Where to find God!

“Go live your life and sin no more. Don’t go looking for Me in religion. Look inside you. That is where you will find Me.”

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“The foundation that has already been laid is Jesus Christ, and no one can lay down any other foundation.” 1 Corinthians 3:11

The core of a relationship with God is Jesus Christ, His Son. There is no other way to God.

God gave up a part of Himself so you can be restored to God. He sent Jesus to the earth to teach the truths of God and perform many signs and wonders. Jesus was called by God to give up His life for you.

The act of the Cross finished the works of God. Nothing can be added to the Cross-not money, success, or fame. The Cross doesn’t need anything else. It was a final and complete act. The Cross is life!

The holiness and purity of God is the Cross. You come to God through the Cross. The Cross gives you a new identity and forgives all your sins. You can only touch the glory of God by seeking His resurrected Son.

The Cross is a new way of living. Jesus came that you might have an abundant life and be filled with His life. Jesus is a freedom from self.

The Cross provides you with living water. If you drink this water you will never thirst again. And this endless water fills you with the life of Jesus.

The gift of God is eternal life. It is possible for you because Jesus died on the Cross. Eternal life is about today. It is drawing on the attributes of Jesus to live a God inspired life.

The Cross is your salvation in this life and the life to come! Never accept anything else. The Cross brings life and hope!

 

Does prayer really work?

Prayer is your lifeline to God and helps you develop a rich and endearing relationship with your Maker!

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“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:12-13

Prayer is a conversation between you and the living God. It is an expression of your faith in God and a recognition that you need someone greater than yourself to help you meet all your needs.

Prayer is an understanding of the character of God and the weakness and inadequacy of self.

Prayer is an acknowledgement of the greatness, the power, the glory, the majesty, and the victory of God and His dominion over all things. Prayer is a time to praise God!

Prayer is a method to have God forgive all your sins and to begin each day with a fresh start.

Prayer is seeking out God and asking for Him to fill you with His attributes. It is a recognition that His strength is made perfect in your weakness.

Prayer is asking God to help you with all your concerns and needs. It is an assurance that God listens and really cares about your needs. Prayer is a belief that God delivers His people!

Prayer is a time to be still and listen to the voice of God. You do this because God will do for you what you can’t do for yourself. You understand the wisdom from God is perfect and will never fail you.

Prayer is a time to perfect your relationship with God. He teaches you about Himself and shows you how to live a godly life.

Prayer is a candid conversation with God where you hide nothing from Him.

Prayer is a time to devote to praying for family and friends.

Prayer is your method of staying connected to God through His Spirit. Prayer is something you do (as needed) during your day to help you stay on course with God.

Prayer breathes the life of God in you and gives you a healthy relationship with God.

Prayer is a discipline you enjoy because it brings the blessings of God upon you.

Prayer is your lifeline to God! He rejoices in your prayers!

Prayer is not an act. It is maintaining an inner consciousness with God at all times!

I am who I am!

After I wrote this God kept reminding me that nothing can replace Him and that He is precious and to have no other gods before Him.

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God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” Exodus 3:14

The character of God does not need any explanation or justification. God made a bold statement to Moses. “I am who I am.” This is an inclusive definition of God. There really are no other words necessary to describe God. His name speaks for Himself!

However, here is a brief synopsis of the character of God:

“I am almighty God who created the heavens and the earth and all living things. I choose the plan of life and death for all people. I alone control the destiny of the world. Nothing happens by chance. My hand is over all things.

I am indestructible and no one compares to Me. I am a rock who never moves and can never be shaken. I can cause the earth to tremble and turn the sun into darkness.

I am omnipotent. There is no power greater than Me. I am omniscient. My eyes see all of the past and the future.

I am the sponsor of eternal life. This is the life of my Son. He who believes in My Son will live forever.”

When you think about this powerful description of God, you can understand why at times He can become a jealous and angry God. How can anyone doubt His character or replace Him with something else?

Are you really going to worship another god or idol and reject the power and dominion of God over all things? This action is like a slap in the face to God! You are belittling God and substituting something else in His place. This arouses His anger and judgment!

Remember, God is alive and has a personality and emotions. He created you in His image and desires for you to be like Him.

Make God the centerpiece of your life and He will abundantly bless you and protect your footsteps. Don’t look for evidence or a sign. Just accept God by faith for who He says He is! Then you will meet “I AM” face to face and your life will never be the same!

Where are you God?

“I have shown you who I am and now you have to trust Me without any evidence of My Presence.”

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“Also Your righteousness, O God, is very high, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You? You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, Shall revive me again, And bring me up again from the depths of the earth. You shall increase my greatness, And comfort me on every side.” Psalm 71:19-21

David, the author of this Psalm, lived for God and recognized His greatness and purity. God allowed David to touch His glory and see that no one can compare to God. David knew in his heart that his only hope was in God.

Then God allowed severe troubles to overwhelm David almost to the point of death. It was like “I have shown you who I am and now you have to trust Me without any evidence of My
presence.”

God takes you up to His holy mountain and then intentionally allows you to drop into a pit of adversity. It seems like He has forgotten about you. You feel shut out. This trial is to test your faith and build your patience and endurance in God.

You cry out to God day after day trusting in His faith and at times you feel like you are clinging to Him by a sliver of hope. God is faithful and He will revive you in His perfect timing. He will deliver you and restore every aspect of your life with His mighty hand.

This is the nature of God. If you are serious about walking with Him, God will take you on a roller coaster ride experiencing both the highs and lows. The saving grace of God is His Word! He keeps His promises!

What you think is valuable makes God laugh!

He is a living God and wants to do more for you than you can ever do for yourself!

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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

This Proverb is really the synopsis of how to walk with God. It begins with your commitment. Is it lukewarm or are you in all the way? God wants all of you and does not want you to hold back certain things that are of special value to you. Many believers go for God but tell Him there are restrictions. This is an attitude like “These things are precious to me so don’t interfere.”

God did not die for part of you! He died to magnify and restore everything in your life. What you think is valuable makes God laugh! He not only appreciates all your talents and possessions He wants to multiply and refine them. What you have today is nothing compared to what He wants to do for you. His mind is thinking right now how can He give you abundantly more than you ask or think! That is our amazing God!

The challenge is understanding your mind cannot comprehend the ways of God. He thinks and acts differently than the ways of the world. The rational approach to life is not necessarily the plan of God. So you have to lean on the wisdom of God and walk by faith.

God wants to guide you on a path leading to an abundant life. However, you have to make Him the centerpiece and priority of your life. Your allegiance to God speaks much louder than your actions. It is about a commitment from the heart to follow God.

Commit your works each day to God and He will establish His thoughts in you. He is a living God and wants to do more for you than you can ever do for yourself!

Who really deserves the glory in your life?

The spiritual man understands the works of God and the good things in his life do not come from his own efforts and he gives all the glory to God!

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“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10

You are saved (or will become saved) by the love of God. There is no human works involved in this divine action. God made a decision before you were born that you would live with Him forever and participate in His goodness.

This precious event of salvation takes place when you hear the Word of God and accept it by faith. This gift of God has nothing to do with your efforts. It was accomplished by the work of God when He died for you.

You really cannot take credit for anything relating to your journey with God. At the moment you make a commitment to God, He starts a process to change you into a Christlike creature. This refining work touches every part of you–heart, emotions, and mind. It is a transition from a human being living for self to a godly creature equipped with the ability to do the works of God.

You can’t be an effective worker for God until you have been prepared by the Spirit of God. The surgical hand of God will create a man or woman with the purity and virtues of Jesus.

The work of God is unconscious and takes time. The process of dying for self and learning to live for God won’t happen overnight. It is a lifelong procedure.

Jesus wants you to be a powerful light for Him reflecting all His qualities-love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and self control. You can only do this if you are one with God through His Spirit. This can be accomplished by diligent prayer, mediating on His Word, and leading a life built on trust in God. Most importantly, be obedient to the voice of God!

The spiritual man understands the works of God and the good things in his life do not come from his own efforts and he gives all the glory to God!

What do you have to lose?

The rewards from God far out weigh what the world can give you. God’s rewards are unlimited and everlasting! God will give you more than you ask or think. The world can never match this promise.

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“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:31-33

On my walk today, Jesus posed this question to me. In other words, if you come to Jesus and gave up everything to follow Him what have you lost. The answer is absolutely nothing of value!

This sounds scary because you live in the world and need financial resources to meet all your needs. Plus, most people want security and relate this to money and possessions.

The call from Jesus to “Come to Me” requires a willingness in your heart to leave everything behind but you are not necessarily required to literally comply with this command. It is about your total and committed allegiance to God and not the world. Abraham was willing to sacrifice His son for God. Jesus gave up His life for you.

You have to be willing to pick up your cross and die to anything that interferes with doing the will of God. It is about your heart condition to make God the priority in your life above all else.

Now back to the question of what you have to lose. You lose the final act of life which is dying with no future and you gain the opportunity to be raised up to live forever with God.

You no longer have to feel guilty or take on condemnation over your actions. Your sins are washed away and you are restored to God.

You lose your bad habits and selfish thoughts and actions. You lose a life driven by self interests and gain a new life filled and directed by the Spirit of God.

You lose the need to strive and function using your own resources. You gain the Holy Spirit (a new power source) who will empower you to meet all the challenges in your life.

You lose the temporary and short lived feelings of euphoria and gain an inner spiritual source to give you unlimited joy and peace regardless of your circumstances.

You lose the void of God and gain a personal and rich relationship with the living God. He becomes your best friend.

You lose the promises of the world which lead to a dead end and you gain the promises of God to give you an abundant life and bless the desires of your heart.

You lose the fear of living in a world filled with evil and the temptations from Satan because the Spirit living inside you is greater than the evil in the world. You have almighty God looking out for your interests.

The rewards from God far out weigh what the world can give you. God’s rewards are unlimited and everlasting! He will give you more than you ask or think. The world can never match this promise.

He is a God of His Word!

How to receive the “hundredfold” blessing from God!

If you come to Jesus and give up all, He will give you a hundredfold of His goodness in this life and the life to come!

