The Holy Spirit

 We have been given a tremendous gift from GOD.  And this is apart from the Grace of GOD.

Through our acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Saviour, we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit, who takes up residence in our hearts.  The Holy Spirit not only convicts us of our sin, but pours the love of Jesus into us.

No longer can we be the empty vessels that we once were.

Now, as Christ followers, we are filled with the love of GOD.

And the love of GOD is boundless.

We need to draw on that love in order for us to give it out to others in the measure it is poured out into us.

We can love one another in the simplest of ways.  We can just smile and be pleasant to people we have never met.  We can give a little compliment now and then.  We can ask the LORD to bless people with whom we interact.  We can remember people in our prayers.  The simplest of ways can make a huge difference in the lives of people who are feeling lost, alone or in pain.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, thank YOU for the love YOU have given me and help me to share this with everyone I meet.  I humbly pray this in the Holy name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay amazingly Jesus Blessed today!

Blessed are they whose sins are forgiven!

 In Romans four, Paul deals with the righteousness accorded a believer.  Abraham's faith in GOD was credited to him as righteousness.

Even though Abraham was one hundred years old, he believed GOD when HE told him that he would become a father of many nations.

Our faith in Jesus and GOD and in the Holy Spirit is what is credited to us as righteousness.

If we doubt GOD or the Holy Spirit or Jesus, we are not saved.

We have to believe in GOD entirely with our whole hearts.  And our hearts were designed by GOD to be filled with HIM.  That is why some people go about searching for something their whole lives, but finally find fulfilment when they believe in Jesus.

Today, trust your heart.  GOD is our FATHER, our CREATOR and Jesus is our Saviour.  The Holy Spirit will take up residence in our hearts the moment we surrender our lives to Jesus.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU for YOUR presence in my life.  My life would be so empty without YOU.  I thank YOU for Jesus Christ in my life.  I thank YOU for the Holy Spirit living in me.  I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay faithfully Jesus Blessed today!

All have sinned!

 Dearest Christ followers.  Do not be deceived!  And the devil is the great deceiver.  All of us have sinned.

Paul tells us in Romans Chapter 3, that there are none good.  No, not even one.

If we deceive ourselves or allow ourselves to be deceived in this regard, we make Jesus out to be liar and we make His divine work on the Cross futile.

Had there been any people without sin on the earth, then it was not necessary for GOD to sacrifice HIS only SON on that Cross.

When we accept Jesus, we must accept that we are in need of salvation from our sins.  We must repent.  Believing in Jesus is not enough.  We need to know that we now to sin less!  It is impossible to say that we must sin no more.  We are born sinful.  But we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit who convicts us of our sin and we learn, over a period of time, to sin less and less.

All of us without exception have fallen short of the Glory of GOD and HIS Holiness, HIS Righteousness, HIS Goodness.  We all need to be justified through Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, no one, and I repeat, no one will come to GOD except through Jesus!

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU for my Redeemer, Jesus Christ.  FATHER fill me up anew with YOUR Holy Spirit to convict me whenever and wherever I sin.  I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay amazingly Jesus Blessed today!

Storing up wrath from GOD!

 We need to keep watch dearest Christ followers.  It is so easy to become hard of heart and unrepentant.

We are not "once saved, also saved" or OSAS.  We can backslide quite easily.

Once our hearts become hardened and we become unrepentant, we can be in grave danger of storing up the wrath of GOD for judgement on ourselves.

So how can we avoid this?

We need to spend time with our FATHER daily.  We need to read HIS Word.  We need to pray and to talk to fellow Christ followers.

We need to have a living real relationship with our FATHER in Heaven.

That way we will learn to understand and to know the character of our CREATOR who not only gave us life, but sent HIS Son to give us life eternal with HIM.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU that through YOUR grace I am saved.  FATHER, I humbly pray that YOU help me to never harden my heart or to become unrepentant.  FATHER fill me continually with YOUR Holy Spirit.  Give me a thirst and a hunger to know YOU better.  I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay amazingly Jesus Blessed today!

