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Author: Lori Casto

Redemption

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

Ephesians 1:7-12

Keep Unity

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Ephesians 4:1-6

Give cheerfully

 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9:6

Love

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 22:37-40

Be Careful

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6:1-4

Overcomers

Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.

 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ”

Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” And Jesus answered and said to him,  “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,’ and,‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”  Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. Luke 4:1-13

When the Spirit of God lead Jesus into the wilderness for 40 days, the devil tempted Jesus 3 times. 3 times Jesus resisted the devil. I think it’s important to note that the Holy Spirit directed Jesus to the wildness and the Holy Spirit of God helped Jesus resist the devil. The word says Jesus was filled with the Spirit. Jesus also used God’s word to resist the devil.

We can overcome. We can become overcomers. Jesus himself gives us a great testimony as to how. When we resist the devil, he has to flee. He WILL flee. The word says so.

The power of the Holy Spirit, God’s word, and the precious name & blood of Jesus are so important in our lives if we want to live lives overcoming instead of lives of defeat. As Christians, isn’t it time we activate the power and authority we have to be the overcomers God wants us to be? The devil WILL flee if we resist him. He will wait for any opportunity to cause defeat in our lives, but we have the power to resist every time.

How will you devote2day?

Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:7-8a

Benefits

Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:1-5

The Helper – The Holy Spirit

John 14:16 And I (Jesus)will pray the Father (God), and He will give you another Helper, that He(The Holy Spirit) may abide with you forever

John 14:26  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father (God)will send in My name (Jesus), He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

 

John 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I (Jesus) shall send to you from the Father (God), the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.

John 16:7-  Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

John 16:13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide (help) you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

 

Isaiah 41:10 (God)

Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

 

My dear children, I write this letter to you so you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a helper in the presence of the Father—Jesus Christ, the One who does what is right. He died in our place to take away our sins, and not only our sins but the sins of all people 1 John 2: 1-2

 

My Father’s Glory

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

John 15:1-8



 

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!

Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!
Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150

Stay Free

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1 NKJV

Living in sin means living in darkness. Living in sin means being trapped. Living in sin means living in bondage. The good news? There’s a way out. If we accept Jesus as Lord, we automatically live in light. In fact, if we walk in the light of Jesus, we won’t even be able to find darkness. It’s amazing how we may not even realize we’re living in darkness until we receive His Light. In Jesus, there’s no darkness AT ALL! How powerful is that?

Once we walk in the light as Jesus is in the light, Paul tells us to stay in the light. Don’t get trapped again. Another words, stay free. Sin has a way of wrapping its ugly tentacles around us until we can’t move. Before we know it, we’re being suffocated to death. Paul is telling us not to allow that to happen again. Protect the light you are in and stand guard through the reading of God’s word, fellowship with other believers, and praise and worship.

Run the race and don’t give up. It can only happen one day at a time. How will you devote2day?

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us  Hebrews 12:1 NIV

 

Freedom

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1 NKJV

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 NIV

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. Galatians 5:1 NLT

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Hebrews 12:1 NLT

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us  Hebrews 12:1 NIV

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, Hebrews 12:1 NKJV


 

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