“Not My will, but Yours, be done.” Luke 22:44

A disciple of Jesus lays down his life for God. As a disciple, your only concern is to live in the will of God and please your Father. And, a disciple is not above His Master. He is subservient to God without reservations.

Christians have a tendency to believe they are entitled to the blessings of God. However, you are only entitled to be baptized into the death and resurrected life of Jesus Christ.

You cannot exploit God for your own purposes. You must come to Him by faith without any motivation other than to learn from Him and be submissive to His calling.

Ambition unchecked by the Holy Spirit will lead you astray from God. God wants to bless the desires of your heart but they will only come to you when you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness with all of your heart.

Christians are taught to please God through works and complying with the laws of God. A disciple is taught to live by unyielding faith in the Son of God and depend on Him for his every need.

A disciple lives in the moment with God and his certainty is in the promises of God and not his future security. His primary goal is to walk in oneness with God led by the Holy Spirit.

A disciple does not compromise the Word of God. He places his values in the Living Word. He lives “Not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of God.”

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. What are your priorities with God?

 

 

“But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:20-24

The old man is your condition at birth and will continue to grow corrupt through life. This happens because you are motivated by deceitful lusts and living for self. Your inner core is not right with God and will lead you astray and place you on a path of misery, destruction and eventually death.

Your old man has nothing at work inside you to prevent you from doing sinful works. You are like a run away freight train without braking power.

God saw this dilemma and the hopelessness of man and created the perfect solution. He sent Jesus to redeem you from sin and restore you to God.

Jesus offers you the opportunity to become a new man who has been created by God with the character of His righteousness and holiness.

You become this new man when you make a decision for Jesus. God gives you the gift of eternal life and places His Spirit inside you. You literally become “born again” baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The life of Jesus dwells in you and He will renew your mind, your personality, and your inner attitudes. This conversion will cause the old man to die and the new man to emerge in the image of God.

The new man will live for God and be guided by the Holy Spirit. He will live in oneness with Jesus filled with the love, joy, peace, and strength of almighty God.

The new man is your only hope for an abundant life filled with the goodness of God!

 

“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11

Jesus offers you Living Water and if you drink this water you will never thirst again. And, it will become in you a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.

You cannot purchase this water with money. It is a gift from God!

Why spend money on food and drink that can never satisfy the inner soul or bring the abundance of God?

Listen to God and accept His Living Word. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Call upon the mighty name of our God and you will be saved. He alone is worthy of your praise and devotion.

Fill yourself with the Word of God. It is like the rain and snow which comes down from Heaven and does not return. This blessing from the Father of Light waters the earth and brings food to nourish the body.

The Word of God is alive and powerful and like the rain and snow it comes down from Heaven and will never return to God void.

The Word is life changing and will accomplish the purposes of God. And, it shall prosper in the thing for which it was sent to the earth.

Drink from the cup offered to you by Jesus! It is eternal, thirst quenchin, and your only hope in this world.

The Living Water is the source to the fullness of God! He lives so you can live with Him forever!

 

 

 

God has been nudging me for several days to write a blog on the transforming character of God to change lives. What does it really mean to become a new creature in Christ Jesus and old things will pass away and all things will become new.

God is about change and His purpose is to create a complete makeover in your life. The old self dies and a new creature is born.

If you are not experiencing the transforming work of God in your life, I doubt if your commitment to God is sincere and built with honest intentions. You probably need to revisit your relationship with God and get it right.

As a believer, your life will be continually changing under the hand of God. You can no longer live in your existing state once you have met Jesus. You are now a “project in work” on your journey through life. There is no stopping or returning to your old habits or thinking patterns.

The regeneration of God will change how your think and act and you will develop new values about life. Your perspective will change from living for self to living for Jesus. You will see things from the eyes of God and have a deeper appreciation for life.

God begins the process of change in the depth of your heart and soul. He looks into your personality and examines your motives, thoughts, and attitudes. He convicts and corrects you of character defects and refines you with His virtue.

Everything in your life is under the scrutiny of God including your decision making, relationships with others, and material values. You are held accountable by almighty God and nothing is hidden from Him.

The hand of God is like a “winnowing fork” as He separates the good from the bad in your inner person. The internal changes have to take place before He deals with the exterior part of your life. God wants you to be anchored in Him and free from the bondage of sin so you can successfully face the challenges of life as a new creature in Christ Jesus.

From the moment of your decision for Jesus, your relationship with Him will be built on faith in His promises. Jesus will show you how to live by genuine faith and not react or depend on the ways of the world. You will also learn your sufficiency comes from God and you must develop patience to wait on Him.

You also will discover that God will reorder your life and show you the most important priorities and how to manage your time more effectively.

Jesus wants to be part of every aspect of your life and for you to live with Him without boundaries.

Walking with God is developing a oneness with the Holy Spirit and practicing the spiritual disciple “In Him we live and move and have our being.”

“Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5

If you are a believer, you don’t have to try to prove yourself to others or boast about yourself. You are authenticated by God and belong to Him.

God gives you a self effacing character. You can be gracious, polite, and esteem others above yourself.

