“Our Daily Bread”   

http://odb.org/2013/01/02/t-ball-faith/

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie                                  

http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht

Psalm 73:28… But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, That I may declare all Your works.  (NKJV)

I have spent the last 2 days writing about God’s desire for His children to draw near to Him, so that God can grow closer to His children… And I posted yesterday, scripture with the same 4 words we read in the opening scripture…“draw near to God”…

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

I spent time explaining how important it was for the Christian to feed upon God’s Word, as taught by Jesus Himself, in…Matthew 4:4…so that they could learn about, and put on God’s entire 6 piece set of spiritual armor to protect themselves from Satan’s fiery darts…Ephesians 6:10-20…   By spending time digesting God’s Word, the Christian will also be nourished to help fertilize the 9 spiritual fruit that God gives all of His children, at the time they are graced with salvation…Galatians 5:22-23…

Yesterday’s suggestion was to make a New Year’s resolution to read and study God’s Word, everyday…  But I warn every reader, that they must be ready for what God clearly presents to us in His Word, in…Hebrews 4:12-13… For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. ¹³ And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.  (NKJV)

There are many churches out there, which spend very little time teaching God’s Word from the Bible…  Yes, there is scripture read from God’s Word…  But I have heard time and again, that many people spend very little time reading their Bible…  For these people who decide to sit down, as I have suggested, and open and read God’s Word…I pray they see the truth God wants for them to see from His inerrant Word, the Bible…

Prior to becoming one of God’s redeemed children…a person is unrighteous in God’s sight; and as all humans, has fallen short of God’s requirements for entrance into heaven…Romans 3:23… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  (NKJV)

No unredeemed sinner can ever do anything to save themselves from eternal damnation…  All of our self-righteous works, that are done in the name of the Lord (like going to church every week)…are summed up by the prophet Isaiah as being worthless for sins to be forgiven, in…Isaiah 64:6… But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.  (NKJV)

God’s grace…and His gift of faith to believe (not any works that are done for Him), is what saves a sinner from their lifetime of sins…Ephesians 2:8-9… For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast.  (NKJV)

And God’s grace (salvation) is given to those who are obedient to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ…  Here is a link for this most important days writing about how God’s grace is received to become a Christian in God’s eyes, 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/

Only God can un-blind a sinner, and regenerate a stone cold heart; changing it into a heart that is filled with the love of Christ… But God uses His Word, to cut right to the core of the sinner’s soul…exposing the sin that is hidden there…  And the truth that is found in God’s Word, is what will free the sinner from Satan’s bonds of sin and shame…

John 8:32…  “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  (NKJV)

So I urge every reader to open and spend some quality time every day in God’s Word… But if you are not a Christian in God’s eyes, be ready to become a new creation in Christ…2 Corinthians 5:17… Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.  (NKJV)

How does one know that God has redeemed them as His child ??  The Holy Spirit will tell you so…Romans 8:16… The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, (NKJV)   There won’t be any question about it… No remarks, like… “I think I am a Christian”…  Or, “I hope I am a Christian”… Your life will change in the blink of an eye…and you will know when God graces you with salvation…because your life will become a new creation with the filling of the Holy Spirit…and your heart will sing with the love of Christ, like never before !!

Heavenly Father, I pray that You draw those in need of Your saving grace to Yourself (John 6:44)… And that the unredeemed would for the first time, realize that they are still a sinner that is still in need of Your saving grace…  I pray for hearts to be regenerated by You; and new children to be added to Your growing kingdom of heaven…  I pray for Your grace to fall upon those in need…in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…

written by bruce r mills