Hebrews 10:10 (NIV): "And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." 

If we are all honest, there are things in this life that we have participated in that make us feel ashamed. Sins that linger in our memories and make us feel as though God is not quite happy with me. The enemy of our soul wants to keep us bound up in feelings of guilt and despair so that we cannot walk in freedom and shine brightly for God. As long as we carry the weight of shame, we will feel “not good enough” to be truly loved by God, most less be used by God. We need to remember, though, the FINISHED work of the Cross! Jesus went to Calvary for one reason…to pay the debt that we owe. The Apostle Paul wrote in Colossian 2:14, “…by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” What does that mean exactly? It means for those of us who are in Christ Jesus, there is not even a record that we were ever in debt to God. Not only do we not need to feel guilty anymore, we ARE NOT guilty anymore. In Christ, we are guiltless.

Embrace the truth that in Christ you are guiltless today!
Theresa

Genesis 8:11 (ESV): “And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth.”

Noah and his family had been on that ark for what seemed like an eternity! Forty days and forty nights of flooding rain and waters had rocked their world. Then, the waiting came. Waiting for the waters to recede and the land to appear. Day after day, night after night, feeding animal after animal…the routine must have seemed endless! Have you ever had days like that? When the waiting for an answer, for a healing, for a change seems endless? Keep looking up! Noah did, and one day a little dove brought him a twig of hope. 110 days after the rain stopped, the ark landed on Mt. Ararat. God kept His promise to Noah, and God will keep His promises to you. Wait patiently on Him. Cling to your twigs of hope. God is working even when you cannot see!

You have a hope in Christ today!
Theresa

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV): “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

It is in the difficulties and challenges of this life that we build perseverance. Perseverance leads to character building, the spiritual foundation focused on the light of hope, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that we will not be desolate. It is in the difficulties where we find the spiritual strength afforded by our Creator. God assures us that He will not allow more to come upon us than we can take, and He promises to be with us always. Let us turn affliction into light, His light that illuminates our being, the light that clears the darkness of confusion, the torch that illuminates His way. “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8-9).

Have no fear today!
Theresa

John 5:6 (ESV): "When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there for a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be healed?’”

In Jerusalem there is a pool called Bethesda which was believed to have healing powers. An angel would come and stir the waters; then, the first person into the water would be healed from his infirmity. One day as Jesus passed by, He noticed a man who had made it his habit to be at this pool day-in and day-out for thirty-eight years! When Jesus saw the man and knew that he had been doing the same thing for so long with no result, He asked, “Do you want to be healed?” Now, one might think the man would immediately cry out, “YES! Can you help me?” But, instead, he said with a resigned attitude, “I have no one to put me in the water” (John 5:7). Although the man was showing up, he had no real hope of getting up.

I have heard the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result. Jesus was about to put an end to this man’s insanity by insisting that he do something different. Jesus said, “Get up” (John 5:8), and in his getting up, the man was healed (John 5:9).

How many of us are seeking answers to issues in our lives, but we are doing the same thing over and over trying to fix our problems? Maybe it is time to do something different. Do you want to be healed? Then don’t lie there in your infirmity; get up! Get up the faith to trust Christ with your relationships, your job, your health, your finances, your addictions, your fears, your unforgiveness…whatever your circumstance or affliction. And, in your getting up, trust God that your healing will come.

Jesus, the Healer, is passing by today!
Theresa

Psalm 138:8 (ESV): “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”

When God made you, He smiled. He looked at the work of His hands, and said “He/she is good!” Sin has a destructive way of tarnishing our lives and veiling the good that we can see, though. But, here is some incredibly encouraging news…God will not forsake His work. He is a God of redemption who knows how to restore and how to make completely new. The problem for most of us is that we are always focused on how much work God still needs to do on us instead of rejoicing in what He has already done. We look ahead at some distant and seemingly unattainable goal of perfection, instead of glancing over our shoulders to realize how far we have come. Today, I challenge you to rejoice over the work of God in your life! Now, “rejoice” is an inward emotion that requires an outward expression! It’s that “whoop-whoop or body slam” kind of behavior when your team scores a goal. The Apostle Paul teaches us in Philippians 4:4 to go throughout our day with a “high five” mentality for what God is working in our lives. Our Lord never slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121:3-4), and He will not quit on you (John 19:30). He will successfully and completely accomplish everything that He has purposed for you!

