“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” ~ Ephesians 2:8 NLT
Ever since my husband retired we have planned a big trip every year. As a result, we have had the privilege of visiting many countries. However, after our adventures it is always wonderful to return home. There I feel safe, comfortable sleeping in my own bed, eating the food we know is good for us. I assume we will feel much the same way when we go home to Heaven to be with Jesus. All the old fears and concerns will fade away. Our spirits will make a deep sigh as they sink more into Holy Spirit and relish soaking in the love and majesty of our Savior. Heaven is our true home, a place of uninterrupted rest, love, peace, and joy. Are you certain where you will be if you died tomorrow? Nothing is sadder, or more unnecessary, than coming across a true believer who is doubting her salvation. But our enemy is an expert at accusing us, telling us that God could never forgive what we did. Or bombarding us with doubts. “Can God be trusted?” “Am I worthy enough?” The Bible is clear, as Ephesians 2:8 above confirms, that our salvation is a GIFT. A gift does not depend on the receiver’s worthiness. Once given, it belongs to the receiver. Our salvation never depended on our earning it. It has always depended solely on the finished work of Jesus, his sacrifice on our behalf. Our sin and old nature died with Christ on the Cross. Our shame, sin, fears, the lies that entangled us, all of it, were nailed to the cross and covered in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. His blood washed us white as snow. “Okay.” you may be thinking, “but can I lose my salvation?” Again, the Bible is clear. God created us and chose us before the creation of the earth. Psalm 139 says that every day of our lives were written in his book before one came to pass. He knows us, and knew everything that would happen. Paul writes that we were his “enemies” when he saved us. Nothing surprises God. He does not go, “Oops! I didn’t know she was going to be this bad!” He knew everything about us, and he chose to love us and adopt us as his daughters anyway. Grace. How can we be sure? Ephesians 1:14 says that the Holy Spirit in us is God’s guarantee of our inheritance and gives us assurance that God has purchased us to be his own people, his children. Is there evidence of the Holy Spirit in your life? If you are growing in Christ, allowing the Spirit to guide you more and more, then relax. Be assured that you belong to God. He has promised to never leave you nor forsake you. You are in his heart and his Spirit is in you as a guarantee. So, rejoice with me! When the journey and adventure of this life is over, we have a glorious home to return to. We can rest assured that Jesus has already purchased the ticket home. Pray with me: Father God, thank you for choosing me and adopting me into your holy, royal family. I believe that the Holy Spirit is in me now, and that I have the assurance of living with you forever. Please, forgive me when I doubt you. Thank you that my salvation has never depended on what I do, but solely on what Jesus has done for me. I will always belong to you. I pray this in the compassionate, merciful name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Dear friend, be blessed to rest in the assurance of being God’s daughter forever! Rejoice in your inheritance. You will always be loved, accepted and belong to God. Be blessed as you share this assurance with others. Amen. Mary Sumner, February 29, 2020
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Father to the fatherless, defender of widows - this is God whose dwelling is holy.
Psalm 68:5 One of the most painful things we as humans feel is that we do not belong. That is because we were created to belong to God. Most babies bond with their mothers within hours of birth, but all infants need to bond with mother or their caretaker within the first few weeks after birth in order to thrive emotionally and physically. This is not possible if the mother is absent, either because of illness or emotional separation. When that happens, the child senses the absence that he or she then seeks to fill. Perhaps, even as an adult, not understanding what drives her, she will seek substitutes to fill the void, and accompanying sense of lack of well-being. Satan may take advantage of the lack of bonding, since it may come with a lack of spiritual covering or protection for the child. As a result, an orphan spirit may be given an opening to come into the child's life. That spirit harasses the child with thoughts like, "I am not worthy to be loved. I will never belong. Everyone will reject or abandon me. I am all alone. I will never have enough." Those thoughts cause fears, such as fear of rejection or abandonment, of intimacy, failure, never being good enough, or fear of being hurt. That fear torments the child, so that in adulthood, she may feel that, no matter how good things may seem, she will never be loved, never be good enough, will never belong, and never have enough. So she may feel the need to find something to numb the pain, or hide, run away physically or emotionally. It makes it difficult to trust God, who is the only one who can heal and restore what she needs. Does this sound familiar to you or of someone you know? There is hope and restoration in Jesus. He took all of our pain, can break the power of every lie and fear, so that we can hear the truth and be set free. You are not an orphan! When you believed in Jesus and surrendered control of your life to him, you were instantly adopted into a new, spiritual family. You are a child of God Most High, You have a Father who can meet ALL your needs, You will never be rejected or abandoned, You are bonded to Jesus, your Savior, who not only redeemed you from death, but also freed you from all darkness and deception. You have God, the Holy Spirit, living in you to work in you to bring healing and wholeness, Seek the freedom that is yours in Christ! Pray with me: Father God, thank you for choosing me and adopting me into your royal family. I believe that the Holy Spirit in me now, is the power that raised Jesus from the dead, so he can restore all the good things that were lost or stolen from me. In the authority I have in Christ, I cancel every evil assignment against me and break the power of every false belief that has kept me in bondage. I declare that I am not an orphan. I will never be abandoned or rejected by my heavenly Father. Since I am his child, he will provide all that I need. I am safe and secure in Christ. So, if any orphan spirit attached itself to me, I command it to go to the Cross of Christ and never return to me or my family line. I receive my freedom and all the healing and restoration that comes with it! Thank you, Lord. In Jesus' powerful name I pray. Amen. Dear friend, be blessed to live in the freedom Christ died to give you. Be filled with confident hope as you experience the love of your heavenly Father and believe and receive all that is yours as his child. Rejoice and thank God for his mercy and grace! Amen. Mary Sumner February 15, 2020 |
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