“Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him” (Deut 13:4; KJV). Our lives should line up with the word of God. We need to look into the word today and see if our lives, our thoughts, words and actions are on track. So often we look but only want to pull out our favorite words.

The word is truth (John 17:17), inspired by God (2 Tim 3:16) and his counsel for every aspect of our life (Pr 4:20-23). We can look into the word and it will encourage us as we see areas where we are lined up with it.  However, the word will also bring instruction and reproof if we are open to receive it (Pr 2:10-11). To grow in God, we need to allow his word to not only strengthen us and encourage us but also to challenge and change us. If we refuse, we will stagnate and be frustrated, going nowhere.

How often we have favorite words but the very next verse we gloss over because it is an ouch; a word that challenges our stubbornly held opinions where we do not want to change. It is only when we are open to God’s whole counsel that we can move on to be used by God and experience that true life of abundance (John 10:10).

Moving on in true revelation of God’s word is wonderful, going to new heights and places we have never been before. Let’s give God permission to open our eyes and ears to his word today and do a new thing in our lives. O my, how I want that, do you?

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We all sin but we are no longer sinners (1 John 1:8). Through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross the price was paid for our sin’s past, present and future (1 Cor 15:3). As born-again Christians God no longer sees us as sinners, he sees us in Christ, forgiven and the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Cor 5:21). Righteousness basically means right standing with God. Satan may try to condemn us but we have an Advocate (Rom 8:34), Christ Jesus, who pleads our case before God (1 John 2:1).

As God’s children and members of his kingdom (Col 1:13) we are still tempted to sin and we do sin (1 John 1:8), but the word says that if we repent and ask for forgiveness God is quick to forgive us (1 John 1:9).  Now that’s good news. So, how many times will he forgive us in any given day? Well, we are instructed to forgive our brother 7 time seventy times (Matt 18:22) and God is far more loving and merciful than we are. But brother Norman you don’t know what I have done. God forgave David when he repented after committing adultery and murder (2 Sam 11). Don’t be condemned, look to God our loving and merciful father, humble yourself and ask forgiveness with a truly repentant heart.

 Now, as Christians we should not go on willfully and deliberately sinning, if we do then there is something very wrong as if we are born again, our spirit (conscience) should convict us of sin and in fellowship with God (Rom 2:15). Check yourself; are you truly born again? Have you given your life to the Master? Talk to a mature Christian friend and settle the matter today.

As Christians we should be quick to repent whenever we sin (1John 1:9); sin does not cause us to lose our salvation but it does cloud our fellowship with God, just as in any human relationship (1 John 1:7). Run to your loving father, repent and enjoy unbroken fellowship with him. There is nothing better.

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One of the fruits of the Spirit in our lives is gentleness (Gal 5:23) which can better be translated as meekness. When we think of meekness we often think of weakness or someone who is a mouse.  But this could not be further from the truth.  Meekness is a powerful fruit of the Spirit creating a submissive spirit in us toward our God and giving us a quiet strength and confidence that is from God alone. The meek Christian is not a mouse but an individual who has the confidence of knowing who he is in Christ and a temperament that is controlled and at peace.

We are told to pursue meekness (1 Tim 6:11), to walk in meekness (Eph 4:2), so that people see it in us. We should demonstrate meekness in our dealings with others (Titus 3:2), even if they respond with unkindness and especially as we talk to them of the things of God and bring correction (2 Tim 2:25). “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Gal 6:1). The apostle Paul reminded us that meekness is a characteristic of Jesus: (2 Cor 10:1).

Let us take stock of our lives, are we known for our meekness as we have defined it above?

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 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil.4:13; KJV). I am sure this is a very familiar verse to most of us. How often we hear it quoted when someone has a difficult task in front of them. However, do we really think about all that is implied in this verse? We tend to focus on what we can do: “through Christ” but today I would like to focus on how we are enabled to do that.

The word “STRENGTHENETH”, is not just a passive word in that we just get strength all on our own, but has more the sense of God actively filling us with his strength. This reminds me of two other scriptures. In 1 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 5 we read that: “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God” and in Colossians chapter 1 and verse 11 it is written: “strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power”.

This means that we don’t have to depend on our ability but through the inner strength that comes from God alone. In order to be in a position to receive that strength we need to be abiding in the vine (John 15:5). Jesus is the vine and we need to have an intimate and ongoing relationship with him. Praise God that we don`t have to do things in our own strength; let`s meditate on these verses and use our faith to depend on God’s strength and ability.

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“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of Go: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph 2:8-10; KJV). Here we are told that we don’t earn salvation by our works, it is purely a gift by God’s grace that we receive freely by faith.

When Paul struggled with his thorn in the flesh, he pleaded with God to take it away but God replied: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9). In other words, whatever the thorn was, God said his grace would get Paul through the difficulty.

God’s grace enables us to receive of his strength (power) for salvation and for every need that we have. The power word used here is Dunamis in the Greek; this is where we get the word dynamite.  We have God’s dynamite power by grace. The power that raised Christ from the dead is also that dynamite power and we contain it by God’s grace (Rom 8:11; Acts 1:8).

As we humble ourselves and come to the end of our own strength as Paul did, then God’s grace can get us through. If we think we can make it on our own and tough it out in our own strength then we are on our own and life gets hard. Let’s humble ourselves before God and seek his help; his grace is sufficient.

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