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Repent and Be Forgiven

Jesus is not physically on earth now, but He is still speaking to us today – through His Word and by His Spirit (John 14:26). He ascended into heaven and will remain there until He comes again in His glorified body, and in great glory, to gather His people (Matthew 24:30-31) and make everything right and new (Revelation 21:3-4).

God’s promise to restore the fallen world through Christ is seen throughout the Bible. Deuteronomy 18:15-19 is God’s promise through Moses that Jesus is the ultimate expression of God’s Word. Indeed, anybody who will not listen to Him cannot be a part of His people. The Old Testament prophets were inspired by the Holy Spirit to speak and write about Jesus (1 Peter 1:10-12) and the Pentecost crowd were the first to hear the explanation of well known but mysterious passages of Scripture (Colossians 1:26-27) – they were all about Jesus restoring a sinful world.

The greatest blessing we can receive starts with turning away from sin. That is repentance. There is no way forward with God without listening to Jesus, agreeing that He is right, turning from what is wrong, and asking for His mercy and forgiveness.

Jesus is speaking today. It does not matter what background you have come from, inclusion into God’s family is only through Jesus (Acts 4:12). Because He is God the Son, those who reject Him also reject God the Father (John 15:23). People who welcome Jesus are made part of God’s family (John 1:12). The gospel about Jesus that you have accepted is not just for you; it is essential good news for all your friends and colleagues too. Jesus is still alive, still speaking, still in command and will fulfil His promise to restore everything that sin has spoiled. As you trust in Him for salvation, also trust Him to help you to tell other people, so that they may find His salvation too.

Facing the New Year Without Fear

God’s Word brings us comfort, promises that are always yea and amen, along with an insightful command as we face a new year: “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Hebrews 13:5-6).

We can live this coming year without fear if we apply these four incredibly wonderful truths to our lives and embed them deep into our hearts.

 

The Contentment of His Provision

Contentment is not getting what you want, but it is wanting what you already have. 1 Timothy 6:6-8 says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us therewith be content.” If you know Jesus Christ, you have contentment. If you’ve got clothes on your back, something to eat, and Jesus Christ in your heart, you’re rich! SUPER RICH.

Do you know why we have fear? Because we think our needs or the needs of our family or loved one is not going to be met. Or we fear that the things we think are meeting our needs are going to be taken away from us. Remember, the deepest need of your heart can only be met in the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

The Companionship of His Presence

I don’t know what I’m going to face next year. But there’s one thing I know, He will never leave me or forsake me. Are you a child of God? He will never leave you either. Isn’t that wonderful!

What’s another reason we may fear in the coming year? Because we’re afraid we’re going to have to face something we don’t understand, and we’re going to have to face it alone.

When God’s Word promises that God will never forsake you, it literally means that He will never abandon you. He will not give up on you. We need to practice the presence of the Lord this coming year. When the devil comes and knocks at you heart’s door, you can simply say, “Jesus, please go answer the door.”

 

The Confidence of His Promise

We’re going to zero in on a little phrase in our verses in Hebrews, “He hath said.” A promise is no better than the one who makes it. Who says, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee”? It is the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God. This is the confidence of His promise.

In the coming year, when you say, “God, I just don’t have the strength.” The omnipotent God will answer, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” When you say, “God, I’m afraid of what is going to happen.” The omnipresent God says, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” And when you say, “God, I don’t know what to do.” The omniscient God will respond, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” He himself hath said it.

 

The Comfort of His Protection

Hebrews 13:6 promises, “So that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” Now, put that with verse 5, which says, “He hath said.”

Like I said earlier, I don’t know what you’re going to go through this coming year. But I know you can boldly say, “The Lord is my helper, so I will not fear what man shall do to me.” When you find your contentment, companionship, and confidence in Jesus. Then, you’ll find your comfort and courage in Jesus

Priorities First

But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.
—Matthew 6:33

Many times we don’t think about what our priorities are, but we still have them. Our priorities are whatever is first in our thoughts and in how we plan our time. Having real peace in our lives requires making God first above all other things that demand our attention.

If you put God first in your finances, first in your time, first in your conversation, first in your thoughts, first in your decisions, your life will be a success. I am living evidence of this truth. Before I learned to put God first, I was living in the worst messes that anybody could have. I had a bad attitude and couldn’t think two positive thoughts in a row. I had a bad attitude and I didn’t care who liked me or not. My childhood left me full of bitterness, resentment, and un-forgiveness.

Our lives will not be blessed if we keep God in a box or if we visit HIM on Sunday-mornings for forty-five minutes, at church service. If Christians were putting Jesus first in everything, then the world would be in a better condition. There are, of course, sincere, God-fearing, dedicated believers in every church and in society, but not nearly as many as there should be.

I’ve trained myself to start each day by giving God the first fruits of my time. I’ve realized that I’m not going to get through the day peacefully if I don’t spend time with God and put Him first. Everyone needs to develop this pattern. Putting God first and you’ll see how your life will be changed.

