THERE ARE GOOD THINGS IN YOU RHAPSODY OF REALITIES | Thursday, June 22, 2017 By Pastor Chris
That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus (Philemon 1:6).
For you to be effective in the communication of your faith, there has to be an acknowledgement of the good things in you. There’re no bad things in you. Some people don’t know this, so they’re always looking for something that’s wrong with them. They’re always talking themselves down, focusing always on their inabilities, disabilities, and frustrations. That’s not right! There are good things in you, and you’ve got to acknowledge them.
As a child of God, the very life of God is in you: “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Christ is in you; He lives in your heart. Acknowledge it. Affirm that greater is He that’s in you than he that’s in the world. This means you’re not an ordinary person. You have the ability of God and excellence of the Spirit in you. You can reign in this life because you have the righteousness of God. You’re special!
Why is it so important to acknowledge the good things in you in Christ Jesus? It’s because they’re spiritual and are actualized or activated by acknowledgement. The Bible says, “They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes” (Psalm 82:5-7).
The above verses are very revealing. It shows why many live miserably and die like ordinary men, even though they’re gods and children of the Most High. They’ve never acknowledged who they are, what they have, their abilities and potentials in Christ Jesus; this has made their faith ineffective.
CONFESSION
As I meditate on God’s Word, my spirit is programmed for absolute mastery, success, and transcendental blessings. I’m blessed and highly favoured. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places. I have a goodly heritage. Everything that belongs to me is glorious and wonderful. Hallelujah!
FURTHER STUDY: Ephesians 2:10* For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Psalm 139:14-16 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully [and] wonderfully made: marvellous [are] thy works; and [that] my soul knoweth right well. 15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, [and] curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all [my members] were written, [which] in continuance were fashioned, when [as yet there was] none of them.
Overcoming the Barrier of Inadequacy Intouch.org | Thursday, June 8, 2017 By Dr. Charles Stanley
2 Corinthians 2:14-17
No one likes feelings of inadequacy, but they are something we must learn to handle, as none of us can avoid them permanently. Tragically, though, many people live with a cloud over their head because in their thinking, they never measure up. For some, this may be due to childhood experiences that negatively affected their self-image. For others, the problem stems from a lack of success related to work, relationships, marriage, parenting, or any number of things.
The area Paul deals with in today's passage is our Christian life. He asks a question that points to a common insecurity: "Who is adequate for these things?" (v. 16). Have you ever avoided serving the Lord in ways that challenge your comfort zone? If so, you've probably missed a tremendous opportunity to overcome feelings of inadequacy. He's promised to lead us "in triumph in Christ," (v. 14) but unless we believe Him and step out in faith, we'll never experience the life He has planned for us.
Feeling inadequate is not a sin, but using it as an excuse is. When the Lord challenges you to do something that you feel is beyond your abilities, you have two options. You can focus on Christ and proceed in triumph or focus on yourself and withdraw in defeat.
It's really a matter of faith. God would never ask you to do something without empowering you to accomplish it. This doesn't necessarily mean you will do it perfectly, but each step of obedience is a victory. The alternative is to play it safe, but then you'll miss out on God's best for your life.
Fellowship with Jesus TruthForLife.org | Sunday, June 4, 2017 By C.H. Spurgeon
The goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior: Titus 3:4
How sweet it is to see Jesus fellowshipping with His own beloved people! There can be nothing more delightful than when the Holy Spirit leads us into this fertile field of delight. Let the mind for a moment consider the history of the Redeemer's love, and a thousand evidences of His kindness will come to mind. The purpose of them all has been to draw us to Christ and to weave the mind of Christ into the thoughts and emotions of the renewed soul.
When we meditate upon this amazing love and see the Head of the church endowing her with all His wealth and power, our souls may well faint for joy. Who is able to endure such a weight of love? Even a partial sense of it, which the Holy Spirit sometimes grants us, is more than the soul can contain; how transforming a complete view of it must be! When the soul shall learn to discern all the Savior's gifts and is granted the wisdom to fathom them and the time to meditate upon them, such as heaven will afford us, we will then commune with Jesus in a more intimate manner than at present.
But who can imagine the sweetness of such fellowship? It must be one of the things that have not entered into the heart of man, but that God has prepared for them that love Him. If we could burst open the door of our Joseph's granaries and see the plenty that He has stored up for us, we would be overwhelmed with His love. By faith we see, as in a mirror dimly, the reflected image of His unbounded treasures, but when we actually see the heavenly things themselves, with our own eyes, how deep will be the stream of fellowship in which our soul shall bathe! Until then our loudest songs shall be reserved for our loving benefactor, Jesus Christ our Lord, whose love to us is wonderful, surpassing the love of a man for a woman.
