cannot enter or touch. You and I have to give God freedom to do as He pleases and accept Him for who He is.

It is impossible to reason or understand Christ through intellect. He is a spiritual being living in another world. Jesus never changes and His purposes are eternal!

You enter into a relationship with Jesus by faith. If you want to experience the reality of the Living Christ you have to give Him permission to will and to work in your life at His discretion. This includes accepting His unpredictable and controversial ways.

Pray for the willingness to accept the alter ego of Christ and deny yourself! This will bring rewards from your heavenly Father!

Approach Christ through His Word. This is your safe haven. There is no variation or shadow of turning in God’s Word. The promises of Jesus are eternal and life changing.

Adopt a submissive attitude of allowing “God to be God” and this will give you a peace transcending all understanding. This happens because you are judging God by His Word and not by the circumstances in your life.

The spiritual approach to walking with Jesus is to forget about the global nature of Christ and focus on your life with Him today.

Christ lives in the moment! He wants be your Keeper and preserve your going out and your coming in. Your responsibility is to operate in the boundaries defined by God and under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

The moment you overstep the boundaries of Christ you will experience confusion and anxiety. Stay grounded in Christ by worshipping Him in Spirit and Truth.

Turn on the auto pilot and ask God to be a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your pathway. This will bring peace, contentment, and joy.

Jesus died to give you an abundant life and fill you with His goodness and joy!

He lives so you can live!

 

“Without faith it is impossible to please God” Hebrews 11:6 

Jesus laid down His life for you. This is not just a “feel good” expression. The reality of the Cross is to think of Jesus dying with your name on His mind.

Jesus died so you can experience a life surpassing the ways of the world. This life is eternal and meets your every need. You can be complete today if you choose to live with God.

God doesn’t want to be limited to your morning prayer partner and to see you at church on Sunday. He wants to be invited into every detail of your life and to live closely with you at all times. Think of Him as your best friend and confidant!

The problem is you and I tend to play “peek a boo” with Christ. We let Him in at times and then close Him out at times. This hot and cold attitude prevents you from knowing the depth of Christ and abiding in the fullness of His life.

Christ wants one thing from you above all else. He wants your total devotion to Him. This has nothing to do with performance; it is a commandment to walk by faith and obey His voice.

Walking with God is an investment into His death and resurrection. You invest yourself in living for Christ Jesus and denying self and He rewards you with His resurrected life.

The challenge is not reacting to your mood swings or the various trials of life. This quenches the Spirit of God and diminishes your faith. The erosion of your faith is almost always caused by fear and doubt.

You become like a boat in a stormy sea tossing back and forth in the waves without direction or an anchor.

The pathway to a strong faith is trusting the promises of God without evidence and living in obedience to His voice. Nothing else really matters!

 

“But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” Romans 5:20 

The biblical record informs you that Christ blots out all sins. We are forgiven and restored to God by the work of the Cross.

Jesus does not want you to live in your past sins but He will bring them back to your memory for His purposes.

This takes place for one very important reason. God wants you to understand He alone is holy and you will never come close to His standards of righteousness. God is infallible but you and I are a mere mortals designed to live for self.

God reminds you of past sins to teach you humility. You will never be worthy to touch the transfigured Christ. He is a God of holiness and purity who cannot be fully attained by anyone on this earth.

The memory of your past teaches you how much you need Christ and that you are just a split second away from falling into a filthy pit of immortality.

The reminder of the past also can be God’s way of getting your attention for the need of healing and forgiveness from actions in your past. Or, the flashback can be a warning of a temptation coming your way.

The Cross provides the ability to live free from the bondage of sin. Christ gave you the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is the life of Jesus and He lives in you.

The principle of walking with Christ is built on this precept; “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death”. You can live a life pleasing to God by yielding to the Holy Spirit and asking Him to be the authority in your life.

The moment you transition from yielding to the Holy Spirit to living for self you are on a path leading to destruction and misery.

Sin is unavoidable but God has a perfect solution to overcome the imperfection of humanity. Where sin abounds grace abounds more.

The Cross covers your sin and allows you to be redeemed in the love and mercy of Christ. One died for all!

 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

The definition of appellation is a “name or title” and is often used to define the regions of wine growing around the world.

In a broader context, God has given an appellation to those who believe in Him. He calls you a new creature in Christ Jesus. You are of a rare vintage created in heaven.

This appellation is important because it relates to your new identity. As a believer in Christ you no longer belong to the world.

You have severed ties with the world and have been elected into membership in the “set apart” people of God. You live in the world but you are not of the world. You belong to God!

God spoke this promise to the Israelites on Mount Sinai. If you will indeed obey My voice and keep My commandments you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people for all the earth is Mine.

This is an awesome promise to a believer and confirms your standing in the seed of Abraham. You are a child of Christ by the promise of God.

