Thoughts for today - Set us Free Part 1

Subject: Thoughts for today - Set us Free Part 1




"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 8:28)
THOUGHTS FOR TODAY
There are many ways that we humans sin and fall short—lying, greed, stealing, adultery, taking the Lord's name in vain, and many other selfish acts. All sins are equally serious before our Holy God.
"But, I am saved" - If there is no doubt that you have already committed your life to Jesus Christ and are relying on His sin-covering blood for your salvation, then do not let your sin cause you to doubt your salvation. Instead, deal with your sin. Confess it, and rededicate your life to Christ. Don't hold back any part of your life from Him. Humble yourself totally before God. Surrender it all. Ask Him to help you live a life of purity and true love. Accept your own failure and inadequacy. Admit that you cannot overcome sin on your ownThe apostle Paul understood the frustration and terrible hold that our inherited sin has on all descendants of Adam and Eve "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. …I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing.
Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?"
--Romans 7:15-24 (NIV)

Admit your weakness, seek God's help

All humans are selfish and sinful; it is our nature. Addiction to pornography and other sexual sins are particularly potent in their effect, similar to a seductive and powerful drug. Once it has a hold on you, it is very difficult to resist. In fact, it is virtually impossible to overcome on your own. You must have God's help.
God cannot work with you if you are still trying to overcome sin on your own; it is a form of pridefulness. You are, in effect, saying to God "I can take care of this myself." Consider these verses:
"The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God…" (Psalm 10:4). "Pride goes before destruction…" (Proverbs 16:18). "When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom" (Proverbs 11:2).
"You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You" (Isa 26:3, NKJV).

MY QUOTE FOR TODAY
What about cravings? The Bible understands them well. It refers to them as temptations. The Bible recognizes that people with years of sobriety often still struggle with huge temptations. Sometimes this is just a normal part of the slow process of change. Sometimes it is simply a consequence of being reminded of something we once loved. But at other times it can be a result of mentally cherishing and nurturing the addiction while physically abstaining from it. Instead of asking God for a desire to hate sin at its roots, some people cling to the pleasant memories associated with their addiction. They remember that they once had a potent escape, whereas now they experience the pain of facing daily problems.

Edward T. Welch
DEAR GOD IN JESUS NAME SET US FREE ..LORD IT IS EASY TO GET OFF TRACK IN THIS LIFE HELP US AND SEEK US WHEN WE GO ASTRAY GIVE UP THE EYES TO SEE WHAT THINGS IN OUR LIFE ISNT PLEASING TO YOU AND BRING US TO THE EVERLASTING WAY OF PEACE IN JESUS NAME AMEN

Thoughts For Today ...Why Hide?

The Message (MSG)


Psalm 139
A David Psalm
1-6 God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.
I'm an open book to you;
even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
I'm never out of your sight.
You know everything I'm going to say
before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you're there,
then up ahead and you're there, too—
your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
I can't take it all in!

7-12 Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit?
to be out of your sight?
If I climb to the sky, you're there!
If I go underground, you're there!
If I flew on morning's wings
to the far western horizon,
You'd find me in a minute—
you're already there waiting!
Then I said to myself, "Oh, he even sees me in the dark!
At night I'm immersed in the light!"
It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to you;
night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to you.

13-16 Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother's womb.
I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I'd even lived one day.

17-22 Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful!
God, I'll never comprehend them!
I couldn't even begin to count them—
any more than I could count the sand of the sea.
Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!
And please, God, do away with wickedness for good!
And you murderers—out of here!—
all the men and women who belittle you, God,
infatuated with cheap god-imitations.
See how I hate those who hate you, God,
see how I loathe all this godless arrogance;
I hate it with pure, unadulterated hatred.
Your enemies are my enemies!

23-24 Investigate my life, O God,
find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
get a clear picture of what I'm about;
See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong—
then guide me on the road to eternal life.

