Nothing Can Separate Me from God’s Love

In Ephesians 4:1 I read, "Live and act in a way worthy of those who have been chosen for such wonderful blessings as these.” (TLB)

God will never ever stop loving me. I’ll always be loved. Nothing can destroy my relationship with God. When I grasp this fact, it will change my life.

Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels won’t, and all the powers of hell itself cannot keep God’s love away. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, or where we are—high above the sky, or in the deepest ocean—nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when he died for us” (TLB).

When I put my hand in God’s hand, he grasps it, and never lets go. I may feel like letting go at times. But God never will. I am eternally secure.

Once I’m born into a family, I can’t be unborn out of it. Once I’m born again, I can’t be unborn out of the family of God. Once my name is written in the eternal book of life, it can’t be erased. It’s indelible ink.

It doesn’t matter how many doubts or fears I have or how many sins I commit. If I put my trust in Christ, he says nothing, will ever separate me from his love. No matter what I face in life, I will never face it alone.

This is the Good News: I’m forgiven, and free. God is for me, and he’s never going to stop loving me.

Understanding this Good News is the most important thing for me, and for every other person on this planet. No one else can offer what Jesus Christ offers: a life of freedom, forgiveness, power, peace, and purpose that goes on and on for eternity.

What should be my response? “Live and act in a way worthy of those who have been chosen for such wonderful blessings as these” (Ephesians 4:1 TLB).

Live in a way that’s worthy. Live with hope, and share that hope with others.

In summary, I need to live and act in a way worthy of those who have been chosen for such wonderful blessings as these. God will never ever stop loving me. I’ll always be loved. Nothing can destroy my relationship with God. When I put my hand in God’s, he grasps it, and never lets go. I may feel like letting go, but God never will. I can’t be unborn out of the family of God. Once my name is written in the eternal book of life, it can’t be erased. It doesn’t matter how many doubts or fears I have or how many sins I commit. If I put my trust in Christ, nothing will ever separate me from his love. No matter what I face in life, I will never face it alone. This is the Good News: I’m forgiven, and free. God is for me, and he’s never going to stop loving me. So I need to live in a way that’s worthy. Live with hope, and share that hope with others.

God has chosen me to be Christ's representative on earth. In light of this truth, Paul challenges me to live a life worthy of the calling I have received, the awesome privilege of being called Christ's very own. This includes being humble, gentle, patient, understanding, and peaceful. People are watching my life. Can they see Christ in me? How well am I doing as his representative? 

Father, thank you for Your Word and Jesus as my savior and example. You want me and I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. Help me to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. 

Father, help me to live in a way that’s worthy of this. Help me to live with hope, and share that hope with others.

I ask for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, doing well and making a difference in my new job.  I pray these things through you Son Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

Faith Is Thanking God in Advance

In Mark 11:24 I read, “When you pray and ask for something, believe that you have received it, and you will be given whatever you ask for.” (GNT)

Faith is not just believing God can do something. Faith is not just hoping he will do something. Faith is thanking God in advance.

Jesus said, “When you pray and ask for something, believe that you have received it, and you will be given whatever you ask for” (Mark 11:24 GNT).

I need to thank God in advance before I get it in order for it to come true. If I thank God after I’ve got it, that’s gratitude. When I thank him in advance, that’s faith.

Gratitude is good and right. But my goal should be to become a person of deeper faith. To do that, I need to thank God in advance.

If I was handed you a check right now for a thousand dollars, would I wait until I cashed it to thank the one who gave it to me? No! I’d thank them right now. But the money wouldn’t actually be mine until I cashed it, because that check is really a promise. When I received that check, I'd say, “Thank you.” I would believe that the one who gave me the check was credible and that they had enough money in the bank to cover it.

In the same way, faith is thanking God in advance. It’s believing that what God has promised, he will provide. It’s saying I love God for who he is and not just what he can do for me. It’s showing that I trust him to do what he’s said he will do.

One day two blind men followed Jesus to the home where he was staying. They shouted at him to have mercy on them, and Jesus asked them if they had faith that he could heal them. They answered that they believed, and Jesus said, “Because of your faith, it will happen” (Matthew 9:29 NLT).

If God tells me to go after Moby Dick in a rowboat, take the tartar sauce, you’re going to have a fish fry tonight!

In summary, when I pray and ask for something, I need to believe that I have received it, and what I ask for will be given. Faith is not just believing God can do something. Faith is not just hoping he will do something. Faith is thanking God in advance. I need to learn to thank God in advance before I get it. If I thank God afterwards, that’s gratitude. When I thank him in advance, that’s faith. Gratitude is good and right. But my goal should be to become a person of deeper faith. To do that, I need to thank God in advance. When I thank God in advance, It’s believing that what God has promised, he will provide. It’s saying I love God for who he is and not just what he can do for me. It’s showing that I trust him to do what he’s said he will do. If God tells me to do something, I need to do and be prepared for what he’ll provide.

My prayers are often motivated by my own interests and desires. I like hearing that I can have anything. But Jesus prayed with God's interests in mind. When I pray, I can express my desires, but I should want his will above my own. So, I need to check to be sure my prayers are  in my interests or on God's.

Father, thank you for Your Word and Jesus as my savior and example. You want me and I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. Help me to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. 

Father, help me to keep in mind to pray your will above mine and to thank you in advance, believing that you had already provided.

I ask for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, doing well and making a difference in my new job.  I pray these things through you Son Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

Tell It Like God Wants It to Be

In Romans 4:17 I read, “[God] speaks of future events with as much certainty as though they were already past.” (TLB)

My words have enormous power. To become a man of faith, I have to change the way I talk. I have to announce it in order to experience it.

