Your High Calling

 

Today : Your High Calling

 

TODAY’S VERSE
“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.” Ephesians 5:1-2 (NLT)

 

TODAY’S MESSAGE
We search for purpose and significance. We strive to secure a meaningful job or vocation. But in reality, there is no higher calling on earth than being God’s child and imitating Him by living a life filled with love. This is the ultimate purpose that God has called each one of us to. Today, do what Paul says to do. Fill your day with the love of Christ and follow His example in everything you do.

 

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I thank You that You have made me Your child. I thank You that You have given me the most important job on earth, which is to live a life filled with love. I admit I can’t do this without You. I need Your Holy Spirit to help me live a life of love today. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

 

TODAY’VISUALIZATION & MEDITIATION
I will imitate Christ
Picture yourself following Jesus around. He has asked you to. He said to be like Him and you can sense His Holy Spirit helping you. See yourself full of joy and wonder as He guides you, gives you instruction and helps you live for Him. Affirm today, “I will imitate Christ!”

GOD'S UNPARALLELED LOVE FOR US!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 12, 2022.

SUBJECT : GOD'S UNPARALLELED LOVE FOR US!

Memory verse: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3 vs 16.)

READ: Romans 5 vs 6 - 11:

5:6: For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

5:7: For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.

5:8: But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

5:9: Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

5:10: For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, w e shall be saved by His life.

5:11: And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

INTIMATION:

God is love and wants us to realize we are loved and cared for. This is one of God's most outstanding and obvious characteristics. The message of the Gospel comes to a focus in His love for us as is stated, and demonstrated in His choice of His Son being a propitiation for our sins—taking our place in death for our sins. The Scripture says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5 vs 8). 

God sent Jesus Christ to die for us, not because we were good enough, but just because He loved us. “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (First John 4 vs 10). Here God sets the pattern of true love or passion for others, setting the pattern for all true love relationships. 

When you love someone dearly, you are ready and willing to give freely to the point of self-sacrifice. For His love, God paid dearly with the life of His Son, the highest price He could pay, and such is unheard of in history. Jesus accepted wholeheartedly to take our place, paid the wages we owed for our sins (Ezekiel 18 vs 4 & Romans 6 vs 23). He exchanged something of inestimable value with something completely worthless—our sins—and offered us the new life that He had bought for us. 

The apostle Paul, in the passage we read,  today, expounded the love of God for us. He explained that when we were weak and helpless because we could do nothing on our own to save ourselves, Christ had to come to rescue us. He came at exactly the right time in history in accordance with God's plan and schedule. It is God that controls all history, and He controlled the timing, method, and events surrounding Jesus' death. God sent Jesus to die for us, not because we were good enough, but just because He loved us and is passionate about our well being.

The apostle Paul explained that the love that caused God to create the world for an extension of His kingdom, and caused Christ to die in our place, is the same love that sends the Holy Spirit to live in us and guide us daily. The power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that saved us and is available to us in our daily lives. 

God is a Passionate Father. In Psalms 103 vs 13 the psalmist reminds us: "As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him." Jesus demonstrated this the day the disciples found themselves on the Sea of Galilee, and a storm was brewing, which is typical of the Sea of Galilee even today. The boat containing these disciples started to take in water because of the turbulence. With the boat beginning to sink, these terrified disciples asked the ultimate question, "Lord, don't You care?" Of course He cares!

Many of us have at one time or the other felt like that, "Lord where are You when I really need You?" "God, I'm going under, don't You care?" But a believer and a child of God will remember the promise stated in First Peter 5 vs 7, "Casting all your care upon Him; for He cares for you."

Be assured that, having begun a life with Christ, you have a reservoir of power and love to call on each day for help to meet every challenge or trial. Too often, in our spiritual life, although we may need to love God more, there is a much higher need to recognize just how much He loves us. When our relationship is such that we feel God's love and His passion for us—His children, we naturally begin to love Him more. You can pray for His power and love as you need it.

In Psalms 145 vs 18 the psalmist tells us, "The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth." What this means is that He is never too busy for you. When you pray, you will never get busy signal. He hears you and ready to meet your real need. 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank you for Your love for me. You have daily loaded me with Your benefits, always forgiving me my iniquities, healing me all my diseases, redeeming my life from destructions, satisfying my mouth with good things, so that my youth is renewed like the eagle's, and crowning me with loving kindness and tender mercies. Give me the grace to toe my path of life  in You, in Jesus' Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

New Thinking Habits

 

Today : New Thinking Habits

 

TODAY’S VERSE
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8 (NLT)

 

TODAY’S MESSAGE
It is so easy to let our thoughts run away from us. You know, the inward chatter that goes on all day. The voice when you get up in the morning, the musing on the drive to work, the stewing over events on the way home. Inner thoughts are powerful. They create emotions, which in turn, cause actions. Paul is saying that we have to take ownership of our inner dialog. It is so easy to be negative, anxious, angry, doubtful, bitter or carnal in our thinking. Instead, we need to be responsible for what we think and deliberately focus on true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praise worthy thoughts. What a difference this discipline would bring to our life.

