Yes, this is so true. Praying you rely on the Holy Spirit for all your future decisions.

I enjoyed this very much; a pithy poem! And I know the characters...

Thank You for sharing this message and reminder of the importance of this quality of character that is so needed today 🙂

@Jesus disciple, here's one more article. I don't like everything he goes into about the translations, but he has some good points otherwise. I hope you'll read it https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/does-the-bible-say-true-christians-never-sin

Well Don't try to comfort yourself okay, rather let our weaknesses draw us closer to God in Faith. All it takes is “doubt,” to hinder God's will our lives. It'll be good if you don't. Jesus came to restore our relationship, and a relationship that crashes from time to time is not really a strong foundation for God to build upon, we ought to grow in God's spirit. I can't remember where it say in the scriptures, but still; “ He that is born of God cannot sin, because God's seed remains in Him.” You only need not to hinder God's restoring a strong relationship with Him by doubting it's possible to live sinless by God's spirit

I agree! The woman who does the art for your book is doing a great job! Praise God for her talent and for His guiding her into your life!

Don't worry, I don't mind. However, it'll be good to know that Jesus came to destroy the curse of sin and death, and the delivery power of God's word is complete. I understand t hat you're saying. Still, when we are saved, we don't automatically become strong, we are born again of God's spirit as children, until we spend more time in His word to become filled with His life, only then we become sons, unwavering. The the scriptures becomes ture, that; He who is born of God cannot sin because God's seeds remains in Him. You only.need to believe that Jesus came to destroy sin totally, it is your doubt that man can live by God's spirit without falling to sin ever again that actually hinders God from manifesting this is your life. I glad you talked about it, I believe the holy spirit led you to. Just don't hinder God again by doubting okay. Just believe, and feed on His word, in fact the moment you believe now, you'll see it begin to happen, I guarantee you that In Jesus name amen.

Chris, I think you are being to hard on yourself. Sanctification is a process and we are all in it together. The Holy Spirit knows our weaknesses and He helps our infirmities. Jesus told Paul, "My strength is made perfect in your weakness." Again, I commend you for telling the truth and exposing yourself to others. Do you know my dear brother this takes courage? I love real people who are not ashamed to tell the truth on themselves. Be encouraged, the more you yield to the Holy Spirit, the more the change that is taking place on the inside, will become more evident. Love you to life 😊

I'm new to the site and just came across your article and I must say that it was very insightful, thought provoking and true. I look forward to your next writing 🙂.

That brought a story to my memory as well This big church was receiving a new pastor. They prepared a meal, the choir dressed to impress, and everyone attended on this Sunday morning. This man entered the building wearing old worn out clothes covered in dirt and filth. His hair was greasy and his skin was dirty. The people looked upon him with judgmental eyes. He was seated in the back by the ushers. Not even one person welcomed him or approached him. When the deacon approached the pew to make announcements, he said, "Today we meet our new pastor." He called his name, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the stage in anticipation to meet their new pastor. This man, from the back row, with greasy hair, and dirty skin, wearing old worn out clothes, got up and made his way down the aisle. Everyone stared at him and gasped, "What is he doing?" He walked up on the stage, and the deacon said, "Excuse me sir, you are going to have to get off the stage and take your seat." The man removed his coat, and everyone was amazed to see he was wearing a suit and tie. He pulled a rag from his pocket and wiped his face off. Everyone was in complete shock, "What is happening here?" He approached the pew, took the microphone, and said, "Good morning church. I am your new pastor. The one you have prepared all of this for today. The one whom you treated poorly and made feel not welcome. The one you seated in the back row hoping no one would have to deal with. Nice to meet you all. I am dismissing service today, and we will meet again next Sunday to discuss what the church looks like today. Dismissed! Can you imagine how those people felt? Oh my gosh! And this is a true story: this really happened. I would have been so terribly convicted of my wrong doing, and so ASHAMED of myself.

Praise God, glad that it was helpful!

