In Him …

Posted on jan2 CommentsPosted in Life, Potential

                                                            … is life!

      For He made Him who knew no sin
      to be sin for us, that we might become
      the righteousness of God in Him
      2 Cor 5 21

Scripture tells us that the potential,
… to be all God planned for us to be
… is there for us in Him, in Jesus!
But, what does in Him mean in my life?
Paul said this to us …

      For in him we live, and move, and have our being;
      Acts 17 28

Telling us plainly that
… we are not special because of what we do,
but we’re special because of what He has done!

      as His divine power has given to us all things
      that pertain to life and godliness,
      2 Peter 1:3

In other words…
If I am in Christ, having my entire being in Him,
… living that life He came that I may have,
… then I will become who He says I am,
because He will be able to do, in my life,
… what He has planned and purposed for it.

      If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you,
      you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
      John 15 7
 

Kingdom Potential

Posted on jan1 CommentPosted in Expectations, Potential

                                        … in us and for us!

Jesus, in teaching about the Kingdom of God,
… told these two parables,

      What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?
      It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden;
      and it grew and became a large tree,
      and the birds of the air nested in its branches.
      Luke 13 18

      To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven,
      which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal
      till it was all leavened.
      Luke 13 20

These parables may seem to have little to do with each other,
however, Jesus used them to explain …
the potential of God’s kingdom in our lives!

As in a mustard seed …
God also put great potential and ability in us
… that if we recognise it, use it and develop it,
it will not only grow and benefit us,
… but has the potential to touch the lives of others!

As with the leaven,
which has the potential to develop and grow on its own,
so, as we live by faith in Him and His blessings in us,
God is able to make His plans for our lives
… grow and develop into the fullness of His blessings in us.

      Yes … God created you in His image and likeness,
      with all the potential to live a successful life.
      The questions however is…
      What are you doing about that and with that?
 

Who are you…

Posted on jan2 CommentsPosted in Expectations, Potential

                                               … relying on?

If you rely or depend on yourself
… and on your own abilities,
you will more than likely achieve
… what you are wanting to do.
No more and possibly no less!

However, if in all of your doing
… you also seek His guidance and His direction,
you will find more than you are looking for,
… and you will achieve more than you set out to do.

      For I know the plans I have for you,
      declares the Lord,
      plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
      plans to give you hope and a future.
      Jeremiah 29 11

Let God show you His plans and purposes,
and lead you into the fullness of His provision for you.

      And my God shall supply all your need
      according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
      Philippians 4 19

How?
Simply by letting Him show you the way,
… in the words of the Apostle Paul, pray…

      that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
      may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
      knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being
      enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling,
      what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
      and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us
      who believe, according to the working of His mighty power
      Ephesians 1 17-19
 

What are you…

Posted on janLeave a commentPosted in Choice, Responsibility

                                                   … allowing in?

      A good man out of the good treasure
      of his heart brings forth good things,
      and an evil man out of the evil treasure
      brings forth evil things.
      Matt 12 35

Where does this ‘good treasure’ or
… this evil treasure come from?
Quite simply, from what you allow into your life,
… from what you expose yourself to!

      If you are exposing yourself to all the negative in the world,
      that seed is going to grow and bring forth a negative harvest,
      … a harvest of doubt, fear, helplessness and even death!
      On the other hand, If you expose yourself to God’s Word,
      that word seed is going to grow and produce a harvest,
      … a harvest of hope, faith, success and life!

So… what are you allowing into your life?
Of course we are living in this world,
… and of course negative thoughts and reports come,
but what are you doing about them or with them?
Because what happens to those thoughts
… is up to you, no one else.
In the Bible we read that we should…

      cast down arguments and every high thing
      that exalts itself against the knowledge of God,
      bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
      2 Cor 10 5

Instead of dwelling on negative thoughts,
… and so developing an evil treasure in your heart,
find out what God’s Word says about that situation.
Then, act or do what God says to do,
… and you will have a good treasure in your heart,
a treasure that will bring forth GOOD things!
 

Are you …

Posted on janLeave a commentPosted in Faith, Trust

                                                         … invincible?

NO!
You are not invincible
… but God is!

Therefore the possibilities are unlimited,
… if you walk with Him,
… and put your trust in Him.
And if you say and do what God says to say and do,
then …
YOU can be as invincible as He is!

How?

      But if anyone loves God,
      this one is known by Him.
      1 Corinthians 8 3

And thus God says…

      Because he has set his love upon Me,
      therefore I will deliver him;
      I will set him on high,
      because he has known My name.
      He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
      I will be with him in trouble;
      I will deliver him and honor him.
      With long life I will satisfy him,
      and show him My salvation
      Psalms 91 14-16

How does this work…?
By LOVE!

