Sin & Grace

 

Thursday’s Awakening

Topic: Sin & Grace

Psalm 51, Rom 5:12-21, Eph 2:3-6,

When we intentionally sin, we sin against God,….. Psa 51:4 “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight”. There are sins we commit unknowingly and there are deliberate sins. We live in a society that encourages sin. When we fill our lives with more worldly views and less godly views, we begin to rationalize our sin until we are comfortable in our sin. The bible is never outdated when we need a blessing, but frequently outdated when it conflicts with our lifestyle.

We were born in sin and shaped in iniquity (Psa 51:5) through grace we do not have to stay in sin. Sin came into the world through Adam. When Adam sinned he caused all of mankind to be born in sin and shaped in iniquity. Adam set in motion a complete shift in the way we think and act.

God quickly established order and man continued to fall. God then established law and man still continued to fall. God sent his son to rewrite the wrong of the first Adam. God sent Jesus to keep us from falling! God loves us so much, that he continues to look for ways to protect us. Glory to God! ^{Jude 1:24”}Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,^{Jude 1:25} To God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen”.

God and God alone can keep us from falling. We cannot do it in our own strength. We cannot wait hoping we will correct ourselves. It is only God that can correct us and keep us from falling.

 Adam’s offense caused judgment to all men. Jesus life, death, and resurrection has given grace and righteousness to all that believe. Romans ^5:18 “Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life”.

God sent Jesus to give us the gift of grace that we would live and not die, for the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23). ^{Rom 5:19} For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

We can rejoice, knowing we have a gift waiting for us each and every day. We have a free gift from the Lord.  We no longer have to die but we can live. We can put sin behind us and receive the gift of grace and become righteous. Grace does not mean we continue to sin. Grace does not mean we continue in disobedience. We should not continue in sin that grace may abound (Rom 6:1-9). When we accept Jesus we are dead to sin. Sin is behind us and we should walk in the newness of life.

Eph 2:2 “in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—”.

When we walk in the light and give our life to Christ, we live a life free of guilt and shame. We live a life of abundance, blessings, peace, and joy. We live a life of peace during the storm. We don’t have to worry about losing our mind when we face trials and tribulations. We have peace knowing we serve the most high God, and even our storm, has to fall subject Jesus. We have peace when we remove problems from our hands and place them into the master’s hands.

Following the prince of air (satan) gives us temporary gratification and long-term hurt and pain. There is only one way our heart can be at peace and that is when we are with the Lord. There is no way around it. Our soul longs to be with the Lord. We will always feel emptiness when we are without him. We can only serve one God. We have to choose. Will we serve the prince of air and die or serve the only one who is able to keep us from falling and live?

Be blessed!

Memory Verse

^{Jude 1:24”}Now to Him who is able to keep me from stumbling, And to present me faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, ^{Jude 1:25} To God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen”.

 

Pray

You are God Almighty, you cause the wind to blow and the rain to fall. You are everlasting, faithful, forgiving, and gracious. Your compassion continues to provide grace when we are undeserving. You are holy and you call us to be holy. Forgive us for following the prince of air, seeking fleshly desires and walking in disobedience. Forgive us for following desires of our mind and body and not seeking you and your righteousness. Give us a mind and a heart to seek first the kingdom of God and your righteousness. Help to unite with you and die to sin. Help us to walk in the newness of life and crucify our old self so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin in Jesus name. Amen  

 

 

God is a strengthener, where is he in your life?

Topic: Does God live in your life?
Psalms 18:46
The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted!
It is one thing to know there is a God. The adversary knows that. To know that he liveth, is to know that he gives life, he revives, he is our source for ALL our needs. When we allow God to live in our lives we turn the driver seat over to him and begin to experience life in a more abundant way.
When we allow God to only be the passenger, the back seat driver or someone we visit as needed, we fail to live a fulfilled life.
Some of us are holding on to things that are preventing us from giving Jesus the keys. Those things we hold on to separate us from God and therefore become idols in our lives. Those people, things, or activities are holding us captive. God is a jealous God and he does not share Lordship. He is the most high God meaning there is no God higher than him. When there is interference between us and God we short circuit our blessing. We begin to blame God when we have not made him Lord in our lives.
"Blessed be my rock" is an act of adoration to The Lord. It's personal. It's to kneel in praise of our God. Its a deep love and respect to Jesus. It is worship and reverence to our King. We all know when we deeply love and respect someone we will do anything for them. Jesus is the only one with guaranteed benefits. He came that we would have life more abundantly.
"Let the God of my salvation be exalted"! This is personal, this is recognizing the one and only God that saved us, created us, breathed life into us, & turned our situation around, needs to be exalted. When we exalt we think and speak highly of Jesus, we place him on high, we make him Lord. When God lives in our lives we stop fighting him and we submit to him. A house divided cannot stand. "Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world". As great as we think the things we are holding on to is not greater than what God has for us. Thank you Jesus! We have the confidence to give it up and let God have his way. Let us examine ourselves and remove what is keeping us from the promises God has for us. He will take us places above what we could think or imagine. Be blessed have a blessed weekend.