Thank you for your transparency, no is a hard answer to hear, let alone receive. This is a different perspective that I believe will help so many of us who are struggling 😊

Jesus said, "suffer the little children to come unto Me."

Very true! I agree with this!

Congratulations on getting saved! That's awesome!

Thank you @jennifer1113

I think this was beautiful written. It also spoke truth! Praise God for your journey! A good reminder for me also.

In the beginning the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and if, Adam and Eve had made the correct choice they would have lived forever. We know that, that tree represents Jesus Christ. I believe that the lifespan of that generation was shortened because the wickedness and the corruption of mankind grew worse, and worse in the earth. In the six chapter it is revealed that God was grieved and expressed His sorrow that He created mankind and decided to destroy them. He said "my Spirit will not always strive with man." Sin always brings forth death and inevitably cuts short the life that God has given us.

He was in the synagogue, I believe it's no different today. Many in the organized church do not really know or have a personal relationship with Christ. But the Holy Spirit wants all of us to have an encounter with, and to know Him intimately. I would also like to share another perspective, there are many in the body of Christ that need deliverance, healing and to be restored, who have sat in the pews and have gone unnoticed. I pray that there will be a greater discernment in the body of Christ. The Lord wants His people to be made whole!

Chris, thanks for the great devotional today. The passages you quoted reminded me of the basis for my own faith and the cornerstone of my wife's and my ministry - Faith On Every Corner. Our company motto is "We live by faith." Craig

So when I read your instruction that we should obey the "don't" command, I was tempted to disobey. 😊 But then I resisted the temptation....😉 Good advice!

That is awesome Sometimes we are so distracted that we miss these valuable moments that God speaks to us. I am a routine person myself. If i am busy or late, i want to put things off to the next day - even reading my Bible. I am always reading now. Anytime I have a free minute I am pulling Logos up on my phone. Thank you for sharing.

The Nature of Christ: Part Two The Nature of Jesus What would it be like to be God, and to know that you are God? We all like to pretend we are God sometimes. We want to act like we have the power to control certain situations, or we want to act like we can control another person, and our list of trying to be God goes on, and on, and on. Jesus was just like us. He could smell, touch, feel things, experience hurt, pain, anger, and He was God. Imagine what you would do when someone hurt you and your anger burned strong within you. What would you do? Would you denigrate them into a steaming pile of goo, or would you love them and offer them forgiveness and die for them? I am willing to bet the 1st would be your choice. Imagine the self-control that it took Jesus to hold back on those Pharisees. Imagine the self-control that it took him to not lust after women. Imagine the self-control that it took to walk to that cross. Guys we are weak. It is about time that we step out of our little bubble of denial and admit that. No matter what we do, we can not achieve the things that Jesus achieved. If we could, he would not have had to endure the painful death on the cross that we deserved. Remember – he did that for us! When someone makes me angry, I usually get upset and overcome with emotions. Instead of talking to God and saying, “Lord, please help me to forgive this person.” It is realistically more like, “Lord, please help me to not kill this person right now.” And by not going to them and resolving the issue immediately, resentment and hatred toward that person start to build. If I continue to let this go unhandled, then I am talking to someone else about the person behind their back. That is like pouring gasoline on a fire. We have all been guilty of this at some point in our lives. I am not God and I do not hold the position to judge anyone for their actions. I am a sinner, you are a sinner, they are a sinner, we are all sinners. What is the difference between all the sins that I have committed verses the sin that a person commits against me? God forgave me for all the horrible things that I have done. So why can I not forgive the person for doing me wrong? That is the proper response. Forgive and forgive immediately. Make things right immediately. Between you and the person. Not your entire click, or your entire work family. Although our nature will never be like that of Jesus Christ, our attitude can be altered by prayer, the study of God’s Word, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who is within us! It is up to us if we choose to follow! The next time someone upsets you, try something different. Try to gently tell them how they upset you and that you forgive them for that. See if that does not work better than allowing anger and resentment to take control. Be Encouraged, Chris

Praise God! I am glad that God could use it. Very true, others may not know our name or know us. God our father knows our name and loves us and that will always be true! I try to write what God calls me to write and then hope that He uses them!

