Power to change our lives

October 21, 2021

I thought this was really good from vision180.org.au today…

‘I will strengthen you and help you.’ Isaiah 41:10 NIV

We go to seminars and conferences looking for a painless cure by which our lives can be zapped and changed. We go on diets. We join gyms and our enthusiasm runs strong for about two weeks. Then we fall back into the same old rut. We don’t change. We read self-help books, but the problem with self-help books is that they tell us what to do but can’t give us the power to do it. We are told things like: ‘Get rid of all your bad habits. Be positive; don’t be negative.’ But how? Where do we get the power to change? 

The Greek word dunamis, meaning ‘power’, occurs 120 times in the New Testament. It is used to describe the most powerful event that ever happened—the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. And that resurrection power is available to change your life today. The most important thing in life is knowing Christ and experiencing the power of His resurrection. 

Paul writes, ‘I want to know Christ—yes to know the power of His resurrection.’ (Philippians 3:10 NIV) Again he writes, ‘I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great His power is to help those who believe in Him. It is that same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead.’ (Ephesians 1:19–20 TLB)

The Greek word dunamis can be understood in two ways: 

(1) ‘dynamite’, which is an explosive force, or 

(2) ‘dynamo’, which is a constant flow of power. 

And in Christ, you have both. Through Him you can break the chains that bind you and the limits that pull you back, and walk victoriously in His power today.

God is patiently waiting

October 20, 2021

“The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” ‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭3:9‬ ‭NLT‬

There are times when it seems like God is doing nothing. In our impatience we might wonder why He doesn’t do something. But God is always working away in the background, in ways we don’t always see. He is drawing people to Himself by the work of Holy Sprit and Christians sharing their faith with others. God is waiting patiently for every last person to make it into the Kingdom. He does not want anyone to miss out.

Prayer

Dear God, help me to see that You don’t want anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance. I pray that I can work with You to help people come to know Jesus and enter Your eternal Kingdom. Amen

The Bible all ties together

October 18, 2021

This might be the most amazing data picture you see in a lifetime. It shows the 63,779 cross-references in the Bible.

The white bars along the bottom represent each Bible chapter from the beginning with Genesis 1 right through to the end of the Bible in Revelation 22. The line’s color shows the reference’s distance from the other. A cross-reference is a scripture that references another scripture.

If the Bible had been written by one person or at one time this would still be amazing. However, the Bible was written by 40 authors over the span of 1500 years on 3 different continents.

The Bible is complex, diverse, and intricate, and yet it has one unified message – God lovingly is redeeming all who believe!

Take it to God in prayer

October 16, 2021

If your are prone to worry and be anxious about things. Here are three verses that can help…

Psalm 55:22 NLT – Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

1 Peter 5:7 NLT – Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

Philippians 4:6 NLT – Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

These three verses show us the importance of giving things to God in prayer. They promise that He cares for us and that He will take care of us. They encourage us to pray about everything.

There is nothing He cannot handle, no matter how small or how big! All problems we face are small in God’s eyes.

Prayer

Lord God, I bring my worries, concerns and burdens to You. I pray You will take them and work them all out according to Your will and purposes. I pray that You will exchange my worries and fears for Your peace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Invite people to see Jesus

October 15, 2021

John 4:39 NLT – Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!”

I really like the story from John 4 where Jesus talks to Samaritan woman. He told her about her life and “everything she had ever done”. Then she went back to her village to invite people to see Jesus. The story goes on to say that many people believed in Jesus because of her invite.

There is great power in the invite. Who can you invite to meet Jesus today?