Romans 7: 21-25

My post was a bit longer than the system allowed so I copied it to share. May God’s blessings be on each of you as we persevere together in our walk with Him.

Today Christians around the globe face intense persecution. While those of us in the U.S. & other countries aren’t banned from worshipping Christ- there is little tolerance by some in society. The Bible tells us to be strong in the Lord- yet we often fail to stand for Godly principles for fear of being canceled or persecuted in some form.1 Peter 3 gives us a timely example of how to handle persecution & reminds us that it‘s far better to suffer for doing good than suffer for doing what’s wrong.

Throughout the Bible we read about the power of our words. In Proverbs we’re told the tongue has the power of life & death & those who hold their tongue keep themselves from calamity. Gods word tells us the words of the reckless pierce like swords but the tongue of the wise brings healing.We’ve all,on occasion, said something we regret. I sure have. In Psalm 19 vs 14 David gives us one of my favorite verses-one we can pray to help us guard our tongue & keep our thoughts pleasing to our Lord.

Many of us have sinful pasts- full of shame & guilt. But God has set us free from sin, guilt & shame & given those who believe in Jesus & walk in His spirit, a new identity thru faith in Him. Paul reminds us in Romans 8 that there is no longer condemnation by God but instead justification for those who are in Christ. He tells us that once God has redeemed someone & called them righteous, no one can accuse or condemn them. We can be confident in our secure & eternal position in Christ.

As Christians most of us have had times in our lives that we haven’t felt close to God. When I looked back on these times in my own life I realized it wasn’t God who moved away-it was me. It usually happened when I was really busy or simply became complacent. Thankfully God knows our carnal struggles & loves us regardless. Paul reminds believers in Romans 8 to never doubt Christ’s love for those who are His because nothing in this present age or the future can separate from His amazing love.

Throughout the Bible the Christian life is compared to running a race. In Hebrews12 we’re told to throw off anything that hinders &the sin that entangles &run the race set out with perseverance. In Philippians Paul tells us we must forget what’s past &press on toward the prize. Again, we’re told to leave unnecessary baggage behind & persevere-despite the obstacles. As Christ followers we must not give up- God will help us grab hold of the prize he’s secured for us thru our savior Jesus Christ!

He has conquered death! The tomb is empty. He is Risen! Hallelujah! Happy Easter!

Most of us have experienced guilt from our past sins. Guilt can be debilitating. Often we’ll shift the blame to others or to our circumstances- sometimes we even harden areas of our hearts because the guilt is too great. God doesn’t want us paralyzed by guilt. The Bible tells us that God forgives us & removes our sins as far as the east is from the west. Lord we rejoice in the assurance of your great mercies that when we confess our sins to you - you promise to forgive them.

John 15:12 Jesus commands us to love one other as He loved us. As Christians we have been given the capacity to love fully through the power of the Holy Spirit. But as imperfect sinners we struggle at times-even with fellow believers. 1 Corinthians 13 provides a beautiful & practical chapter on Biblical love.
Dear Lord- thank you for changing our lives through your great love for us. Help us to love you with all our heart, soul & mind & fill hearts with a genuine & unselfish love for others.

There is no shortage of evil in the world. As Christians we understand there is a spiritual battle raging war for the souls of mankind. The apostle Paul reminds us that there’s also a spiritual battle for our minds. We must take every thought captive & make it obedient to Christ. Dear Lord - I pray you expose any strongholds & errors in our thinking & lead us to truth through the power of the Holy Spirit. Help us to grow in Godly wisdom & bring our thoughts into conformity & obedience to you.

The Holy Spirit’s ministry is to disclose to us the truth about Christ. We received the Spirit when we were saved & his anointing allows us as Christians to remain in the faith & not be deceived. Romans 8:16-17 tells us the Spirit himself testifies to our spirit we are God’s children & as such heirs of God & co-heirs of Christ. We Christians are rich beyond imagination & certainly by any worldly measures of wealth as we possess an eternal inheritance. Paul reminds of this in 2 Corinthians 2:9:

Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death. But for those who are in Christ Jesus there is no condemnation for the Lord has imputed His righteousness to us. He has taken our condemnation already. While we deserved condemnation for our sinfulness & rebelliousness, our loving God made a way through his son to redeem us from wrath & forgive us. Thank you Lord for your grace, mercy & forgiveness in our lives. Help us in all we do so that we may bring honor and glory to the name of Jesus.

The apostle Paul reminded us in Philippians 3:13 that to reach our goal to become more like Christ we must not dwell on our past (whether failures or achievements) but rather focus on the goal straight ahead. If we become so caught up in our past we are unable to make current progress. You may have heard the expression “ you can’t drive forward looking in the rear view mirror”. I pray God help each us persevere & press forward to become more like Christ - our blessed Lord and Savior.

Each New Year most people have made a resolution or two. Whether it’s to lose weight & get in shape or spend less & save more. You hear a lot of the same ones. Rarely do you hear about spiritual resolutions. But the Bible reminds us in 1 Timothy 4:8 that while it’s of some benefit to keep our bodies God gave us in shape, godliness is of far greater value. Being physically fit has some benefit while we have our earthly bodies. But our spiritual growth has both a present & eternal impact!

It took me a while to begin to pray regularly. Now I pray about everything. I have seen prayer change the trajectory of my life and the life of others. All throughout the Bible we see the power of prayer. When we pray we ask God for His help and to bring resolutions into our lives. Through pray the course of a nation can be changed. The destiny of our children too. Prayer is a valuable tool God gives us. We need to pray to Him continually as the Bible teaches us. We simply can' afford not too.

In Romans 12 the apostle Paul discusses love and provides numerous examples of love in action throughout the chapter. One example he gives in Romans 12:12 is to be patient in affliction. That is oftentimes hard for us to do in the midst of distress. But patience during affliction can help us be more sensitive to our ever present & loving God. It helps us to get rid of all the nonessential clutter in our lives & to begin to see more clearly what really matters in this life & the life to come.

Wishing each of you a very Happy and Blessed New Year! I pray that God increase our faith exponentially so that each of us may boldly stand for truth, both in private & in public. I pray our Lord give us wisdom & discernment so that our paths will be straight and we grow exceedingly in our love and reliance on Him. I pray we also grow in our love and compassion for our neighbors and that our lives point others to Him, Jesus Christ, our Blessed Hope and our Lord & Savior.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!

There are times I think of my past- all the ups & downs, the sin, the self absorption -what a mess my life was before I met Jesus. Are things perfect now - no- but I have joy. For He redeemed me & called me his own. He won’t let anyone snatch me from his loving hands. No matter what happens in the world around us my friends-Jesus loves us -our sins have been forgiven- we have been set apart & saved. We are beloved children of the Most High! May God bless & protect each of you & your families!