Archive for the ‘Christian Living’ Category

You are Fearless & Brave

Monday, October 23rd, 2017

you-are-fearless-and-brave

You are fearless and brave. Even if you don’t feel that way right now, you have the ability to be fearless and brave in any circumstance. Why? Because Christ is with us, and we can hand our anxiety over to Him. He will take care of us and answer us and sovereignly reign over every situation.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 NASB

The peace of God is a guard. It will guard our hearts and minds if we allow it to. The opposite of fear and anxiety is peace, and God is able to give us that peace that passes understanding. Ask God for it and wait in an open posture to Christ. He will give you that peace.

By the way, fear itself is not a sin. If a bear runs to you to attack you, God created your body to experience fear so that you get away from danger. Paul in the New Testament was “anxious for the churches,” and it wasn’t a sin because the reason he was concerned was because of his love for them and for their well-being and spiritual growth (2 Corinthians 11:28). But Paul took his anxiety to God so that He could receive peace—because God is in control of all things.

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“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

We do not have to be afraid because God is with us.

You do not have to fear what other people think of you either, since “fear of man brings a snare.” (Proverbs 29:25) Do whatever God is asking you to do. Step out in faith.

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God is sovereign. He controls all situations to such a degree that He brings everything full circle, provides complete healing–and the strength of who you are is now at a much higher level that is worth it all.

“The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, But the righteous are bold as a lion.” Proverbs 28:1 NASB

You are fearless and brave!

If you don’t want to miss any of these posts from the series “31 Days to Regaining Your Identity,” why not sign up for my free monthly newsletter below, and follow my prayer page on Facebook.

you-are-a-masterpiece

 

My daughter and I created the artwork for this series from the course {aff} “You are a Masterpiece” by Alicia Gratehouse. If you love to do art and are discovering who you are in Christ, this is a great art course for you!

You are a Light to Others

Sunday, October 22nd, 2017

you-are-a-light

You are a light to others.

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 ESV

Why can’t a city on a hill be hidden?

Because the lights from the houses shine in the night. Back during World War II, some British cities were told to shut their lights off by a certain hour because they didn’t want the Nazi’s to bomb their city. Cities are highly visible at night from any elevated area, whether from the sky or from a hill. A city on a hill is elevated so that people for miles can see its light.

It is silly to hide a lamp when the whole reason for lighting the lamp is to be able to see what’s around you. The light is there, shining in the darkness, so that you can see what is there, and you can see where you are going.

“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105 KJV

Scripture teaches us who God is so that we will not be led into error. A lot of doctrinal error is logical based on just one Scripture, but just because something is logical doesn’t mean it’s right. If you have knowledge of the entirety of the Scriptures, this will light your way.

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But Jesus says that WE are the light of the world. The light is God’s love shining out of us.

Last week I was translating for some Hispanic friends who were at the Social Security office, and the sign said that the average wait was two hours. I had to sit separate from my Hispanic friends, so I began talking to the people around me, asking how long they had waited. We eventually started talking about the Lord. The entire row of chairs I was in, and the people in front of me, were turned around and talking and laughing with me as we chatted. My light was shining.

light

Another example that struck me was when I was working at a Victorian shop, welcoming the people into the store, a woman walked up to me and asked if I was a Christian. I said yes, and I was amazed and asked her how she knew. She said that she could see Jesus shining from my face.

If you are a Christian, Jesus lives inside of YOU, too! Jesus DOES shine from you, but you can purposely draw closer to Christ so you can shine more and more brightly!

You are a light to others. That is who you are. Christ lives in you, and you shine!

If you don’t want to miss any of these posts from the series “31 Days to Regaining Your Identity,” why not sign up for my free monthly newsletter below, and follow my prayer page on Facebook.

you-are-a-masterpiece

 

My daughter and I created the artwork for this series from the course {aff} “You are a Masterpiece” by Alicia Gratehouse. If you love to do art and are discovering who you are in Christ, this is a great art course for you!

You are God’s Temple

Saturday, October 21st, 2017

you-are-gods-temple

You are God’s temple. This means that your body is a residence for God! The outside of you is like a church building with stained glass windows. The glory of God inside can hardly be contained, and it shines out the stained glass windows for all to see!

