“‘Therefore, having these promises….’ I claim God’s promises
for my life and look to their fulfillment, and rightly so, but that shows only
the human perspective on them. God’s perspective is that through His promises I
will come to recognize His claim of ownership on me. For example, do I realize
that my ‘body is the temple of the Holy Spirit,’ or am I condoning some habit
in my body which clearly could not withstand the light of God on it? (1
Corinthians 6:19). God formed His Son in me through sanctification, setting me
apart from sin and making me holy in His sight (see Galatians 4:19). But I must begin to transform my natural life
into spiritual life by obedience to Him. God instructs us even in the
smallest details of life. And when He brings you conviction of sin, do not ‘confer
with flesh and blood,’ but cleanse yourself from it at once (Galatians 1:16).
Keep yourself cleansed in your daily walk. I
must cleanse myself from all filthiness in my flesh and my spirit until
both are in harmony with the nature of God. Is the mind of my spirit in perfect
agreement with the life of the Son of God in me, or am I mentally rebellious
and defiant?” CHAMBERS
The difference between encouragement and criticism is the
motive behind what is said or written. Two
people can address the exact same issue in my life, but with one, they want to
tear me down .. seeing only the bad in me.
The other, they see the potential for good in me and encourage me to
take the high road. Ephesians 4:15 tells us to “speak the truth in love.” The first person is focused on themselves. The second person is focused on others. While the world is quick to condemn .. Christians
spur one another on to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24). (At least
they are supposed to.)
Be careful that your guilt for falling short in your
spiritual life does not remain. Holding on to guilt is a sure way to quench the Spirit in you. The
first step in cleansing yourself is confession (1 John 1:9) The second step
is repentance. The third step is being
spiritually disciplined. Drawing close to God through prayer, the Word,
fellowshipping with other Christians, and regular worship. It is so easy to be like the man in the mirror
(James 1:23). You read the Bible or perhaps a devotion like
this one. You mentally agree with what
you read. Maybe tell someone else about
it. And then, like when you look in the mirror, you turn away and immediately
forget what you read or thought. Joshua
1:8 says that we are to meditate on spiritual truth … that word means
literally to chew on it .. like a cow chews its cud. ELGIN
Higher Ground
“I'm pressin' on the upward way, New heights I'm gainin'
every day, Still prayin' as I'm onward bound, Lord, plant my feet on higher
ground
My heart has no desire to stay, Where doubts arise and fears
dismay, Though some may dwell where these abound, My prayer, my aim, is higher
ground
I want to scale the utmost heights, And catch a gleam of
glory bright, But still, I'll pray 'til Heaven I've found, Lord, lead me on to
higher ground
Lord, lift me up and let me stand, By faith on Heaven's
table land, A higher plain than I have found, Lord, plant my feet on higher
ground”
Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)
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