MY THOUGHTS

I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS A KID IF I DONE SOMETHING WRONG I WOULD HIDE UNDER THE BED HOPING KNOW ONE WILL FIND ME BUT RATHER IT WAS MY UNCLE OR MY GRANDMOTHER THEY ALWAYS SEEM TO FIND ME UNDER THE BED ....I REMEMBER MANY TIMES I WAS AFRAID AND FEARFUL BECAUSE OF MY GRANDMOTHER FOUND ME SHE HAD A BELT THAT STING AND MY UNCLE WOULD HIT ME KNEES WITH HIS FIST ...BUT IT WAS NOT ABOUT BEING PUNISH IT WAS I THOUGHT I COULD HIDE FROM THEM AT TIMES ..ISN'T THAT IS WITH HOW WE RELATE TO GOD OUR FATHER ..WHEN WE FEEL ASHAMED WE DO NOT CONFESS OUR FALTS TO OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN THE LORD AND WE HIDE KNOWING IF I DID NOT CONFESS KNOW ONE WILL EVER KNOW BUT GOD KNOWS EVERTHING ABOUT US ....DAVID IN PSALMS 139 KNEW HE COULD NOT HIDE FROM GOD BECAUSE GOD IS EVERYWHERE AND KNOWS EVERTHING WE DO IN SECRET BUT GOD IS ALSO HAS GRACE AND LOVE TO FORGIVE US OUR WRONG DOINGS, SO WHY HIDE?

MY QUOTE FOR TODAY IS
Properly remembering our past sins with shame will deter us from repeating them and help us receive God's saving grace. When we recall our failures through the lens of Christ's mercy, God produces in us ongoing repentance and deepening humility.

BY ROBERT JONES

PRAYER FOR TODAY

GOD SOMETIMES I FEEL SO ASHAMED OF THE THINGS I DO AND WRONG AND I NEED YOUR HELP TO BE HONEST TO YOU TO OTHERS AND MYSELF THAT THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO TO SEPARATE US FROM YOUR LOVE ..GIVE US THE STRENGTH TO GO FOWARD AND BE STRONG AND GIVE US YOUR STRENGTH BECAUSE IT ONLY COMES FROM YOU IN JESUS NAME AMEN

Unconditional Love

Unconditional Love



TODAY'S VERSE "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love" John 15:9 (NIV)
TODAY'S THOUGHT I have had Christians chide me for my passion over the unconditional love of God. What about the Holiness of God, the part of God that hates sin? And yes, I understand that God is Holy and that He doesn't have to love us at all - but He does. He chooses to. He sees my sin and then He sees the sacrifice of His son. Jesus Himself said it, "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you." How much does the Holy Father love His only begotten? Can we fathom it? And Jesus makes only one request. That we understand it? That we rationalize it? That we argue over it? No, He asks us to remain in His love. Like myself, Brennan Manning taught for years about the love of God without personally understanding its depths. Manning speaks of his own awakening in his book, Abba's Child. He writes, "Unwittingly I had projected onto God my feelings about myself. I felt safe with Him only when I saw myself as noble, generous, and loving, without scars, fears, or tears. Perfect! But on that day in Colorado I came out of hiding. Jesus removed the shroud of perfectionist performance and now, forgiven and free, I ran home. For I knew someone was there for me. -- I finally felt all the words I have written and spoken about stubborn, unrelenting love. That morning I understood that the words are but straw compared to the reality. I leaped from simply being the teacher of God's love to becoming Abba's delight." Today, you too can leap from reading to reality. Quit trying to earn His love and accept the unconditional love He has for you.
Romans 8:1 is one of the most important verses in all of Scripture, from both a theological and a psychological point of view. Theologically, this verse makes crystal clear the fact of our forgiveness in Christ. God has done through Christ that which we could never do, setting us free from the power of sin and death. Thus if we “belong to Christ Jesus,” the Greek reads literally, “if we are in Christ Jesus,” then we know that God does not condemn us. By his grace in Christ, we are forgiven, justified, and welcomed into relationship with him.
Romans 8:1 proclaims truth that touches our souls, or in New Testament Greek, our psyches. Thus it has powerful psychological implications. Many people struggle with a deep sense of their own inadequacy. We feel ashamed because of what we have done and even because of who we are. No matter what we might say about God’s love, in the depth of our hearts, we feel as if God stands against us in angry judgment. Though we are right to see and hate our sin, we are wrong in our estimation of God’s stance. If we belong to Christ by putting our faith in him, then there is no condemnation for us. Thus we can be free to approach God, knowing that he loves and forgives us. Though we rightly confess our sins to him, we see ourselves, not as dirty sinners but as forgiven sinners beloved by God, being renewed through his Spirit.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Do you ever struggle with the thought that God stands in judgment against you? Do you question God’s grace in your life? How might the truth of Romans 8:1 permeate your soul?