The patience and kindness of GOD!

 Dearest Christ followers, we serve a Mighty GOD who shows us immense patience and kindness.  

This patience and kindness towards us is to lead us to repentance.  But if we show contempt for these characteristics of our FATHER, we stand a very good chance of having our hearts hardened.

Sitting in churches today are a lot of people who listen, but do not hear and whose hearts have been hardened towards the Grace offered us by a Loving, Holy and Righteous FATHER.

It would be a fearful thing to get to Heaven, only for Jesus to say to us, "I never knew you!"

Today, let us bow down and worship our FATHER for HIS mercy and HIS grace towards us.  Let us turn from any sin and let us through a repentant heart, hand our will over to the Will of our FATHER for the rest of our lives.  We may not have tomorrow.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I am so blessed to have accepted YOUR grace.  FATHER help me to grow in my faith daily and fill me to over flowing with YOUR Holy Spirit.  I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay faithfully Jesus Blessed today!

Judgement!

 Dear Christ followers, it is so easy to sit in judgement on others.  But it is as Jesus, first we need to take the plank out of our own eyes before we can see the splinter in another's eye.

But there is righteous judgement, where we are called upon to behave as Jesus would have done.

Consider the woman at the well.  Jesus knew exactly who she was before she even addressed him.

And no, He did not judge her, but He did call her to order.

In exactly the same way, when we see someone sinning, we need to call their attention to this.  But we should expect that when we sin, that same person will call us to order.

Being a bondservant of Jesus Christ comes with a responsibility.  That responsibility is to make us better servants to Jesus.  We cannot take that responsibility lightly.  We need to be willing to call others to order, but we also need to be willing to be called to order ourselves.

I am not talking about judgement.  If we judge, with the same measure, we shall be judged.  I am talking about admonition. 

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU for YOUR grace and favour which has freed me from my sinful self.  FATHER, where I continue to sin, give me people in my life who gently reprove me and where I see others sinning, give me the wisdom to gently bring them back to order.  I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay amazingly Jesus Blessed today!

Without excuse - knowing GOD!

 Science has failed dismally to prove evolution.  But most people who have studied our DNA and the universe and the order all agree that there must have been a CREATOR.

If the universe had started from a big bang, the result would have been chaos.

However, nothing about earth, the solar system, the universe is chaotic.  It is all extremely orderly.

Therefore, as Christ followers, we are inexcusable if we deny the CREATOR.

All we need to do each day is to walk out of our homes and look at the earth around us.  The birds going about their business of collecting food for their young, making nests, the flowers blooming, the sunrise each day and the magnificent sunsets.  After dark we are treated to the night skies with their marvellous arrays of the stars and the planets, and our night light, the moon.

Even the most clever people in the world cannot create a night sky or make a bird out of nothing.  They cannot make a sunset or a sunrise.  Only GOD can do that.

And only GOD has the Grace to send HIS only Son to die for our sins and to give us a chance to spend eternity with HIM.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, when I see a sunrise or the sunset, I am always so humbled by YOUR Creation.  FATHER, I worship YOU and I adore YOU.  I thank YOU for YOUR grace and for Jesus Christ.  I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay amazingly Jesus Blessed today!

Called of Jesus Christ!

 Dearest Christ followers, Romans is such a remarkable book.  Paul really expounds the true meaning of the Grace of GOD and the privilege we have attained through the Salvation of our LORD Jesus Christ. 

If Jesus had not come to this earth as a man, lived a sinless life, died on that Cross and risen from the dead on the third day, we would not have had the opportunity to become "called of Christ".

But, because Jesus rescued us, we are able to attain to the Kingdom of GOD through the redemption of our sins by the blood of Jesus.

How privileged we are! We are now co heirs of the Kingdom of GOD with our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I am truly thankful for YOUR abounding Grace.  I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay graciously Jesus Blessed today!

Salvation - a free gift from GOD!

