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Transforming Into the NEW YOU

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Each day we choose to live by the flesh or live by the Spirit. Choose the Spirit and work on becoming more like Christ in all that you think, do, and say.

~ Lisa Blair

This is the Application Season. Repeat, ‘I am applying the Word of God to my daily life until it becomes the first thought each morning and subsequently, throughout the day.’

Paul, God’s predominant ambassador, and author of much of the Bible focuses our attention on being saved, receiving God’s salvation and directs us to becoming ‘new’. He instructs us to become more like Christ in every action we take. We have been redeemed and our sins have been forgiven, but this is not a pass, it is the key that opens the door to becoming whole, to live a life like Christ. It provides a spirit consciousness of hope.

When we were baptized into Christ, we put on Christ. Christ is all around us and in us in the form of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts us ‘on the regular’. It’s the Holy Spirit that speaks to us – beware, do not speak thoughtlessly, do not fall to the woes of this world as you walk the path of your destiny God has designed for you. Do treat you neighbors as you want to be treated, do love those who hate you, do what you can for the poor in spirit and economy. Allow the love of Christ to flow through you.

Become someone who is admired for following Christ. You know that person, the one everyone says, ‘there is something different about (name)’. People sense a peace when they are around (name). (Name) changes the atmosphere when they are present. Doesn’t that sound like Christ? Well, since He lives in us, and through us, we can emanate his love through us. People can recognize the difference, but may not recognize what the difference is. This of course is an opportunity to share who Christ is and how He lives in you when asked what makes you different.

So today, let’s look at what we are replacing to become more like Christ. The last post highlighted the replacement items. Today let’s look more closely.

Preface

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will reap. For he who sows of the flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows of the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life…Do not grow weary of doing good for in due season you shall reap what you have sown. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all. (Galatians 6:7,9,10)

Main Point

17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles (nonbelievers) do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”[a]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:17-32, NIV)

When we grow in Christ we are growing in holiness, righteousness, and justice. We no longer are bound by our carnal nature, the flesh where our appetite is satisfied and fulfilled by: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. (Galatians 5:19-21, NIV)

Instead, always look to Christ for guidance. Walk by the Spirit. Allow yourself to be led by the Holy Spirit. As you make this exchange from living through the flesh to living through the Spirit, you will see your life change, you will no longer be a slave to your fleshly desires, yes you will be tempted, but you will possess the strength to overcome. And, should you sin, you have the freedom to repent and start anew. Isn’t God awesome. He know we are on the path and are conflicted by our humanness, but has provided the way and means to overcome and become more like His son, Christ to empower us to be overcomers.

What is the exchange? We are instructed to employ the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-25, NIV)

Resources: Biblegateway.com; Bible.org, 8. Virtues Leading to Christlikeness. 3/1/2021

Images: Good Morning Gifs, TENOR; LAB Photos

Everything is New

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Wake up. Each morning is new, each moment is new, each breath is new. The Lord said, “Behold, I will do a new thing.” Isaiah 43:19 NKJV. When we follow His Word, we can do the same.

~ Lisa Blair

Everything is New. Applying God’s Word to our daily activities introduces Christ into our lives.

The Bible is our manual that should guide our lives. Our purpose is to become more like Christ. How do we emulate Christ? We practice instilling His values into our actions. We must apply what we learn through scripture and the archetypes, people, in the Bible to our reactions to the activities in our daily lives, those things we think and act on.

APPLICATION—APPLICATION—APPLICATION

The way we communicate with God differs for us all. The one way that is constant is that He speaks through scripture. While in prayer the other day, the Lord reminded me of His command, do not turn to the left or right, listen to my quiet voice (Your ears shall hear a Word behind you saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it’ (Isaiah 30:21 MEV). To add context, I way praying about this blog and how to reach more people. His quiet voice said, I needed to focus on how to apply His Word to our daily lives, hence the shift to THE APPLICATION SEASON. There is a time for every season, and this season is an application season.

Each day is new, we awaken from our sleep revitalized. During our sleep our cells regenerate, thus each day we are renewed. Each day is new as well. Nothing is as it was the day before, if it was, life would have no purpose. Scripture declares, each morning we are given new mercies. God gifts us each day with His mercy, we are refreshed to undertake the day to express Him in everything we do throughout the day.

