Tag: holy spirit

A Virtuous Women Who Can Find

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I have to admit, I struggled with this devotion today.  I found myself doubting if I live up to the standards of the Proverbs 31 women.  Then as I studied and prayed about this passage, the Lord showed me something new. Proverbs 31 is believed to be the embodiment of many virtuous women, not just one.She is described not by physical attributes but by her virtues, her Godly qualities. Already I’m feeling a whole lot better, aren’t you?

I realized It all comes down to our heart attitude toward God.  You see, the Proverbs 31 Woman is the epidemy of a godly woman, not because she’s perfect, but because all that she does is a result of her relationship with her Saviour. The Proverbs 31 women is an example to every woman who wishes to please the Lord because she fears Him first and foremost, and every other area of her life is abundantly blessed because of it. This doesn’t just apply to married women, but to every woman.  She understands what it means to be a woman after God’s own heart. If anything, the Proverbs 31 Woman should be an encouragement to all women to pursue a closer, more intimate relationship with Jesus.

 

So, I have learned that all I need to do in order to be a Proverbs 31 Woman, is put God first and focus on my relationship with Him. He desires to have our complete devotion, He wants to be our first love – and that, dear virtuous woman, is what He deserves.

She is praised not because of her own beauty, but because she is clothed with HIS beauty and HIS strength and HIS honor. When God is given His rightful place in our lives, then He can transform our personalities and everything He made in us to reflect His beauty and grace, thus making us virtuous!

 

 

 

 

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Seeking Approval

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Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. –2 Timothy 4:2

I cannot believe in the spirituality of any Christian man who keeps an eye open for the approval of others, whoever they may be. The man after God’s own heart must be dead to the opinion of his friends as well as his enemies. He must be as willing to cross important persons as obscure ones. He must be ready to rebuke his superior as quickly as those who may be beneath him on the ecclesiastical ladder. To reprove one man in order to gain the favor of another is no evidence of moral courage. It is done in the world all the time.

We’ll never be where we should be in our spiritual lives until we are so devoted to Christ that we ask no other approbation than His smile. When we are wholly lost in Him the frantic effort to please men will come to an end. The circle of persons we struggle to please will be narrowed to One. Then we will know true freedom, but not a moment before.

“Lord, does anyone ever really get over the desire to seek the approval of others? That is a battle for which we are totally dependent on You for victory. Help me today to be content with only the smile of Your approval. Amen.”

– A.W. Tozer

Living In The Presence Of God

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How aware are you of the presence of God? Is your life lived in the very presence of God? Do you live in constant communion with Him? The Scriptures teach us that He is always with us:

He longs for you to dwell with Him, commune with Him, and delight in Him. He desires to be with us every moment of our day. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. —Psalm 16:11.  The greatest thing in all of life is to know God. In Him, you will find true meaning and purpose.

No matter where we go, God, is there. While it is true that we cannot flee from God’s presence, we must recognize that we can lose the sense of God’s presence:

How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me? Psalm 13:1

If you’re in a season of feeling far from God, lean on Him. Trust the loving hand of your precious Savior and know that He will lead you to the other side.

1 Samuel 16:23 (NNAS) So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him.

That is a powerful testimony to the effect of music. I believe that music can greatly enhance our worship and our fellowship with the Lord. I know in my own life whenever I get down, whenever I am struggling spiritually, I put on a good praise song and my heart is encouraged and refreshed. It focuses our mind and heart upon the Lord and His goodness and helps me to dwell in his presence.

Let’s take God at His word, let’s choose to believe that “in His presence is fullness of joy”, and then let’s make every effort to live in His presence 24/7. Study His word and grow in the Grace and knowledge of Him.

“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Joshua 1:8

Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not. Jeremiah 20:9

We have been joined to Christ, the God who created the universe dwells in us! I believe that there is so much more to the spiritual life than most believers ever experience. Let’s learn to practice the presence of God. As His children, let’s live in communion with Him, thinking of Him constantly, and seeking to do only those things that please Him. Let’s make practicing His presence the priority of our lives.

Renew Our Strength

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When our hope is in the Lord our strength is renewed. Whatever you are facing today you have a choice. Where will you put your hope?