 Dear Christ followers.  We are so privileged to have been chosen by GOD to receive the Grace of GOD through the blood of Jesus spent on that Cross.

Salvation is a free gift.  However, the next verses of Acts detail what happens when we do not receive the salvation and continually avoid accepting Jesus.

Eventually our ears become dull, and we do not hear.  Our hearts are hardened, and salvation slips further and further away.

If you have been hearing and not listening or not accepting the Grace of GOD, please understand that you may not have tomorrow.

We are given a wonderful opportunity to become justified through the blood of Jesus.

This means that once we accept Jesus as our Saviour, and repent, it is just as if we had never sinned.

Today, if you have heard but not listened, it is not too late to accept Jesus and repent.  Do it now.  Tomorrow may not come!

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU for YOUR grace.  FATHER, I humbly pray that anyone who reads this today and has not accepted Jesus, accepts Jesus right now.  I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay graciously Jesus Blessed today!

Keep your courage up through faith in Jesus!

 Dear Christ followers, it is so easy today to lose courage.  But if we follow the example of Paul, we will find strength in Jesus.

In this chapter of Acts, Luke recounts how Paul and he were on the ship bound for Rome.  The winter weather was closing in around the Adriatic sea and the sea was tempestuous. 

Paul, however kept his faith in the Word of GOD.  And GOD told Paul that all on board would be saved if they ran aground.

Despite all the chaos going on around them as they threw goods overboard and eventually even their anchors, Paul was calm because he trusted in the Word of GOD.  And GOD had sent him a vision that they would all be saved.

We are never guaranteed that we will not be shipwrecked or that any other disaster will befall us.

What we are guaranteed is that we serve a GOD who is faithful to keep HIS promises.  And we will know HIS promises if we have a tight relationship with HIM.

The importance of prayer and daily reading of the Word of GOD cannot be emphasised enough.  We have to have a living, working relationship to GOD so that HE can guide us through the storms of life.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, as we navigate life's storms, I am so blessed to know YOU.  I am so blessed to have YOUR immense Grace.  FATHER, I humbly ask that YOU guide me in everything I do.  Not my will, but THY Will FATHER.  This I humbly pray in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay faithfully Jesus Blessed today!

Transferred to the Kingdom of Jesus!

 Dear Christ followers, what a privilege we have in our faith in Jesus.  We have been delivered out of darkness and transferred to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

All of this is done by the Grace of GOD if we only believe in Jesus and repent of our sins.

Jesus has done all the work on the Cross for us.  No matter how badly we have messed up, no matter what we done, we can be forgiven.

We need to have a truly repentant heart and a faith in Jesus.

That is all.  No amount of good works will get us here, no amount of tithing or any other form of offering.  Only faith and repentance.

How blessed we are!

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I am so grateful to YOU and so humbled by YOUR mercy.  FATHER I thank YOU for my Saviour Jesus Christ.  FATHER, if there are any sins that I have omitted to ask YOUR forgiveness of, I ask that The Holy Spirit convict me to ask for forgiveness.  I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay amazingly Jesus Blessed today!

Everyone will have everlasting life!

 Our FATHER in Heaven is an eternal FATHER.  HE has given us every opportunity on earth to find out who Jesus is and to accept Jesus.

HE has also given each one of us complete free will to decide for ourselves.

Now I know a lot of people believe that after this life there is no other life.  That is a "grave" mistake.

Most definitely there is an "after" life.  And it is not only for Christ followers, but for all.

The most important thing to know is that there are only two choices for this "after" life.

Heaven or hell.

Today, if you have not done so, choose to believe in Jesus.  Accept Jesus as the Son of GOD.  Accept the fact that we are all sinners and repent and turn from your former self and change your mind about where you will spend eternity.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU that YOU have opened my eyes to the Truth, the Way and the Life.  I choose Jesus as my Saviour today.  FATHER I thank YOU for YOUR grace.  Give me a truly repentant heart with which to worship YOU.  I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay amazingly Jesus blessed today!