TODAY'S PRAYERGracious God, in some ways, this verse is so familiar to me. I’ve read it a hundred times. I’ve taught it, preached it, and written on it. It’s old news to me Father, dear Father. How long have I felt unworthy of your affection? How long have I strived trying to win Your approval? But today I quit. Today I quit trying to earn Your love. Today I surrender. I surrender to Your word and accept the love that You freely have for me. Thank you Father for Your unconditional love.

Thoughts for Today - Trapped?

TRAPPED?


Is anything too hard for the Lord? - Genesis 18:14a.
Nicholas White had a long, long weekend. He was trapped at work from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon. Nicholas went out for a little cigarette break and the elevator stalled after a fraction of a second voltage drop. No one noticed Nicholas was gone. Probably thought he had left for home a little early. No one noticed until Sunday afternoon when he was spotted on a security camera. It’s not like he didn’t try to gain some attention. He screamed, he banged on the walls, he pushed every button, and he tried to climb through the ceiling of the elevator. After his release he said he was relieved and a little shaky. He refused medical attention and said he just wanted to go home.
Have you ever been trapped? Not in an elevator but by life? Many people feel as though they are trapped by life. It may be financial, or it may be their health, or it may be their marriage, or their job, or family, or an addiction, or so many things that seem to get in the way of the enjoyment of life. 40 hours seems like a slight inconvenience compared to the lives which some are living year after year. We may very well feel like Nicholas. We bang on the walls of heaven, we scream, we push every button we can find, we try to climb out but no one seems to notice; not even God.
What can we do? How do we escape? Somehow our focus must go beyond our situation. We must look beyond our temporary circumstances of this world to the eternal circumstances of the Kingdom of God. Abraham and Sarah were trapped in their old bodies of 100 and 90 years of age. But God said they would have the promised child. Sarah laughed at the possibility. We would have laughed too. The spiritual reality, however, was that there was nothing too hard for the Lord. We must put our focus on and our trust in Jesus (Hebrews 12:3). We must deposit our fears, worries, cares, anxieties, situations, circumstances all upon God (1 Peter 5:7). When we do that we will find through the power of God we have been translated from our prison of circumstances into the freedom of eternal life.
QUOTE FOR TODAY Every person in the world, including yourself, will encounter various trials throughout life. Satan seeks to defeat you by tempting you to trust your own wisdom, to live according to your self-centered feelings, and to gratify the desires of your flesh. In contrast, God’s will is for you to be an overwhelming conqueror in all of these tests for His honor and glory.

Biblical Counseling Foundation
PRAYER FOR TODAY
FATHER IN JESUS NAME HELP US NOT TO FEEL TRAPPED IN OUR CURCUMSTANCES OF ADDICTIONS , TROUBLES AND TRIALS OF LIFE BUT HELP US TO KNOW THE TRUTH BECAUSE THE TRUTH HELPS US TO BE SET FREE FROM THE CHAINS WE ARE SO USE TO LIVING TOO .
FATHER IT CAN BE SCARY SOMETIMES ..PLEASE LORD GIVE US STRENGTH FOR WITH YOU ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE IN JESUS NAME AMEN

Thoughts for today - The mind

Thoughts for today - The mind

Posted by Delmar on July 31,

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)



THE CHURCH IS WHERE MOST CHRISTIAN GO TO HEAR THE WORD OF GOD BUT I KNOW ON A PERSONAL LEVEL I HEARD GOD'S WORD ALL MY LIFE AND TRIED SO HARD TO LIVE UP TO IT AND KEPT FALLING INTO THE SAME OLD TRAPS THE DEVIL WOULD THROW AT ME .



