James 4:6
But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

The grace we have in Christ is able to bring great strength to the believer. Grace is help from heaven, what God is able to do in and through your life. As the scripture above reveals, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. This reveals that there is more grace, the help of God available to those who are humble. In the verses that follow we see keys to Bible humility.

The very next verse says to submit to God and resist the devil. In chapter one of this letter James tells us we are not tempted by God but by satan. He tempts us with our own fleshly desires. When we choose to submit to God instead of yielding to the temptation, we automatically resist satan and receive God’s help. In chapter four above James goes on to say we are to draw near to God, and He will draw near to us. The more we fellowship with God, the more of His help we receive.

He then tells us to cleanse our hands of willful sin, and to purify our hearts from being double-minded. Double-minded people James said in chapter one receive nothing from the Lord. To not be double-minded one simply gets their focus on the things of the spirit, looking at life through God’s perspective instead of the flesh. For those who follow this recipe for humbling themselves, they will receive more of God’s grace, help from heaven.
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2 Timothy 1:13
Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.

Words are powerful. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. We are told in this verse to hold fast, to only speak sound words. Sound words are words filled with faith and love. Faith filled words are based on what God’s Word says. We should do as Jesus did, only speaking in line with what we know the Father has spoken, keeping our words in line with the written Word of God.

You are walking today in what you have said in your yesterday’s, for James chapter three teaches us that our words determine the path our life takes. Words are like the bit in the horse’s mouth, or like a rudder on a ship. They determine the direction your life will go. Words filled with fear, worry, doubt, and unbelief will produce exactly that in our life; but so will words of faith, victory, and peace, for you will reap what you sow.

We should also speak the Truth (God’s Word) in love with others. We should not slander or speak gossip, but as scripture teaches us our words should be a gift to one another. To change your words you must change what you hear, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. So check up on what you have been saying. Fill up on the truth of God’s Word and you will change what you speak, and in doing so you will change your future to line up with the Word of God.
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Luke 15:29-31
29 So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.
30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’
31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.’

THE PRODIGAL SON – PART 2
As we looked at the prodigal son story yesterday, we saw the younger son who came home realizing he had been living wrong, and upon approaching his father said he was no longer worthy to be called his son. He was trying to get his worth from what he had done having wasted his inheritance, instead of who he was as a son. The older son actually does the same thing, but instead of belittling himself, he exalts himself, doing just the opposite of the younger son.

The older son comes in from working and hears a party going on. He finds out his younger brother had come home and his dad was celebrating his return. The older son got angry and would not go inside. The father comes and pleads with him to come in and celebrate with them. The above verses reveal his response. He got angry, declaring he had never transgressed his father’s commands, and his father had never thrown a party for him, but the moment this wayward son came home he has a celebration.

This older son believed he deserved a celebration because of what he had done, not because of who he was as a son to his father. His father responds and tells him that all he has was available to him. Why had this older son not enjoyed what was his by birthright? Because he was trying to earn what was already his. In the same way, we don’t earn our worth and what belongs to us because of what we have or have not done. It is ours because we have been born into the family of God, and therefore it is available to us by faith in who we now are in Christ Jesus.
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Luke 15:21
And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

THE PRODIGAL SON – PART 1
Many have read or heard of the prodigal son story Jesus shared in Luke 15. Often the emphasis is on the son who had received his inheritance from his father and he went away and wasted his inheritance. But something that is rarely seen, and I believe is one of the most important parts of the story is revealed in both of these brothers. Let’s look at the first of these two brothers today.

This younger son who took his inheritance went to a far country, and after he had wasted his inheritance, he got a job feeding another man’s pigs. He would have gladly eaten the pigs food, but he was given nothing to eat. Realizing his father’s servants ate better than him, he goes home but he makes a powerful statement to his father in the above verse. He repented for what he had done, but he said he was not worthy to be called his son. The father surprises him by putting a rob, a ring, and new sandals on his son, and he even throws him a party.

The father was glad his son was home. He did not treat him like a servant, because he was still his son. This young man was trying to find his worth in what he had done. He belittled himself for how he had been living. No matter what we have done if we have been born again, we are still sons and daughters of God. We should repent for wrong living and return to our Father, but our worth is found in who we are as God’s children, not in our actions. What we do does not change who we are.
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Ephesians 5:15-16
15 Therefore, pay careful attention to how you conduct your life — live wisely, not unwisely.
16 Use your time well, for these are evil days.

When you look at men and women of God who walk in great faith, and who understand and use their God-given authority, many wish they could be like them. Guess what, you can. So many Christians fail to recognize the key area to deal with in their life that is needed to attain that walk with God they say they want. What is that key ingredient? Time.