Praise the LORD!

 Sometimes, dear Christ followers, it is so difficult to remember that we are here for one purpose.  To bring glory to GOD.  In all instances, we are to praise the LORD.  

As Job did, and as David did and as Noah did, we need to praise the LORD. 

We have nothing, we are nothing, but most of all, we would never have been on earth had it not been for the LORD our GOD.  HE created the earth, the heavens and all things.  And then HE created us in HIS own image.

Our only purpose is to give praise to HIM.

Here in this Psalm we are reminded of this.  No matter the circumstances in which we find ourselves, we are to praise the LORD.

Remember Paul and Silas in prison in Philippi singing hymns and praying to GOD.  They had been stripped and beaten, put into the deepest part of the prison, with their feet in the stocks.  Yet at midnight, in the cold, the dark and bruised and beaten, they were singing and praying to GOD.

If we truly love the LORD and we want to be in a relationship with our CREATOR, we need to praise HIM. Praise HIM for our lives, our family, our friends, our homes and all that we have and all that we are.

There is a quotation by Max Lucado that says "imagine if you woke up tomorrow with only the things that you thanked GOD for today".

So today, let us praise the LORD no matter what our circumstances might be.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I humbly praise YOU and thank YOU for all that I am, for all that I have and for everything YOU have done for me and for YOUR mercy and grace.  I thank YOU for my salvation given to me by YOUR grace through Jesus Christ.  I humbly thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay amazingly Jesus blessed today!

Trials for believers!

 Paul faced so many trials during his mission to spread the Gospel.  However, Paul knew that Jesus was always with him.

We will also face many trials and tribulations here on earth.  The important thing is to remember that Jesus is always with us.

Once we accept Jesus as the Saviour of our lives, once we truly believe, we can have the absolute comfort of knowing that in each and every instance of our lives, Jesus is with us.

It does not mean it makes the trials and tribulations any easier to accept or endure, but it does mean that we know we are not in this situation alone.

The LORD said "Never will I leave you, Never will I forsake you" Deuteronomy 31: 8.

So whatever you dealing with, call on Jesus.  Call on the LORD.  This is our ever present help in times of trouble.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU that I may know that whatever I am facing, YOU know what it is FATHER, and YOU are always with me.  I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  My Lord and my Saviour.  Amen.

Stay faithfully Jesus Blessed today!

Wash your sins away!

 Dearest Christ follower.  If you have not decided to be baptized, what are you waiting for?

We do not know if we have tomorrow.  Today might be the last day we have.

Although baptism by emersion is not a salvation issue, it is an obedience to the LORD.

An emersion in water, through our baptism is a public confession of our obedience to our FATHER.  And just like it is recommended here above, if we are serious about our acceptance of Jesus as our LORD and Saviour, as HE was baptized by John, so should we too take this step.

Do not delay.  Make the decision. Obey the LORD.

Prayer: ABBA FATHER, I humbly pray that YOU make me obedient to YOUR will in every part of my life.  I pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  My Saviour, my Redeemer.  Amen.

Stay obediently Jesus blessed today!

Jesus appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus

In this passage above, Paul is recounting his conversion to a believer in Jesus to the crowd.

For giving his testimony, Paul faced a truly angry crowd who wanted him dead.

Paul's testimony created a riot.

Even today, although we may not be aware of it, many many Christ followers are being persecuted for their faith.

We are so blessed to be able to openly worship our FATHER in Heaven and to believe in Jesus Christ.

But this may not continue with the world so upside down.  We once had "the truth", but now we have "your truth" and "my truth".

People are so easily offended if we profess our faith, our gender, our beliefs.

This, I believe, is the end of times.  Although no one knows the hour, dear Christ followers, I believe we need to face the fact that we could all be raptured tomorrow.

Are we ready to be raptured?  And, more importantly, are we right with Jesus?

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU for YOUR grace and mercy in sending Jesus Christ to this earth to save me from my sins.  FATHER, I accept Jesus as my Lord and my Saviour.  I ask, FATHER, that you forgive my sins as I forgive all those who sin against me.