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Topic: God is a strengthener
Psalms 18:32
It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
God's word is amazing. Nothing in his word is an accident. God gives us strength. We can relate this naturally to see it spiritually. A gird is a belt or a band. It was used to protect abdominal muscles or the core region in battle. Our core muscles are the link connecting our upper and lower body. Almost every physical movement is determined by the strength of our core. With a weak core we are unable to stand straight, causing slouching or poor posture. A weak core will cause us to be unbalanced, easily losing our footing. Weakness in our core also causes back strain and inefficiencies in daily activities. When The Lord girds us and gives us strength he protects, binds and strengthens our core. That means we will stand tall in battle. When the enemy comes we will not slouch and hide we will be upright ready for battle. We will not lose our footing, with his strength he will give us balance. We will be agile and able to dodge daily offenses we encounter throughout our day. Praise God! We are no longer in a weakened state. Our core is girded, we are strengthened. The enemy sees us standing tall, firm in prayer, meditating on God's word, ready for battle, standing in the gap, sharing the gospel, trusting and believing the word of God!!! Hallelujah Be blessed believers of the Most high God!

Cleave & Submit

Topic: Cleave to The Lord
Joshua 23:8-11, Amos 3:3
Are we cleaving/clinging to Jesus? Before we answer let's think about it. To cling or cleave is to strongly adhere to Jesus. It means to strongly attach ourselves to him and everything he represents. It means to have persistent unshakable faith and remain completely attached to him regardless of the circumstances.
As we know oil and water do not mix. The Lord is holy and sovereign. He does not lower his standards because we want to do things our way. We cannot adhere to God if we are not willing to let go of unrighteousness.
Amos 3:3
Can two walk together, except they be agreed? We cannot walk with The Lord or cling to The Lord unless we agree with The Lord. Our actions are based on our agreements. When we agree with The Lord, we follow what The Lord says. When we walk with The Lord, we walk by faith, and we have a sound mind.
Are we cleaving to Jesus? When we cleave, we do so, due to deep love and affection. When we deeply love someone, we spend every moment we can with them. We begin to speak like them, think like them, and we can't get enough of them. That is what it should feel like when we think our Lord. When we hear Jesus, our faces should light up!
God literally gives us gifts everyday. Do we dismiss them, or do we recognize God working in our lives, and on or behalf? Do we blush and say thank you when we make it home safe, realizing, Jesus put a wall of protection around us?
God gave us taste buds.....so we could enjoy our food!! Humor so we could feel good for free! He is so thoughtful, are we clinging to Jesus?
Joshua 23:8...."you shall cling to the Lord your God....23:10-11....since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, just as he promised you. Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God".
Let us truly cling to Jesus today, it is the absolute best relationship we will ever have. Be blessed. Jesus loves you.

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Topic: Submit
Genesis 16
Sometimes we find ourselves running from a situation(s) and God is saying submit. There are blessings in our submission. It might not be the ideal situation but sometimes we have to go through to receive what God has. We have to look at ourselves and evaluate how we are contributing to our circumstance. If we are leaving on impulse because we are trying to do things our way, we need to step back, listen and hear what The Lord says. Leave when God says to leave. There are blessings in submission to The Lord.
Sarai was married to Abram and could not conceive. Hagar was Sarai's handmaid and Sarai allowed her husband to have a child with her as Sarai was old and did not believe she could conceive. Once Hagar conceived, Sarai became jealous. Sarai made life difficult for Hagar. Hagar was the faced with a difficult working and living arrangement during her pregnancy. She decided to runaway with nothing as she was still considered Sarai's maid (Gen 16). We often run from problems after we have an invested and we leave with nothing or less than what we had when we began. Hagar had a seed, stock, & bonds, she invested into the family and she left on impulse, prepared to die in the wilderness. Thankfully even in our impulsiveness and stubbornness God will still speak to us....but will we listen?

The Lord spoke to Hagar and instructed her to go back and submit to Sarai. Genesis 16:9
"And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands". God never sends us where he cannot protect or deliver. When he gives us instruction he always plans a blessing. Some of us want to leave our jobs and God is saying not right now. Some of us are in difficult situations and we want to runaway but God is saying not right now. God blessed Hagar's son to father 12 princes. She went from a slave to mother of a nation by waiting on The Lord. By waiting she left with an inheritance. She was a slave in an impossible situation but she waited on The Lord, prayed, and cried out to The Lord, and he heard her cry and he blessed.
Don't be a no call no show. Show up and watch God show out. Be blessed. Jesus loves you!