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start praying today
start making your spiritual life a
priority today
start following the examples that jesus
christ set today begin to make a
concentrated effort when it comes to how
much time you're spending in god's word
become consistent in your walk with
christ
become relentless as you search for a
higher level of fellowship with god
start
today
i love that second corinthians chapter 4
verses 8 and 9 say we are pressured in
every way
hedged in
but not crushed
perplexed unsure of finding a way out
but not driven to despair
hunted down
and persecuted but not deserted to stand
alone struck down but never
destroyed
so should you feel pressured by your
circumstances
the lord won't allow you to be crushed
yes of course you will find yourself
experiencing situations that will leave
you perplexed and scratching your head
but you will never
never
be driven to despair
even though it may feel like tough times
are hunting you down and persecuting you
jesus christ
will never
desert you
he will never
forsake you and oh we've all been struck
down at some point
but thank you lord jesus that you will
never
leave us to be destroyed
so i encourage you to never let present
circumstances
overpower your faith
when was the last time you prioritized
giving thanks to the lord
when was the last time you genuinely
were grateful for the lord's love
being ungrateful and unthankful goes
hand in hand with being lukewarm
because if you are on fire for god
then you won't be able to contain
yourself you won't be able to ignore the
fact that god has been good to you even
though you were undeserving of such love
an ungrateful believer is lukewarm
because he or she has lost sight of
god's goodness
they have discounted the love
the sacrifice
the passion of christ
and saints that's a dangerous place to
be in
a state of unthankfulness
a state of ungratefulness
because imagine if god took his hand off
your life
what would you do then
how far do you think you would go
so you see we ought to be thankful for
his consistent love
he's protected us without our knowledge
he's defended us even in our ignorance
that means he most certainly is worthy
of all praise
so i encourage you
to let your prayer be
lord
let me never become lukewarm
but may your fire burn brightly within
my heart
oh how grateful
we should be about the faithfulness of
god
because if he brings you to that
situation
if he brings you to that struggle or
that difficulty
then you better know that he will bring
you through it
i love the analogy of god being like an
architect
jeremiah chapter 1 verse 5 says before i
formed you in the womb
i knew you
and before you were born
i consecrated you
i appointed you a prophet
to the nations
this tells me that when god formed me in
the womb of my mother
he had everything
everything planned
he knew my strengths
he knew my weaknesses
he considered which storms to allow me
to go through and he also considered
which storms to shield me from
he shaped me
and he placed within me gifts that only
i can be blessed with
he assigned me a purpose that only i can
fulfill for his will
god is like an architect who calculated
everything while you and i were being
formed in our mother's wombs
now the thing is
we need to recognize
and accept this
we need to have an attitude that says
since god orders my steps
and since he is allowing me to face this
storm
then he has given me everything i need
to withstand
everything i need
to survive it
and everything i need
to overcome
so before you waver
before you're shaken by whatever you
face today
remember
who is in your corner
remember
who you can call to your aid
remember
the one who has given you power and
authority to speak his name
oh it's the name above all other names
and that name
is jesus christ
we can never repay the sacrifices that
jesus christ made for us on the cross
we could never find the appropriate
words to fully express how thankful we
are for his amazing grace for his
everlasting mercy
for his providence
but it is my belief
that all we can offer to the lord as a
sign of gratitude
is our
lives
all we can offer jesus christ
is ourselves
we cannot repay him
we cannot compensate the lord or do
anything to equal his
sacrifice but i tell you the least we
can do
is serve them
the least we can do
is to become a servant of the lord
our perspective should shift from being
the receiver
we're receiving so much from god
we're receiving divine protection
we're receiving unmerited favor
we're receiving supernatural peace
our perspective should shift
from simply receiving all of these
things
to asking the question
lord
how can i serve you
how can i be of service in your kingdom
how can i bring glory to your name
if you confess that you are saved
does your life reflect that
if you confess that you have faith in
god
do your actions reflect this
since you are a follower of jesus christ
are you following the example that the
lord said while he was here on earth
are you praying often
are you forgiving
are you taking yourself away from all
the noise and distractions of the world
so that you can spend time alone with
god
are you living for the kingdom of god
are you refusing to conform to this
world
these are necessary and important
questions for all of us to ask ourselves
from time to time
when was the last time you asked the
question am i following the ten
commandments
saints
are we removing ourselves from the
busyness of life so that we can pray
are we turning off the distractions of
the world so we can pray
if the answer is no
then i encourage you to start today
since you are a follower of jesus christ
since you are a believer
are you striving to be more and more
like jesus christ each and every day
are you pursuing righteousness
have you put to death the sinful ways
which lead to death
james chapter 1 verse 22 to 25 in the
amplified translation says
but prove yourselves doers of the word
actively and continually obeying god's
precepts
and not mere listeners who hear the word
but fail to internalize its meaning
deluding yourselves by unsound reasoning
contrary to the truth for if anyone only
listens to the word without obeying it
he is like a man who looks very
carefully at his natural face in a
mirror for once he has looked at himself
and gone away he immediately forgets
what he looked like
but he who looks carefully into the
perfect law the law of liberty and
faithfully abides by it not having
become a careless listener who forgets
but an active doer who obeys
he will be blessed and favored by god in
what he does
in his life of obedience
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you