I ACTUALLY BELIEVE A LIE THINKING THAT THE DEVIL HAD WON IN MY LIFE AND I HAD NO WAY OUT

SO I DIG MYSELF DEEPER INTO MANY THINGS AS THE BIBLE WOULD CALL SIN ....BUT MY MIND WOULD ALWAYS BOTHER ME BECAUSE I KNEW GOD WAS NOT GOING TO LET ME GO ....MANY TIMES IN MY WALK OF DARKNESS I WOULD COME BACK TO GOD AND CRIED PLEASE TAKE THIS AWAY .....



I HAD SO MUCH PAIN IN MY LIFE , DEPRESSION AND REJECTION AND THE LIST GOES ON BUT I WILL SAY GOD HELD MY HAND UNTIL THE MOMENT CAME YEARS LATER THAT I COULD NOT TAKE IT ANY MORE

I STILL STUGGLE BUT NOW ITS FOR DIFFRENT REASONS ....RELATIONSHIPS HAD NOT ALWAYS BEEN EASY FOR ME AND I STILL HAVE PROBLEMS TO MAKE TRUE FRIENDS AT TIMES ....I HAVE VERY FEW FRIENDS THAT KNOW ME AND CALL ME AND WE TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING ....ON THE OTHER HANDS I HAVE FRIENDS I DO GO OUT TO LUNCH SOMETIMES .....RECOVERY IS PLACING THE TRUTH WITH THE LIE

ALL MY LIFE I BELIEVE LIES AND THE DEVIL IS THE FATHER OF LIES ......IN THE PAST I FOUND MANY IDOLS TO RUN TO BUT DID NOT SATISFIELD ME .....

True happiness can only be found on the inside of your being in your connection and personal relationship with the Lord. All of the material wealth and goods that are out there for the taking will not give you this kind of true inner peace, happiness, and fulfillment.







MY QUOTE FOR TODAY IS BY SAM STORMS

Nowhere in the Bible is the “mind,” per se, described as evil or unworthy of being the means by which God communicates with us. What the Bible does denounce is intellectual pride, but not the intellect itself. It is humility that we need, not ignorance. I stand opposed to arrogant and cynical intellectualism. But that is not the same thing as using the mind God has given us, with the help of the Holy Spirit and the instruction of Scripture, to evaluate and discern and critically assess what is happening in both the church and the world. Whereas some things that God says and does are transrational, insofar as they are mysterious and often go beyond our ability to fully comprehend, God never does things that are irrational in the sense that they might violate the fundamental laws of logic or the reasonable and rational truths of Holy Scripture.



PRAYER





Heavenly Father,

My desire is to have a deeper sense of Your peace in me today. Take away all fear, doubt, and concern from my heart and replace it with the peace that only You can give. Thank You that Your peace will guard my mind so that I will not give place to thoughts that are not beneficial to me. In Philippians 4:7, we are told “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Father, thank You that Your peace will guard my heart from unproductive emotions and feelings that only serve to shatter my life. Thank You that the depths of Your peace are greater than we can imagine and that through this peace, we are made whole. In Jesus’ precious name. Amen.

Thoughts for Today -Set your mind above

SET YOUR MIND ON THE ABOVE, NOT ON THINGS THAT ARE ON THE EARTH .FOR YOU HAVE DIED AND YOUR LIFE IS HIDDEN WITH CHRIST IN GOD. WHEN CHRIST ,WHO IS OUR LIFE,IS REVEALED,THEN YOU ALSO WILL BE REVELALED, WITH HIM IN GLORY
COLOSSIANS 3:2-4




BILLY GRAHAM QUOTED -A NATION IS MORE POWERFUL WHEN IT UNITES IN EARNEST PRAYER TO GOD THAN WHEN ITS RESOURCES ARE CHANNELED INTO WEAPONS ..WHO KNOWS WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN IF MILLIONS OF BELIEVERS AROUND THE WORLD AVAILED THEMSELVES OF THE GREATEST PRIVILEGE THIS SIDE OF HEAVEN THE PRIVILEGE OF INTERCESSORY PRAYER?