 

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I give You my thought life. I want You to be Lord of both my conscious and unconscious part of my being. You know my thought process. You know my habitual thinking patterns. I bring them to You. I ask that You help me today begin a habit of focusing on true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praise worthy thoughts.  In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

 

TODAY’VISUALIZATION & MEDITIATION
God is helping me change the way I think
Today do what Paul has asked us to do. Spend a few moments visualizing yourself correcting negative attitudes and instead see yourself thinking on each of the attributes Paul lists. Spend time on each one. Think on what is true – honorable – right – pure – lovely – admirable – excellent – worthy of praise. Sense God helping you to change the way you think.

HOW TO SEEK GOD AND FIND HIM!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY JANUARY 11, 2022.

SUBJECT : HOW TO SEEK GOD AND FIND HIM!

Memory verse: "But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him, if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul." (Deuteronomy 4 vs 29.)

READ: Jeremiah 29 vs 11 - 14:

29:11: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

29:12: Then will you call upon Me, and you will go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

29:13: And you will seek Me, and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

29:14: I will be found by you, says the LORD: and I will bring you back from your captivity. I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD;p, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.

INTIMATION:

God promises us that we will find Him when we search Him with all our hearts and souls. God is knowable and wants to be known, but we have to want to know Him. In seeking the Lord to find Him, our acts of service and worship must be accompanied by sincere devotion of the heart. As Hebrews 11 vs 6 says, “He who comes to the Lord must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” God will reward those who pursue a relationship with Him. God promises great blessings to His people, but most of these blessings require our active participation in seeking Him. 

Now, many will ask, “How do I seek God with all my heart and all my soul?” Moses gave an elaborate answer regarding this to the children of Israel. He said, “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to  keep the commandments of the LORD, and His statutes, which I command you this day for your good?” (Deuteronomy 10 vs 12 - 13.)

In the above verses, Moses gives a summary of what God expects us to do. They are simple in form and easy to remember. Here are the essentials: (1) Fear the Lord (reverence Him; give Him profound respect and esteem mingled with fear and affection, as for a holy being). We must fear God’s awesome being. (2) Walk in His ways; We must obediently walk according to His will, follow the road He sets out for us. (3) Love Him; We must respond to His being with love. (4) Serve Him; our lives must be one of service to His glory with everything you have in you (with all your heart and soul). (5) Keep His Commands; We must know and obey His commandments and regulations He has given us. Compliance with all that God requires results in our well-being on earth among ourselves.

The Bible interchangeably uses fear of the LORD, for seeking the LORD. The fear of the LORD in the Scriptures denote reverential fear of God, not to dread Him, or being scared of Him. It is to show Him deep respect, reverence, and honor, demonstrated by a humble attitude and genuine worship. Reverencing God should be a controlling motive of our lives in spiritual and moral matters. It is not mere fear of His power and righteous retribution, but a wholesome dread of displeasing Him. A fear which banishes the terror that shrinks from His presence, and which influences the disposition and attitude of one whose circumstances are guided by trust in God, through the Spirit of God indwelling us. 

Most often we complicate faith in God with man-made rules, regulations, and requirements; we strictly obey the man-made laws, but give partial obedience to God’s commands, apparently because man is seen, but God is unseen.

Our relationship, and fellowship with God starts with prayer. It is our lifeline to God, hence we should pray regularly to ensure that our line of seeking God is open at all times. The apostle Paul echoed it thus, "Pray without ceasing." (First Thessalonians 5 vs 17.)  Seeking God in prayers regularly ensures the availability of His guidance and strength that is needed at all times. It also aids us to appropriate His promised blessings to ourselves. Regular and constant praying habit ensures a disciplined life of prayer. 