This really made me think about something - thank you! My name is Chris, but for 3 years it was 414734 because I belonged to the state of TN. I had to memorize that number because when they would call me they did not call me Chris. I had lost all of my rights and I still cannot vote or own a firearm. The wonderful thing is that through that horrible time, God still knew my name Thank you for your devotionals - I enjoy reading them. Blessings

A gem of a devotional and yes, let's enjoy the adventure!

Thank you so much for reading and responding! I greatly appreciate it!

It's my understanding that God spoke in these certain ways to teach us, e.g. He knew where Adam was when He asked, "where are you," and what have you done." Though I know we will differ on this issue, I want to add that God can say to you what He would do if you do this or that, but He already knows what you will do concerning this or that, and what He is going to do concerning this or that, regardless of what He says and how He says it. Of course, it's okay that we differ here in our understanding, because it's not like it's essential doctrine (e.g. salvation is faith in Christ). God bless Friend in Christ!

Moses hesitated to be used by God, fearing his lack of eloquence. Yet it is God who made our capacity for speech and He will move us to speak with his words. If it was dependent on our way with words, we would get the praise for someone’s conversion, but because God does the work, He gets the glory. We would be more afraid to speak if it did depend on our eloquence, but instead we’ve been set free from our fear because God promises to speak through us (if we would only realize this). Thank you for your thoughts.

Amen. That is completely true and very well said.

"We have to see God in everything." Yes! I agree. Some may think I see him too much, but I don't care. Even the bunny hopping across my lawn is God's way of saying "Hi" to me. I like your story. You may enjoy a kind of similar walking story where I talked to a woman on the side of the road - it's a bit crazy, but also joyful. (https://saralivingfree.com/2019/10/27/why-youll-never-regret-obeying-god/)

This is my novel that I've been writing... hope that's ok to post here, if not I'm sorry.

Amen! Love really is the center of it all.

" He won me when I was in the most unattractive state." I'll take time to read the others. The Lord empowers you more, in Jesus name, Amen!

Please pardon me, I was going through what I just wrote, only to find out each lines were not symmetrical even though I edited it. I don't know why this happen at times. I'll try harder next time.

I'm sorry you're having trouble. I'm not sure what to tell you. See if you can copy and paste it. Maybe that will help.

Sorry it was my mistake for putting it this way " the Lord said, " and thank you for pointing it out. It was never literally written in the scripture that cleanliness is next to godliness. However the Lord has always emphasized on being clean, or being washed or being in order in His scripture. For example; the book of Proverb is one book that really needs not to be read with human knowledge. Proverbs chapter 31 talks about the woman of noble character, a woman who works and takes care of her house, the Lord said many things there that when taught by the holy Spirit it refers to our heart The word of God studied in the holy spirit reveals the hidden things of God, so that only this who are of Him can have access to Him and His wisdom through His word. I used this " cleanliness being next to godliness " as an illustration, as a reference to the hearts of men. Our heart is the house of God, except our heart is put in order He cannot dwell in us. And so I said " if one cannot take care of his physical being or surroundings, then he cannot take care of the word of God deposited in him, hindering him from having Jesus. Once again I thank you for pointing out that lack of interpretation. I hope this is helpful. Thank you Jesus.

Thanks for responding, Victor! It's great having you as part of our group!