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“Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.” John 4:48

There was a nobleman living in Cana who had a son who was sick and close to death. He went to Jesus and implored Him to come to his home and heal his son.

The response from Jesus in the above verse is the biggest stumbling block to finding God. Most people have a hard time believing in something they cannot see. They need proof. Thomas, an apostle of Jesus, needed to touch the holes in Jesus hands to believe He was resurrected.

The core of a relationship with Jesus is built on faith. You have to believe in the invisible world of God. You can’t please God without faith. God calls things that don’t exist as if they did. This is how He created the world and all living things and how He healed the nobleman’s son.

The Pharisees who were the religious leaders in the time of Jesus asked Him for a sign. Jesus called them hypocrites and told them no sign would be given to them except the sign of Jonah.

Jonah was a symbol of faith. He spent three days inside a whale and then was delivered by God. Likewise, Jesus laid in a tomb for three days and then was resurrected by God.

You have to accept Jesus into your life by faith. Whatever your need, seek God out by faith and praise Him for His greatness and glory. If you come to Jesus and give up all, He will give you a “hundredfold” of His goodness in this life and the life to come. Your cup will overflow with the blessings of God.

The “hundredfold” is not just about money. It is about a synergy and balance of a deep and powerful oneness with God, genuine and rich relationships with family and friends, and a quality life inspired and directed by God.

The key to receiving the “hundredfold” is walking by steadfast faith and trusting in what you cannot see. Knock on God’s door with a believing heart and He will open the door and shower you with an abundant life! Persecutions will come but do not allow them to weaken your faith or interrupt your bond with God. Stand on the “hundredfold” promise of God.

The moral to the story is the nobleman’s son was healed by faith without any sign or wonder. This is how God desires to work in your life!

He keeps His promises!

Don’t panic! Turn to God!

The problems of life come and go! As a believer, you have a powerful God to help you and give you peace and calmness during a storm.

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“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

It is impossible to avoid anxiety at times so the real question is how to deal with it and not allow this feeling to control your life. If you are fearful, you think something bad is going to happen to you. The first step is to identify what is causing the anxiety i.e. financial concerns, loss of job, disease or illness, or a relationship problem.

Next you want to give this burden to God. This means you are literally releasing this to God with no strings attached. You are placing this burden in the hands of God because you believe He has power and dominion over everything in the heavens and earth and He can do what you can’t do. You are trusting in almighty God to create the perfect solution.

God works in mysterious ways. He calls things that don’t exist as if they did. This is how He will create your solution. It will move from the invisible world of God into your reality.

When you cast a burden on God, He wants you to come to Him with a thankful heart and unwavering confidence in Him. It is like thanking Him in advance for a solution that He created long before the burden occurred. God does not work on a human clock. He is an omniscient God and knows every detail of your life from birth to death.

God may not take this burden completely away or it might take some time but He will provide a perfect solution and He will give you a freedom and lightness in your inner being.

The powerful promise from God is that He will give you a supernatural peace that will not be effected by your circumstances. He also promises to guard your heart and mind and not allow them to be overwhelmed with the burden.

The problems of life come and go! As a believer, you have a powerful God to help you and give you peace and calmness during a storm. The secret is to learn to immediately praise God and acknowledge that He is in charge of your life at the onset of a storm. Thank Him for His love for you and the sacrifice He made so you can have an abundant life. Then you can be anxious for nothing!

Don’t buy into sin! Buy into God!

Life is a “no win” situation without God!

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“The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it.” Jeremiah 17:9

“For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” Galatians 5:17

You have to choose whether to navigate through life trusting yourself or God. The problem with choosing self is you are filled with ego (self importance), a deceitful heart, and the lust for the world. You were born with these attributes and they will lead you to misery, destruction, and finally death.

You must recognize sin and never accept it or compromise with it. If you are a believer, there is a never ending conflict going on inside you between the Spirit of God and self. These two factors are completely opposed to each other. You wake up each day with this inner struggle and you live in a world filled with evil. The world desires to lure you into temptations and convince you living for self is good.

On a walk today, God gave me a visual illustration of the effect of sin on a believer. Imagine a powerful electric current flowing into your body to supply you with the life of God. It becomes short circuited (by sin) and the power is reduced or shut off.

This conflict with sin is a “no win” situation! Your only hope is to be yoked to the Spirit of God. You have to be a believer with a genuine commitment to Jesus Christ. This will give you the Holy Spirit and you will have Jesus living inside you forever.

Each day pray that you can be one with God and lead a life pleasing to Him. Learn to develop an inner consciousness with His Spirit. Remember, He is always with you so take pauses during your day and ask Jesus for His advice concerning your challenges and living issues.

Don’t think something as simple as what to do for lunch is not important to God. He wants to be involved in all the details of your life.

The Spirit of Jesus Christ will give you discernment about light and darkness. He will lead you in a path of righteousness and you will never be in bondage to sin. You won’t be perfect but sin will have no power over you!

The righteousness of God is a gift and can only be obtained by placing your trust in Him and calling on God to meet your every need! He is a miracle worker!