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Matthew 6:13 “And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.” ~NLT
Normally when we have read or heard this text from the Lord’s Prayer, we automatically think ‘adultery’. Ungodly acts of temptation against our wives or our husbands. Others may think of temptation where it concerns addictions. Knowing we need to put down the alcohol or let go of the drugs but the temptation of the flesh is too great. Well today we want to focus on a more general area of temptation. In the world today, the ‘...evil one…’ is making his attempt at tempting us to hate each other and not get along. This day and time, it may be social media, the news, or aggressive conversation, that work our disagreements to become the root of the eventual demise of our relationships. Causing us to feel the hate that can result in our differences. The difference in our way of thinking, the way we live, the way we look, and our ideas. This is not what God wants. The chaos of today is clouding the command of Christ when He said in John 15:12, "This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.” There is no question that we are forgetting about God. Or at the very least He is not a priority in our lives. When we omit God in our lives, we allow the ‘evil one’ to take over. And when he does, he causes us to hate and react negatively to those he can easily influence to agitate the anger and stress we give into on a daily basis. But when we keep God first, (as we should), we allow God to take over. He will allow us His peace. It is this peace that will allow our hearts to know He is bigger than the biggest obstacle in our lives. We also know how much He loves us and in that love, we can love others in the same way. This cannot be done without God being priority in our lives. It is in our relationship with God that we learn our differences were created in us by Him so that we can all be strong together for the kingdom of heaven. Remember, God’s got it. He ‘is’ in control. Always has been and always will be. May God continue to belss you with His peace as you journey in Jesus name. Amen
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Isaiah 48:18 “If only you had paid attention to my commands. Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” ~CSB
Let’s say you know someone, but you haven’t seen or spoken to them in about twenty years. Many things factor into this long absence. Things like people changing. Meaning the person we knew twenty years ago is not the same person today. This person calls and asks for a large sum of money or maybe they come into town and ask to stay at your house. In your mind you may feel, ‘I may know you, but I really DON’T know you.’ In reality your relationship with each other is not strong because it has been nonexistent for 20 years. This is how our relationship with God is. We say we know God, but because we put Him on the ‘shelf’, we do not have a relationship with Him. So when we ask God for His blessing in miracles and power, we find that there is a delay in Him answering our prayers the way we like. It’s not because God chooses not to bless us. He is not a man where He will hold a grudge. It is because His blessings require instruction and work on our part. It is this instruction that can only be found in His Word. Some of us have not made it a habit of getting into God’s Word like we should. This good habit is the building of a relationship with God. In order for Him to allow us His power, we must understand the instructions that come from the endurance through our trials. It is this endurance that gives us the strength to receive, maintain and distribute the blessings from God. Take God off the shelf and build that strong relationship. No matter what’s going on in this world, God should be first. Doesn’t matter how bad our situations are around us, it is God’s peace that allows us to maintain His gift of joy. With this joy we always know that God is bigger than our biggest problem. When we know this, our peace will be, "...like a river, and our righteousness like the waves of the sea." May God bless and keep you covered in His protection as you journey in Jesus name. Amen |
Authors Billy & YolandaThis is the place where we share our heart through God's Word in faith that will inspire and empower you to live in peace. Archives
January 2025
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