Day 2 of 2017 - Declare Your Surrender
Prayer and fasting always exposes the motives of our heart. As we progress through the process, you and I will begin to see how we have allowed our flesh take charge in certain areas of our lives. The Bible says in Romans 8 that if we are fleshly minded, we will receive the benefits of the flesh, but if we live after the Spirit, we will receive Life. So, the next 21 days is our time to surrender our will to Gods Will and allow the Spirit to lead us instead of our flesh.
Day 1 of 2017 - Purify and Cleanse
Do you remember when you were first saved? Do you remember the passion, the purity and the purpose that was birthed in your heart? Maybe you had a sense of invincibility like you and God could conquer the world. Perhaps you experienced such a joy; such a passion to tell everyone about the love of God! And then came rejection.
It's A Wonderful Life!
As I sit here enjoying the evening with my family. I am reminded of the simplicity of life. You know: the simple life; the good life; the ideal 'Leave it to Beaver' kinda life. The easy, full-of-opportunities kind of life with joy everywhere your eye can see.
As Christians, children of the Living God, you and I have the opportunity to experience and live this kind of life everyday. But doing so requires that you and I make a choice. As I have matured over the years I have learned that if I want peace, I have to choose peace. If I want joy in my life, and not a bunch of strife and chaos, then everyday I must make a choice and decision that I am going to choose joy. I must understand that I am where I am in life due to the choices and decisions I make.
Now let me just say this, there have been times in my life where there was no peace, joy, or simplicity at all! So, tonight I want to direct you to the Word of God. The one scripture that comes to mind is Proverbs 13:15, "Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard."
When life is not simple; when you lay your head upon the pillow at night and you toss and turn with thoughts of regret and shame, you must understand that even though you may not have control over certain things in life, you do have control over how you react to such situations. Through experience and reflection in God's Word I can tell you there is only one way to live with peace, joy and simplicity.
How do we begin to move towards this kind of Life? We move to this ideal kind of life by returning back to God. We must surrender to the Word of God and begin to align our lives accordingly. As you trust in God's Word by obeying its directives for your life, I am sure you will see results that lead to the simple life - the good life.
This I know for sure: my God is faithful, kind, full of compassion, and long-suffering. He is waiting for you to call out to Him. I hope you will!
Here's to the simplistic, good, God-kind of life! Whoo! I'm glad I chose to do it His way!
