Holy Spirit

12
Feb
2024
Aligning Our Hearts with God

Aligning Our Hearts with God

“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” James 4:3

Ask with Pure Motives

This verse gives us keen insight into why some prayers go unanswered – wrong motives. We ask for things to satisfy our own selfish desires, not to align with God’s kingdom purposes. We pursue temporal pleasures rather than eternal significance.

But the Lord searches the heart, discerning why we ask for what we do. He refuses to fund endeavors fueled by fleshly appetites rather than spiritual ones.

Examine your recent prayers. Do they center on comfort, entertainment, or success? Shift your focus to intercession for others, petitions for spiritual growth, requests for open doors to share Christ. Pray with pure motives – to know Jesus more, to make Him known.

As your heart realigns with His, you’ll find prayers powerfully answered!

Desires Versus Needs

Our wants and wish lists often reflect surface-level desires rather than core needs. We ask for vacations, purchases, or experiences that may provide fleeting enjoyment but not deeply satisfy.

Meanwhile, we neglect to request provisions for growth in grace, passion for the lost, or boldness to follow Jesus wherever He leads. But when we pray for courage to share our faith or opportunity to serve, God delights to grant these needs.

As David sought after God’s own heart, he discovered lasting joy. As Paul prayed for spiritual power, churches were planted. Ask the Lord to exchange your desires for His – to crave steady communion with Christ above all else. Watch needs eclipse wants.

Kingdom Focus Over Personal Fulfillment

It’s tempting to view prayer as a path to personal fulfillment, comfort, and success. But its truer purpose is aligning our hearts with God’s kingdom goals. We don’t pray primarily to enhance our lives but to exalt His name, establish His reign, and enrich others.

As Jesus taught in the Lord’s Prayer, we petition first for His name to be hallowed and kingdom to come. When our motives elevate His glory over our gratification, prayer grows powerful and effective.

We gain holy boldness to ask great things of God, knowing He desires to display His might through humble, trusting hearts. He invites us to partner with Him through kingdom-focused prayer

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Posted by onthesolidrock in Daily Inspiration
10
Jan
2024
Far Off to Up Close

Far Off to Up Close

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

Ephesians 2:13

Picture yourself standing at the edge of a deep canyon, separated by an immense chasm from someone dear across the divide. You long to be united, but no bridge spans the gap.

This illustrates the vast separation between God and man caused by sin. Our rebellion cut us off from intimate friendship with our Creator. Made in His image but mired in sin, we were lost, helpless, and unable to bridge the divide.

Jesus’ sacrifice provides the only bridge back to God. His blood shed on the cross reconciles alienated souls to the Father. Now we who were once far off have been brought wondrously near through Christ!

Access Granted

Under the old covenant, people could not approach God directly but needed priests as intermediaries. Sinful humanity could not survive His holy presence.

The torn curtain after Christ’s death signified free access to God for all who come through Jesus. There is no longer any barrier, boundary or buffer between forgiven sinners and their loving Father. Not even the holiest person enjoys greater access.

Through His grace, God embraces us tenderly as His precious children. Draw near to Him with awe and thanksgiving for this open-armed welcome!

Adopted into God’s Family

In Christ, we have not only been invited to draw near to God but also adopted into His family. We belong through the bond of rebirth as God’s sons and daughters.

Once unrelated and far off, now intimately connected and loved – this is the miracle Christ accomplished. Outsiders have become insiders, foreigners grafted in as God’s household.

No words can fully capture the beauty of a close relationship with the God the Father. Let us live out this adopted identity as dearly loved children.

Respond in Praise

How will you respond to being brought wondrously near to God through Christ? Offer extravagant praise for His reconciling grace. Worship the God who desired intimacy with you.

And as you bask in closeness with the Father, look around for other prodigals still far off. Become the embodiment of Christ’s love that welcomes them home.

Our Shepherd rejoices over each rescued sheep. Through His blood we have been brought near. Hallelujah!

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Posted by onthesolidrock in Daily Inspiration
31
Dec
2023
Old Yeast

Old Yeast

“Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” (1 Corinthians 5:7)

Examining Our Hearts

During the Passover feast, God commanded His people to remove all leaven from their homes.

Yeast causes bread to rise, picturing how sin swells up and permeates our lives.

