We should not trust in ourselves.

2Co 1:8  For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: 

2Co 1:9  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: 

2Co 1:10  Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; 

2Co 1:11  Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf. 

We should NOT TRUST IN OURSELVES.

People tell others all the time to BELIEVE in themselves, but we shouldn't.

2Co 3:4  And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 

2Co 3:5  Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God

We are NOT SUFFICIENT of ourselves!

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

We are NOT gods in and of ourselves, we were made by GOD, it was God's power that created us- these earthen vessels.  God is THE power we need, not power of our own.

2Co 12:7  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 

2Co 12:8  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 

2Co 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

2Co 12:10  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

We should never exalt ourselves. We should never think we are above anything we are given to endure for reasons beyond our comprehension. We must TRUST in God, not in ourselves and our extremely limited ability to understand.

Psa 22:29  …and none can keep alive his own soul

We do NOT keep ourselves alive, not ever.

Psa 44:6  For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me. 

Psa 44:7  But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us. 

We must TRUST in GOD alone.

Pro 28:26  He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered. 

Jer 9:23  Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: 

Jer 9:24  But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD. 

We must GLORY in knowing and understanding our GOD! We should not glory in anything else.

Jer 17:5  Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 

Jer 17:6  For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. 

Jer 17:7  Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. 

Our whole heart must be the LORD'S.
 

Luk 18:9  And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 

Luk 18:10  Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 

Luk 18:11  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 

Luk 18:12  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 

Luk 18:13  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 

Luk 18:14  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 

We must NOT trust in ourselves!

Do we truly comprehend this? Do we know where our trust must be?  With the LORD. We cannot trust in ourselves for anything! We surely cannot save ourselves, we know we must trust in the LORD for our salvation but even knowing that so many of us try to save ourselves still- believing we can do enough good to counter our bad. We believe on some level that we can work our way to salvation.

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast

We are saved and that salvation is a GIFT given to us, not a gift given to us by ourselves.

We have to trust ourselves to God to be saved and for everything truly. As soon as we start to trust in ourselves we will FAIL ourselves. Satan will give us delusions that we still trust in God but all the while we are trusting in ourselves. We must pray to be able to trust in God wholly for all things!

Please, Father God, please we would have YOU be our trust, our hope, our life!

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 

Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 

Pro 3:7  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 

Shine in my Heart!

2Co 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 

2Co 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 

2Co 4:8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 

2Co 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 

2Co 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

God SHINES in our hearts.

God GIVES us the LIGHT of KNOWLEDGE of the GLORY of GOD in the FACE of JESUS CHRIST.

This TREASURE- the light of knowledge is put into earthen vessels- which we truly are. We are made from dust and to dust we return.  We cannot manufacture the knowledge on our own, it has been given to us as a treasure! The excellent POWER of GOD gives us this knowledge. All glory, praise and honor unto HIM!

Troubled but not distressed… ONLY if we keep Christ first in our lives! Only if we keep the knowledge given to us, keep the light that shines in our hearts!  Satan longs to distress us and He knows every single way to get to us. From our greatest weakness to our smallest weakness, Satan is right there to pick at them, to magnify them until he blocks out our HOPE! When he blocks out our hope we become distressed, perplexed, despairing. Today Satan did this to me, I'm ashamed to admit it, but he did and I beg for forgiveness from my loving Savior!

We need the light to shine in our hearts ALWAYS through all things!

Please Father God, please I would have this light in my heart- the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ! Please!

With this light in my heart let me always look to Jesus, always!
 

2Co 4:8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 

2Co 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 

2Co 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 

2Ti 2:11  It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him

Please let me be dead with You so I may live with You!

Teach me to be Yours through all suffering no matter what form it takes!

Please!

All through Your amazing LOVE Your mercy, your grace!

Please SHINE in my heart!

Give Diligence.

2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 

2Pe 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 

2Pe 1:6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 

2Pe 1:7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

2Pe 1:8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

2Pe 1:9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 

2Pe 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 

2Pe 1:11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Give diligence…

Make your calling and election sure…

If ye DO these things…

ACTION on OUR PART!  Being a Christian is NOT PASSIVE! You don’t claim your salvation and box is up and tuck it away in a chest of drawers. Your salvation is ACTIVE.  If we aren't active in our saved state then we truly have forgotten we were purged from our OLD SINS. If we continue to commit the same ol' sins, or even brand new ones- we are forgetting the purging. We can be BLIND and we ARE blind if we lack the following--

Charity, brotherly kindness, godliness, patience, temperance, knowledge, virtue, faith.

Do you lack these things? Take a long hard look at yourself because it won't do any good if you don't, and ask yourself if you lack any of the above. If you can answer yes to any of them then perhaps you've become blind and aren't looking for the BLESSED HOPE.  If we STOP looking for the GREAT EXPECTATION of our SAVIOR'S RETURN, then it is very easy to slip into behavior that reveals the lack of conviction we have in our longing for Christ's return.

Satan would have us all believe that we'll never have the above as we should, but we have to pray that our God shuts Satan up and lets us see ourselves unblinded and without the despair Satan would draw us down into any way he can.

You could very well have the above any your humbleness will keep you from boasting, but I'm not asking you to boast to anyone, this is strictly a self-examination. You truly could not be blind and are living as God would have you, and if you are PRAISE the LORD! OR you may be okay on a few of the above mentioned things but not on all of them and you're a work in progress. However if you are BLIND and lack all the above pray desperately long and hard for sight, for the eyesalve that our Savior can give to us!