I pray all this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay faithfully Jesus Blessed today!
 

The Will of the LORD be done!

 In every instance, we need to pray for the Will of the LORD to be done rather than our will.  We cannot see into the future, but our FATHER can.  Our FATHER has a perfect plan, and we need to be a part of that plan rather than forcing our plan through.

We can only do our best.  But we need to pray about everything and ask our FATHER to give us HIS plan.  In all instances, we need to pray.

We forget to pray.  We forget to give our decisions over to the LORD.

Today, let us resolve to pray about everything and then let us have the patience to wait on the LORD to show us HIS way.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I humbly pray that THY will be done in my life and not my will.  I pray that YOU give me the patience to wait on YOU FATHER.  I pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay patiently Jesus Blessed today!

Zealous for Jesus!

 Paul, having seen Jesus on the way to Damascus and having spoken to Jesus, was fully prepared to die for his belief in Jesus.

Paul was a man who had persecuted Christ followers to death.  He had been on his way to Damascus to bring back Christ followers to have them imprisoned when he was confronted by Jesus.

When a zealot like Paul accepts Jesus as his Lord and Saviour, we need to follow suit.

Are we zealous for Jesus?

Would we be willing to die for our faith?

Or are we just lukewarm pew warmers, going to Church because that seems to be the right thing to do?

Sometimes we need to examine our walk with Jesus.  Are we drawing closer to Jesus?  Are we learning to know and to fully grasp the magnitude of the GOD we serve?

If not, it is time to get right with GOD.  We may not have tomorrow!

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, YOU are so faithful.  I humbly pray that my walk with YOU grows day by day.  I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay amazingly Jesus Blessed today!

Th Grace of GOD

 Dear Children of GOD, Christ followers, once we are sanctified through our acceptance of the redemptive blood of Jesus Christ spilt on that Cross to save us from our sins, we have an inheritance.

Under the Mosaic Law an inheritance such as the one we have been offered through the Grace of GOD is all but impossible to achieve.

We are born sinful.  We sin and we need a Saviour.  We have a Saviour.  Our Saviour is Christ Jesus.

Today is the day to accept Jesus as our Saviour.  Today is the day to repent of our sins.  Today is the day to share an inheritance with our Lord and our Saviour, Jesus Christ.  An inheritance of eternity to spend with our FATHER in Heaven.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU that I can be saved through YOUR immense Grace.  I humbly thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay amazingly Jesus Blessed today!

Repent and be renewed!

Dear Christ followers, when we believe and we have repented, we must turn away from all the things that GOD has expressly forbidden.

The first thing is we shall have no other gods.  We serve one GOD.  Things like tarot card reading, astrology, fortune telling etc are a form of worshipping other gods.  It is idolatry.

We need to turn away from such things.  Free Masonry, cult worship, prosperity gospels, re writings of the Bible using things that are not GOD breathed, all these things are out with of where we need to be.

If you have such things in your home, get rid of them.  The message is very clear.  GOD is a jealous GOD.  HE is also Holy, Merciful, Just and Gracious.  Let us be very clear, we worship one GOD.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit will convict you to move away from practises that are abhorrent to GOD.

Just think on the first four commandments of the ten commandments.

• You shall have no other god's before me.
• Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images.
• Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy GOD in vain.
• Remember the Sabbath day and keep it Holy.

Today let us consider carefully if we are doing the will of our FATHER in Heaven, and if not, let us seriously repent and turn from such things.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I pray that THY Will be done in my life.  Where there is anything that is not of THY Will FATHER, let the Holy Spirit convict me to get rid of it and repent.  I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay faithfully Jesus blessed today!

Baptism of the Holy Spirit!

 Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.  Immediately afterward the Heavens opened and an image like a dove descended from Heaven and came down to rest on Jesus.