This yearly ritual reminded Israelites to examine their hearts and take sin seriously.

As believers in Jesus, we also must regularly inspect our lives and root out “old leaven” – attitudes and behaviors that displease God.

Christ’s sacrifice frees us from sin’s power, making us new creations. However, we still struggle with remnants of our old nature that lead us astray if left unchecked.

Pride, greed, lust, bitterness, and selfishness can puff us up like yeast if not confronted and confessed.

Getting rid of sinful leaven requires brutal honesty. We must ask God to reveal blind spots and things sabotaging our spiritual growth.

While painful, facing the truth positions our hearts to be purified and transformed by the Holy Spirit’s cleansing fire.

Removing sin restores the sweet fellowship with Jesus that yeast corrodes.

Crumbs of Compromise

It only takes a small amount of yeast to leaven an entire lump of dough. Similarly, “little” sins or compromises spread and damage our whole lives if tolerated.

Believers often excuse gossip, white lies, inappropriate media, anger, or addictions as harmless. But these behaviors grieving the Spirit, have profound consequences if left unchecked.

Rationalizing and downplaying sins gives the enemy footholds. As issues accumulate over time, we become desensitized until flagrant wickedness seems normal.

Yeast is insidious and penetrating. The only solution is to sincerely confess specific sins and turn away from them.

We must remove even small bits of leaven to remain unleavened bread.

Living holy requires vigilance. Regularly evaluating our lives identifies areas needing God’s cleansing fire.

Even after cleansing, we must guard our hearts since sin crouches at the door.

Staying unleavened means promptly repenting when we stumble. God uses our trials to reveal and refine away sinful impurities.

Becoming New

Christ sacrificed Himself as the ultimate Passover Lamb to free us from sin and death.

Now saved by grace, we have a new unleavened identity in Him. Our old selves died on the cross so that we might live free in the Spirit.

However, living into our new natures requires intentionally removing the old leaven of wickedness.

As we increasingly yield control to the Spirit, He empowers us to reject temptations and walk in holiness.

Staying unleavened is only possible through relying on Christ’s strength. Our part is submitting our wills completely to Him.

God is pleased when we actively participate in the process of sanctification. Regular self-examination and repentance keep our lives pure and unleavened for Jesus’ glory.

If you like these daily devotionals; you may be interested in our daily
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Posted by onthesolidrock in Daily Inspiration
30
Dec
2023
Becoming Spiritual Adults

Becoming Spiritual Adults

“Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly–mere infants in Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:1

Leaving Behind Childish Ways

When we first come to faith in Christ, we are like newborn babies – dependent, helpless, and lacking understanding.

Just as a baby needs milk and care from its mother, a new believer needs basic spiritual nourishment and discipleship to grow.

However, we are not meant to remain in this infant state forever. The goal is to mature into spiritual adults who live by the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

Unfortunately, some believers get stuck in perpetual infancy. They never move beyond elementary teachings about God and live according to their fleshly impulses rather than the leading of the Spirit.

The Corinthian church struggled with this issue. Paul rebuked them for being worldly and acting like infants in Christ.

They were still feeding on milk when they should have been digesting solid food and living by the Spirit’s power.

To become spiritual adults, we must make a conscious effort to grow up in our faith. This requires dedicating ourselves to prayer, Bible study, fellowship, serving, and living out what we learn.

As we yield to the Spirit daily, He will transform us to be more like Jesus. Our actions and attitudes will become more Christlike.

We will gain spiritual wisdom and discernment to navigate life’s challenges. God wants us to keep maturing until we reach full maturity in Him.

Laying the Groundwork

A strong foundation is essential for any building to stand firm and tall. In the same way, our spiritual growth requires a solid basis upon which God can build our faith and Christlike character.

This groundwork includes understanding core doctrines like the Trinity, the deity of Christ, salvation by grace, and the authority of Scripture.

Knowing biblical truths about who God is and how He operates in the world anchors us when trials come.

Understanding theology helps prevent us from being deceived by false teachings and distorted views of God.

It equips us to discern truth from error and to recognize divine principles that transcend culture and circumstances.

The more rooted we are in sound doctrine, the more we are able to apply God’s Word wisely in practical areas of life.

Our beliefs directly impact our behavior. Building on solid theological groundwork enables us to grow upward into maturity.

