Sue J Love
Loyal
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2015
- Messages
- 2,593
What are you going through? Have you lost a loved one to death? Your spouse has left you for another? Or, your spouse is a sex addict? Your kids are rebellious, drug addicted and out-of-control? You lost your job? You don’t know how you are going to pay your bills? You have just been diagnosed with cancer? You are being persecuted for your faith in Christ? Or, you are addicted to sin, and you feel hopeless that you will never be free?
If you are a true believer in Jesus Christ, you have died with him to sin and self, and you have been resurrected with him to newness of life, born again of the Spirit of God, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Jesus Christ set you free, not only from the punishment of sin, but from the control (power) of sin over your life. Now you should walk no longer according to your flesh, but according to the Spirit.
But, you can’t do this in your own strength, or in your own flesh. Only in Christ’s power and strength, and because he put sin to death on that cross, can you walk (in lifestyle) according to the Spirit, and no longer live to gratify the cravings of your sinful flesh. You just need to submit to him, and yield to his will. Obey him. Follow his Word. He will not fail you.
Your life is now hidden with Christ in God, i.e. you are under the protection and shelter of the Almighty. Your life is no longer your own, because you were bought back for God with the blood of Christ. And, God is quite capable of taking care of his own, too. He will never leave you or forsake you. He will carry you through whatever it is you are going through. He has a plan and a purpose for your life. You just have to trust him. Rest in him. Believe him.
Instead of focusing on the waves crashing in all around you, keep your focus on Jesus, and on heavenly things, eternal things. We get discouraged, disheartened, and feeling hopeless when we focus our attention on what is passing away rather than on our eternal blessings and the riches of God’s grace to us. We need to believe that God is absolutely sovereign over our lives, and that he will give us all we need to endure difficulties, or to flee temptation to sin, or to respond correctly to unjust suffering.
I will be 68 years old yet this month. So, I understand about the outer person (male or female) decaying, i.e. our physical bodies. I don’t have nearly the physical energy or stamina I had when I was much younger. My mind is not as sharp as it was, either. I don’t multi-task like I did when my kids were little, and I move at a much slower pace. I take naps in the daytime, some days. My hair is thinning, my skin is getting wrinkles, etc. It is all part of the aging process, but I would never want to be young again.
But, I don’t believe this is just talking about the natural aging process. I believe this includes trials, tribulations, heartaches, and struggles. They are the things which take a toll on our bodies, our minds and our emotions. They are the things which have the potential to weigh us down, to discourage us, and to make us feel hopeless, and to want to give up. That is…
Unless we find our hope and strength in the Lord.
When we turn to the Lord for our strength and help, instead of letting the things of this earthly life get to us, he renews us within, which also gives us greater stamina and endurance without. Then, we don’t lose heart, because we are focusing our energies and our minds and hearts on the Lord, on his Word, and on walking in the Spirit, and not giving way to the flesh. And, he gives us a different outlook to our suffering. We can now see what we are going through via a different lens, i.e. via his Word, his will and his ways.
We realize that God’s ways are higher than our ways, and what may seem like a tragedy to us may be a blessing in disguise. God uses these types of things in our lives to teach us, to mature us, to make us more like Jesus. When we go through hardships, it has a way of humbling us, too. As we draw near to Jesus in our difficulties, and we learn from him, we also grow closer in our walks of faith, and we share in Christ’s holiness. And, that is a good thing! We need that! And, God knows what we need, too.
We have everything we need in Christ. We are not lacking. He has given us everything we need to endure suffering, to respond correctly to unjust treatment, and to flee temptation and to draw near to God. He has given us all that we need, too, to walk in holiness, righteousness and godliness. So, there is never a reason for us to give up hope, or to despair.
There is absolutely no excuse for a born again Christian to still be sin addicted, either. Satan no longer has control over us if we are truly in Jesus Christ, by faith in him. Jesus set us free from sin, so how can we live in it any longer? As born again believers in Christ, we were created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. We CAN, in Christ, in his power, and in his strength, be completely free from any kind of sinful addiction. We just have to trust God with our lives instead of trying to control them ourselves.
We CAN, in Christ, become partakers (participants) of the divine nature, i.e. we can live godly and holy lives in Christ Jesus by His power and by His grace to us. By the Spirit we can be putting to death the deeds of the flesh and living our lives in agreement with the Spirit of God. Thus, too, we can escape (flee) the corruption that is in the world by lust, or that is in the world by fleshly desires which are opposed to God and to his Word.
We just have to get our minds and our eyes off of what is of this earth, and what is of our sin natures, and on to what is of God, and of his nature, i.e. on to what is holy, righteous, moral, pure, just, honest and trustworthy. And, we need to put into practice, by His Spirit, what is godly and holy, and cut out of our lives all that is of our sinful flesh. We have to trust in the Lord and not in ourselves, and rely on him to help us through whatever situations we find ourselves in, rather than put our trust in human flesh. God will not fail us. We can always count on Him!
I Will Lift My Eyes
An Original Work / December 12, 2012
Based off Psalms 121-125
I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.
He will not let your foot slip, and He who watches will not sleep.
Our Lord watches over you, and your life He will keep.
I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.
I give thanks to Him.
I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n.
Because of His great love for us, He made us alive with Christ.
Through the kindness of our Savior, He gave us new life.
I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n;
My home, now in heav’n.
Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.
Those who trust will ne’er be shaken. God will supply all we need.
Our Lord has done great things for us. He’s our friend, indeed!
Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.
I can count on Him.
Sunday, December 10, 2017, 6:33 p.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for leading me to these scriptures today, and for the truths you taught me through them.
“Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Col. 3:1-3 NASB
If you are a true believer in Jesus Christ, you have died with him to sin and self, and you have been resurrected with him to newness of life, born again of the Spirit of God, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Jesus Christ set you free, not only from the punishment of sin, but from the control (power) of sin over your life. Now you should walk no longer according to your flesh, but according to the Spirit.
But, you can’t do this in your own strength, or in your own flesh. Only in Christ’s power and strength, and because he put sin to death on that cross, can you walk (in lifestyle) according to the Spirit, and no longer live to gratify the cravings of your sinful flesh. You just need to submit to him, and yield to his will. Obey him. Follow his Word. He will not fail you.
Your life is now hidden with Christ in God, i.e. you are under the protection and shelter of the Almighty. Your life is no longer your own, because you were bought back for God with the blood of Christ. And, God is quite capable of taking care of his own, too. He will never leave you or forsake you. He will carry you through whatever it is you are going through. He has a plan and a purpose for your life. You just have to trust him. Rest in him. Believe him.
Instead of focusing on the waves crashing in all around you, keep your focus on Jesus, and on heavenly things, eternal things. We get discouraged, disheartened, and feeling hopeless when we focus our attention on what is passing away rather than on our eternal blessings and the riches of God’s grace to us. We need to believe that God is absolutely sovereign over our lives, and that he will give us all we need to endure difficulties, or to flee temptation to sin, or to respond correctly to unjust suffering.
“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Co. 4:16-18 NASB
I will be 68 years old yet this month. So, I understand about the outer person (male or female) decaying, i.e. our physical bodies. I don’t have nearly the physical energy or stamina I had when I was much younger. My mind is not as sharp as it was, either. I don’t multi-task like I did when my kids were little, and I move at a much slower pace. I take naps in the daytime, some days. My hair is thinning, my skin is getting wrinkles, etc. It is all part of the aging process, but I would never want to be young again.
But, I don’t believe this is just talking about the natural aging process. I believe this includes trials, tribulations, heartaches, and struggles. They are the things which take a toll on our bodies, our minds and our emotions. They are the things which have the potential to weigh us down, to discourage us, and to make us feel hopeless, and to want to give up. That is…
Unless we find our hope and strength in the Lord.
When we turn to the Lord for our strength and help, instead of letting the things of this earthly life get to us, he renews us within, which also gives us greater stamina and endurance without. Then, we don’t lose heart, because we are focusing our energies and our minds and hearts on the Lord, on his Word, and on walking in the Spirit, and not giving way to the flesh. And, he gives us a different outlook to our suffering. We can now see what we are going through via a different lens, i.e. via his Word, his will and his ways.
We realize that God’s ways are higher than our ways, and what may seem like a tragedy to us may be a blessing in disguise. God uses these types of things in our lives to teach us, to mature us, to make us more like Jesus. When we go through hardships, it has a way of humbling us, too. As we draw near to Jesus in our difficulties, and we learn from him, we also grow closer in our walks of faith, and we share in Christ’s holiness. And, that is a good thing! We need that! And, God knows what we need, too.
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” 2 Pet. 1:2-4 NASB
We have everything we need in Christ. We are not lacking. He has given us everything we need to endure suffering, to respond correctly to unjust treatment, and to flee temptation and to draw near to God. He has given us all that we need, too, to walk in holiness, righteousness and godliness. So, there is never a reason for us to give up hope, or to despair.
There is absolutely no excuse for a born again Christian to still be sin addicted, either. Satan no longer has control over us if we are truly in Jesus Christ, by faith in him. Jesus set us free from sin, so how can we live in it any longer? As born again believers in Christ, we were created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. We CAN, in Christ, in his power, and in his strength, be completely free from any kind of sinful addiction. We just have to trust God with our lives instead of trying to control them ourselves.
We CAN, in Christ, become partakers (participants) of the divine nature, i.e. we can live godly and holy lives in Christ Jesus by His power and by His grace to us. By the Spirit we can be putting to death the deeds of the flesh and living our lives in agreement with the Spirit of God. Thus, too, we can escape (flee) the corruption that is in the world by lust, or that is in the world by fleshly desires which are opposed to God and to his Word.
We just have to get our minds and our eyes off of what is of this earth, and what is of our sin natures, and on to what is of God, and of his nature, i.e. on to what is holy, righteous, moral, pure, just, honest and trustworthy. And, we need to put into practice, by His Spirit, what is godly and holy, and cut out of our lives all that is of our sinful flesh. We have to trust in the Lord and not in ourselves, and rely on him to help us through whatever situations we find ourselves in, rather than put our trust in human flesh. God will not fail us. We can always count on Him!
I Will Lift My Eyes
An Original Work / December 12, 2012
Based off Psalms 121-125
I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.
He will not let your foot slip, and He who watches will not sleep.
Our Lord watches over you, and your life He will keep.
I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.
I give thanks to Him.
I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n.
Because of His great love for us, He made us alive with Christ.
Through the kindness of our Savior, He gave us new life.
I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n;
My home, now in heav’n.
Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.
Those who trust will ne’er be shaken. God will supply all we need.
Our Lord has done great things for us. He’s our friend, indeed!
Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.
I can count on Him.
Sunday, December 10, 2017, 6:33 p.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for leading me to these scriptures today, and for the truths you taught me through them.