This is the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Now baptism with water does not necessarily arrive together with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. It can and it often does.  But it is not necessarily a simultaneous thing as is evidenced in the verse above.  People were baptized by John the Baptist but did not get the baptism of the Holy Spirit. 

And being baptized with the Holy Spirit does not necessarily come with speaking in tongues.  It is not recorded that when Jesus was baptized He spoke in tongues.

Speaking in tongues is a gift from the Holy Spirit but it does not necessarily mean that if you do not speak in tongues, you are not baptized in the Holy Spirit.

To be baptized in the Holy Spirit is a life changing event for any Christ follower.

It is the Holy Spirit taking up residence in us and convicting us of our sin and it encourages our separation with the things of this world.  Suddenly, no longer can we behave as we did before because it grieves the Holy Spirit living in us.

No longer can we use bad language.  No longer can we take the Name of Jesus or our FATHER in vain, and when we hear it done by others, the Holy Spirit in us is grieved.  When we sin, the Holy Spirit immediately convicts us to stop sinning and to repent. 

That is how we know we are baptized with the Holy Spirit.  We are made anew.  And, no, it is not an immediate thing.  It is a process and it is one that GOD uses to prepare us to give glory to HIM.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU that I know the Holy Spirit is living in me.  FATHER help me to listen closely to the groanings of the Holy Spirit and to make me more worthy to serve YOU.  I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay obediently Jesus Blessed today!

The Glory of GOD will be revealed!

 Dear Christ followers.  Firstly in this chapter of his letter to Romans, Paul tells his readers that if we believe in Jesus and repent of our sins, we are filled with the Holy Spirit.  We then become co heirs with Jesus to the Kingdom of Heaven.

And Paul, imprisoned at this point, goes on to tell his readers, that he considers that the sufferings he is enduring at this time, are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us.

Imagine the Glory of the LORD which will be revealed to us one day when we finally meet up with Jesus in Heaven!

I simply cannot even begin to fathom the true Glory of our FATHER or HIS Kingdom.  And we will share in this if we will but be obedient to the Will of our FATHER.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU in that one day I may see YOUR glory revealed to me in Heaven.  I thank YOU for my redemption and YOUR immense grace in saving a wretched sinner like me to become YOUR child.  I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay amazingly Jesus Blessed today!

No condemnation for those in Jesus Christ!

 Dear Christ followers, today we need to confirm that we are in Christ Jesus.  This means that we no longer walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Only when we are truly in Christ Jesus, are we "born again" into the Salvation of Jesus Christ.

True salvation, comes with true repentance and true belief in Jesus as our Lord and our Saviour.

Taking Jesus as our Lord and our Saviour, means giving up our own will to live according to His will.  There must be visible signs of our walk with Jesus.  We simply cannot go on living as we did before and think that we are in Jesus.

The things of this world need to grow strangely dim and we need to spend our time focusing on what we can do for Jesus rather than on what we can do for ourselves.

Our carnality must also diminish as must our sanctification increase exponentially.

This means that we long to be with Jesus.  We long to see Jesus and most of all, we need to spread the Gospel to others so that they too may come to be in Christ Jesus.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, what a privilege that I may call YOU ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU for YOUR grace, I thank YOU for YOUR mercy.  Most of all I thank YOU that I am in Christ Jesus.  FATHER help me to stay in Christ Jesus and to grow in sanctification in Christ Jesus.  FATHER remove all carnality from me and help me to focus my attention on YOU.  I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay graciously Jesus Blessed today!

The LORD with us always!

 When the LORD goes with us, we need not be afraid.  Who is bigger and more powerful than the GOD we serve?

So when Paul got this message from the LORD he stayed a good while in Corinth.

Why did Paul get a message from the LORD like this?  I believe that Paul prayed often and continuously about everything.

This is what we should be doing.

If we pray fervently and earnestly seek the Will of our FATHER, we will find it. 

Our prayers are always heard.  Our FATHER loves and us and HE wants the very best for each one of us.  This does not mean that we will get everything we ask for.  Certainly not.  But what it does mean is that if we ask in the way Jesus taught us to ask, we will certainly receive.