Sometimes speaking in faith appears totally foolish, arrogant, and out of touch with reality to people who don’t understand faith. Abraham knew about this. God came to Abram one day and said, “Abram, I’m going to change your name from Abram to Abraham.” Abraham means “the father of a great nation.”

There was only one problem: Abraham was 99 years old, and he had no kids. He was probably ruthlessly ridiculed for his name. But God says we don’t live in the world of human reality. We live in the world of spiritual reality. When I see the world with spiritual eyes, I see it not as it is but as it can be, as it should be, and as God wants it to be.

Romans 4:17 says God “speaks of future events with as much certainty as though they were already past” (TLB). That’s called speaking in faith, I announce it in order to experience it.

Yet I may hear some people say, “I just tell it like it is.” They criticize this and put that down. They can be fairly negative, because there are a lot of reasons in the world to be negative.

That’s one way to do it. But there’s a better way. Instead of telling it like it is, I can tell it like it could be! Telling it like it is has never changed anybody. It only makes people defensive.

For example, I could say to someone, “You’re a lousy father. You don’t spend any time with your kids because your career is more important.” But when I label someone, I reinforce it.

Instead, I could say, “I see in you the potential for greatness. If you let Jesus Christ take control of your life, you won’t be perfect, but you can become a godly man of character that your kids admire.” That’s the kind of talk that motivates change!

Remember, I don’t have to tell it like it is. Tell it like it could be, like it should be, like God wants it to be. Speak it in advance and in faith, and then watch how God works.

In summary, God speaks of future events with as much certainty as though they were already past. My words have enormous power. To become a man of faith, I have to change the way I talk. I have to announce it in order to experience it. Sometimes speaking in faith appears totally foolish, arrogant, and out of touch with reality. God says that I don’t live in the world of human reality, rather I live in the world of spiritual reality. When I see the world with spiritual eyes, I see it not as it is but as it can be, as it should be, and as God wants it to be. Announce it in order to experience it. Instead of telling it like it is, I can tell it like it could be! Telling it like it is has never changed anybody. It only makes people defensive. I could say, “You’re lousy.” But when I label someone, I reinforce it. Instead, say, “I see in you the potential for greatness. If you let Jesus Christ take control of your life, you won’t be perfect, but you can become a godly man of character. That’s the kind of talk that motivates change! So I don’t have to tell it like it is. Rather I should tell it like it could be, like it should be, like God wants it to be. Speak it in advance and in faith, and then watch how God works.

Father, thank you for Your Word and Jesus as my savior and example. You want me and I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. Help me to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. 

Father, through your Holy Spirit living in me, help me to tell it like it could, should and the way you want it to be. Help me build others up and not label them. Help them see the potential within themselves.

I ask for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, doing well and making a difference in my new job.  I pray these things through you Son Jesus’ name, Amen.

Obey Because God Says So

In Hebrews 11:7 I read, “It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before.” (NLT)

Faith is obedience when I don’t understand. In the New Testament alone, there are 1,050 commands—and they’re all for my benefit.

God often says things that seem confusing, such as, “Love your enemies” and “Forgive the people who hurt you.” That’s not easy! Many commands in the Bible seem difficult, unreasonable, unrealistic, unachievable, and even impossible. But when God says things like, “You should save sex for marriage,” he’s not being mean. He says it because he knows more than I do what’s best and what will make me happy.

Every time God tells me to do something, it’s a test of my faith. The question is this: Do I trust God, or do you trust my gut? Do I trust the Word, or do I trust the world? Will I obey?

Just like he did with Noah, God will ask me to do things I don’t understand for the rest of my life. God will say, “I want you to do this.” And I’ll ask, “Why? That doesn’t make sense.” And God will say, “Because I said so.”

Situations like these are a test. Faith is believing when I don’t see it, but it’s also obeying when I don’t understand it. If I don’t learn to obey, I’ll miss out on so many blessings God has in store for me.

But if I learn to do what God tells me to do without question, even when it seems absurd and the exact opposite of my natural tendency, then I will grow in faith, and be blessed.

In summary, it was by faith that Noah built a large boat. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. Faith is obedience when I don’t understand. God often says things that seem confusing, such as, “Love your enemies” and “Forgive the people who hurt you.” That’s not easy! Many commands in the Bible seem difficult, unreasonable, unrealistic, unachievable, and even impossible. But when God says it, it’s because he knows more than I do what’s best and what will make me happy. Every time God tells me to do something, it’s a test of my faith. Do I trust God, or do you trust my gut or the world? God will ask me to do things I don’t understand for the rest of my life. God will say, “I want you to do this.” And I’ll ask, “Why? That doesn’t make sense.” And God will say, “Because I said so.” Situations like these are a test. Faith is believing when I don’t see it, but it’s also obeying when I don’t understand it. If I don’t learn to obey, I’ll miss out on so many blessings. But if I learn to do what God tells me to do without question, then I will grow in faith, and be blessed.

Noah experienced rejection because he was different from his neighbors. God commanded him to build a huge boat in the middle of dry land, and although God's command seemed foolish, Noah obeyed it. Noah's obedience made him appear strange to his neighbors, just as the new beliefs of the Jewish Christians undoubtedly made them stand out. As I obey God, don't be surprised if others regard me as "different." My obedience makes my disobedience stand out. Remember, if God asks you to do something, he will give me the necessary strength to carry out that task. 

Father, thank you for Your Word and Jesus as my savior and example. You want me and I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. Help me to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. 

Father, through your Holy Spirit living in me, help me to be obedient to what you ask, even though I may not always understand it. 

I ask for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, doing well and making a difference in my new job.  I pray these things through you Son Jesus’ name, Amen.