Monthly Archives: May 2021

Devotional Series, Holy Habitation

Put On the New

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“For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.” – 2 Corinthians 5:1-5

Reading this passage today, a thought rolled through me that I recognize as the Spirit of God in me. He said, “You all need to get good at putting on and constantly wearing your spiritual clothing in Christ, otherwise your new bodies in glory are going to feel really strange to you.”

“Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”

“and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” Worth repeating, for “faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

“The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”

“For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

I couldn’t have said it better. Thank You, Lord. Now empower our faithfulness. In Jesus, amen.

Romans 13:14; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:12-17; Ephesians 6:11-17; Colossians 3:14; 1 Corinthians 13:13; Romans 13:12; 1 Corinthians 15:53.

Devotional Series, Holy Habitation

Weary Thoughts, Meet My God

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God so faithfully ministers to me when I’m in need. Today, He met my wayward, weary thoughts with this morning’s calendar scripture.

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread? …” Psalms 27:1, 3-4

My weary thoughts of failure and insignificance skeltered off as soon as I read that. My God knows where I am at in my life span, and He knows what He is accomplishing in and through me in these days. I am so very grateful that He lights up my life, saving me from evil and instructing me in righteousness. He defends me and defeats every enemy that stands to condemn me.

“… Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident. One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple.”

I am His temple, along with many of You. He lives in and through me, and by His grace, He empowers a right and true meditation for my heart, directing the thoughts within me, as He instructs the steps before me.

We often think of persecution and spiritual battles in terms of things going on around us, but the first and most true battle is fought within us. There is an enemy of God who seeks to hurt Him by influencing us in ways that lessen our relationship with God, our effectiveness as His people, and our ability to minister into the lives of others. That is the battle won by the Word of God to me this morning.

Persecution flows from demonic sources, thus we fight the good fight of faith when we seek after and humbly submit to God, which requires that evil enemy to flee our presence. God did that for me this morning, and He will do it for you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. God in us, the hope of glory.

“The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble, And He knows those who take refuge in Him.” Nahum 1:7

James 4:5-10 NASB1995

Devotional Series, Holy Habitation

Teach Us to Pray

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“Be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in your prayer [life], being [both] alert and intent in [your praying] with thanksgiving.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭4:2‬ ‭AMPC‬‬

Father, two things about my prayer life that I know true in these days. One is I trust You. It seems easy to let things rest with You and go on with life. And two is the overwhelming need around us that just raises up constant and frequent hardship in need of You. It is so overwhelming at times that I feel I don’t know what or how to pray, so letting it go to You is all I know to do.

That seems good and right, but at the same time, does it fail to pray without ceasing? Is it prayerlessness, to set it at Your capable, all knowing, all sufficient feet and walk away, leaving it with You.

This I know, Father. I can do NOTHING apart from You. So fill my heart with Your Spirit and my mind with Your thoughts for the needs around me. Grant me prayers of agreement with my Lord Jesus, who ever lives to intercede on our behalf. Increase faith in me to trust You more. Glorify Yourself in these days. BLESS me and these praying friends to know You, walk with You, seek Your face, and glorify Your Name. In Jesus, amen.

Devotional Series, God's Faithfulness, Holy Habitation

Rooted by God in Christ

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You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. — 2 Corinthians 3:2-3

As Christian parents, this is what our kids are to us, letters in the earth, written with love, revealing our work of faith in raising them in Christ. We do our best – the best we know how – to write The Word on the tablets of their hearts. When they are out among others, it thrills us to see progress in their behavior and belief system. When they shine the light of Jesus, it’s a checkmark to our hearts, affirming our work of love in the Lord.

In reverse, it also explains the heartache we have when our children go the way of the world. We feel personally responsible. And we may even feel that God failed His promises to us. We forget that, like Paul and Apollo’s, our responsibility as parents is to plant and water the seed of Truth, but it is God who causes the growth. (1 Corinthians 3:5-7)

Our microwave thinking wants everything we hope for our children to come into view now. We forget the need to wait on and trust in the Lord when it seems we have failed. We fall to pride without realizing it.

Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. — 2 Corinthians 3:4-6

It is the Spirit at work in our children that will rise up at the right time and bring them forth shining like gold. I cannot tell you the number of times some scripture planted in me in childhood came to light for me in just the right moment, adjusting my course. God causes the seed to grow in ways that penetrate our hearts, putting down strong roots.

Perhaps the letter you’ve written with seeds of truth have landed on hearts of stone. Don’t give up. Don’t let pride enter in to raise up shame that puts a veil over your face, hiding the light of God in you. Keep lovingly praying. Take every opportunity to water the seeds. Trust God to use the struggles of this life to till the soil of their hearts. And stand firm on God’s word of promise.

I have a friend who, every time her daughter would deny God, she would tell her, “That’s a lie.” And she would quote the promise she was standing on to her daughter, telling her that she belongs to God and cannot deny her roots. The daughter often stormed off, but momma kept praying, loving and trusting. God used His truth and momma’s loving faithfulness to soften her daughter’s heart. After about a year, the daughter turned, returning first to God, then to momma.

God is faithful! We faithfully do what we can to plant and water, knowing it is God who causes the growth. Stand firm in the adequacy God gives you while resting the results in His hands.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. — 2 Corinthians 3:17-18

Devotional Series, Holy Habitation

I, FATHER, Know The Plans I Have For Them

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A friend sent me a devotional this morning. It’s intent was to align our hearts with the sacrifice and pain of The Father as He sent His Son into a cruel and evil world to suffer for the sin of humankind, yet He did it because He loves and desires us who will choose Life through the sacrifice of Christ.

But as I read that devotional with understanding of these things, my heart turns to my children and grandchildren who are out in this world in our day, and my achy heart soared with hope. In that moment, I realized that this God who is our Father through Christ, this God who gave His Son out of such love for us loves them more than I can truly comprehend. This God has a plan and purpose for each one.

Because Jesus bore our sin and the brunt of God’s rage against sin, God sees Jesus when He looks at us and never turns His back on us. Because of Jesus, this God, who so greatly loves my children and grandchildren, will never leave nor forsake them. As He has been with me, He will be with and for them. He will draw them to Himself and lead them through to victory in accomplishing His purpose for which He has them in such a time as this. I trust my Father to leave none behind me when He comes. He is my Hope for their good.

Father, I entrust these I love to You in Your love for them. Lead them, with humble hearts that recognize their need of You, to draw near to You as You draw near to them. Grant them to resist the devil and his evil at work around them. May they fully submit themselves to You and know You, Your faithfulness at work in and through them. May they know You as Father, Almighty, All Sufficient God. Let Your will be done in and through them, as it is in Heaven: righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. In Jesus is my prayer, amen.