Thank you, Nikola. I'm often reminded that we are Christ's hands and feet as we live for Him in the dark places of the earth in the midst of rebellion and violence. Your poem reminds me that we are also in those places as a longing of His heart which is important to Him. Malachi 3:16, Psalm 68:18

“Before Spitting, Be Prepared” – An Informative Sequel When I authored “Before Spitting, Be Prepared” for my family, Ancestory.com aka Ancestry had provided me with information about 159 possible 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th cousins. Because more and more people are having their DNA collected and added to the database, I was recently provided with an updated list of 414 matches for 4th cousin or closer. When including potential 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th cousins, my list of people with common DNA is now well over 6000 long. This past week, a new 1st cousin Susan K. in Texas sent me a message trying to figure out how we were specifically related to each other. I told her what I knew and sent her my family story and my included Christian testimony. After a few exchanges, we had a very long and congenial telephone chat. Susan is 65 years old and both her father and mother have passed on. Ancestry’s results indicate that she is not genetically related to anyone on her father’s side, but she is closely related to me. In fact, except for my grandson who is in the database, Susan is closer to me genetically than any of the other 6000+ matches. Reviewing the Ancestry data together, it appears that one of my deceased brothers on my dad’s side impregnated her mother. Susan had already determined from other sources that both of our families had strong roots in Brooklyn, New York City at the time she was conceived. Susan was understandably bewildered. The loving man who raised her over the years was, according to the DNA data, not her biological father. I helped her absorb the DNA results but it was obvious that she was already several steps ahead of me. I previously sent Susan my family story and testimony, and she not only read it, but told me that she also shared it with one or more family members. I took the telephone-call opportunity to remind Susan that the new DNA information did not change who she was before God or before every good human being. She is a bright business lady and understood that. I invited her to contact me again if she ever wanted to. This follow-on story is another reminder that when we spit for a DNA test and database, we may be very surprised at what is uncovered. However, that is not the reason why I am providing this brief update. I want to pass along that I am so glad I put my family story and testimony in print. I am getting an increasing number of inquiries about my family’s history and heritage because of my inclusion in Ancestry’s database, and every one of these contacts has enabled me to pass along my family story and the included Christian message of faith and salvation. For those of you contemplating DNA testing and research, you might consider preparing your family history as you know and want to provide it, and weave your Christian testimony into the story. I have found it very easy to pass my family history to those inquiring about it, along with a Christian message and my testimony. Food for thought. Steve McEvoy

OH WOW!! I know exactly how you must be feeling!!! I had a TBI (Trauma Brain Injury) when I was 18 and even now (more than 14 years later) it's affecting me. It will affect me for the rest of my life.

Beautiful!

Be sure to check out my daily Facebook entries at https://www.facebook.com/sobrietyinChrist/ and www.turningtogodfromidols.com Turning to God from Idols can be purchased in its entirety from me, Amazon or Barnes and Noble. There is a free preview edition on the files of https://www.facebook.com/groups/119656408652585/ Thanks

I liked this devotional and had not thought of that separation leading to a second chance. A minor matter perhaps, but do you need both 'although' and 'but" in However, although no Barnabas gospel can be found in the Bible but Barnabas groomed John Mark who wrote the Mark gospel and became beneficial to Paul while he was in prison. Perhaps drop the word 'but'

This is something I wonder about. The US Constitution clearly states, "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free practice thereof." In Britain, on the other hand, I thought that one of the Queen's titles was "Defender of the Faith"; and Parliament is "The Queen's Government". Wouldn't that make your Government responsible for maintaining the Church of England, instead of dismantling it? This morning, I watched the televised live broadcast of the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and his bride Meghan, in a fully packed Church. I think they were wed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Then there was a sermon about love, preached by a black American pastor. This gave the impression of a Nation strong in the faith. Were they all just putting on a show?

Yes. And paragraphs.

Nice story! I would recommend reformatting it a bit.

This one of the greatest master piece I have ever read. It is a life changer. Please change it with the world.

Amen, Jean!

The mention of not praying for schools reminded me of a movie, Facing the Giants. One of the greatest scenes is when one of the teachers is shown going through the hallways, passing his hand o all the lockers praying for the students. Then it shows how God began speaking to the hearts of the students. Thanks for the reminder of praying for those who are not directly involved in our lives.