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Sinful Desires - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) May 28, 2024

Sinful desires. They are the bane of the Christian's existence. Apostle Paul explained it perfectly in Romans 7:15 - I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. Like him, many of us aspire to live for the Lord yet somehow end up doing the opposite sometimes. It's a conundrum.


But what exactly are sinful desires? Some of us think we know the answer. However, in a world filled with chaos and confusion, where "alternative facts" are not considered lies but clever communication, we must sit with this issue and remind ourselves what God says.


The Lord has called us to obey His commandments. We are to study His word to learn what His expectations and instructions are so we can comply with them. He has made it clear that those who obey will be well rewarded here on earth and after death when they will live with Him for eternity.


When we look at the Old Testament, we see there are a lot of instructions given to the Israelites. It might seem difficult to keep track of them all so God sent Jesus who taught believers two main things. First, "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30). Second, he also taught believers the Royal Law, which is to ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ (Mark 12:31).



Our sinful desires are those emotions that send us into actions and thoughts that contradict Christ's instructions. They spring up from our flesh and not the Spirit of God that has been given to everyone who submitted themselves to Christ the Son and God the Father.​

Consider what God told Cain in Genesis 4:7 - If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”


This is the war we wage - if we do what is right then we will conquer sinful desires. If not, sin will overcome us and create distance in our relationship with God and His Son. This is why Apostle Peter taught in 1 Peter 2:11 - Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. He warned us to keep our eyes on heaven so we don't think Earth is our home and succumb to the things of this world. God has provided what we need to overcome sinful desires and satan itself (2 Peter 1:3).


Fortunately for those who have given their lives to Christ, He has promised to protect them so sin (i.e. satan) will never overcome them (1 John 5:18b). This is also why the Bible teaches that those who are led by the Spirit of the Lord are the children of God in Daniel 11:32. These individuals can rely upon God's Spirit to steer them through life so that their sinful desires don't control them. This requires the genuine cooperation of the individual because God will not force His people to live right. He will, nevertheless, help them when they submit to that assistance.


So the question becomes are we going to be the ones who rely on God to overcome our sinful desires so we are not overcome by them? Or are we going to be the people who, in hubris, think we've got it all figured out and can rely on our own strength? With God's grace and mercy, we will rule over sinful desires, living free from continuous sin through Christ who died to liberate us. IJMN, Amen.​

 
 
 

Praise God That You Bear His Name - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) May 24, 2024

The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 4:16 that although Christians will suffer for the sake of their faith, we are to "praise God that you bear that name."


Has it ever occurred to you to thank God that you are called by His name? Yes, when you became a Christian, you joined the family of believers and became one of His children. As is typically the case for most children when they are born, you got the name of your Father written on your birth certificate. That certificate is a page in the Book of Life that calls you the child of God and thus a bearer of this name.


It is easy for some to look at all their struggles and genuinely wonder what benefits they've experienced as a child of God. This is because God's children go through tough times. In many cases, the enemy attacks them to make them regret choosing God's family. And, at other times, the Lord allows these challenges to strengthen and build up His children. Neither situation is fun and when one is in the midst of it, the pain and stress can seem daunting.


Nevertheless, can you truly say you've never experienced God's blessing? Can you say He's done nothing for you? Are there no Jericho Moments you've experienced where God worked a miracle for you or a loved one? Has God not shown Himself to you in a way you can hold on to?

Even if that is somehow your testimony, there is breath in your lungs. You've been chosen to see a new day while others weren't so fortunate. No matter how tough things are, there is a future and a hope for you and as you walk with God you will surely see it (Jeremiah 29:11). Plus, despite the trials you have been through, a time will come when you will look back and smile that you made it through with God's help. All of this is because the Lord's best is for His children and He promises that the days to come will be better than those of the past (Job 8:7).

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Also, because you are God's child and bear the mark of Christ per Galatians 6:17, the worst of what satan wanted for you never came to pass and never will. When the Bible said that the devil came to steal, kill, and destroy that was no exaggeration (John 10:10). The devil wants God's people feeling hopeless and if possible, dead. That way they cannot resist hell's operations on earth. It is the grace and love of the Lord that spares each of us from the fullness of satan's wicked desires and causes our enemies to not have success.


Today, let us express gratitude that we are part of the family of believers. Let us thank the Lord that we are His children, chosen and loved by Him. Take a moment to think of the kindness you've experienced in this world. Remember the mercy God has shown you. Give Him thanks, confident that you have encountered and will encounter more of His blessings because you bear His name.


And if you are unsure that you are His child, this is the moment to change that. Ask Jesus to come into your life and reconcile you with God. Tell Him that you want to bear the name of God and submit to being His child. Just invite Him to make himself real to you right where you are. And because Romans 8:14 teaches, "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God," ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit. That way, you will always be led by the Lord and remain His child even when life seeks to pull you away from Him. I pray in the name of Jesus that everyone who cries out for the Lord this way will have a tangible encounter. May you come to know God deeply way whereby He's as real as any human being you know. I pray you will have a wonderful relationship from this day, in the mighty and wondrous name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

 
 
 

Complete Respect (1 Peter 2:18) - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) May 21, 2024

Since the beginning of time, humans have tried to move beyond their limitations. Adam and Eve tried this, believing the lie that they could have wisdom outside of God and all of humanity lost their access to the Garden of Eden.


People continue down this trajectory seeking the scientific answers that will allow people to become more than just human. What they ignore is that God wants us to be more like Him and has called us to enjoy what He has (2 Peter 1:4). The issue is that He wants us to achieve this through Him and what He has to offer. If we let Him influence our thinking, for instance, we will surely find success. After all, His thoughts and His ways are much higher and therefore better than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9).


More than anyone, God wants us to do things that seem improbable to others. Those who believe in Christ can heal the sick, drink poison, and not die, and drive out demons (Mark 16: 17-18). God knows that in Him and with Him, all things are possible, and as scripture states in Daniel 11:32, "those who know their God will be strong and do great exploits."


Now, consider what we are to take away from 1 Peter 2:18 - You servants must submit yourselves to your masters and show them complete respect, not only to those who are kind and considerate, but also to those who are harsh (GNT).


The scripture teaches Christians to treat those who are kind as well as those who are unkind with complete respect. It seems like an unattainable task but as He has called us to do it, we must trust Him to make us capable. We therefore cannot claim a right to disrespect those who disrespect us. Nor can we opt to be petty to those whom we determine - with our human logic - deserve a dose.

This verse doesn't just speak to how we deal with our fellow humans, but it also highlights how we are to treat God the Father. It is easy to get frustrated with Him when things are not going well. In those situations, we could quickly forget our Jericho Moments and all the good He's done for us in the past, only seeing the storm raging around our boat.


However, 1 Peter 2:18 instructs us to not disregard or disrespect God even when things aren't as we would like. We cannot thus say, "Well, God isn't helping me" or "God isn't doing what I want/need" and so, "I'm done with God!" If we are genuine Christians, people who truly believe in Christ and God the Father, then we have to continue honoring and serving Him even when things are tough.


It is during those rough seasons we need to remember Job who didn't curse God at His lowest moment. We have to focus on David who honored God even while being chased by a murderous king, leaving it to God to avenge him against his enemies. We have to look to Hannah who was mocked as barren while she waited for God to make her the mother of many children. In the fear of the Lord, she never retaliated. We have to hold on, knowing that God has promised to work everything out for our good and that includes the embarrassing and painful events of our lives (Romans 8:28).


We cannot turn away from Him and become those spoken of in 1 John 2:19 - They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. Christ died so each of us could accept and acknowledge His sacrifice and become bona-fide children of God forever. Children who give Him complete respect at all times and not just when things are going well for us.


This is not to say we will not struggle in our wilderness seasons. Anyone who has been through a period of suffering knows how difficult it can be. Nevertheless, the Lord will help us to go past our mere human capacity by reassuring us and strengthening our faith in those seasons. All while affording Him the respect He deserves even as we lay our fears and worries at His feet. May we never squander the great privilege we have received. May we keep our eyes on God in the good and the bad times, knowing He will never forget us and will never forsake us. May we always give Him the complete respect He deserves, IJMN Amen.



Come back at Noon EST to join the rest of us for today's fellowship. God bless you as you do.





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