“Our Daily Bread”
http://odb.org/2012/12/01/do-we-matter-to-god/
The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie
http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht
Psalm 23:1 & 4… The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. (NKJV) …Here is the link for the entire 23rd Psalm… http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ps23&version=NKJV
The countdown begins for the last 24 days, to what should be 1 of the 2 most important holidays for everyone walking on the face of this earth… Christmas…when the Savior of the world (John 4:42), Jesus Christ was born… And Easter…when Jesus Christ died on the cross, to become the Shepherd that David writes about in the opening scripture…
This time of the year can be very stressful; filled with anxious parents that are trying to fulfill the Christmas wish list made up by their hopeful children… Most parents want their children to be happy, come Christmas morning…when all the presents are opened, and there are smiling faces all around…
Unfortunately, much of the world is living in fear from starvation…fear from physical attacks made by their enemy…or fears that Satan uses to keep those in bondage that don’t have the Lord as their Shepherd, and their personal Savior… These chains of bondage from Satan produce anxiety, worry, sadness, unrest, pain, the unknown,covetousness, greed, anger, and a whole list of other symptoms that come from the evil one…
Becoming a Christian involves developing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ… God gives unredeemed sinners the gift of grace through saving faith alone in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9), to those that seek Christ with a repentant heart; as they turn from their sins, and obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ…
For anyone still living in fear, that is drawn to learn more about what God requires to become a Christian in God’s eyes (John 6:44); here is a link for this most important days writing about how God’s grace is received, through obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ… https://godsmanforever.wordpress.com/2012/10/20/gods-group-thoughts-for-10202012-gods-grace-through-obedience-to-the-gospel-of-christ/
The unredeemed sinner is saved by God’s grace, and filled with a lifelong Helper, the Holy Spirit (also called a Comforter in the KJV) at the moment they become part of God’s family as one of His children…John 14:26…
God wants all of His children to be happy… Not only on Christmas morning, like parents want for their children (right along with us grandparents)…but each and every day of the year… Any Christian that is living in fear or anxiety has to have forgotten that their heavenly Father is right there with them, 24/7 (Deuteronomy 31:6)… Absolute God given peace, in place of anxiety and fear…is just a humble, obedient prayer away…1 John 1:9… It does, however, require total submission to the Lord…James 4:7… Christians can’t expect to go to church once a week…feel they have fulfilled their obligation…and then walk out the door of the church to begin sinning once again in God’s eyes…
I post this following scripture written by the Apostle Paul all of the time; because even though I live in a world that is filled with sin…I am now experiencing the supernatural peace that God promises, to all of His children that are walking in the Spirit…Philippians 4:6-7… Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (NKJV)
This God given supernatural peace, that surpasses our mortal understanding, will only be experienced by God’s children…and only God’s children that are walking in the Spirit… This means they have put their faith and trust in the Lord, and doing their best to always follow the urging of the Holy Spirit… They should no longer have any kind of fear or anxiety about any part of their life… Fear and anxiety come from either Satan, or the Christian that allows their own carnal flesh to take charge of their lives… If God is in control of a Christian’s life, there should be no fear…
We see this in the opening scripture written by David; and again we see this statement about how to live without fear, in another Old Testament piece of scripture…Psalm 118:6… The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? (NKJV)
We see scripture written by the Apostle Paul, revealing the very same truth in the New Testament, in…Romans 8:31… What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (NKJV)
The love of Christ that fills the heart of a Spirit filled Christian, won’t let them forget that God will never leave nor forsake them… And again, in the following scripture…the Christian is reminded that they should be able to live without fear…Hebrews 13:5-6… Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (NKJV)
So this holiday season…look to the Lord… Put your faith and trust in Him… And find a supernatural peace and a real God given joy by experiencing the true reason for the birth of Christ…
Heavenly Father, I pray this special time of the year will become a most memorable time for all of Your children… Help us Lord, to share with others that don’t know You, the true reason for the season… I pray that we could all find Your peace on earth…in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…
written by bruce r mills
God's group 