God is smiling on you today!
Theresa

Romans 8:37 (ESV): “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

We win! Because of Christ, no matter what our plight, no matter what our fight, we win! When Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and resurrected Himself, He became the victor over death, disease, the curse of sin, and the gates of hell. There are no foes left for Him to conquer. When we are in Christ, we inherit His position of champion! No foe can overcome us; no devil can defeat us. This life is filled with small battles that sometimes cause us to fear. But, we need to remind ourselves of the eternal truth of who we are – “More than conquerors through him who loved us.”

We are victorious in Christ today!
Theresa

1 Peter 2:9-10 (ESV): “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Some people go through life wondering who they are and why they were ever born. For those in Christ, there is no question of our “who” or of our “why.” The Apostle Peter makes it very plain for us. Who we are is a chosen group with royal blood coursing through our veins, distinguished and called out. Why we are is to make much of the One who transferred us from darkness into Light. Once we were orphans, but because of Christ we are adopted, heirs to an Eternal Kingdom. Once we were condemned and hopeless; but because of Christ, we are rich in mercy. There are no identity crises in the family of God. His children have a God-given identity and a God-given purpose. A sure foundation and a clear direction make navigating this temporary life on earth much easier and purpose-filled. If you are still wondering about your significance, turn to Christ. He will be what makes your life make sense.

You have an identity and a purpose in Christ today!
Theresa

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV): “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Have you ever made the statement, “I am afraid to get my hopes up.”?  Too often, we are afraid to dream because we fear disappointment. We avoid asking God for big things in our lives because deep on the inside we are not sure if He can or if He will answer my heart’s desire. So, we find ourselves settling for mediocre lives. What we need to understand, though, is Jehovah is a good God. He is an all-powerful God who not only enjoys displaying His majesty (Psalm 19:1), but He also delights in His children (Psalm 147:11). Likewise, God is pleased when we delight in Him (Psalm 37:4).

Look through Scripture. We see the results of people who dared to think great thoughts about what God could do in their lives. Solomon asked for wisdom, and today we still seek advice (1 Kings 3:9-10). Elijah prayed that it would not rain, and God withheld the rain until Elijah prayed for the rains to return (1 Kings 18:41- 19:8). Moses was bold enough to ask to see God, and the Lord revealed His Glory (Exodus 33:18-23). Our God is so much bigger than we allow Him to be. If you have a dream and wonder if God can or if He will, why not just ask Him? Our requests reveal the confidence that we have in a loving God (1 John 5:14).

Dream BIG today!
Theresa

Luke 10: 40-42 (ESV):  “But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.’”

For the most part, people are “doers.” We have our checklists of the things we must get done in order to feel successful in this day. We clean the house and feel a sense of accomplishment. We close a business deal and feel important. We read three chapters in our Bible each day and go to church on Sundays and feel spiritual.  God, however, is not impressed by all of our busyness.  Some of the things we complete in a day are good and even necessary.  The most important thing we can do each day, though, is spend time with Him. God loves to just hang out with you. Include God in your day. Talk to Him while you are commuting in the car, sitting in your office, washing the dishes, or working out at the gym.  Invite Him to permeate your thoughts and calm your spirit by meditating on His goodness…often. Spending time with God does not need to be another item you and I check off on our “to do” lists.  It should be the highlight of our day that energizes us for the challenges ahead.

Invite God to hang out with you today!
Theresa