The prayer should always start with "FATHER, let THY will and not my will be done".

Then GOD is in charge and HE can guide us through the situation.

Does this mean that nothing will go wrong?  Certainly not.  But if the LORD says "Stay there and nothing will happen to you".  Then you can stay there and nothing will happen to you.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU that YOU always hear my prayers.  FATHER in my life, I humbly pray that THY will and not my will be done.  I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay amazingly Jesus blessed today!

Blessed is he who is not offended because of ME!

 As Christ followers, we are called on to be like the disciples of Jesus. We need to spread the Gospel. 

And we should never ever be offended because of Jesus.

This is quite hard to do especially today.  Often we find ourselves in the company of unbelievers.

The other day I had a conversation with someone who was telling me there was an ice age 20 000 years ago.

Now as true Christ followers, we believe that the maximum age of this earth is about 6500 years.

I do not know about you, but it always offends me when people start talking about evolution.  It grieves my soul.

And I am pretty sure that it grieves GOD, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Here in the verse above, Jesus says.  

"Blessed is he who is not offended because of me."

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I humbly pray that YOU always give me the words to deal with anyone who is not a believer.  Help me to show them that Jesus is our Saviour, our Redeemer, YOUR Son.  I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay truly Jesus Blessed today!

Follow this link to Genesis impact.  An excellent movie 

https://youtu.be/H2sWzApuuvc

Our being is in Jesus

 Our being is in Jesus.  Without Jesus we are empty vessels with no hope for eternity with GOD.

This is such a simple fact.  Our FATHER gave us everything.  The earth, the universe, the air we breathe.  The family we have on earth is given to us by Jesus.

When we are not eternally grateful to GOD we stand a chance of having it all taken away from us.  And I am not talking about here on earth.

The thing to do is to believe in Jesus.  Repent and then start to live our lives in gratitude to GOD for every blessing we have, regardless of how big or small we perceive that to be.

We need to wake up in the morning and give glory to GOD for another day.  We need to look up and thank GOD for the trees, the clouds, the sun, the stars, the moon and the mountains.

We need to thank GOD for our family, our friends, our shelter, our food and everything we have.  We need to thank GOD for the time we have on earth and we need to know that each day on earth is a gift from GOD.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER I thank YOU for all that I have and all that I am.  I thank YOU for my days on earth.  I thank YOU for my precious family and my friends.  I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  My Redeemer. Amen.

Stay gratefully Jesus Blessed today!

All we have is thanks to Jesus and GOD!

 Dearest Christ followers.  Let us never get ahead of ourselves.  Without Jesus having given us the life we have, the breath we have the things that we have, we would not even be here on earth.

And come to think about that, we would have no earth, no universe.  

No matter how smart we have become (or think we have become), we can create nothing.  

So today, all that we have, all that we are, all that do, is thanks to Jesus and GOD alone.  Without them we would not exist.

Let us get into the habit of not accepting thanks for anything we do, because without GOD and Jesus we would not be able to do it all.

So when someone says "thank you" although it is polite, let us give that straight back to Jesus and let us say so.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU today for all that I am.  I thank YOU for all that I have.  I thank YOU for all that I can do for anyone.  I humbly thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay eternally gratefully Jesus Blessed today!

REPENT!

 GOD has given us all an equal opportunity to get to Heaven.

No longer do we need to atone for our sins through the sacrificial offerings, but we need to truly believe in Jesus and repent.

A lot of modern day churches and clergy do not preach repentance.  This is an integral part of our redemption.

A "believer" cannot get to Heaven without repentance.  True belief comes with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  And the Holy Spirit will convict us of our sinful past.

When this happens, all of a sudden, all the guilt of the past comes rushing up.  How do I know this?  Because I have been there.  I felt so guilty about my sins.  There is no way that I could not repent.

I found myself on my knees begging GOD to forgive the person that I was and begging GOD to make me into a new person.