God says announce what we want in prayer. Smile in the face of adversity, remain humble and at peace, even when anger tries to surface remain steadfast and ask yourself, how would Christ respond, would He respond in anger or love? Abolish limiting thoughts from your mind. Leave behind the thoughts and actions of yesterday, they spoke to the needs of that day. Each new day introduces different needs that are not the same and require new thinking. Cast those thoughts as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12), and strive to animate your new and best self to align with the Word of God.

This means, we must regenerate our thinking to align with God’s thinking. We must see each day as new. Each day is an opportunity to change some aspect of our life. Circumstances may prevail that we did not create, but within that context, we can change the little things, or maybe the big things, beginning with the way we think, the way we act, and the way we respond to the circumstances in our life.

You say, ‘this is easier said than done’. I say, ‘we (all) must begin somewhere, at sometime in our lives, and the best time to begin is each new day’. Why? The fact is that each day is 24 hours in duration and the new day begins at the close of the last day, hence, each day is new.

As we study the Bible, we create an inventory of what the scriptures in the Bible are saying to us, as well as forming our lexicons with God, which is done through prayer. He directs us through scriptures, conversations with others [God often uses people to convey His expectations of us], something through what we have seen or heard. To begin to realign our thinking we have to address how we begin our day, after morning prayers, recite the mantra – ‘each God given day is new’, and in recognizing this fact you will begin to respond to things in alignment with the Word of God. We cannot allow pain (physical, spiritual, or emotional) or sorrow to cloud our thinking. We cannot allow pain or sorrow to morph into anger, jealousy, bitterness, or resentment. We cannot allow our struggles to blind us to the truth that God, and only God, is the giver of life. This is our season of application. This is our season of change.

So, this (new day) is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice in it, our conditions in life will not last forever, but a new day will always present a new day and a new opportunity to address the day differently.

Definitions

New Mercies – The dawning of every new day could be seen as a symbol of God’s light breaking through the darkness of His mercy overcoming our troubles. Every morning demonstrates God’s grace, a new beginning in which gloom must flee. We need to look no further than the breath in our lungs, the sun that shines upon us, or the rain that falls to nourish the soil. The mercies of God continue to come to us via a multitude of manifestations…there is no exportation date on God’s mercy toward us. His mercies are new every morning in that they are perpetual and always available to those in need. (What does it mean that God’s mercies are new every morning? (got questions.org. 2/28/2021)

Regeneration — to regenerate (according to Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary) means new birth, and stresses new birth as the inception of a new state of things in contrast to the old. Pp. 517.

Images

(#1) My everyday God.com; (#2) LAB Photos; (#3,#4) Saddleback Church.com

Day 4-The Glorious Grace of God (Guest Post)

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In Greek, the word ‘believe’ used as a verb is translated as, ‘believe’, but as a noun, ‘believe’ is translated as ‘faith’.

Grace School of Theology

The Need to Believe, Devotional, day 4, The Glorious Grace of God. YouVersion. Bible.com

Salvation is a free gift received by placing our faith in Jesus Christ alone. John wrote that Jesus declared to Nicodemus, “whoever believes in [God’s one and only Son] shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Today, some people have trouble accepting that belief is all it takes for someone to be saved. 

The main issue is the meaning of the word “believe.” When the Greek word is used as a verb, it is translated “believe.” When it is used as a noun, it is translated “faith.” The Gospel of John demonstrates the importance of this word with its repeated use of “believe” as a verb. It is used 98 times as a condition for salvation. The other Gospels and New Testament books use “believe” as a verb 150 times altogether. The consistent result of believing is eternal life. When one believes, one can then know that he or she has eternal life as a present possession—right now (John 5:24; 9:38).

John is careful to use figures of speech or word pictures that are passive, such as receive, drink, and eat. None of these pictures portrays or communicates the idea of merit, work, or achievement. There are no qualifying words used with believe such as, “really believe,” “truly believe,” or “genuinely believe.” There is only one kind of belief. There are no other conditions mentioned in John, such as repentance, surrender, commitment, confession, or obedience. Nor does the word “believe” intrinsically or inherently contain these concepts. All that is required to be saved is to believe—to place one’s faith in Jesus. Salvation—eternal life—is a gracious gift of God (John 1:12).

This is what a person must do to receive eternal life: Believe that Jesus, the Son of God, died for your sin, rose from the grave to defeat the power of sin and death and can give you eternal life freely, as a gift. 

Resource – The Glorious Grace of God. YouVersion. Bible.com. Contributor – Grace School of Theology.

Comfortable With Carte Blanche Prayer?

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On the face of 1 John 5:14, it seems as if God is giving us carte blanche to ask whatever we want and we will be given it…

~ Lisa Blair

1 John 5:14

On the face of 1 John 5:14, it seems as if God is giving us carte blanche to ask whatever we want and we will be given it, much like asking a genie to meet our every desire. At least that is how so many apply this scripture in their prayers. 

But then, what is God really saying? 

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His Will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14)

This scripture is an instructional guide about praying.
God is telling us:

  • Have confidence in approaching Him. 
  • Do not be hesitant to fellowship with Him.
  • We should ask in confidence for God to meet our needs.

God tells us He hears us when we fellowship with Him in prayer. Our prayers do not fall on deaf ears. Our prayers are not ignored or treated lightly. Our prayers are conversations with the Master, our Father in Heaven. 

Then, how should we ask Him to help us? We must always ask within the context of His Will and not our own. He knows what our needs are and why we have those needs. He knows the plans He has for us and is willing to grant our requests if they are built upon on faith. Prayer is the foundation for all communication and action.

I find that before praying for something, I ask – is it my will, something I want because I want it, or is it something that will strengthen my walk? It is not wrong to want things that create an inviting lifestyle if it is not corruptible or wanton. But within this sphere of thought, it should also be something that spiritually strengthens us. We should not gravitate towards hidden agendas to manifest our will.

Selfish praying has hidden consequences. As we grow more mature in the Word and our relationship with Christ, we should examine what the consequences of asking are, as well as acting independent of God, to achieve our desires and the cost of those actions. Throughout the Bible, God’s people prayed to Him. He answered their prayers and instead of waiting for Him to produce the promise, they acted on their own to manifest the promise in the time and way they wanted it to fit in their own agenda. We see this throughout the Book of Genesis. Adam, Eve, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, and Jacob all attempted to expedite God’s Will for their lives and humankind.

Think about this, they stood in God’s presence, held conversations with Him, knew His Glory, and still acted impetuously, what does that say about human nature? It is human nature to conspire, to thing first, to ignore others, to forge ahead in search of meeting our own needs.

<p value="<amp-fit-text layout="fixed-height" min-font-size="6" max-font-size="72" height="80">If you remember the original television series, Lost in Space, you should hear, “<em>Warning, warning, danger, danger.</em>” Acting on our own is entering dangerous terrain. It weakens our relationship with the Lord, it causes us to slide down the slippery slope of sin. Free will- that will we choose to implement is a deception if we consider it a trump card to prayer.If you remember the original television series, Lost in Space, you should hear, “Warning, warning, danger, danger.” Acting on our own is entering dangerous terrain. It weakens our relationship with the Lord, it causes us to slide down the slippery slope of sin. Free will- that will we choose to implement is a deception if we consider it a trump card to prayer.

“God is no respecter of persons and al believers have been given the same opportunity to walk in newness of life and allow Christ to be formed in us. The more we live for His praise and glory, align our thoughts to the mind of Christ, and keep our fleshly self-nailed to the Cross, them more we find that we pray according to the will of our heavenly Father, and the greater will be our confidence that He will hear and answer our prayers, “for this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (What Does 1 John 5:14 Mean?  Dailyverse.knowing-jesus.com. 02/11/21)

There are no carte blanche prayers. Our prayers have consequences when we act on them to bring them to pass. We must pray fervently and honestly. We must always seek to discern whose will is the focal point of our prayer. If it is ‘us’, then rethink your prayer, examine the intent more deeply and seek God’s direction for your life.

Guest Post – Truths to Live By – One Day at a Time

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StudyLight.org

Devotional: February 5th

“I know that Thou canst do all things, and that no purpose of Thine can be thwarted.” Job 42:2 NASB)

No purpose of God can be thwarted. Man may have his wickedness, but God has His way. Man may have a lot to say, but God will have the last word. Solomon reminds us that “there is no wisdom or counsel against the Lord” (Proverbs 21:30). And Jeremiah adds his testimony that “every purpose of the Lord shall be performed” (Jeremiah 51:29).

Joseph’s brothers decided to get rid of him by selling him to a band of Midianites. But all they succeeded in doing was accomplishing the will of God. The Midianites provided free transportation for Joseph to Egypt where he rose to be Prime Minister and the savior of his people.

When the man who was born blind received his sight and trusted the Savior, the Jews excommunicated him from the synagogue. Was it a great victory for them? No, Jesus would have led him out anyway because the Good Shepherd “calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out” (John 10:3 NASB). So they merely saved Jesus the effort of doing it.

Men’s wickedness reached its Everest when they took the Lord Jesus and, nailing Him to a cross, put Him to death. But Peter reminded them that He was delivered up by “the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23). God overruled man’s gargantuan crime by raising Christ up to be Lord and Savior.

Donald Gray Barnhouse told the story of a wealthy landowner who had beautiful trees on his estate. “But he had a bitter enemy who said, ‘I will cut down one of his trees; that will hurt him.’ In the dark of the night the enemy slipped over the fence and went to the most beautiful of the trees, and with saws and axes he began to work. In the first light of morning he saw in the distance two men coming over the hill on horseback, and recognized one of them as the owner of the estate. Hurriedly he pushed the wedges out and let the tree fall; but one of the branches caught him and pinned him to the ground, injuring him so badly that he died. Before he died, he screeched out, ‘Well, I have cut down your beautiful tree,’ and the estate owner looked at him with pity and said, “This is the architect I have brought with me. We had planned to build a house, and it was necessary to cut down one tree to make room for the house; and it is the one you have been working at all night.'” 

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‘Truths to Live By – One Day at a Time‘ Copyright 2007 © William MacDonald. ‘Truths to Live By – One Day at a Time‘ articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. You may not use the material for commercial purposes. If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.

Praying for Our Loved Ones

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We pray for our loved ones to be saved, but we do it through our own limited understanding and not through faith in our Lord. ~ Lisa Blair

In reading the Doctrine of Election, we are reminded that only God can provide salvation. The parts that stood out to me most are:

  1. “People are so ruined by sin that they are unable to respond by faith…unless God first gives the ability to respond.” 
  2. “God must draw people Himself and awaken faith in the dead hearts.” (John 6:37-40, 47)
  3. “By grace, God calls individuals to faith” (Eph. 2:8-9)
  4. “This favor of God is undeserved and unearned.” (Romans 9:20)
  5. “God must work in individual hearts to draw them to Himself.”
  6. “Because salvation is God’s work from start to finish, all the glory belongs to Him.”

As ambassadors of Christ, it is our mission to share the Word with them (nonbelievers). We are watering the seed that was placed in them before they were born. At some point, most if not all, of our loved ones will recognize the seed of faith growing within causing them to question their lifestyles and who they are in Christ. When that happens, God calls them to Him. Age is not the crucial factor, surely, we want our loved ones to be saved early in life, but we must not give up it may not occur until they are old. Our prayers are not in vain. A prime example is the life of Abraham. God’s promises may escape us in our youth where our free-will seems strongest, and blossom in the later years of life. Don’t give up on them. It is never too late, and our prayers continue to water the seed God placed in them before they were born.

My prayer is:
Lord cover my son/daughter/loved one in your Blood until they call out your name and receive salvation. Protect them on their walk in sin. Cause them to step back from temptation through faith they do not yet know they have. Thank you for planning our paths before you created life on earth. Help me to accept the things I don’t understand. Help us “embrace the struggle with this truth” and “settle our hearts on Your goodness and your unconditional love”. We thank you for standing by us in all times, circumstances, and situations. We will continue to share the Word with our loved ones knowing you are there to retrieve them from death. In Jesus’ Name, AMEN.

References: Bible Study Fellowship, Lesson 16, Genesis 25-26. https://www.bsfinternational.org

Other Resources:

What is the Doctrine of Election. http://www.gotquestions.com;

<p value="<amp-fit-text layout="fixed-height" min-font-size="6" max-font-size="72" height="80">What is the Doctrine of Election? Grace to You. John McArthur. https://www.gty.org/library/articles/A331/what-is-the-doctrine-of-electionWhat is the Doctrine of Election? Grace to You. John McArthur. https://www.gty.org/library/articles/A331/what-is-the-doctrine-of-election

Photo – LAB Photos