Enemies of the Soul

The Moabites, the Ammonites, and with them the Meunites came against Jehoshaphat to battle. —2 Chronicles 20:1

In today’s verse, the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the Meunites were after King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. In other places in the Old Testament, the Jebusites, the Hittites, and the Canaanites were troublemakers for God’s people.

But with us, it is the “fear-ites,” the “anger-ites,” the “disease-ites” the “stress-ites,” the “financial problem–ites,” the “insecurity-ites,” the “grouchy -neighbor–ites,” and so on.

I wonder, which “-ites” are chasing you right now? Whatever they are, you can learn from King Jehoshaphat’s response to the “-ites” who were after him. The first thing he did was fear, but then he quickly did something else: He set himself to seek the Lord. Determined to hear from Him, Jehoshaphat even proclaimed a fast throughout his kingdom for that very purpose. He knew he needed to hear from God. He needed a battle plan, and only God could give him one that would succeed.

Like Jehoshaphat, we should develop the habit of running to God instead of to people when we have trouble. We should seek Him rather than turn to our own wisdom or asking for other people’s opinions. We need to ask ourselves whether we “run to the phone or run to the throne” when faced with trouble. God may use a person to speak a word of advice to us, but we always need to seek Him first.

Hearing God’s voice is a great way to fight fear. When we hear from Him, faith fills our hearts and drives fear away. Jehoshaphat knew he needed to hear from God centuries ago and we have the same need now. Be sure to seek God and listen to His voice today.

Is Your Life Dry?

Are you tired of your life being boring or dry, feeling you have no purpose or confused and without direction? Are you exhausted of having to strive for everything in life? It may be because the river of life inside of you is clogged.

Deep down inside each of us, there is a river of life. This river is a wonderful gift given to each of us by God. It flows with good health, a positive outlook on life, and a generous and forgiving attitude. Ideally, this river flows freely through us. When we allow this flow and keep our “well” from getting clogged-up, there’s a peace a current that takes us along—and everything seems easier. Good things come our way. When wonderful opportunities are presented to us, we’re ready for them.

It also refreshes, renews and revitalizes our lives. I’m sure all of us have known people from time to time who defied all logic and stayed alive years longer than they should have. Or you may have known people who’ve been able to keep a positive outlook on life even though terrible things happened to them. Their river ran strong and didn’t stop flowing.

When the Well Gets Clogged

On the other hand, there are those who always seem to be down, whether physically or emotionally. No matter what they do, they can’t seem to “snap out of it.” Their river has been stopped-up, and only a little trickle seems to pass through.

Many people, however, have allowed their well to become stopped-up. They are always discouraged, and no matter what they do, they can’t seem to snap out of it. Years of neglect have turned a once power flowing river into a small stream. Everything’s hard—nothing comes easy. People with a stopped-up well have to strive for things that come easily to others. It’s as if they’ve become mired in a mud hole and every step is a struggle. Do you know people like this? Does this sound like your life?

Unclogging Your Well

Just remember, until you’re able to get your well cleared out and unclogged, everything will be difficult, disappointing and unfulfilling. No matter what you try, you’ll be unable to taste the water from that river. And that water satisfies like nothing else.

Tap into that stream by clearing up what blocks its flow. God can help you forgive, see the needs of those around you, and let go of past hurts or wrongs. He wants to help you deal with the “stones” and “debris” that are stopping up your well.

Make a choice today to stop spending your life fighting, struggling and trudging through the mud with every step. Stop taking inventory of what you’ve lost, and take a good look at what you’ve got left. Ask God to help you clear out the debris. Then enjoy the satisfying flow of the river of life!

God’s Time, not Mine

Psalms 25:1-22

When you are continually on your face before God, seeking Him in His Word, His presence will soak your heart, making it sensitive and teachable. Just as a marriage relationship can begin to grow cold unless proactive steps are taken daily to keep it warm, your heart can gradually harden when you aren’t seeking intimacy with God. You must also obediently respond to whatever He tells you to do so that your heart will stay soft and receptive. Then it won’t take much for the Lord to get your attention, and when He convicts you of sin, you will want to deal with the problem right away. This is why we must walk in the Spirit moment by moment.

If you believe that God is leading you in a certain direction, take the time to earnestly seek His mind on the matter, and open your heart to listen to Him. Be careful about getting busy with a substitute for what He originally called you to do.

It would be tragic to work extra hard doing what you and others consider good, only to discover that your effort was spent in accomplishing something that was not God’s intention. Resisting the Lord often amounts to putting your life on the shelf, which leaves you feeling that something is missing. There is no substitute for God’s will, even when His plan might seem difficult or impossible. But when you totally trust Him with your whole heart, there is no limit to what God can do through your life.