Having the above doesn't mean you won't ever be mean, unloving, etc but it means you will recognize when those times come and seek forgiveness for them instantly as soon as the realization hits you. We are works in progress and wretched human beings with flesh temptations. May God deliver us from all of them as He wills!

Please, Father God, we would not be blind, we need to see and we need to have all the attributes of one with the sight given to us by the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior! 

Recovering Ourselves.

Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 

Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 

Mat 13:15  For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 

Please Lord let us have eyes that see, ears that hear and an understanding heart, please we would be converted and healed!

We need to be converted!

Act 3:19  Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 

Act 3:20  And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 

Act 3:21  Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. 

We long to have our sins blotted out as we wait for the times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord!

We long for the times of restitution of all things!

Please, LORD, please, our unworthiness would crush any and all hope we have, PLEASE Let us be YOURS!

2Ti 2:22  Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 

2Ti 2:23  But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. 

2Ti 2:24  And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 

2Ti 2:25  In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 

2Ti 2:26  And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. 

May we recover ourselves out of the snare of the devil!  As we spoke about yesterday, the reality of the Devil is something people tend to ignore. They readily call upon God but think nothing of the Devil attacking them. They'd rather call it… a bad break, bad luck, that's the way it is, that's life… but to hear them say they'd wish Satan would stop attacking them, that Satan is wreaking havoc on them, that the evil angels are working overtime, you don't hear that so much.  Satan would have it all blamed on anyone other than himself, anyone! Satan would rather us blame ourselves than him and so many do.

Please, Lord…save us! We are not worthy, You are worthy, be worthy for us! Forgive us! Please! We believe, help thou our unbelief!

All in the name of our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ now and forever!

Sustained.

Psa 3:1 ...LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. 

Psa 3:2 Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. 

Psa 3:3 But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. 

Psa 3:4 I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. 

Psa 3:5 I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me. 

Psa 3:6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about. 

Psa 3:7 Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly. 

Psa 3:8 Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.

This means so much to me. I may not have armies of people seeking to destroy me but I know that Satan has armies of evil angels at his beck and call and they don't let up their attacks against us. If we believe in God's holy angels and how can we NOT believe in Satan's evil angels, then we know they work against us? It's so easy for people to believe in God yet ignore the reality of the Devil.  Yet, GOD believes in the Devil! Read the Bible, read God's word. God believes in Satan-the father of lies, the Devil, the deceiver, the evil one. We know evil spirits roam the earth and have no qualms about invading our very person let alone annoying us from the outside.  We hate the fact they can attack us at will, but we have to LOVE the fact our God is greater than them all!

Satan would have us believe there is no hope for us, no help for us in God, but we KNOW our God is a SHIELD for us, One who lifts our head. Our God hears us! Our God sustains us! We must not be afraid of any who would set themselves against us.   God will save us! God has already won the spiritual war against Satan, against evil. Salvation is truly found in the LORD and only in the LORD!

Please, Lord, please bless us with Your salvation through Jesus Christ our LORD and Savior!

Sustain us, Lord! Sustain us through the seemingly endless attacks. 

Are we looking for that Blessed Hope daily?

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 

Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 

Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ

*******

Looking for that blessed hope.

Looking for that glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.

Are we looking?

Or have we stopped looking?

How often is the thought of our Savior's return on our minds? It should be a DAILY thought, yes?

Remember the daily prayer our Savior taught to those who asked to pray-

We know it's at least a daily prayer because Jesus says -'…our DAILY bread.'  And he also said- '…Thy kingdom come.'  Daily we need to pray about the KINGDOM to come- because that kingdom comes with our blessed hope, with the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

We need to look for the kingdom as a REALITY!

When we think of our future we need to think first and foremost if our future revolves around the KINGDOM coming, around our SAVIOR returning.  If our future is more about our lives here and now upon earth than it is about the KINGDOM to be then we have some serious thinking to do about our relationship with God.

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 

Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world

The GRACE of God that BRINGS SALVATION has appeared to ALL men- TEACHING us- to deny ungodliness, to deny worldly lusts, to live soberly, to live righteously, to live godly right NOW in our present world. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ

Self or God?

Being a glutton, a drunkard- people who eat and drink to indulge self over glorifying God are NOT God's.

Throughout the Bible we read of gluttons and drunkards and NEVER in a good way. Choosing drink and food over God is wrong. ANYTHING and it doesn't matter what it is- that takes the place of God in our lives is wrong. ANYTHING that isn't to God's glory is wrong.  We skate around this issue so much. We dance in and out and all around about how we are glorifying God.  We are so selfishly bent in our lives we don't know how to glorify God in all we do. We simply do not know, so instead we glorify ourselves and pretend it's alright with God.

Php 2:21  For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's.

Rom 16:18  For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. 

2Ti 3:4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 

2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 

Rom 13:14  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Rom 14:17  For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. 

We are self-servers, self-lovers, and self-deceivers is there any wonder our Savior won't know us. We are pretenders, and we have to STOP pretending and start obeying the Word of our LORD.

Please, LORD, please we are so wretched! Please do ALL for us we cannot do and PLEASE teach us to do what we have to do ourselves through Your strength! We know how awful we are, we know how to indulge ourselves but not how NOT to indulge ourselves. Please… help us, save us from ourselves.

All through Jesus Christ our LORD and SAVIOR, NOW and FOREVER!