Win By Losing
(Entry Date : July 10th, 2011)
Scripture
Romans 8:13 - For if you live according to the sinful nature, "you will die"; but if by the Holy Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, "you will live".
Observation
Our sinful ways bring us "defeat". But if by the Holy Spirit we lose our sinful ways, then we win God's "victory".
Application
I must be a loser so I can be a winner. This means losing my:
* anger
* grudges and resentments
* drivenness
* selfishness
* weight.
Losing all these will make me a winner of God's LOVE. Loving God is loving
others. Loving others is loving you all. To love is my victory.
Prayer
Lord, I ask you to take control of me by your Holy Spirit. When your spirit lives within me, you keep my emotions pure. The emotions that come from the Holy Spirit are much more exciting, joyful and satisfying than the emotions that come from our sinful nature. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen!
Live In Unity
(Entry Date : July 10th, 2011)
Scripture
Psalm 133: 1-3
1 How good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters live in unity!
2 It is like precious oil poured on the head running down on the beard,running down on Aaron's beard,down upon the collar of his robes.
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows His blessings,even life forevermore.
Observation
David strongly emphasized the great importance of living together in unity as brothers and sisters; be with our families and colleagues and the church.
* unity brings a shared sense of purpose and devotion.(v1)
* unity makes us one in Christ (Gal 3:28) and since we are one body in Christ,
* we belong to each other and each of us needs all the others. (Romans 12:4-5)
* in unity,the Lord bestows His blessings,even eternal life.(v3)
Application
I have to keep myself be united in Christ with my brothers and sisters in church,
family and everyone. Unity can be achieved by:
* adopting a Christlike attitude,
* exercising my God-given gifts,
* empathise with others,
* being humble and gentle and
* loving and forgiving others
Prayer
Heavenly father, by your patience and encouragement ;help me to live in complete harmony with others. Make me humble and gentle; and patient to others, making allowance for other's faults because of your love. Always keep me united in the Holy Spirit and bind me together with others with peace and joy. Enable me to love you more and more each day as I long to love others. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen !
Learning To Speak For Life
(Entry Date : March 21st, 2010)
Scripture
Proverbs 13:3 - He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.
Observation
We create a world for ourselves by what we speak. Words have power and can either speak life or death into a situation- that what i say can get me into trouble or keep me away from it. It can even save my life.
Application
Speech that is not Godly or not of the Lord does not reflect a heart filled with the Holy Spirit. It reflects the work of darkness. And the best way to improve my speech is to improve my heart,"For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Math 12:34). A heart filled with the holy spirit and the truth of God will produce Godly speech that brings life to me and others.
Prayer
Lord I pray that I'll choose to use speech that glorifies you. Fill my heart with your spirit and your truth so that what overflows from my mouth will be words of life and not death. Your word says that "Death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit" (Proverbs 18:21). May I be quick to listen and slow to speak so that my speech will be seasoned with grace. Enable me to always speak words of hope, health, encouragement and life. In Jesus name I pray.
Growing In Faith
(Entry Date : December 20th, 2009)
Scripture
Luke 17:5 - The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"
Observation
The apostles who were with Jesus everyday, hearing him teach and watching what he did, still had to ask of him, “increase our faith”. Surely , we can ask the same for ourselves and for others as well. The Israelites who witnessed more miracles than we may ever see, were not allowed to enter the Promised Land because of their unbelief (Hebrew 3:19). We don’t want a lack of faith that keeps us from entering into all that God has promised for us.
Application
A person who has faith has distinctly different characteristics from those who don’t. He is more confident, more motivated, happier, more positive about the future and more giving of himself. In fact, one of the main manifestations of a person strong in faith is the ability to give – not just in terms of money or possessions but also time, love, encouragement and help. A person of faith is filled with God’s love and looks for opportunities to share that love with others. Only love will last forever, because God is love and He is eternal. That’s why it doesn’t matter what great things I do or how much I give; if it’s not done out of love, it is meaningless. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not loved, I gain nothing.(1Cor 13:3).
Prayer
Lord, may the truth of your WORD be firmly established in my heart so that faith will grow daily and navigate my life. Help me to trust you at all times as I look to you for truth and guidance and transformation into your likeness. I know that trusting in you is a choice I make. Enable me to make that choice. In Jesus name, I pray.