In Christ Alone
"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken (Psalm 62:1-2)."
There are people that demand our time and situations that take our attention. We try to fill the void or hurts in our life with a number of things~work, family, sports, excessive spending, overeating, exercise, drugs or alcohol. As you can see, not all of these are necessarily "bad" things, but until you come to the place where Jesus is your everything, and you depend on Him and Him alone, you will continue to take matters into your own hands. You see my friend, Jesus wants all of you. He wants total surrender-your will to His will. He did not die to be second place to anyone or anything in your life. "You shall have no other gods before Me (Exodus 20:3)." That is, anything or anyone that you put before the Lord God. This could be your spouse, child, job, friend, parent, sports team, food....Ask yourself these questions? Who or what do I spend most of my time thinking about? Who or what am I devoting my energy to? Who or what am I living for?
Jesus said, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-yes even his own life-he cannot be My disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:26-27)." In these passages, Jesus uses the word 'hate' to make a distinction. There should be no one that can even come close to the love we have for our Father.
If you have lived long enough, you know that people will disappoint you, they will hurt you and may even turn their backs on you. However, if you are in Christ, you know that although you will go through some painful experiences, Jesus is the One who will never turn His back on you. He is faithful and true to His word. In Him is where our identity lies. It is not in what others think about us, say about us or do to us...because in Christ, we are chosen, we are beautiful, we are dearly loved, we are set free and we are forever cleansed in His precious blood!
So you see, when you know whose you are, you will never be shaken! "I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will You let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand (Psalm 16:7-11)." Yes, there will be times our faith is tested, but we have the One who created the heavens and earth on our side and He will give us the strength and the grace we need for each day. God is good all the time because goodness is a part of who He is. It is not based on our circumstances or what we do or don't do, it is simply because He is good! "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords; His love endures forever. To Him alone who does great wonders, His love endures forever. Who by His understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever (Psalm 136:1-5)."
Take a moment right now my friend, and ask God to search your heart, to see if there is something or someone that you have allowed to become an idol in your life. Whatever the Holy Spirit shows you, ask God to help you in that area. God is worthy! He deserves all the glory and honor and praise!
"Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them-the Lord, who remains faithful forever (Psalm 146:5-6)."
There are people that demand our time and situations that take our attention. We try to fill the void or hurts in our life with a number of things~work, family, sports, excessive spending, overeating, exercise, drugs or alcohol. As you can see, not all of these are necessarily "bad" things, but until you come to the place where Jesus is your everything, and you depend on Him and Him alone, you will continue to take matters into your own hands. You see my friend, Jesus wants all of you. He wants total surrender-your will to His will. He did not die to be second place to anyone or anything in your life. "You shall have no other gods before Me (Exodus 20:3)." That is, anything or anyone that you put before the Lord God. This could be your spouse, child, job, friend, parent, sports team, food....Ask yourself these questions? Who or what do I spend most of my time thinking about? Who or what am I devoting my energy to? Who or what am I living for?
Jesus said, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-yes even his own life-he cannot be My disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:26-27)." In these passages, Jesus uses the word 'hate' to make a distinction. There should be no one that can even come close to the love we have for our Father.
If you have lived long enough, you know that people will disappoint you, they will hurt you and may even turn their backs on you. However, if you are in Christ, you know that although you will go through some painful experiences, Jesus is the One who will never turn His back on you. He is faithful and true to His word. In Him is where our identity lies. It is not in what others think about us, say about us or do to us...because in Christ, we are chosen, we are beautiful, we are dearly loved, we are set free and we are forever cleansed in His precious blood!
So you see, when you know whose you are, you will never be shaken! "I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will You let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand (Psalm 16:7-11)." Yes, there will be times our faith is tested, but we have the One who created the heavens and earth on our side and He will give us the strength and the grace we need for each day. God is good all the time because goodness is a part of who He is. It is not based on our circumstances or what we do or don't do, it is simply because He is good! "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords; His love endures forever. To Him alone who does great wonders, His love endures forever. Who by His understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever (Psalm 136:1-5)."
Take a moment right now my friend, and ask God to search your heart, to see if there is something or someone that you have allowed to become an idol in your life. Whatever the Holy Spirit shows you, ask God to help you in that area. God is worthy! He deserves all the glory and honor and praise!
"Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them-the Lord, who remains faithful forever (Psalm 146:5-6)."
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