Jesus said you have to be born again to be a disciple of Christ. This takes place by the work of the Water and the Spirit. The Water washes away your sins and the Spirit creates new life.

Your inheritance is in Christ and you will live forever with Him. There is no finish line with Christ.

The reality of the appellation is you become baptized into the death and resurrection of Christ. You have been marked with the Cross and your life belongs to Christ.

The characteristic of someone with the appellation of Christ is a desire to live for Him and walk by faith believing in His promises.

Christ died so you can have life and have it more abundantly!

 

“Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?” James 3:10-11

You and I are accountable to God for every word spoken. The standard of God is to speak words edifying to all.

However, you and I continually fall short of this standard. We bless God with our words and then turn around and curse those around us. Or worse, we speak disparaging words about God because He has failed to meet our expectations.

Your mouth is an explosion of evil words waiting to spew out. The words you speak are an indication of your relationship with God. They reveal your heart condition.

How can your words be harnessed by God? The solution is through prayer and living in the Holy Spirit. Pray God will heal your inner condition from the past and the Holy Spirit will govern your words.

The Holy Spirit lives in you and He will never speak demeaning words to anyone. The problem arises when your words come out of your fleshly nature.

The root of your personality is the source of your words. This is why you and I need to be open to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and learn the importance of forgiveness and healing.

God has forgiven you for all your past sins and you have a clean slate with Him. So you have to forgive yourself and others who have hurt you.

Sometimes, you have to forgive God for the adversities He has allowed to take place in your life. This is very difficult because they can leave indelible scars which require time to heal.

Invite the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any deep feelings that inhibit the power of God. He desires for you to be a beacon of light speaking words touching others with the love of Christ.

 

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

The definition of egregious is “outstandingly bad or shocking”. It is the antithesis of the character of God.

You and I live in an egregious world and it is impossible to get away from the dark influences no matter how hard you try.

To further complicate this issue, we fall under the judgment of God. The consensus of God is “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.

Many turn to God knowing there is no darkness in Him. They look to religion to confirm the purity of God. Unfortunately, this action will fail you too.

Religion has become riddled with false teaching and unclean motives. It will lead you astray from the heart of God.

Your only hope is to come directly to God. This is where you will find unconditional love, purity, and freedom from sin. God has separated himself from the world so it has no influence over His actions.

The purpose of God is for you to find His life in a stained and ugly world. The lie of the world is to do what seems right to you. This course of action will cause misery and destruction because the world does not recognize God.

You cannot lean on your own understanding. It will always lead you away from God. The counsel of God is your salvation and hope to overcome the evil of the world. Christ will never fail you.

This is why you should inquire of the Lord every day (and sometimes in the moment) of life. God wants to be your safe haven but you have to take the first step!

 

“Let my vindication come from Your presence;
Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright.” Psalm 17:2

The definition of vindication is “the action of clearing someone of blame or suspicion”. It is providing proof that someone is right or justified.

In the context of a believer, your vindication comes from living in the presence of God. The believer who walks by faith will be vindicated for his dedication to God.

You and I go through all kinds of adversity and challenges in life. Those around you may look with dismay over your life and actions. They may view you as a helpless cause.

It really doesn’t matter what others think because God looks over those who are upright and seek Him out above all else. The crowning jewel is the vindication of God for those who wait upon Him.

This is a promise that will come true for you. God keeps His Word. There is no variation or shadow of turning in the Word of God. It stands forever!

The vindication from the world is short lived but the justice of God is eternal and life saving. Vindication comes by your perseverance in trusting God and keeping your eyes on Him and not the things of the world.

It is not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of God. The rewards of God come to those who wait upon Christ and trust in His promises!

 

“Who do people say that I, the Son of Man am? Matthew 16:13

Jesus asked His disciples this question. The disciples speculated that Jesus was John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the other prophets. Jesus restated the question and Peter responded “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”.

This question is now directed at you. Who do you think Jesus is? Most people would respond Jesus is the Son of God. This is really a superficial or incomplete answer for a believer dwelling in God and does not relate to the reality of the Living Christ.

Peter was able to respond correctly because the answer was revealed to him not by intellect or fleshly insight but by the spirit of God. And, Peter had not witnessed the death or resurrection of Christ at the time he spoke.

You cannot understand who Christ is or how He can relate to your life until He is revealed to you by the Holy Spirit. At this time, He changes from a storybook character to a Living God. It is impossible to know Christ through emotions or intellect.

You meet the Living Christ when you abandon yourself to Him and make a decision to live for Him. Until then, you will just be like the other disciples who were confused and uncertain about the significance of Christ.

The only way you can know Christ is to live out His Word in your life. This requires walking by faith and trusting Him implicitly regardless of the circumstances in your life.

My response to this question is Jesus is greatness, power, glory, victory, and majesty. There is no one like Him!

He lives so you can live!