David was one of the people in the Bible who sought the Lord and found Him. His reverence to God was exemplary; three times a day he would pray to God, he constantly inquired from God before engaging on any battle, and consequently, never lost even one, he was never perfect in his moral and spiritual life, but never failed to turn to God in genuine repentance whenever he sinned. These acts made God adjudged him a friend to Himself and a man after His heart. God is no strict with us about our leading a perfect life because He knows no one is perfect, but demands our reverencing Him. Are you frustrated and burned out from trying hard to please God? Concentrate on His real requirements and find peace. Respect, follow, love, serve, and obey God, and you will seek Him and find Him.. 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with a humble spirit of rightly seeking You at all times; respect, follow, love, serve, and obey You in all things, that I may find You, and appropriate to myself Your promised blessings, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

More Than A Father

 

Today : More Than A Father

 

TODAY’S VERSE
“And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, ‘Abba, Father.’” Galatians 4:6 (NLT)

 

TODAY’S MESSAGE
What a tender thought. Paul was very deliberate in using “Abba Father.” This is a more affectionate term that simply saying “Father.” The real translation of  “Abba Father” is “Daddy!” Imagine, God invites us to call Him our affectionate Father, “Daddy.” Can you say that? Have you thought of Him that way? Paul says that as God’s children, He has given us His Spirit and the job of the Spirit is to help us fall more and more in love with the Father until we can call Him “Daddy.” Will you let Him do that? Will you begin to meditate, to really stop and consider that He is your loving Father? Imagine His deep love for you. Imagine you coming into His presence, calling Him “Daddy”. Ask God to help you know this reality deep in your heart. After all, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”

 

TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear Father, I want to call you “Daddy”. I hear it in my head, but it isn’t quite in my heart. I invite You, Holy Spirit, to speak to my heart, to help me feel the Father’s love, to know the Father’s love. Prompt me, Holy Spirit, to call God, “Dear Father, Dear Daddy.”
AMEN

 

TODAY’VISUALIZATION & MEDITIATION
God is my heavenly loving father
Today, see God as a loving, kind, benevolent Father. Sense His love for you. Feel His care, concern and divine protection over you. He is your Father. Hear Him say, “I love you! I am so proud of you! I am glad that you are my child!” Affirm out loud, “God is my Heavenly Father.”

SILENCE IS EXPENSIVE FOR A BELIEVER!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY JANUARY 10, 2022.

SUBJECT: SILENCE IS EXPENSIVE FOR A BELIEVER! 

Memory verse: "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10 vs 9.)

READ: Matthew 10 vs 32 - 33:

10:32: 32: Therefore, whoever confesses Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father who is in heaven.

10:33: But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

INTIMATION:

People say silence is golden, and it can certainly be so. But in Christendom it is certainly very expensive, and most times, costs a person the thing wanted from God. Your communication matters. The confession of our belief—our faith, is the confession of God's Word; hearing God's Word, claiming it for your own, saying His promise is for you, and receiving the results of that promise are the orderly and direct steps along the pathway to God. However, it starts with the confession of your faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross that culminated in the gift of salvation to you: “…With the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10 vs 9). 

In the Bible passage we read today, the statement by Jesus thus, “every one .....who shall confess Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father...,” conveys the thought of confessing allegiance to Christ as one’s Master and Lord, and on the other hand, of acknowledgement, on His part, of the faithful one as being His worshipper and servant, His loyal follower. 

Anyone who confesses Jesus Christ (that is, publicly acknowledges faith in, or declares allegiance to Him) will be acknowledged by Christ before His Father in heaven. People who will not take a stand for Jesus for reason of being afraid of rejection or ridicule will eventually be denied by Jesus before His Father. They wouldn’t admit to faith in Jesus because they may not want to lose their association or follower-ship in worldly affairs which may be their source of livelihood, or lose their prestigious position in their association or community. 

In Mark 8 vs 8 Jesus said, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” We can reject Jesus now and be rejected by Him at His second coming, or we can accept Him now and be accepted by Him then. Rejecting Christ may help us escape shame for the time being, but it will guarantee an eternity of shame later. We should live as Christ has urged us to, sharing our faith no matter what the cost. We may not be beaten or thrown into jail, but we may be ridiculed, ostracized, or slandered. 

But the praise of humans is fickle and short-lived. We should be much more concerned about God’s eternal acceptance than about the temporary approval of other people. Christ’s given mission of Christians is to go forth and preach the gospel; confessing Christ’s “Good News” to the world thus turning many from sin to righteousness. 

The gospel is the good news of Jesus’ death for our sins and resurrection for our hope. And this is what all believers must proclaim to all the world. In doing this, the Scripture says we are eternal “stars”—by being wise and leading many to God’s righteousness. (Daniel 12 vs 3.) If we share our Lord with others, we can be true stars—radiantly beautiful in God’s sight. It is very important to lead people to Christ because it keeps us in touch with God while it offers others eternal life. 

It’s noteworthy that Christians still face persecution in the hands of non-Christians in some parts of the world till date. In the face of such persecution, Jesus’ followers are encouraged to publicly claim to belong to Him. Though it is usually at their peril, but they are assured of an everlasting joy with Christ in eternity. Genuine discipleship always involves acknowledging Jesus Christ, whether or not we face pressure and persecution. Not confessing Jesus or keeping silent about your faith in Him is tantamount to denying your faith. 

