Gal 1:11-17
11I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. 12I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
13For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased 16to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, 17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.
Paul is preaching through the words of God, but also through His own testimony here. he speaks of his own experience with the Lord as conviction to those he is sharing the gospel to.
I believe that our experiences and personal testimonies of the Lord are a way to show how much God has changed our lives. Let us use it with the word of the Lord to testify of the Lord's goodness.
Father, I thank you for what you have blessed me with. Let my experience with you be a testimony to others. I want to share with others how great you are in my life and how you have worked in my life. I pray that I may testify of your goodness through your Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Choosing Jesus
Mark 15:6-11
6Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
9"Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate, 10knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.
Here the Jews chose to release a murderer instead of Jesus. The Jews chose this sinful person over Jesus. Often times, we choose sin over Jesus. We are no better than these Jews when we don't make Jesus our decision.
I want to choose Jesus. I want to make Him my choice. I want to choose Him over other things that get in my way of living for Christ. Instead of falling short of His standards, I want to choose to live my life for Him.
Father, I choose you. Let me not be like the Jews that chose a murderer instead of choosing you. Lord, I thank you for your death on the cross, because you died for my sins. I thank you Lord. I pray that I choose you in my decisions and I pray that you be with me. In Jesus name I pray all these things.
Amen.
6Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
9"Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate, 10knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.
Here the Jews chose to release a murderer instead of Jesus. The Jews chose this sinful person over Jesus. Often times, we choose sin over Jesus. We are no better than these Jews when we don't make Jesus our decision.
I want to choose Jesus. I want to make Him my choice. I want to choose Him over other things that get in my way of living for Christ. Instead of falling short of His standards, I want to choose to live my life for Him.
Father, I choose you. Let me not be like the Jews that chose a murderer instead of choosing you. Lord, I thank you for your death on the cross, because you died for my sins. I thank you Lord. I pray that I choose you in my decisions and I pray that you be with me. In Jesus name I pray all these things.
Amen.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Over Flatter
Psalm 36:1-3
1 An oracle is within my heart
concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: [a]
There is no fear of God
before his eyes.
2 For in his own eyes he flatters himself
too much to detect or hate his sin.
3 The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful;
he has ceased to be wise and to do good.
It is a sin to think of yourself with a big head. You will only leave God out of your life. When you self-flatter yourself, you will lose sight of what God wants in your life.
We must live a life that exults God. When we think of ourselves to much, we leave no account for God to do anything in our lives. We must put our confidence not in ourselves, but in Christ Jesus.
Father, I thank you for your words. I pray that I may trust in you and you alone. Lord, I know that there are times that I am over confident in myself, so break me down and make me humble. Give me a new attitude to serve you with all my heart. I pray that I may have the confidence in You. I thank you for this and I pray that your Holy Spirit work in my life.
Amen.
1 An oracle is within my heart
concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: [a]
There is no fear of God
before his eyes.
2 For in his own eyes he flatters himself
too much to detect or hate his sin.
3 The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful;
he has ceased to be wise and to do good.
It is a sin to think of yourself with a big head. You will only leave God out of your life. When you self-flatter yourself, you will lose sight of what God wants in your life.
We must live a life that exults God. When we think of ourselves to much, we leave no account for God to do anything in our lives. We must put our confidence not in ourselves, but in Christ Jesus.
Father, I thank you for your words. I pray that I may trust in you and you alone. Lord, I know that there are times that I am over confident in myself, so break me down and make me humble. Give me a new attitude to serve you with all my heart. I pray that I may have the confidence in You. I thank you for this and I pray that your Holy Spirit work in my life.
Amen.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
All-Powerful Faith
Mark 11:20-25
20In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!"
22"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. 23"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."
Jesus explains that faith is enough to move mountains. Our faith in our God is all-powerful. With faith, we are able to do so much in the name of the Lord Jesus. Faith leaves room for God to take over and do what His will is.
My faith in the Lord is something that I should consider important. How much faith do I put in myself and how much faith do I put in God? I need to give Him my everything and have faith enough for Him to work in my life.
Father, I thank you for this word of faith. I trust in You with all that you are. I want you to take over because I have faith that you will be able to move mountains in my life. Holy Spirit be with me today in Jesus name.
Amen.
20In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!"
22"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. 23"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."
Jesus explains that faith is enough to move mountains. Our faith in our God is all-powerful. With faith, we are able to do so much in the name of the Lord Jesus. Faith leaves room for God to take over and do what His will is.
My faith in the Lord is something that I should consider important. How much faith do I put in myself and how much faith do I put in God? I need to give Him my everything and have faith enough for Him to work in my life.
Father, I thank you for this word of faith. I trust in You with all that you are. I want you to take over because I have faith that you will be able to move mountains in my life. Holy Spirit be with me today in Jesus name.
Amen.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
T5+: Finish What God Started
When Pastor Steve spoke about getting rid of things that bring you down, Jesse's heart began to pound. He could see the covers of CD's he knew depressed him. Upon returning home, Jesse went straight to his CD case and threw away every one that had come to mind.
A month later, as Jesse was listening to his MP3 player, a song from one of those CD's began to play. Immediately his heart pounded again and he knew he needed to delete it. Instead he told himself, It isn't a big deal; it's only one song. Within a matter of weeks, he had repurchased all the CDs he had thrown away. Months later, his depression worsened to the point that Jesse's mother pursued professional psychological help for him.
Jesse's life could have been different had he finished what he started. it can be difficult to give up something when God asks you, but often the consequences of disobeying Him are far worse.
The Holy Spirit shows me the truth and the way. The flesh is strong and temptation can be hard to fight, but with the Spirit of God; trust in Him and you will be saved.
Father God, I trust you will all my heart and all my mind and all my strength. Lead me not into temptation but let me be delivered so that I can live in the truth. Keep me Holy so that I may live for You. I thank you Lord for your grace from all the times that I have fallen short of your glory. I pray for your forgiveness, Jesus. Let me live in your Spirit I pray, in Jesus name.
Amen.
A month later, as Jesse was listening to his MP3 player, a song from one of those CD's began to play. Immediately his heart pounded again and he knew he needed to delete it. Instead he told himself, It isn't a big deal; it's only one song. Within a matter of weeks, he had repurchased all the CDs he had thrown away. Months later, his depression worsened to the point that Jesse's mother pursued professional psychological help for him.
I said, "...You shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break their alters." Yet you have disobeyed me... They will be [thorns] in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you (Judges 2:1-30.
Jesse's life could have been different had he finished what he started. it can be difficult to give up something when God asks you, but often the consequences of disobeying Him are far worse.
The Holy Spirit shows me the truth and the way. The flesh is strong and temptation can be hard to fight, but with the Spirit of God; trust in Him and you will be saved.
Father God, I trust you will all my heart and all my mind and all my strength. Lead me not into temptation but let me be delivered so that I can live in the truth. Keep me Holy so that I may live for You. I thank you Lord for your grace from all the times that I have fallen short of your glory. I pray for your forgiveness, Jesus. Let me live in your Spirit I pray, in Jesus name.
Amen.
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