“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:1-2

This admonition from Jesus refers to judging the faults of others while oblivious to your own sins.

The natural man does not have the ability to judge others. He has not been born again and lacks the Spirit of Christ.

The natural man is not in touch with his inner being and cannot relate to the words of God that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

The follower of Christ has experienced the judgment of God piercing his heart and soul and revealing his inner being. He sees himself for who he is, sold under sin.

If you judge others without the love and compassion of Christ, you will be judged by God for the hypocrisy of your actions. And, God will judge you with the same standards you apply in judging others.

You and I cannot judge others because we lack the ability to look into the depth of the heart of those people around us.

The spiritual person is in a continual conversation with Christ over the sin in their life. He repeatedly asks Jesus to search his heart and purify his motives with the virtues of God.

The spiritual person has the ability to judge all things with the mind of Christ and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

He judges others with the compassion and mercy of Christ. He operates with humility understanding all the virtues of Christ come to Him by faith and have nothing to do with His own efforts.

You will never be able to get the plank out of your own eye without the blood of Christ. After you have been washed clean by Christ you will be able to see the speck in a friend’s eye. Then you can humbly invite him to drink the Living Water.

Happy Father’s Day!

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

The lamp of Christ is the Holy Spirit dwelling within you.

This is the life of Christ embodied in the fruit of the Spirit. Jesus also refers to this as Living Water.

The purpose of the light is to bring glory to God. You and I must decrease and Christ must increase to be a powerful light.

As a believer, you are a member of the “set apart” people of God. The light reflects the characteristics of Christ—renown, praise, and glory

You can’t keep the light to yourself; it was designed by God to be given to others.

The light exposes darkness and draws people to Christ.

Jesus explains the eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your body will be full of darkness.

The health of the eyes is measured by what you see with your eyes. If you choose to look at darkness the light of Christ will become dim or non existent.

The light was created to keep your feet from stumbling and to guide your pathway.

The follower of Christ is charged with the responsibility for binding and loosening. You bind evil through the light with prayer and intercession for those living in darkness. You confront evil with the counsel of Christ.

You loosen the salvation of Christ to others through the light dwelling within you. This happens through the fullness of the Living Water.

The measure of the light given to you by God will be determined by the measure of light you share with others. The more you are willing to be a light for Christ, the more He will anoint you with His light and the gifts of the Spirit.

Listen carefully to the teachings of Christ. The person who has the light will be given more. If you do not have the light what you have will be taken away.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

The Word of God for today is gullible. This is the mindset of a person who is easily persuaded to believe something which will lead to an ill advised course of action. It is a sense of being tricked or manipulated.

In the context of Christ, you have adopted a course of action or a belief system contrary to God. And, this will cause misery, destruction, and death.

Satan has been very successful in denigrating the Word of Christ. You and I have been duped by the lies of Satan.

The Word of Christ has been compromised by religion to conform to our changing culture and to make Christ more appealing to all.

Many in our society have adopted a “crowd mentality” instead of staying grounded in Christ through the Holy Spirit.

You cannot follow Christ through your emotions or the sentiments of others. Don’t make a decision because it feels good or is acceptable by a majority of others.

The Word of God cannot be modified or interpreted differently to satisfy the needs of society.

As soon as you compromise an oracle of God, you have contaminated the values of Christ. Jesus reminds us that a little yeast ruins all the dough.

At this point, nothing is sacrosanct and all is open to the influences of Satan working through the religious establishment and contemporary attitudes.

Most of society (including many believers) have agreed to accepting a watered down version of Christ.

This action has caused the worldwide pandemic and will bring other tribulations.

Christ does not change! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. You have to accept Christ for who He is without compromise or change.

The simplicity of Christ is to walk by faith yielding to the authority of the Holy Spirit. Nothing else really matters!

 

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

The Word from God today is live in My Word. I never change!

The Word of God is alive and powerful through the efficacy of the Holy Spirit. Before you open a Bible, ask the Holy Spirit to teach you the living truths of Christ.

The Word brings to life the character of God—Christ is greatness, power, glory, victory, and majesty.

The Word of Christ is perfect.

The Word instills the values of Christ within you.

The Word is the source of the resurrected power of Christ crucified. The life of Christ lives within you.