Prayer: Abba Father, denying You is death, and confessing You is life—life everlasting. Let my tongue gum to the roof of my mouth if I fail to confess You to the world. May the thought of denying You never cross my mind, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

 

CONSECRATION IS BEYOND OUR POWER!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JANUARY 09, 2022.

SUBJECT: CONSECRATION IS BEYOND OUR POWER! 

Memory verse: So he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel; ‘Not by might not by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.” (Zechariah 4 vs 6.)

READ: Zechariah 3 vs 1 - 5:

3:1: Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. 

3:2: And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked out of the fire?" 

3:3: Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.

3:4: Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, "Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, "See, I have removed your  iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes." 

3:5: And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the Lord stood by.

INTIMATION:

Consecration implies a life of devotion or dedication, usually setting yourself apart for God’s use. Consecration or leading a consecrated life is beyond our power. It takes spiritual empowerment to lead a consecrated life. We are spiritually empowered to overcome the spiritual forces of desecration. 

The passage we read today tells us the source of the conflicts we face in our desire to lead a consecrated life. Joshua, the high priest, did not choose filthiness. It was forced on him by satanic forces in the unseen realm. Satan is always accusing people of their sins before God. But he greatly misunderstands the breadth of God's mercy  and forgiveness toward those who believe in Him. 

Many people believe that to survive in this world a person must be tough, strong, unbending, and harsh. But God says, “Not by might not by power, but by My Spirit.” The key words are “by My Spirit.” It is only through God’s Spirit that anything of lasting value is accomplished. As you live for God, determine not to trust in your own strength or abilities. Instead, depend on God and work in the power of His Spirit!

The illustration in the passage reveals that most of the habits that destroy people are remotely controlled by spiritual forces—they are the works of Satan. That is why no matter how hard the victim tries to come out of it by personal physical efforts, he finds himself going deeper into it, against his wish. There has to be a heavenly means of destroying such satanic hold. It took the intervention of the Angel to stop the activities of Satan, and to put a change of raiment on Joshua. You know we release the Angels through prayers (Matthew 26 vs 53.)

As we communicate with God in prayer, He sends Angels down as private emissaries. They remove the filthy garments from us, give us a change of raiment and cause our iniquities to pass from us. No matter how genuine your desire to please God is, or how sincere you are in your longing to live right, you must understand that it is not possible by your power or might; you need divine help. That is why people who lean on personal efforts to live right live frustrated lives. They put themselves under all manner of bondages: they go about with long faces, looking very pious, not greeting anybody on the way, nor shaking hands with anybody, yet they are not free. 

By your might and power you can't live a consecrated life. So, unless you can send your heart ahead of you to heaven through prayer, your physical affords in the conflict with sin is useless. In Matthew 26 vs 41, Jesus said, "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Do not trust on your flesh, but rather on the unfailing, strong, and willing Spirit of God. Prayer is very essential because God's strength can shore up our defenses and defeat Satan's power; “For His strength is made perfect in our weakness.” (Second Corinthians 12 vs 9.) 

Look at what happened to Peter before he denied Jesus. When Jesus said, "Simon Peter, you will deny Me three times tonight," Peter said, "Even unto death I will stand by You." And he really meant it. Jesus also knew he meant it. But He meant to tell Peter, "Man, you don't know the things fighting against you. Satan desires to have you and that had nothing to do with whether you are determined or not. There is satanic forces organizing your destruction. Satan has concluded the plan to devastate your destiny and sieve you like wheat, but I have prayed for you" (Luke 22 vs 31 - 34). Jesus recognizes Satan as being behind Peter's fall, and knows the only remedy is standing on the gap in prayers for him, so the Spirit of God would offer the needed help.

That is why God gave us the weapon of prayer, to pull down all strongholds of the enemy that stand against our walk in righteousness. When we ask in prayer for God's mercy, He removes our filthy garments (our clothing of sin) and provides us with His goodness; new, clean, rich robes (the righteousness and holiness of God (Second Corinthians 5 vs 21; Ephesians 4 vs 24; Revelation 19 vs 8), making us worthy to draw near to Him. All we need to do is repent and ask God for forgiveness in prayers. My prayer is that the Spirit of the living God will always lead you in your journey of life, in Jesus’ Name. 

Prayer: Abba Father, Your Word says, “By strength shall no man prevail.” And without You I can do nothing. Endue me with the spirit of utmost dependence on You, even in my quest to lead a consecrated life in You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!