Victory in Trials

1 Peter 1:3-9

It is obvious that we don’t enjoy times of trial or conflict. Despite the guarantee we have that God will always be by our side through all circumstance (Heb. 13:5), it is still natural to fear and complain about such occurrences.

In hardships, however, we often forget the very words Christ spoke in John 16:33. We hear and certainly relate to the first part of His instruction: “In the world you have tribulation.” We’ve all faced enough problems to know that it is not possible to avoid them altogether. In fact, Jesus takes it a step further by asserting that our faith in Him will actually lead to even more attacks and criticism (15:18-20). Truly it is impossible for a devoted Christian to live trouble-free in a world that is hostile toward God.

What we tend to miss in Jesus’ statement, however, is the second half of the verse. After delivering the “bad” news that we would have tribulation in our life, He offers a word of hope: “But take courage! I have overcome the world.” Notice that He didn’t say, “I will overcome,” but rather, “I have overcome.” In Christ, the victory has already been won. He has victory over all things. Even the world’s greatest threat, death itself, has already been defeated by Jesus Christ.

Life certainly isn’t easy. However, we have a loving God who not only understands our suffering but also chose to experience it Himself. Because He did, we can now claim participation in the ultimate victory over every trial of life.

Jesus, Our Rock

Malachi 3:6

People will sometimes say, “The only constant is change.” Fortunately, this is not true. There is One who never changes: Jesus Christ always remains the same. What a comforting truth! But it’s hard to find refuge in someone we don’t know well. So let’s explore the Lord’s actions to learn more about His nature.

  • Jesus forgave others. He showed mercy, not judgment, to those who recognized their sin. For example, Jesus had compassion on the woman caught in adultery and stopped her death penalty with a few wise words. Then, instead of pronouncing condemnation, He said that her sins were forgiven (John 8:1-11).
  • Jesus comforted the hurting. He visited Mary and Martha, who were mourning the loss of their brother Lazarus (John 11:1-45).
  • Jesus provided for needs. After spending three days healing all kinds of disabilities, He was concerned that the large crowd hadn’t eaten. He could have sent all 4,000 away to find their own food, but He provided more than enough to satisfy their hunger (Mark 8:1-9).
  • Jesus interceded for His disciples. Just before He was crucified, He asked the Father to protect and sanctify His followers, which includes you and me (John 17:15, 17, 19-20).
  • Jesus strengthened believers and gave them power to do God’s work. In Acts 1:8, the Lord sent His disciples out to share the gospel, assuring them, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”

Jesus still forgives, still comforts, still provides, still intercedes, and still empowers. What a blessing that we can find refuge in our amazing Lord!

Shared from In Touch Ministries.

Learning From Failure

Luke 22:31-34

Peter was a man of great faith and bold action. But as readers of the New Testament know, his brash style sometimes led him to make humiliating mistakes. More than once, this disciple had to wear the label of “miserable failure” rather than that of “obedient servant.”

We can all relate when it comes to falling short of expectations. Obedience to God is a process—something we learn. And failure is a part of our development as humble servants. When we yield to temptation or rebel against God’s authority, we realize that sin has few rewards, and even those are fleeting.

Failure is an excellent learning tool, as Peter could certainly attest. Through trial and error, he discovered that one should never take his eyes off Jesus (Matthew 14:30); God’s plan must always have priority over man’s (Matthew 16:21-23; John 18:10-11); and humility is required of believers (Luke 13:5-14). He took each of those lessons to heart and thereby grew stronger in his faith. Isn’t that Romans 8:28 in action? God caused Peter’s failures to be put to good use as training material because the disciple was eager to mature and serve.

God doesn’t reward rebellion or wrongdoing. However, by His grace, He blesses those who choose repentance and embrace chastisement as a tool for growth.

We would all prefer to grow in our faith without ever making a mistake, but we cannot deny that missteps are instructive. Failure teaches us that it is much wiser to be obedient to the Lord. That’s a lesson we all should take to heart.

Shared from In Touch Ministries.

How to Speak Like God

Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” And Hebrews 4:14 (AMP) says we should “hold fast our confession [of faith in Him]”

Confession means “to say the same thing as.” As the High Priest of our confession, Jesus can only do what we’re saying that agrees with His Word. So it’s vital for us to learn how to speak the Word of God and not just say things based on our feelings or even what others have said about us.

I believe we’ll have greater success with this if we concentrate on what we should be saying, rather than focusing on all the things we shouldn’t say. It’s self-defeating to go around saying things like, “I shouldn’t do that… I’d better not do this…”I want to encourage you to really listen to yourself. Where’s your heart? See Luke 6:45. We need to stop saying, “Oh, I didn’t mean that. I was just kidding.” And we need to start being accountable for the words we speak.

The truth is, the things we say come from something that is formed in our heart. So you can determine where your heart is by listening to yourself. You can hear bitterness and jealousy…insecurity and unhappiness