The Word convicts you of sin and exposes your inner being.

The Word knows you better than yourself.

The Word is omniscient and knows every detail of your life.

The Word crucifies your old nature and creates a new person in Christ Jesus.

The Word gives you the mind of Christ.

The Word leads you into the world of the transfigured Christ.

Christ keeps His Word and never changes. You have to approach Him through His Word. This is your safe haven.

The Word is your nourishment for life.

“The Lord is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my pathway.” Psalm 119:105

The word from God today is living in the simplicity of Christ.

Sometimes we get consumed with trying to figure out the mysteries of Christ.

Jesus is about simplicity. Ask God to be your Keeper today and preserve your going out and your coming in.

Let God be God! He has a mind of His own and will do as He pleases. All we can do today is ask for wisdom and protection and walk by faith trusting in the promises of Christ.

God wants to be a light unto your pathway today. Ask Him to go before you!

Jesus loves you. He died so you can have life and have it more abundantly!

“I and the Father are one.” John 10:30

If you want to be one with Christ you must give up your independence. We were born to live for self with a preconceived belief we have the ability to be successful in life.

The essence of Christ is centering your life on the Cross and seeking Him out for your every need. Your independence grieves the Holy Spirit and restricts you from knowing Christ.

Christ wants all of you. The moment you “let go” the Spirit of Christ merges with your personality and you become united in oneness with Christ.

The individual with the personality of Christ has one purpose; “How can I please you today?”

Don’t think about doing something for Christ. Think about living in the will of God with an open heart to obey Christ.

You will find the will of Christ by prayer with a heart of abandonment to Christ.

The priority of Christ always begins with resting in Him and walking by faith. The rest of Christ is sufficient to meet you every need. If you let Him!

 

“Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart.” 1 Corinthians 4:5

The word from God today is a warning about prejudicial thinking. The definition of prejudicial is an attitude of premature thinking or unfounded opinion.

 

In the context of Christ, this refers to accepting worldly influences or making judgments in life which do not reflect the heart of Christ.

We develop an opinion on a controversial subject without the full disclosure of Christ. Or, we make a superficial judgment about someone without the eyes of Christ.

In essence, we fail to inquire of God for His wisdom concerning the issues in our life. We jump to conclusions lacking the counsel of God.

The novice follower of Christ accepts whatever feels good and tends to conform to the prevailing attitudes of society.

Making emotional judgments without the full disclosure of Christ will bring troubles into your life and distance you from the heart of Christ.

The solution to avoid prejudicial thinking is to have an open mind and wait until the Lord comes with wisdom.

He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and expose evil motives and the insidious efforts of Satan.

God examines all things through the work of the Holy Spirit. He reveals light and darkness.

The Holy Spirit has given you the mind of Christ which is free from all worldly influences and the opinions of others. This allows you to judge all things through the eyes of Christ.

The spiritual person judges all things but is judged by no one. Christ gives you clarity and wisdom about life.

Wait on Christ!

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33

The value system of Jesus was built on obedience to God. Jesus lived in the perfect will of God. And, Jesus preached the most important purpose of a believer is to do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.

You and I are human beings engineered to live for self. We can never live up to the standards of Christ.

The challenge is understanding how to live with the value system of Jesus. This can only happen by developing a loyalty and obedience to Christ.

The starting point is to make a decision by faith to accept Jesus. If you are serious about knowing the Living Christ you have to abandon yourself completely to Christ without any limitations. In essence, you agree to live for Jesus above all else.

As a new creature in Christ Jesus you are instructed to live by faith trusting God for your every need. Notice there are no rules attached to this relationship. Simply trust Christ for your every need.

Faith is a living discipline of believing in the promises of God. Your faith in Christ will instill His value system into your life. You cannot attain the values of Christ by practicing religion, abiding in laws, or doing works.

Everyone knows the basics of right from wrong. So the challenge is how you can comply with God’s moral compass.

It’s a waste of time to tell you what not to do. The spiritual approach is to learn how you can live a life pleasing to God.

Walking by faith requires you to worship Christ in Spirit and Truth. This entails prayer, meditating on scripture, and abiding in the Holy Spirit. Still no rules just some guidelines for living.

