The last enemy to be destroyed is death. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil.
1 Corinthians 15:26 1 John 3:8 Hebrews 2:14
My child, I open doors before you so that no gate will be shut. I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars. I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden wealth of secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord God of Israel, who calls you by your name. Never doubt what I can do My child. For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me.
Isaiah 45:1-3 & 46:9
My child, you can rest in My loving arms. You can be still and know that I am God. You can know that I hold the future and I alone can be trusted when all seems lost. Your hope is to be in Me alone. Never rely on your circumstances to make you happy, peaceful or joyful. You can only experience those traits in Me. Spend time with Me. Linger in My Presence. Come and rest a while. I will soothe your soul and bring peace to your heart. Nothing else compares or even comes close.
Psalm 46:10
My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring’s offspring says the Lord from now and forever. I the Lord, will hasten it in its time.
Isaiah 59:21 60:22
My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. The only way you can accomplish this is to let Me have full reign in your life. Let Me live through you and love through you. Surrender everything to Me and watch what I will do.
John 15:8
It’s a wonderful thing to have such utter confidence in the fact that our freedom from law and sin has allowed us to share in God’s own righteousness. And that’s not all! Our redemption is set in stone—a salvation and heavenly reward that no one can strip away from us. But standing in such a marvelous and rock-solid hope carries the danger of breeding complacency. “Now that I’ve got my ticket to heaven, what more do I need? Why worry about it?”
Such an attitude is always rooted in the self-centered belief that, at the end of the day, our relationship with God amounts to little more than making a better life for ourselves here and now, with the added bonus of a fabulous heavenly life later. Sadly, this is the way many Christians think about God and His purpose for their life. But it really shouldn’t surprise us much; multitudes of voices unrelentingly and convincingly preach this very message.
This watered-down gospel, though, has no real basis in Scripture. Quite the opposite actually: devotion, selflessness and discipline bear the true mark of a godly person. “Godly? Who said anything about godly? I’m just glad I’m saved!” Well, saved is wonderful, but our reconciliation with God encompasses a whole lot more than merely our initial regeneration—no matter how dramatic our born-again experience might have been.
The primary reason for God doing all He has through Christ Jesus is to pave the way for godliness to become the standard of our life in Him. Salvation, then, is merely the starting point in our walk with God. Through redemption, we are provided the framework essential to choice. And choice by faith is the very heart of our life—and growth in that life—as Christians.(Titus 2;11-12)
My child, I am coming back at a time when no one expects. There will be signs of My return all around, but people will be distracted with the cares of this world. But you, be on the alert and be found faithful doing what I’ve called you to do. You have no control over what anyone else does. But you yourself can be found faithful by carrying out your purpose and calling while here on earth. Live today like it was your last. I am coming back. Make the most of today.
Matthew 24
My child, I want people to be encouraged. I desire joy and peace. This world has a lot of negative forces and the evil one would love to drag you down. But the fruit of My Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. You have crucified your flesh. Now walk by My Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-25
My child, live your life on purpose today. Live an intentional life. Make the most of today by entering in to all I have for you. Let go of the past and embrace today. Look people in the eye and smile. Encourage and affirm others. Build up those around you and let Me have full reign. I am a good God and desire to bless. Let Me use you to bless others.
I was reminded of the problem of sin recently while watching a T.V. program about fungus in a tree (I always pick the most exciting shows!). While the fungus had originated in the crotch of the branches at the center of the tree, it quickly spread throughout its branches and leaves. How to eradicate the fungus was the question.
An arborist went to work on the tree, cutting away its dead branches and pruning back those still alive. But he also did something I would never have thought of doing: he cut out branches from the center of the tree in order to open it up to fresh air and sunlight. Then, as wind blew through the tree and the sun shined within its branches, the fungus eventually dried up and died. To make certain the tree would not be re-infected by the fungus, he raked up all the diseased leaves which had fallen to the ground below.
As I watched, the Lord seemed to say that this is how He goes about eradicating the fungus of sin from our life. Cutting away the dead branches, pruning others, and raking away the diseased leaves spoke to me of our responsibility to say no to sin. But what was even more obvious was the analogy to God’s strategy for healing the true source of sin. Namely, that He addresses the cause of our sinful fungus by removing the diseased inner branches of our heart to allow the presence of His Spirit to flood our life within.
Excerpted from: Free from the Power of Sin: The Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself