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holy spirit

Stand Firm in Your Faith

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“If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.”
Isaiah 7:9 NIV

What you stand firm in is where you place your identity. For Christians we can tell ourselves that our identity is rooted in Christ, but do we act that way? We need to remember that our actions speak louder than our words. What have you done lately to show that you are standing firm in your faith? Sometimes it’s not a “ready for battle attitude”, but instead it’s more of “circling back around to the truth.” After you feel like you’ve exhausted all other options, so now it’s time to pray. After you allowed anxiety and worry to consume you, you remind yourself of God’s love.

Reminding ourselves:

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  2 Corinthians 4:8-10

We are human and sometimes we want to try to make ourselves happy or try to fix things ourselves. Standing firm is not in our own power, but in the power God gives us. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. The Holy Spirit is our super power! He is where our supernatural strength comes from. He is where our perseverance comes from… But only if we activate our power through Him.

If you are wondering whether you’ve been standing firm in your faith or in something else, I encourage you to ask yourself what is it that most people see when they look at you? Are you living as such that people can see Jesus in you, or are worldly worries and idols take over your heart?

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me

Psalm 51:10-12

This is my prayer for you today, friends.

Stephanie Miller

 

Photo Credit: image created via wordswag

Fruit of the Spirit – SELF-CONTROL

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” 
Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

This picture could easily be me (sans the beautiful water in the background). Head down, heart sad, feeling like such a failure… again. Why? Because I’ve blown it… again. My three year old knows just the right buttons to push to bring mommy to her breaking point. And sometimes, I do. I crack, I lose my patience and self-control, and I blow up. And then the remorse comes. Did I really just allow a three year old to steal my self-control? It is MY self-control to hold onto or throw away. For my husband, losing his self-control comes when he’s driving on the road with other drivers. It’s like a person I never knew can break forth from that man when we’re on the road!

Whatever your triggers are, you have to recognize that it is YOUR self-control. No one can steal it from you, no one can make you lose it. To lose it is a choice you make all on your own. It is not an easy task, but with the power of the Holy Spirit living inside us we can be victorious! For me, I know it will be a lifelong task of growth, but I will become a more self-controlled, godly woman. I’m praying that over you right now as well friend.

I’ll close today with 2 Peter 1:3-9. “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.”

God bless!

Noree Wegmeyer

Photo Credit:  https://pixabay.com/photos/girl-sitting-jetty-docks-sad-1822702/

Fruit of the Spirit – FAITHFULNESS

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” 
Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

When I was eleven, my family moved to Israel as missionaries. Every time we crossed the ocean the airplane would be full of Jews. Sometime during the flight (depending upon what time the flight was) the Jewish males would wrap what is called “tefillin” around their hands and foreheads as part of their prayer ritual. Tefillin are small black leather boxes that contain scrolls inscribed with parts of the Torah. The Orthodox Jews faithfully wrap these little boxes around their hands and foreheads when reciting their daily prayers. They do this because in Deuteronomy 6:8 the Lord commands the Israelites to bind His law on their foreheads and tie them as symbols on their hearts.

Sometimes it made me so sad to watch them so faithfully reciting their heartfelt prayers to God while at the same time rejecting Jesus as the Messiah. So many Jews are so faithful in their worship to God, while remaining blind to the Truth of Jesus Christ. But as followers of Jesus Christ we are not blind! We have been set free to faithfully worship our Lord and Savior. In Proverbs 3:3 the father is telling the son, “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.” I pray you would take a few moments as we close to get vulnerable before God and ask Him to convict you of any areas in your life that you are unfaithful to Him. Sit in silence for a few moments and allow God to speak. If there is anything, I encourage you to confess it back to God, ask for His forgiveness, ask Him to help you become faithful in that area, and find an accountability partner if needed. The Bible continually emphasizes the everlasting faithfulness of God towards His creation. As His children it is only fitting that we strive to do the same toward Him.

God bless!

Noree Wegmeyer

Photo Credit: https://www.freeimages.com/photo/faith-1221055