      We love Him because He first loved us.
      1 John 4 19

He is invincible, are you … ready?
 

Made of mud…

Posted on jan1 CommentPosted in Life

                                               … yet crowned with glory!

What makes man – the special creation that he is?

      You were in Eden, the garden of God;
      Every precious stone was your covering: …
      The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes
      Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
      Ezekiel 28 13

God created Lucifer to reflect His glory.
Then one day Lucifer decided he wanted to have God’s glory,
… and we know the rest, God threw him out of heaven!

However, God did not make man out of anything special,
… but made man out of something rather common,

      And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground,
      Gen 2 7

YET, what God put into man was special,

      You (God) have crowned him (man) with glory and honor.
      Ps 8 5

God put His spirit in man, His life into man
so man would express God’s glory and not only reflect it!
… as man lived out what God put inside of man, Himself!
This was not just unique, but a slap in Lucifer’s face,
and that is why satan hates mankind.

      There is however a condition to that uniqueness
      You have to choose to be what God created you to be!
      And, you have to live that image God created you in,
      His image, His glory … in you!
 

Take every thought…

Posted on janLeave a commentPosted in Character, Trust

                                        … captive!

      bringing every thought into captivity
      to the obedience of Christ
      2 Corinthians 10 5

Which thoughts are being referred to?
… Only negative thoughts?
No! it is talking about EVERY thought,
… even those that seem irrelevant!
Why?

We are bombarded with negative thoughts,
… but not only with negative thoughts.
How does God usually communicate with us?
Yes God does speak to us through His Word,
… but how do we deal with what we read?
Quite simply through thoughts!

      Thoughts are the foundation of our communication,
      … and therefore our response to those thoughts,
      … to what we see, hear or read,
      is what is important, in fact, is vital!

For this reason God is saying to us,
… before you make any decision or take any action,
put it all on hold by taking those thoughts captive,
… bringing them to Jesus for His input,
and letting Him develop them for you!

      If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you,
      you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
      John 15:7

IT is NOT about what you think or about what you know,
but it is about what He thinks, and what He knows.
Let Him be Lord of your decisions!
 

Do you feel … loved?

Posted on janLeave a commentPosted in Grace, Love

                                          … because you are?

In the account of the woman at the well
      Jesus said to her, You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’
      for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you
      now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.
      John 4 1-26

Why did Jesus show up her sin,
… yet praised her at the same time?

When God shows us our faults,
… our weaknesses or our sins.
He does not do that to judge or condemn us,
… but to free us from what is holding us back,
to help us step into the fullness of His love!

      You will never know Love until you feel loved,
      … which God does by accepting you as you are,
      Not to stay as you are,
      … but to guide you into love through grace, to
      where you know you are accepted as you are.
      How?
      By helping us see what is wrong in our lives!

What is it that God is doing?
God is opening the way for you
… to walk away from what is wrong
and into what God has prepared for you.

      A life free of the pressure of sin and guilt
      … that special place in Him
      … where He can be your strength,
      where love becomes your guide and your peace.

      if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
      old things have passed away; behold,
      all things have become new.
      2 Cor 5:17
 

Created by …

Posted on jan1 CommentPosted in Character, Love

                                                   … Love!

Created like Love,
… in the image of Love.

      Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image,
      according to Our likeness;
      Genesis 1 26

Created by Love,
… from the heart of Love.

      He who does not love does not know God,
      for God is love.
      1 John 4 8

Created for love,
… in the likeness of Love.

      Love has been perfected among us in this:
      that we may have boldness in the day of judgment;
      because as He is, so are we in this world.
      1 John 4 17

Created with love,
… in the presence of Love.

      Now hope does not disappoint, because
      the love of God has been poured out in our hearts
      by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
      Rom 5 5

Created to love,
… in communion with Love.

      And we have known and believed the love
      that God has for us. God is love, and he who
      abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
      1 John 4 16
 

Faith …

Posted on jan1 CommentPosted in Faith, Love

                                                      … works!

Ever wondered why the apostle James wrote,
FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD?

Well, what works is he referring to?

Considering that your works show your heart,
… they show what is behind your faith,
so therefore …

      If your works are about you,
      … there is no God in your faith,
      as you are depending on yourself and your ability,
      … and that faith is not going to work!

      If your works are about others,
      … then your faith is God-based,
      because,
      … faith is working through love.
      Galatians 5 6

Love is what links your faith to God,
… and is what makes faith work for you!
As Paul wrote to the Corinthians …
      And now abide faith, hope, love, these three;
      but the greatest of these is love.
      1 Corinthians 13 13

And the apostle James concluded,
      Show me your faith without your works,
      and I will show you my faith by my works.
      James 2 18

If God’s way of doing things is in you,
… God’s provision will also be in you,
and your faith will surely not be dead,