We choose every day what we will do with the time we are given. If you look at any person from the natural standpoint that has gotten good at something, they did so because they devoted much time to that area of their life. What many don’t know is that devoting time to spiritual development makes a powerful impact on every part of your life. Many today will not take the time to get to church, or spend time in prayer, or reading the Word, etc. What the devil and your old fleshly nature will do is to get you to be foolish with your time.

We are all given the same 24 hours in a day. It is what we choose to focus on that determines what we do with the time we have been given. Put the kingdom of God first on your time list and all the things you need will be added unto you (Matt. 6:33). Ask God to help you to balance the use of your time. The difference with those who have a close walk with God, strong faith, and are spiritually mature, is how they use their time.
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Jeremiah 32:17
‘Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.

There is nothing too hard for God, and as a believer in Christ we need to be reminded of three powerful truths about our God. (Romans 8:31) – What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Here in Romans is the first of these three things. “GOD IS FOR YOU”. That’s right, as a born-again child of God He is not against you as some may think. The death of His Son proves He is for you. He wants you to live a victorious life.

(Hebrews 13:5-6) – 5 For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Here is the second key truth, “GOD IS WITH YOU”. Did you know you are never alone. God will NEVER leave you nor forsake you. Some say they feel God is far from them. They are going by feelings, not by His Word. He is always with you.

(1 John 4:4) – You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. The third truth you should never forget is that “GOD IS IN YOU”. Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. There is nothing too hard for your God, and wherever you go He is right there. Never forget He is FOR YOU, WITH YOU, and IN YOU, and therefore there is nothing to hard for you to overcome.
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Knowing who you are in Christ is how you are able to walk in what you have available to you as a child of God. Find out what scripture teaches about this very important subject for the believer.

Romans 8:6
Having one’s mind controlled by the old nature is death, but having one’s mind controlled by the spirit is life and shalom.

A believer who is “carnally minded” is being controlled by their old fleshly nature. Their soul, made up of mind, will, and emotions is not being controlled by their spirit man within. When you are being dominated by this old nature you are separating yourself from the new way of life God has for you to live. When someone is born again, they receive a new spirit within that is now alive to God. The moment that happens God wants us to learn how to be spiritually minded, yielding our soul to our new spirit man. This is becoming spiritually minded.

Those who learn how to become spiritually minded, now dominated by the new spirit within them, they live in the life and peace God has provided. That word “life” is the word Zoe, and it means the God kind of life, living life as God intended. This is the abundant life Jesus said He came to give us. A life filled and overflowing with love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, is already in your new spirit man.

To walk in the spirit with the mind now controlled by your spirit man, one must look inward to see what God sees. This takes a renewing of your mind through the Word of God to become acquainted with the new you. We then also learn to listen to and follow the guidance of our inner man, both through God’s Word, and through our conscience, which is the voice of our spirit. The more we do, the more we experience this new life from within.
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1 Timothy 1:14
…and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.

When we are born again there are two very important elements that we find in our relationship with Jesus Christ. They are faith and love. Once born again we are given a measure of faith, and the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts. God gives us these two new elements so that we can begin to live a whole new way of life. We are to learn how to walk by faith, and walk in the love of God.

We are to take the measure of faith God gives us and continue to develop and use our newfound faith. Scripture teaches us that faith works like a mustard seed. It begins small, but as you continue to hear the preaching of the Word of God, you will learn of God’s will for your life, what He has provided for you. Faith begins where the will of God is known. You then use this faith by acting upon what God’s Word says.

We are to also walk in love, treating others the way we want to be treated no matter how they treat us. This requires action on our part based on the love of God that is now in our hearts. Faith is dependent on this love, for faith works through love. If you get out of love, your faith will not work for faith is of the heart. When we get out of love we are not walking by faith but by our flesh. Continually develop your faith and walk in the love of God, and you can walk in this new way of life God has for you.
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1 Thessalonians 5:18
…in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

God’s desire for us is to see His will manifested. A key to seeing God’s will manifested is in thanking Him for what He has already done for us through Christ Jesus. Thanksgiving is a key to faith. To walk in God’s promises you must see what He has promised in His Word as already done, for in the eyes of God everything you have in Christ is already an established fact.

In Philippians 4:6 the apostle Paul reveals to us that we are to be anxious for nothing, which means we are not to worry about anything. He goes on to tell us that we are to make our requests known to God with thanksgiving. You give thanks for what someone has already done for you. God has already made a way for us through Christ Jesus to provide all that we need. You are the redeemed of the Lord, your not going to be.

What God promised to us in Christ was established 2000 years ago through His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. So, to live a life of thanksgiving don’t focus on what you see in the natural, focus on what God’s Word has said, and start thanking Him for what He has already done for you through Christ. Those who are grateful (full of gratitude), will be faithful (full of faith).
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