This transformation happens when you give up the right to yourself and invite God to live in your personality, emotions, and thoughts. You die to self and live for God. This lifelong process takes place below your consciousness and all you need is a willing heart.

When you see God for who He is and choose to live for Him, you can have confidence and boldness about life regardless of your circumstances. You learn to live by the spiritual principle “not by might nor by strength but by My Spirit.”

You can enjoy life because you see all things through the eyes of God and appreciate and praise Him for His greatness, power, glory, victory, and majesty!

Humility comes from God for those who find their sufficiency in Him.

 

 

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

God is at work this very moment refining you into the image and character of Jesus Christ. This is a lifelong process and God is very meticulous in the transforming of your mind, emotions, and personality to reflect the nature of God.

The purpose of this workmanship is to prepare you to do the works of God. Jesus did not give up His life for good and virtuous people. He died for your sinful and corrupt nature.

You cannot think or act like God without encountering the painful experience of dying to self.

The ultimate purpose of God is for you to live with this spiritual truth permanently etched in your heart; “Not my will but yours be done”.

You wake up each day seeking the purposes of God through prayer, praise, and worshipping God in Spirit and Truth.

Faith is trusting God without expectations or an outcome. It is simply recognizing “He is God and He can do whatever pleases Him with my life.”

Thought for the day:

“Come live with Me and become acquainted with My ways. Believe in Me for who I am. You can appease Me by your steadfast faith in My promises. My sufficiency is complete and lacks nothing.”

 

 

 

“And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” Luke 12:25

You and I are human beings and we tend to worry a lot. And, worry distracts from your faith in God and weakens your stature. You become consumed with what you lack and lose sight of your oneness with God.

Jesus does not want you to worry or be overly concerned with your needs. He promises to meet your every need. So instead of worrying over your inability to provide for your needs, praise and thank God for His sufficiency to fill your void with His goodness.

The spiritual principle is about admitting your weakness and frailty and turning to the Father of Light to bring you an abundant life. He wants to give you more than you ask or think.

Cast your burdens upon the Lord today! They are to heavy and overwhelming for you to carry and will only wear you out. The Son of God will sustain you and renew your inner spirit. The burdens will be lifted off your shoulders and placed in the hands of almighty God. They are no longer your responsibility. They belong to God.

You will have a sense of freedom and joy in acknowledging the greatness and sufficiency of God. He will do for you what you can never do for yourself!

Thought for the day:

“Without faith it is impossible to please Me. Make your priority to seek first the kingdom of God and My righteousness. Turn your worries into praise for the God who will supply your every need according to the riches in Christ Jesus.”

 

 

“The Lord is in his holy temple;
let all the earth be silent before him.” Habakkuk 2:20

The Lord is holy and just. He is perfect and above all sin. He will never become entangled in your sin or allow you to draw close to Him without the atoning blood of Jesus, the Son of God.

Jesus forgives but you cannot continue to live in sin and expect the blessings of God. And, you cannot identify your sins. They take place below your consciousness.

This why you and I must come before God each day with a repentant heart and ask Him to reveal our shortcomings. Be silent before the Lord recognizing His sovereignty and righteousness.

Light and darkness cannot coexist. The piercing Spirit of God will discern your motives and attitudes and bring correction into your life.

Approach God through the person of Jesus Christ. He is your only hope for life and the renewal of your inner being!

Thought for the day:

“Come before Me and acknowledge My greatness and glory. Be still and know that I am God. You cannot succeed in life without My atoning blood. Ask Me to show you My ways and I will welcome you into My kingdom. I live so you can have life and have it more abundantly.”

 

If you are really honest with yourself, you will admit you are more interested in the blessings of God than living out His life.

Inner death has to take place before new life can begin. The darkness or deprivation of life is engineered by the hand of God. You have to go through the suffering and inner desolation to be useful to God.

You have to encounter a death to the goodness of God so you will become willing to live for His purposes. The blessings of God will not be your motive for serving God. Your purpose will be to do His will without any expectations.

This is very difficult and will be costly to you. You will lose your life to be a disciple for Jesus.

Thought for the day:

“If you want to be My disciple, you must live for My purposes. You will have no understanding or clarity about where your life is headed or why you can see nothing in the future. I want you to be dedicated to Me for who I am without any attachment to an outcome. My purposes are eternal!”

 

“The truth shall set you free!” John 8:32

It is so easy to become a captive to sin. This can take place through addictions, sexual immorality, greed, false spirits of religion, or prideful living.

Think of yourself imprisoned and living as a hostage. There is no way out and you have no future.

The good news is God has provided a way for the bondage of sin to be broken and for you to be set free.

Jesus Christ has ransomed you from the sentence of death and restored you to Himself. He did this by dying on the cross. You have been set free and will live with God forever.

The key to freedom lies in making a heart commitment to Jesus Christ. Come to the Son of God and confess your sins and ask for His forgiveness. You will never again live in bondage to sin and you will experience the freedom of Christ and share in His riches.

Thought for the day:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. I broke the power of Satan on the cross. My name will set you free from the bondage of sin. Confess your sins and ask for My blood to cover you. I will give you My life and you will live with Me forever.”