GOD DIDN’T CALL US…

God didn’t call us to follow the dictates of our feelings but the dictates of His Spirit.

God created us with feelings. Jesus redeemed even our feelings on the Cross so that we can have God feelings – dictates of His Spirit. In the book of Hebrews 5:14 “have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” means that we are in a process of training our senses to the level where we will be able to discern between good and evil even in our senses. We are called to grow in living our lives only by the dictates of His Spirit. Satan is actively working in our lives as well and he wants us to follow the dictates of certain feelings contrary to the Spirit of God. Satan’s purpose is that we will never train our senses but live by satan induced feelings. Let us see a few feelings induced by Satan.

• FEELINGS TO SIN – James 1:13 “…He Himself tempt anyone”. God never tempts us. Satan uses our weakness to tempt us. No matter how strong the feelings to sin against God and His Word, we should never follow them instead replace them by having desire to follow His Spirit Who will lead us to holiness and life.
• FEELINGS TO SETTLE – 2 Cor 3:18 “…are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord”. We are called by God to move from glory to glory in the time provided for us in this earth. Satan always uses various situations in life to settle us down from discovering the glory in Christ Jesus. Let’s learn to put those feelings down and walk with Him.
• FEELINGS TO SURRENDER – Eph 6:11 “ Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”. We are called to STAND against all the wiles of the enemy. Never to surrender. Forsake all the feelings that tells you to surrender and stand by putting on the whole armour of God.
• FEELINGS TO SECLUDE – Heb 10:25 “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together…”. We are called to be one and never separated. Feeling of seclusion often arise when people mistreat us or misunderstand us. Satan uses these situations to seclude ourselves from people we are called to be with. Never entertain these feelings.

Thought: When we pursue following the dictates of the Spirit as a mandate then we can easily overcome the feelings to sin, settle, surrender and seclude easily. 

Prayer: Father, I desire to follow the dictates of Your Spirit in everything. Enable me to identify and overcome the feelings to sin, settle, surrender and seclude. Thank you. In Jesus name. 

IF YOU EMBRACE…

If you embrace what God called you to go thru, then He will fence you from what you need not go thru.

God desires to orchestrate your life. When He orchestrates our life, it becomes enjoyable. Jesus died on the cross so that our life will be under God’s reign and not under the power of darkness. When we surrender our life to God, He initiates a process specifically for us so that we will be restored, refined and re-defined to inherit the abundant life here on the earth. When we don’t embrace this process, then we miss the fun.

The people of Israel started from Egypt to inherit Canaan. God’s process was that they will quickly understand God’s heart, believe Him and inherit the land flowing with milk and honey. Israelites missed to get this and didn’t embrace God’s process. This ended up taking 40 years with 42 stops before reaching the destination. There were many times they disobeyed, rebelled and were stubborn. This made them go thru what they need not go thru. We do the same thing and go thru lot of things which we need not go thru because we didn’t embrace God’s process. Now how do we embrace this process.

• DESIRE – Desire is an attitude of the heart. It is born out of love. We have to love God and have a constant relationship with Him. This will birth a desire which will enable us to embrace what God called us to go thru.
• DECIDE – Decision rests in the mind of a person. Once desire is accomplished, the devil will use the your mind to kill that desire in your heart. Stop listening to all the voices of the devil and of the world. This will keep your decision firm.
• DEDICATE – Dedication is an action. Do your part. Spend time with God, read His Word, talk to Him, hear Him speak etc. Being committed to the relationship will certainly enable you to embrace the process.
• DEPEND – Dependence is the key to stay in course. When we focus more on our part we would lose our strength in sometime. Be dependent on Christ to do anything. This will keep you going at all times to embrace God’s way of life.

Apostle Paul practiced all the four attitudes which enabled him to embrace what God called him to go thru and positioned him to avoid all that he need not go thru.

Thought: God has a specific process designed for you to go thru. When you understand this and embrace it, you will be protected and your life will impact the world. 

Prayer: Father, Thank you for giving me a specific process to go thru and also protecting me. I embrace it now with my words. Enable me to embrace it with my actions. In Jesus name. Amen. 

GOD DIDN’T CALL US…

God didn’t call us to go thru stuff but to grow thru stuff!

God is the author of life. He is the creator of all things that posses life. Jesus provided a way to inherit eternal life by dying on the cross for our sins. When we believe that Jesus is the son of God and He rose from the death to conquer sin and satan and confess Him as our Lord, we are saved. The time between our salvation and our death is a calling given to us to experience God, to demonstrate God and to destroy evil. He didn’t give this life that we just go thru everything but we grow thru in all things. Lets look at a few stuff that Joseph went thru and how he had grown thru those stuff that he went thru.

• From ACTIVELY HATED to ACTIVELY LOVING – Joseph was hated by his brothers but he grew thru this hate and never let hurt and bitterness to rule his life. He was actively showing love to his brothers in the encounter he had with them later.
• From CONSTANTLY TEMPTED to CONSISTENTLY OVERCOMING – Joseph was tempted to sin by Potipar’s wife but he refused and also avoided being in her presence. We see that he was consistently overcoming the sin that was haunting him.
• From WRONGLY CONVICTED to RIGHTLY POSITIONED – Joseph was convicted and sent to prison for the wrong he never committed but God’s favour was with him so he was appointed as incharge of the prison. This also opened up the opportunity to be elevated.
• From UTTERLY FORGOTTEN to CRAZILY REMEMBERED – Joseph was forgotten by the cupbearer for 2 full years from helping him to get out of prison but at the right time he was referred to Pharaoh and elevated as ruler of Eygpt. His life is remembered even today as an inspiration to thousands of people around the world.

Today, you may be hated, tempted, wrongly convicted or forgotten or you may be going thru anything but if you love God and if you know that He is with you, then you can grow thru those circumstances to be elevated as a ruler in life.

Thought: When we understand that God is with us and we are called to grow thru stuff we go thru, then our life becomes more meaningful and beautiful. 

Prayer: Father, help me to always understand that I’m called to experience you and to grow thru in all that happens in my life. In Jesus name. Amen.