Did I become a new person immediately?  Absolutely not.  It is a work in progress.  Day by day, little by little the new person emerges and is refined by GOD.

Do I still sin?  Absolutely.  I am not complete until I die and get to my FATHER.  However, I am convicted daily of the places where I sin.  And day by day, I go down on my knees and ask GOD to give me a repentant heart, a lowly heart and a heart for HIM only.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU for the new creation that YOU are busy with in me.  FATHER I humbly pray that YOU give me a truly repentant heart, a lowly heart and heart for YOU only.  This I humbly pray in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay graciously Jesus Blessed today!

Prayers and Hymns to the LORD!

 Here in Acts, we find Paul and Silas in jail in Philippi and what are they doing?  Having been beaten with rods, jailed in maximum security with their feet in stocks, they are singing and praying to GOD.

Gary Hamrick does a beautiful lesson on this which he has entitled "singing in the darkness".  I will post the link below.

Would you and I be singing and praying to GOD if we had to go through and ordeal like this?

I am really not sure.  Paul and Silas were not sure what was going to happen to them.  Nevertheless, there they were singing hymns and praying to GOD.

This is such a lesson for us.  No matter our circumstances we need to give all praise and glory to GOD.

This is our reason for being on earth.  There is no hidden purpose for our lives, other than to worship GOD and to bring glory to HIM.

GOD will keep on refining us until we die to self and start to serve and worship and glorify HIM alone.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I am so grateful to YOU for all that I am and all that I have.  I worship and honour YOU FATHER.  Grant me the strength to praise and worship YOU in all that I do.  I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay amazingly Jesus Blessed today!

https://youtu.be/sawyg5hEs7s 

Saved by Grace!

 Had Jesus not come to this earth to be punished on the Cross of Calvary for our sins, we would have had very little chance to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

For obedience to the laws of GOD as given to Moses were the only way to enter into the Kingdom of GOD.

Now you may say, "well I have kept the ten commandments".

But have you really?

If you have broken a single commandment, you would have had to atone for your sins.  And then hope that your atonement was accepted by GOD.

As it is now, there is no earthly way to work your way into the Kingdom of GOD.  Only through the Grace of GOD can we enter in.

So then, as Paul asks, "shall we go on sinning, because we are now under the Grace of GOD?".  Absolutely not.  Along with the belief in Jesus Christ, we need to truly repent of our sins.

This means a complete U-turn on our former way of living.  We cannot go on sinning as we used to do.  If we do, we crucify Jesus again and again, and we make Jesus a liar.

How do we go forward once we believe?

We repent.  We pray and we ask GOD to continually fill us anew with HIS Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit indwelling in us will change us.  He will convict us each and every time we sin, and He will slowly work in us a change of heart.  A heart for GOD.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU for YOUR grace and favour.  FATHER fill me anew each and every day with YOUR Holy Spirit.  FATHER make me a new creation who lives for Jesus alone.   I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay graciously Jesus Blessed today!

Stoned for his faith!

 Would we be willing to be stoned for our faith in Jesus?

I am certainly not sure about this.  I am quite cowardly when it comes to pain inflicted on me.

The story continues.  Paul was so badly stoned that the people left him for dead.

Then the disciples gathered around him (presumably they had deserted him during the stoning or they too would have been stoned).  Paul rose up from his ordeal and went into the city.

The next day, probably still in tremendous pain and shock, he departed to Derbe with Barnabas.

What we learn from this story is that Paul was fully willing to die for Jesus.

Again I ask, would we be willing to lay down our lives for our faith?

This does not seem likely at the moment, but the way the world is heading, this may become a possibility.

What we need to do is to build our faith.

That is done through the reading of our Bibles.  Through reading stories of the courage of other believers.  Through attending our churches.  And through fellowshipping with like-minded believers.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, today, I thank YOU for people like Paul who were willing to die for their faith in Jesus Christ.  FATHER, I humbly pray that you grow my faith each and every day.  I ask this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay faithfully Jesus blessed today!