Next, God wants you to live under the authority of the Holy Spirit who dwells within you. He is the life of Christ and will teach you about the values of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit will provide you with wisdom and protection. He will fill you with the love, joy, peace, and patience of Christ. And, He will convict you of sin.

The Holy Spirit will instill the values of Christ in you through the reality of life. He will examine your motives in your thoughts, words, and decision making and guide you into the values of Christ.

The values of Christ will come to you by living in oneness with the God through the Holy Spirit. When you deviate from living under the authority of the Holy Spirit your value system will become corrupted by self interests.

This conflict can only be resolved by coming back to the authority of Christ through the Holy Spirit. There is no other way.

The Holy Spirit will embed the laws of Christ into your heart and you will be able to walk unconsciously in harmony with Christ.

Don’t try to be holy. Try to be obedient to Christ!

 

“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes and Amen” 2 Corinthians 1:20

The word from God today is supposition. This is an uncertain belief. You suppose something is true but you are uncertain.

In the context of Christ, you accept a promise of God but then waiver with fear and doubt.

You and I hear the truth of God but it is not accepted by faith. It is an intellectual concept you hope will come true.

Or, you accept the truth by faith but the trials of life weaken your faith and you panic. Your faith disappears and you strive to find worldly solutions.

At times, the reality of your life will not line up with the promises of Christ. This happens to everyone and we tend to give up on God.

What we forget is God orchestrates the trials in life and has a perfect plan to deliver us. The plan will always come by faith and waiting on Christ.

The suppositions about Christ have to become a living truth in your heart. They have to be built on the foundation of Christ and not what you see with your eyes.

The challenge is how can you make the promises of Christ alive in your heart without wavering in unbelief.

The response is to take Christ at His Word. Submit your every need before Christ. Don’t take shortcuts or bail out on Christ because of a crisis in your life.

You can have an unequivocal faith by following the example of Christ in every detail of your life.

Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

God keeps His Word!

“The law of God is in his heart and none of his steps shall slide.” Psalm 37:31

The word from God today is redemption from sin comes through Christ Jesus. He is the only way you can escape the vulnerabilities of humanity and walk successfully with God.

The Holy Spirit brought this topic to my mind along with His thoughts concerning how you and I can become dead to sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

You and I are very vulnerable to sin. We were born with a disposition for sin and live in a world not under the authority of Christ. And, Satan is at work to destroy all believers.

Accept you have been sold under sin. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Your inner nature is opposed to God and wants to live for self. This is the starting point with God.

Seek God first above all else. Find your help from God who created the heavens and earth. Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

Acting out of your emotions will draw you away from God. Recognize your feelings of fear or doubt and cast them upon the shoulders of Christ. Stay grounded in Christ. Be anxious for nothing!

Understand the threat of sin coming through your family tree. Put on the armor of Christ to guard against the genetic disposition of sin.

Trying to control your life will cause stress and anger and distance you from God. Commit your works to Christ and let go. He controls your destiny.

You cannot appease God through laws or works. Walk by faith believing in the promises of Christ.

Don’t look for predictability in Christ. He thinks and acts differently than you.

Don’t try to control sin through self efforts. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus will set you free from the law of sin and death. There is no other way.

The biggest fallacy in a believer is denying the power of the Holy Spirit. He lives in you and is the life of Christ. The Spirit allows you to encounter the Living Christ and live a pleasing life to God.

You cannot replace abandonment to God with a works ethic. Christ wants your loyalty above all else. He wants all of you!

Most believers try to accomplish their plans through self determination. This approach will never work with God. It is not by might nor by power but by My Spirit. Cease from your works as God did from His and enter into the rest of Christ.

Neglecting the importance of the mind of Christ will lead you astray from God. How can you answer the question “What would Christ do?” without the Holy Spirit? He wants to fill you with His thoughts. Be still and listen for the voice of God.

Understand the righteousness of God comes by faith and has nothing to do with your own efforts. The holiness of God comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Do not dismiss the power of Satan. He is a work to destroy you. Put on the full armor of God and be alert!

God never changes! Do not allow any teaching which deviates from the Word of Christ to enter your mind or heart.

Reject all secular views of society and the attempts of religion to compromise the Word of Christ. Build your foundation on Christ alone and nothing else.

He lives so you can live!