And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6
Under construction or flip this life are just two phrases that describe my life in this verse. Praise Jesus that what I am today is not the finished product! (And Everyone says …. AMEN). The truth is, I am still in the refining process. In this process God is refining my character and building my integrity through the time I spend with Him. These aren’t the only things God is flipping in my life. He’s also growing and stretching my faith, purifying my thoughts and actions, changing the way I think and talk, and I am starting to reveal on the outside what He has been doing on the inside. I am thankful for the transformation that has already taken place, but I look forward to the person I am becoming.
Father, thank you for you patient work in my life. I know there are days that the process seems slow and takes longer than it should, but in spite of my shortcomings, lack of discipline/commitment, and plain out rebellion you still patiently continue to shape me into the image of you Son, Jesus Christ. Today help me allow you to work on the difficult areas that need to be refined in-order to be more like Jesus!
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For weare not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:10-17
When I was younger I use to have this weird dream of showing up to school in just my underwear. Maybe I’m the only one, but I think many others have had that same dream. I’d wake up in the morning thankful it was just a dream. However, it saddens me how many Christ Followers leave their house naked … not in a physical sense but in a spiritual one. They leave their house not fully dressed for the day ahead. Yes, they may have spent hours in-front of a mirror, they may have pressed all their close and they may look good on the outside, but they have done nothing to pre-pare themselves for the day ahead on the inside.
As a Christ Follower, it is important for me to be pre-pared for the day ahead. It’s like getting in the zone before a big game. When I spend time with God, I am pre-pairing myself for the day. I’m getting in the zone so I can be victorious over the temptations that the devil will bring my way that day. Many battles with sin have been won and lost based on my time spent with the Lord. However, when I put on the armor, I am pre-pared for the day. The belt of Truth, guides my thoughts, the Breastplate of Righteousness guards my heart, the Shoes of peace, allows me to run from or stand firm against sin, the Shield of Faith, allows me to hide behind when the devil unleashes his attack, the Helmet of Salvation, keep me secure and protects my thoughts, and the Sword of the Spirit allows me to advance His Kingdom. God has given us these things so we can stand against the evil one, so when he comes to attack, lets not be naked, but fully clothed so we can stand against him.
Father, today, help me be fully clothed. When the temptations come today, and I know they will, give me the power to stand my ground, to resist the temptation and push toward the victory. In Jesus Name I Pray, Amen!
When you read Ephesians 6 what passage spoke to you?
Imitate God, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love. following the example of Christ. Ephesians 5:1-2
Have you ever tried to be like someone else? Have you ever watched to see what someone else did first? Have you ever changed your answer based on what others thought. Have you ever …. ? If you’re like me the answer is YES! Fortunately for me I have had some great mentors in my life who have shown me what it means to imitate God in everything. Their love for God and desire to be like Jesus challenged me in so many ways. As a teenager, their example was so different than what I was seeing or had seen at school and sadly at church. As I look back on it now I am so thankful for their consistent and authentic pursuit of becoming more like Christ daily. I don’t know I would be where I am today without their example.
Fast forward several years! There has never been a more important time in my life than now for me to be an imitator of God. Having a family, working with Teenagers & Adults, coaching my sons baseball team, and living in what seems to be a glass house, are all areas that God has placed me to live and lead by example. Everyday I have a choice to imitate someone or something. Some-days I feel like I fail big, while others days I feel like I’m a little more successful. But the desire of my heart is to imitate God in everything. That means giving God credit where credit is do, and confessing the things that are not pleasing to Him. It means living authentically and pursuing Christ daily so that the next generation, will look at my example in the same way I look at some of the great examples in my life! It’s time to pass the baton, they have passed it to me, and now it’s my responsibility to pass it to the next generation!
Father, today I want to imitate you in everything! I pray that I would surrender the thing things that keep me from you, exposing them to your light so the dark places in me could become victories you use to bring Glory to your Name. I pray that my example, will cause others to chase after you daily I pursue to live authentically, confessing my failures and celebrating the victories. It’s in Jesus Name I pray, Amen!
Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God – truly righteous and holy. Ephesians 4:21-24
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I find myself trying to fit back into my old nature. It can happen in a split second by saying something that I really shouldn’t say or being in a place that I shouldn’t have allowed myself to be in causing me to do things or act in ways I shouldn’t act. However, living in the new life and striving to put on the new nature is a choice that has to be made daily. This is why it is so important for me to spend time with God. It’s in these times that God speak to me through His Inspired Word (the Bible) and the power of the Holy Spirit begins to renew my thoughts and attitudes. It’s here that I am convicted of sin and conformed to image of Christ. The more time I spend with God the easier it is to live in the new life He’s provided through the Cross of Christ. Daily, I remind my self I have been Born Again!
Father, help me live in the newness of life you have provided though the Cross. Help be to delight in you so you can be shown through me. Give me the power to resit the Devil by renewing my thoughts through the power of your Holy Spirit. Let me guard my heart, In Jesus Name, Amen!
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:20
Have you ever felt like you were at the end of your rope? Has life ever seemed unfair? Have you ever asked yourself, “How am I going to do this?” Have you ever just sat down and had no idea where to start? These are just some of the things that I have wrestled with over the last three years. Believe it or not, these questions have actually drawn me closer to God because of this promise … God is Able!