Pressing Onward and Upward

Reaching higher levels of spiritual growth requires consistency and perseverance.

We must make seeking God a daily priority, not just a Sunday routine.

Intimacy with Christ comes through regularly praying, studying the Bible, and practicing what we learn. As we walk closely with Jesus day by day, His Spirit transforms us increasingly into His likeness.

It’s important to recognize that the path to maturity has ups and downs. We won’t completely arrive until reaching heaven. But through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can keep progressing.

When we stumble and regress to childish ways, God will lovingly discipline us and get us back on track if we let Him. His goal is for us to develop the mind of Christ and walk as Jesus did.

Pressing onward requires godly friends and mentors to encourage us, confess sins, answer questions, and model mature faith.

Their wisdom and accountability push us to go deeper with Christ. We must humble ourselves to learn from those further along.

Spiritual growth is a community project. Together, we help one another become mature disciples led by the Holy Spirit.

Living Out Our Faith

The ultimate proof of spiritual maturity is how we live.

If we claim faith but our behavior remains unchanged, something is off.

As we grow in Christ, our values, priorities, words, and deeds will align more with God’s kingdom and righteousness. The Holy Spirit transforms us from within so that our external lives radiate Jesus.

Mature believers live with integrity. They bridle their tongue, control inappropriate desires, and treat people with Christlike love.

Spiritual adults are quick to forgive, slow to anger, and invested in serving others.

They make decisions prayerfully based on biblical principles. Times of hardship reveal the depth of their spiritual roots and trust in God’s sovereignty.

Our lives should match the gospel we profess. The process of becoming spiritually mature equips us to represent Jesus well to a watching world.

If you like these daily devotionals; you may be interested in our daily
“One Minute with God”
YouTube videos.

Posted by onthesolidrock in Daily Inspiration
29
Dec
2023
Making Peace

Making Peace

    “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18

Peace is an elusive commodity in our world.

Turn on the news and you’ll be bombarded with stories of strife and discord: wars, protests, political clashes, interpersonal conflicts.

Maintaining peace with others can seem like an impossible aspiration when there are so many forces working against it.

Yet as followers of Christ, we are called to “make every effort” to live at peace (Hebrews 12:14). This directive in Romans 12 makes clear our responsibility.

Peacemaking must begin with us, regardless of others’ attitudes and actions. We are to do all we can to promote peace.

Removing Barriers

Making peace requires examining our own hearts.

Do we harbor bitterness, nurse grudges, gossip, or cast judgment on others?

These destroy relationships and grieve the Holy Spirit. God wants us to take responsibility for removing inner barriers that hinder peace.

As we surrender past hurts to the Lord and walk in forgiveness, it clears away debris that chokes relationships.

Praying blessings over those who have wronged us cultivates empathy and softens hardened hearts.

And asking God to refine our speech and filter our words prevents many conflicts from igniting in the first place.

Depositing Seeds of Peace

Once inner walls come down through dealing with our own hearts, we can turn outward and actively deposit seeds of peace.

This starts with modeling qualities that defuse tension like patience, kindness, and self-control.

Taming our tongue and not returning insult for insult deprives quarrels of oxygen.

Lovingly confronting issues in their early stages, before they intensify, can prevent ruptured relationships.

Seeking to truly understand others’ perspectives rather than forcing our opinions fosters mutual edification.

God’s Peace in Us

Of course, living at peace is not fully up to us. We will encounter people who are difficult, divisive or downright antagonistic.

As much as it depends on us, we should pursue peace while trusting God with results that are out of our control.

And we can take comfort that God’s peace in our hearts is not contingent on perfect relationships.

By drawing near to Jesus, the Prince of Peace, we tap into a wellspring of serenity that transcends circumstances.

His Spirit calms anxious thoughts, soothing relational tensions. Even when surrounded by hostility and chaos, we can know God’s peace guarding our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7).

Agents of Reconciliation

God calls peacemakers His children and tasks us with spreading peace in our spheres of influence (Matthew 5:9).

As ambassadors of reconciliation, we bring the ministry entrusted to us – one conversation, act of forgiveness, gesture of goodwill at a time (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

If you like these daily devotionals; you may be interested in our daily
“One Minute with God”
YouTube videos.

Posted by onthesolidrock in Daily Inspiration