 Romans 8:1-2,6 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. The mind of the sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.
We who have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior have a very powerful weapon against the enemy of our soul. Satan, the father of lies, has great glee in dumping on us the accusations of our sins. He likes to remind us of our failures and faults. He will list all the things we did or did not do that did not glorify Jesus. He delights in causing us to stumble and hesitate in our walk with the Lord. His greatest delight is when we turn our back on the Lord because we are drowning in guilt. We, however, are armed with the unbounded grace and mercy given by the One Who died for our sins and paid the debt in full. We do not have to be bowed down by the weight of our sin. We need only to bow down to the Lover of our souls, confess, and truly repent. We are armed with the weapons of warfare given to us to fight against the fiery arrows of accusations and condemnation thrown at us by Satan. He is powerless against the weapons from the Lord. We need only to wield them with the faith that Jesus is faithful. Satan cannot stand against the shield of faith. He cannot penetrate the breastplate of righteousness. The helmet of salvation stops his words of condemnation. The belt of truth defeats the lies of the enemy when we saturate our minds with the Word. Therefore, rest assured of your salvation. Don't let the enemy steal your joy just because you have sinned. Confess, then rejoice in the love of the Lord and His forgiveness. He doesn't condemn. He forgives, refreshes and He delights in you. We no longer have to live with a spirit of fear. We have a spirit of sonship. We are co-heirs with Christ. (Romans 8:15-17). We are loved.
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 Recently, I overheard an interesting conversation. Okay, I was eavesdropping! Anyway, one lady was very sad. Her features appeared weary and her countenance seemed defeated. She was trying to share her heart with her companion. The companion immediately interrupted and began telling all about a similar situation in her own life and expounding at length on solutions and probable causes.
Needless to say, the first lady politely listened to her friend. An occasional mmhm and other brief, vague comments were the extent of her responses. What she so desperately needed to receive was not forthcoming. Instead she was treated to the great wisdom of her friend without any recognition of her own need. She left with the same needs and even greater feelings of defeat. Prov 18:13-15, 2. He who answers before listening—that is his folly and his shame. A man's spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear? The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out. A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions. The first lady's heart and spirit was wounded. She didn't need her problems analyzed. She needed a hug and an ear that truly listened. She wanted to be more important to the other lady than that lady's need to share her wisdom. When Job's friends came to support him, the greatest wisdom they offered was they're silence and compassion. All too often, we feel the need to jump in and help when we don't even know the true need. One class I took in college was on effective listening. We were taught to listen with our complete attention. We were to observe the facial expressions, truly look at the feelings expressed in the eyes, attempt to read the body language. I learned to practice that in all areas of my work and private life. I learned a lot just by being a good listener. Being human means that we will frequently mess up in our attempts to help. But we have a Savior and Redeemer Who forgives quickly. We have a Holy Spirit Who guides us and helps increase our understanding. So, the next time you find yourself in this type of situation, pray silently for wisdom, listen with all your senses and offer what is truly needed. Offer an ear that really listens, a shoulder to cry on, and a hug. Maybe, a word or two of empathy is okay too.  Philippians 4:11-13 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him Who gives me strength.
Paul was a man of deep convictions. He gave everything to whatever he set his hand and heart to doing. He was committed to ridding the world of Christians until he had an encounter with the living God. Then he spent the rest of his life serving the Lord Jesus. Paul's life after committing to Christ was filled with perils and joys. He went from being the privileged of the Sanhedrin to being hunted and abused. He lived in wealthy homes, ate with rich and poor, spent the end of his life in prison. He witnessed to kings and rulers as well as the poor, destitute and diseased. Through it all, he learned to praise, worship and serve the Lord. He learned how to make use of the time and circumstances to advance the kingdom of heaven. While chained to the guards, he shared Jesus with them. These same guards spread the gospel to the rest of the Roman soldiers. They, in turn, took the gospel to all the distant places they were sent to conquer and occupy. Paul did not instantly learn patience or contentment. We want to gain patience but we want it NOW! Patience, like a foundation, is built by first digging out the base. After placing the foundation stones of trust and faith in the living God, we must next place a layer of belief that God has a plan for us to prosper and grow in Him. Each layer is a labor of love. Each stone is carefully placed and when troubles shake our foundation, we can trust in the Lord to keep our foundation strong and solid. Learning contentment is an ongoing effort. It is not built on a good sermon or a good book on theological information. Contentment and patience are built on daily and sometimes moment by moment events. They are built on making choices and learning from the results of those choices. They are built on the solid rock of Jesus and His love.  1 Cor 12:25, 26 So that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
I recently visited a friend who has been having a lot of medical problems. She recently lost her husband as well. While she has a lot of family support, her medical issues have her anxious and fearful. She is concerned about being able to take care of herself correctly but also fears being a 'burden'. She is reluctant to allow others 'help' her. When we spoke, I tried to ease her fears but also to help her to understand that rather than being a burden, she was offering others a chance to be a blessing and receive a blessing. The Lord tells us to be a light to the world. He encourages us to shine His light into a dark world. She is struggling to see a light in her world of fear and darkness. When someone in need refuses to allow us to help them in any way, we can be losing our chance to be a blessing. When we are willing to serve others, we are doing the Lord's commandment to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. He also tells us to do all as unto the Lord, so when we serve and help others, we are doing it for the Lord. The Lord Jesus came to us with a servant's heart. He came to show us how to serve others by being a perfect example of servant leadership. He set aside His deity to embrace the shame of the cross. We can follow that example by serving others but those in need must permit us to help them. If we are the ones in need, we must also be willing to set aside our pride and accept the help the Lord is sending to us. There is an arrogance in being too proud to accept help. We are turning our back on the Lord, telling Him we don't need Him. We are the body of Christ. We need all the parts to work together. Serving others and allowing others to serve us keeps the body healthy.  Amos 8:11-12 "The day is coming," declares the Sovereign Lord, "when I will send a famine through the land---- not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it."
The Lord has warned throughout the Bible about each generation passing on the history of His people as well as His wisdom and guidance to the next generation. In His Word, we are warned not to change or 'water down' the Word He has given us through the Prophets and disciples. Satan began in the Garden of Eden questioning and changing what God told Adam and Eve. That has not changed to this day. Many of the pastors and priests of today are planting small lies in what they preach. The prosperity message became very popular several years ago despite Jesus warning us that there would be difficult times for those that serve the Lord. It is very difficult to find a church that preaches the true word of the Lord. We are warned that in the last days, sin would be winked at and the message of the Cross would be minimized. The Lord desires that we serve Him in spirit and in truth. That means that we must learn to discern the truth of what we hear from the pulpit. In the book of Acts, the Bereans were praised because they continuously tested what they were being taught against the written word. 2 Peter 2 warns us against those that will distort the truth of God's word. Pastors and teachers are held to a higher standard. We who share God's word are expected to hold fast to the truth and not change it to fit what we want it to say. Therefore, be careful to search the Word carefully to verify its accurate application. There is indeed, a famine of the Word in our churches today. Many want to hear all of the blessings and none of the warnings or commands that God gives us. His Word is true and trustworthy. It is profitable to learn and grow and give us guidance on an everyday basis. There are more Bibles sold than any other book and yet few really read or know it. God wants us to feast on all of His Word. We can only come to know the Sovereign Lord by studying His 66 love letters, the Bible. |
AuthorPlease join us as we grow in Christ through our weekly devotions, written by Catherine Donaldson 
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