07/09/2020

Day 5
John 8 v 30 - 47; Psalms 119 v 1 - 8

“How blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord.” (Ps 119 v 1)

It is clear from Jesus’ discussion with the Jewish people, that they were so caught up in their religion and blinded by their inheritance through Abraham that they couldn’t see their sinfulness and need for salvation.

What is the lesser of the two evils? To hear the word of truth and believe, only to have satan deceive you and convince you otherwise and possibly return to the Lord or not to hear at all because of your pride… I guess the one is just as futile as the other, for the result is the same.

The only way to be [really] free from the bondage of sin is to acknowledge the need for salvation and then remain in the Lord’s truth, not our perception of the truth, but His law written on our hearts and if we truly love Him and seek Him wholeheartedly, we will obey His commandments.

If you are convicted by the truth, having heard the good news of the gospel of hope, love and forgiveness, come before the throne of God and seek Him with your whole heart, mind and soul, believing in the saving grace of our Lord Jesus and He will set you free (John 8 v 32).

May God pour out His favour on you today. Be blessed and know that you are loved.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, Life Application Study Bible, unless stated otherwise. Copyright by “The Lockman Foundation“

06/09/2020

Day 4
Romans 5 v 1 - 5; James 1 v 2 - 8; 2 Peter 1 v 3 - 11

After reading today’s passages, and being a little overwhelmed, I would just like to reiterate the following:

“…tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint.” (Rom 5 v 3 – 5)
We need to praise God just as much during our trials and tribulations as we would do when we prosper in our personal life, work and relationships. We should remain faithful to our Lord Jesus, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for we have been justified through His sacrifice on the cross.

“…the testing of your faith, produces endurance” (Jam 1 v 3)
If there is one thing we can ask for boldly and with confidence in the Lord’s Name and expect to receive it, it is WISDOM. The wisdom that is required to make the right decisions when our faith is tested.

“Now for this reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.” (2 Pet 1 v 5 – 7)
Should we continue to practice and excel in the above, we will not stumble and fall before entering the everlasting kingdom of God.

You may ask if the above is possible without seeking God’s forgiveness and accepting Jesus’ atonement for our sins. The answer is a simple no. Jesus is the key, always has been and always will be.

He is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father, but through Him. He has given us the opportunity to reconcile with God and only through putting your faith in Him can we be saved from our sinful nature. If Jesus is your Lord, continue to serve Him diligently.

If you have not had an encounter with Him. Do not let another day go by, for we do not know what tomorrow brings. Call upon His Name, for He is King of kings and Lord of lords and the only way to receive eternal life.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, Life Application Study Bible, unless stated otherwise. Copyright by “The Lockman Foundation“

05/09/2020

Day 3
Psalms 91 v 1 – 16; Luke 8 v 4 – 8; Luke 8 v 11 – 15

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” (Ps 91 v 1)

Does it feel like you are lacking the spiritual maturity some people seem to display and the harder you try to seek God the further away He appears to be… What does it mean then to make the Lord your refuge and the Most High your dwelling place? (vers 9)

Have you received the word with an honest and good heart? Do you hold onto it, bearing fruits of perseverance, knowing that only the Lord can cause growth through the work of His Spirit? (Luke 8 v 15)

What I have learnt from my walk with the Lord is this. You need to draw near to Him daily and even hourly… But there’s more to it than just reading your bible and praying random and repetitive prayers. Abiding in Christ, means to become Christ-like, i.e. having the mind of Christ and living according to His commandments.

It goes further. We need to put our trust, hope and faith in Him and Him alone or else we will be like the seed that fell on the rocky soil and among the thorns or even worse, like the seed that fell on the side of the road. Having heard the truth, we allow the devil to deceive us and convince us we are better off without “religion”.

I urge you to stand still for a moment today and evaluate your life. Whether you have been a believer for many years or seeking the Lord, can you honestly say that their is meaning to this life, without absolute truth, knowing that you were created by a loving, caring and merciful God?

God promises to protect you and deliver you from evil, while comforting you, when in trouble. Unbelief and lack of trust (in Him) on our part is what causes us to doubt, not His inability to take care of us.

Look at it like this. If you tell your child not to do something that can cause them harm, and they continue to do it and “burn their fingers”, it’s not due to a lack of care that they get hurt, but due to the lack of trust and believing what their parents said.

For this reason we should submit to God and allow His Spirit to teach us and guide us in our daily walk with Christ, our Redeemer. He sustains us and He gives our lives meaning.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, Life Application Study Bible, unless stated otherwise. Copyright by “The Lockman Foundation“

04/09/2020

Day 2
1 John 2 v 24 - 3 v 10; 1 John 3 v 23 - 24; 1 John 4 v 7 - 21

We are promised eternal life, should we abide in the truth and keep His commandments of which we are taught by God Himself, through the working of the Holy Spirit.

If we are to remain in the truth, i.e. remain in Christ and become like Him, we are told to practice righteousness and this involves living a pure and blameless life, while loving one another like He loved us, by giving up His life for us.

At the same time, we are warned against “practicing sin [lawlessness]” (1 John 3 v 4). If we live in sin, we start to fear God and eventually avoid fellowship with Him and this causes us to drift further and further away from Him, although this will not make the pending punishment disappear.

If we truly love Him and believe in His love for us, through the death of our Messiah, His love will be perfected in us and we will naturally love our brothers and sisters, for it is impossible to have a “love – hate” relationship with others, while claiming to love God.

From these passages we can see that God is love and if we are to love like He did, we are required to obey His law that He has written on our hearts. If you are convicted in your heart about your sin, do not ignore it, but instead seek His forgiveness and favour, having confidence before Him when He returns.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, Life Application Study Bible, unless stated otherwise. Copyright by “The Lockman Foundation“

03/09/2020

Day 1
John 15 v 1 - 17; 2 Tim 3 v 10 - 17

It is crucial that each one understands their role in our relationship with the Lord Jesus. He is the vine and we are the branches. He is not dependent on us to believe in Him and obey His commandments. We are required to abide in Him if we are to bear fruits of righteousness.

There is no joy outside of a relationship with Him. Just look at the people living their lives on their own terms. Their understanding of love is mostly what the world dictates to be true. They draft their own set of rules by which they abide and most of the time they hold others to another set of rules.

As children of God and His disciples, we are called to love one another as He loved us and as a result be willing to lay down our lives for one another. This becomes very difficult in a self-centered world that teaches us to love ourselves first, before we can love others. Not much room left for loving the Lord first, is there?

If we are to love the Lord first, with our whole being and others as ourselves, we need to study the Scriptures diligently, for “all scripture is inspired by God and profitable for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate[ly], equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3 v 17).

Know that difficult times will come and that you will be persecuted for your faith in Christ, especially during these times leading up to His imminent return. You can be sure of one thing. If you remain in Him, He will remain in you and will carry you through all your sufferings.

Continue to follow His teachings and He will give you the wisdom and discernment, which is required to remain faithful in these last days and ultimately during the end times lurking on the horizon, of which certain events are already taking effect.

I thank the Lord for the opportunity to share His truth, knowing we will not be disappointed should we take up our cross and follow Him!

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, Life Application Study Bible, unless stated otherwise. Copyright by “The Lockman Foundation“

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