Whatever you are doing with your body, you are doing to Christ’s body, so take care of it! Don’t let anyone damage it. It belongs to Christ. Stand up for yourself and treat your body with dignity.

If someone has harmed your body in the past, ask Christ to heal your soul from that trauma.

Use your body to glorify God:

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NASB

temple: a building devoted to the worship of God.

Is your body devoted to the worship of God? This is connected to being set free—for me it included dancing before the Lord so that I could glorify God by worshiping with my entire body and not just my voice. (See the blog post You are Free to find the Scriptures that tell us to dance before the Lord in worship.)

temple

Keeping our bodies clean from immorality and sin is also obvious if we want to bring glory to God in our bodies.

Jesus has taken residence in our body, and we conform to His death by dying to sin “so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” (2 Corinthians 4:10)

We use our body to hug a friend who is discouraged, sit with someone at the hospital, become one with our spouse, give birth to children, nurse the children, pick up and hold the children, make a meal for a shut-in, etc. There are so many ways that God can be glorified through our bodies.

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Our bodies–the containers of God Himself—are to be presented to God as a holy sacrifice, a living sacrifice. We are no longer to live for ourselves but for Him:

Romans 12:1 NASB “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

You are God’s temple. The Spirit of the Living God resides inside of you! Just imagine, the Creator of the Universe has taken residence in you, and your body actually contains God!

If you don’t want to miss any of these posts from the series “31 Days to Regaining Your Identity,” why not sign up for my free monthly newsletter below, and follow my prayer page on Facebook.

you-are-a-masterpiece

 

My daughter and I created the artwork for this series from the course {aff} “You are a Masterpiece” by Alicia Gratehouse. If you love to do art and are discovering who you are in Christ, this is a great art course for you!

You are Free

Friday, October 20th, 2017

you-are-free

You are free! Christ came to set us free from the chains of sin, and He heals us and sets us free inwardly from anything that afflicts us. We can be set free by God in so many ways:

  • Free from the power of sin (this is sometimes instant and sometimes gradual)
  • Free from worry (we trust a God who is sovereign over all)
  • Free from the hurts of your past (see previous post in this series)
  • Free from loneliness (God’s presence is always with us)
  • Free to walk in the Spirit (more love, joy, peace in your life)
  • Free from the love of possessions
  • Free to worship with wild abandon

Yielding to Jesus is so wonderful–it feels free as if I were on a motorcycle because it’s exhilarating. It does not feel oppressive in any way. If you feel that your relationship with Christ is oppressive, you’re doing it wrong. It feels light, free, peaceful and full of joy. You are at rest in your spirit.

Inside this video I mentioned these related videos and articles about grabbing hold of freedom in different areas of your life:

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“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free,” says Galatians 5:1, and you are not to be a slave to the opinions of other people, or other people’s impossible standards that are not based on the simplicity of loving God and loving others. The idolatry for one person (reading novels constantly and neglecting all the other things God wants you to be doing) might not be sin for another person. Watching television causes one person to commit acts of immorality, and another person to become a good cook–it depends what you watch and what motivates your heart. Are you asking God what to do with your time, or are you living for yourself?

You will have way more freedom and joy in your life if you actually live for Jesus, asking Him to lead you in what you should be doing each day. Your days become very interesting, let me tell you! And God empowers you to do whatever He is wanting you to do right in the moment that it’s needed.

free-as-a-butterfly

The easiest way to usher in freedom in your life is to dance before the Lord like the Bible commands us to do. You can do this alone in your room with worship music. I’ve banged my hand against the wall by accident, so pick a large room if you are uncoordinated like me.

  • “Praise Him with timbrel and dancing; Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.” Psalm 150:4 NASB
  • “Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!” Psalm 149:3 ESV
  • “A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.” Ecclesiastes 3:4 NASB
  • “And David was dancing before the Lord with all his might.” 2 Samuel 6:14a NASB
  • “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness.” Psalm 30:11 NASB

If you don’t want to miss any of these posts from the series “31 Days to Regaining Your Identity,” why not sign up for my free monthly newsletter below, and follow my prayer page on Facebook.

you-are-a-masterpiece

 

My daughter and I created the artwork for this series from the course {aff} “You are a Masterpiece” by Alicia Gratehouse. If you love to do art and are discovering who you are in Christ, this is a great art course for you!