You see, when I offer the situation, my feelings, my fears, and opportunities to Him, His power works through me accomplishing more than I could imagine or more than I could do on my own. His ways are wiser, His thoughts are deeper, His power is supreme and His resources are endless. He can and has done infinitely more than I can think or imagine and He can do the same for you when you give Him ALL the Glory!
Father, thank you for the power, wisdom, forgiveness, and blessing you have shown me when I turn my worry into worship and ask for you to take control of the situation. Will you continue to do infinitely more than I ask or think! In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. Eph 2:4-5
We were dead in our sins, BUT GOD … We were rebels against him, BUT GOD … We were enslaved by the devil and our sinful natures, BUT GOD … These may be the two most welcome words in all of Scripture: “BUT GOD.” God could have left us spiritually dead, in rebellion against him and in bondage to our sins. But He didn’t!!!!! He did not save us because of, but rather in spite of, what He saw in us. Therefor, we shouldn’t just thank him for what He has done for us, we should also show humble patience and tolerance for others who seem unworthy of undeserving of our love and compassion. They may be spiritually dull, and rebellious toward God. So were we; BUT GOD LOVED US ANYWAY!
Father, I am so thankful that you chose to step in on my behalf. Help me to be mindful of the depth of your love then and the depth of you love you have for me know! Sometimes I forget that you still love me in this way! Help me to reflect this love toward others so they to can see how much you love them! In Jesus Name I pray, Amen!
And this is the plan: At the right time he (God) will bring everything together under the authority of Christ – everything in heaven and on earth. Ephesians 1:10
God’s plan is that through Christ the world would be rescued from sin. Everyday God is giving us one more opportunity to surrender and trade our sin for a Savior. But the day will come when Christ comes back. On this day He will unite heaven and earth. On this day, every knee will bow to Jesus as Lord, either because they love Him or because they fear His Power. This will be the beginning of Eternity!
Let’s face it, life on this earth is fragile! At any moment our life could be taken from us or Jesus could return to usher in God’s Kingdom. The question shouldn’t be “When will this happen?” The question should be, “Will I be ready?” When Jesus returns, will I experience Him as Lord and Savior or will I experience Him as Judge and Jury. There has never been a time like ours before. I believe that Jesus could return at any moment! This should give us a sense of urgency. When we live with urgency we live each day as if it were our last. We capture each moment and make it obedient to Christ, we spend time with the people who are important to us, and we tell others about the Love God has for each of us. This is the way I want to live, how about you?
Father today, let me live with a sense of urgency! Let me make time for the important things and not get caught up in the things that keep me busy. Let me keep my eyes on you so I don’t get tempted by the things around me! Let me love others the way you have loved me, and let my life reflect Christ in away that others might experience you in a powerful way! In Christ’s Name I pray, Amen!
Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humble help that person back onto the right path. Galatians 6:1
Sin is Sin, and at any moment anyone of us can give in to it’s appeal. The Devil’s always looking for ways to keep us trapped by sin and/or opportunities for us to give into temptation and sin. As a Christ Follower, there is a daily battle against sin and the desire to sin. However, because we are sinful people, sometimes the lure to sin is so appealing that we give in. We think to ourselves, “it will only happen once” or “no one will know.” And before long we have done it more than once, and what we thought would be secret has somehow become public. We are exposed in our sin and we are in crisis! The last thing we need is to be an outcast by those who are Christians.
As a Christ Follower, my role is to love, encourager, confront, serve/help, and hold others accountable so together we can stand against the temptations that come our way. I don’t do this with prideful arrogance, I do this with a humble spirit that see the person and not just the sin that has trapped them. I realize that at any moment this could be me. The reality is I am only one choice away from doing the same thing. I am one choice away from being caught in the same sin or a different sin. Therefor, it causes me to set up boundary’s that will safeguard me from having this situation happen to me. This is serious stuff, if it happened to them, it can happen to anyone and I would be foolish to say that it would never happen to me.
Here are some things that I am trying to do to win the battle of sin n my life and help others at the same time:
Prayer – pray that God Power would be Evident in my weakness. Pray that God would use my life to encourage others to strive to live for Christ in all areas of their life.
Time in the Word – Real Power comes from the Holy Spirit and knowing what God says. Many times I give into temptation because I don’t have His Word hidden in my heart. Someone once said that “Sin will keep you from the Bible, But the Bible will keep you from sin!”
Fellowship – I need others …. and truth be told, others need me. I need to have a place I connect with peers to learn, laugh, and develop stronger friendships.
Accountability – I need a place that I can expose the real me and be accepted despite my imperfections. I need others who will pray with me, encourage me, and yes, even correct me when I give in to sin. Sometimes this is easy, but sometimes this is a very difficult process. But regardless, it is necessary for me to see seriousness of sin and understand the Unconditional Love of God.
Father today, help me to live a life that pleases you and inspires others. If I know, see, or hear that someone has been trapped in sin or struggling with sin, help me not to focus on the sin, but to focus on the your truth and lovingly help that person see you. Give me wisdom and the ability to hold them accountable in a loving way, drawing them closer to you and not pushing them away from you. It’s in Jesus Name I pray these things, Amen!
Dan Gould 