I BELIEVE WE ARE LIVING IN SOME DARK DAYS AND TO BE HONESTI AM CAREFUL WHAT I WATCH ON TV ...IT IS FULL OF DARKNESS , CRIME MOVIES AND THE WAYS OF THE WORLD

JESUS SAID SET YOUR MINDS UP ABOVE NOT ON THINGS THAT ARE DOWN HERE
IT WAS ALSO EXPRESS IN PHILIPPIANS 4:8 MENTIONS
For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]. (AMP)

I KNOW WE ARE IN THE WORLD BUT WE ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD
AS THE WORLD BECOMES DARKER LET US BE TUNE IN TO THE THINGS OF THE SPIRIT
WHEN THINGS GO WRONG RUN TO GOD HE IS THE KEY TO EVERYDAY PROBLEMS AND IF THINGS DONT WORK OUT HE HAS ANOTHER BUT BETTER PLAN FOR YOUR CURCUMSTANCES .
Can we pray for justice, and yet love our enemy at the same time? The answer is yes…We will magnify the mercy of God by praying for our enemies to be saved and reconciled to God. At the personal level we will be willing to suffer for their everlasting good, and we will give them food and drink. We will put away malicious hatred and private vengeance. But at the public level we will also magnify the justice of God by praying and working for justice to be done on earth, if necessary through wise and measured force from God-ordained authority.



John Piper


PRAYER

DEAR LORD I PRAYER THAT WE CAN KEEP FOCUS ON WHAT IS LOVELY AND PURE TO FOCUS ON WHAT IS TRUE AND HELP US NOT TO BE IN OUR CURCUMSTANCES AND WORRY ABOUT THEM BUT HELP US KNOW YOU ARE IN FULLY IN CONTROL EVEN WHEN IT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE IT
THANK YOU IN JESUS NAME AMEN

Thoughts For Today -Getting God's Guidance

AM SO BLESSED TO HAVE COME BACK TO THE LORD , I SURELY HAD MY UPS AND DOWNS IN LIFE AND THINGS I DID IAM NOT PROUD OF BUT GOD LOVED ME
(JUST AS I AM) A SONG THEY USE TO SING AT EVERY BILLY GRAHAM CRUSADE
HE KNEW I WOULD COME BACK TO HIM BUT SOMETIMES WE WANT TO LIVE OUR OWN WAY AND NOT LEAN ON GOD'S WAYS . I FIND GOD'S WAYS ARE SO MUCH BETTER BECAUSE HE CARES SO MUCH FOR US HE DID NOT BUILT US LIKE ROBOTS BUT TO HAVE A CHOICE . I FINALLY CAME TO THE END OF MYSELF AND FIND IT IS EASIER TO LiSTEN TO HIM AND THE MORE I FOLLOW AND LOVED HIM THE MORE GRACE HE GAVE ME TO BE FREE .

DELMAR


















Getting God's Guidance



I Believe there is a time and season for everything
lately there seems to be more Earthquakes and fires,Gas prices rising
The Rise of Unemployment and Murders and Wars
Which has always been there in the world but I notice they have much increased.

Every sign that leads to the Lords coming back to get his bride . I know People who are Hurting with Depression and Suicidal thoughts and all hope is gone .
Some People find it very hard to get out of bed in the morning .
I remember as a little boy what was wrong back then now is right in the eyes of man .
We as a People took God out of our Schools and we are telling God we don't need you .
As the bible says in the last days it will be like the days of Noah , People will be lovers of themselves not God .
I remember Churches were Respected on Sunday and most every store was closed on Sunday . I believe we lost the true meaning of what life was all about and that is Leaning on the everlasting Arms of Jesus .
I remember singing that song When I was a little Boy
I was thankful that I Who was a Prodigal Son many times throughout my life can Honestly say seeds were planted in my childhood of Learning on the everlasting Arms .

1.What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!
◦Leaning, leaning,
Safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning,
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.
2.O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!
O how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!
3.What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!
I have peace complete with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!





Prayer: "Our Loving Heavenly Father, thank you that you
are interested in every detail of my life. Again this
day I commit and trust every aspect of my life to you.
Please give me the insight to see the reality in every
situation I am in. And then, help me to know what I need
to do and give me the courage to do it no matter what
it is. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer.
Gratefully, In Jesus Loving Name I Pray. Amen."