“Our Daily Bread”   

http://odb.org/2012/07/13/ant-safari/

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie                                  http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht

Mark 11:25…  “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”  (NKJV)

I have been writing a lot about the absolute peace of God, that goes beyond mortal understanding (Philippians 4:6-7…most recently, just yesterday); and a good friend of mine asked me to describe this supernatural peace that I have personally been able to experience for just over 3 years now…

As I so often write, this absolute peace, and joy…and a heart filled with the love of Christ…is only possible when the Christian is walking in the Spirit…  To be able to have the Lord look at your heart, and see that you have no hidden sins lurking there (1 Samuel 16:7)…is only possible with total submission to the Lord; and with constant ongoing prayer (minute by minute if needed), to confess and repent of any and all sins that keep the Christian from being righteous in God’s eyes…1 John 1:9…

If we are honest with our prayer to God, seeking forgiveness of our sins…God promises to forgive us of our sins, and to again make us righteous in His eyes…  But when we are knowingly living in sin, no matter how much we seek to become righteous in God’s eyes…God can’t possibly give us a clean bill of health (so to speak), until we repent and turn from these known sins… We will be grieving the Holy Spirit with any un-repented sins…Ephesians 4:30…

But as Christian’s, it is so easy to be sinning before God, and not even realize it…  I had personally taken back control from the Holy Spirit (slowly over time, without realizing it), and my peace and my joy were gone… Satan wasn’t bothering me, because as Paul recommends in…Ephesians 6:10-20…I was wearing the “Whole Armor of God”, for protection from the evil one (Ephesians 6:11); and indeed God’s Armor was (and still is) working to protect me from Satan’s temptations…

But my own flesh got in the way… And without being Spirit filled (controlled by the Holy Spirit), I found in my own strength…that arguments with yelling and screaming were taken place…that forgiving someone for their trespasses against me, was difficult…and in no way could I find love for someone who hated me… I was given salvation by God; and was surely a Christian in God’s eyes…because of the drastic changes that had taken place in my life (in the blink of an eye), on the day I was saved… Past addictive sins were gone, and still haven’t bothered me in over 10 years…praise the Lord !!

In the opening scripture, Jesus reminds all Christian’s…that they are to forgive others (no matter what), just like Christ has forgiven us of our sins… And as Christian’s, Jesus reminds us that we are to love everyone around us…even our enemies…Matthew 5:43-44… This is not possible in our own strength !!  It wasn’t until just over 3 years ago, when I gave back total control of my life to my Helper, the Holy Spirit…that I can honestly say I am truly living for the Lord, as best I can…  Am I perfect ??  Absolutely not !!  Do I still sin ?? Of course I do…

But with this total submission to the Lord, by following the leading of the Holy Spirit…I have found joy (Romans 14:17 & John 15:11)…peace beyond mortal understanding (Philippians 4:6-7)…the ability to forgive all trespasses (Mark 11:25)…the ability to love even my enemies (Matthew 5:43-44)…absolute faith that God will provide for all of my needs (Matthew 6:33)…and continued growth in the fruit of the Spirit, given to me (and all Christians), as Paul lists them, in…Galatians 5:22-23… But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.  (NKJV)

To remaining filled with the Holy Spirit (at least for me), I spend daily Q/T reading the Bible…read at least 2 daily devotions…pray morning, noon, and night (along with prayer after any sins)…continuously keeping my mind open and aware of the Holy Spirit’s urging…and in general, try to live a life that will be pleasing to the Lord…

If this sounds like a lot of work…its not !!  Relying on the Lord for all of my major decisions, and to supply all of my needs (Matthew 6:33)…becomes easier and easier, as I grow closer to the Lord (James 4:8)…and allow Him to take over my burdens, and to give my soul rest…Matthew 11:29…

Heavenly Father, words on a page still can’t explain the feeling of contentment and peace that You have given me… I pray Lord, that others would be able to experience this peace beyond understanding, that You have blesses me with… Help all of Your children Lord, in whatever area of sins that they may be struggling with… Help all of us in our efforts to become, and then to remain pleasing in Your sight… I pray for this spiritual peace for all of us, that only You can provide…in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…

written by bruce r mills