God has a purpose and plan for your life, and His timing is perfect. Sometimes He answers our prayers with “yes” or “no.” But at other times, He says, “Wait.” When this is the case, we can avail ourselves of the rich rewards that come while we wait.

28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORDwill renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40 28-31

God promises to strengthen us as we lean on Him during delays. Isaiah 40:31 describes an eagle soaring—a beautiful metaphor for how the believer who abides in the Lord will be lifted and sustained by His Spirit.

When David faced his greatest battles, he waited upon the Lord. God delivered him from destruction and set his feet on solid ground (Psalms 40: 1-3). He will do the same for you. When you abide in Him, He gives us the energy to accomplish the things He requires of you—His Spirit does for you what you cannot do for yourself.

I waited patiently for the Lord;  And He inclined to me, And heard my cry.
2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. 3 He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord. Psalm 40 1-3

Please help me to learn to quietly wait upon You and to rest in Your love – knowing that you have scheduled every day of my life. Give me the courage and wisdom to be still and to wait quietly, patiently and expectantly knowing that Your timing is perfect and that You know the plans that You have purposed for my life, even though I do not!

Unconditional Love Of God

 

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Do you believe God loves you unconditionally?

This is what I (wrongly) believed: If I am good, I am acceptable. If I help people … if I am a blessing instead of a burden … well, then I am accepted. But, if I fail, mess up, then I feel like a reject — not acceptable to God.

My skewed belief was that I was acceptable only when I was doing well or in the center of God’s will. Clearly, I had not truly embraced my identity in Christ because acceptance is what I already have. We all struggle to some degree with believing God loves us unconditionally. Many of us believe that we have to earn God’s favor. We think, “I read my Bible, so He loves me.” Or, “Things aren’t going so well, so it must be because I’m not doing it right.”

The Lord your God is with you; He is mighty to save and deliver. He will quiet you with His love and rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)

In this passage, God tells a rebellious people that He actually stands over them singing and rejoicing, like a mother sings over her children to calm them down.

No matter what you have done or how bad you may have blown it, the truth of God’s love is that the God of the Universe, the Creator of this world loves you!

As a believer in Jesus Christ, His spirit dwells inside of us. And He wants to deliver us and quiet the stress of our heart with a love that’s unconditional and not based on our performance.

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” In spite of our sinfulness, God demonstrated His love by sending His Son Jesus to die for us.

Truly, every person was created with a desire and need in his or her heart to love God and feel His love. But it is what we choose to do with this desire—act upon it or ignore it—that draws us closer to the Father or away from Him.

When we enter into a loving relationship with God, He is able and willing to offer His wisdom to guide us  James 1:5.  When we embrace God’s love, we will begin to see people and circumstances as He sees them—from the vantage point of His love.

In light of this, why would anyone choose to refuse God’s love? If you are ready to reap the benefits of God’s perfect love, reach out to Him in prayer today. Ask Him to help you overcome the hindrances so that you may rejoice in His everlasting and tender care.

God’s love is unconditional, it’s free, and all we have to do to experience it is accept it, and rejoice in it. Let’s stop trying to earn God’s love and let ourselves experience it!

Prayer For Salvation

God’s love is not based on our goodness or how we perform but rather on who’s we are and we are all God’s children when we accept His son, Jesus Christ, who gave His life for all of us. Receiving the love of Jesus and living in his love every day, is the first and most essential step in having a love worth giving. Jesus gave His life for you! If you desire to know God’s unconditional love and want to follow Jesus, you can pray this prayer of salvation.

“Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.”

If you decided to repent of your sins and receive Christ today, welcome to God’s family. Now, as a way to grow closer to Him, the Bible tells us to follow up on our commitment.

  • Get baptized as commanded by Christ.
  • Tell someone else about your new faith in Christ.
  • Spend time with God each day. It does not have to be a long period of time. Just develop the daily habit of praying to Him and reading His Word. Ask God to increase your faith and your understanding of the Bible.
  • Seek fellowship with other followers of Jesus. Develop a group of believing friends to answer your questions and support you.
  • Find a local church where you can worship God.

Yearn For Jesus

This is the cry of my heart!  My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Psalms 84:2  May the Holy Spirit fill you with passion for our Lord Jesus Christ Today!