Thank God I'm Forgiven! Man, there are so many facets to that to begin your day in praise with! Try it! List a bunch and add to you gratitude lists! Thank God I'm forgiven. made new, redeemed. restored, filled, enabled, His, being prepared and sent to share this Good news. Thank God for love, mercy, grace forgiveness, help to repent, transformed! And so many more! What are you thankful about
? Lift it! Share it!!
Good afternoon Love Church, Joy Church, Church of the Redeemed, God's Church! And the praise can continue as His love overflows from us into our Body and put of our walls! yes, thank God I'm forgiven! Amen! We are God's masterpieces. (Eph. 2:10) Made new in Christ, gifted, filled, empowered, enabled, gathered and sent to do all the things He created us to do. Discovering and walking with Jesus toward it is the easy yoke of Christ we long for and that brings joy and peace. Amen, meditate on these things and process them and pray into them with your teammates and our Body!
So God has heard. answered and is delivering me from my sickness, attack and testing. PTL! He broke through my thick skull (I heard the voice you used with the disciples..."You thick-headed! How long must I put up with you?) He is teaching me and delivering me and hearing and answering your and my prayers. Check out the thread of devos below as God highlights what is going on and His wise plans and ways to me, you and us. I'm learning, being refined and being delivered and transformed more into His image. PTL! I slept 11 hours, have new CPAP settings which helped, have been affirmed and corrected by our leadership team. They have shared your concerns about my health and choices as well. I am a new man in Christ, renewing my thinking, repenting and being led to healthy new choices and ways of Christ. PTL! Thank you for the love, patient prayers, concerns and encouragement! God has truly blessed me with an awesome Body and call! I love you guys! Thak you! We have much to celebrate as God is helping us to use what He's given us to do what we can as he leads us to His perfect plans and easy yoke! PTL! We'll discuss this more another time. Just keep praying, trust and doing your part and God will bless us, hear our prayers and lead us to His plans and our Promised Land. Amen!
Time to get to the day ahead.
is usually my day off and
, I slept until after 9 so time to get to some things I need to do. Just know that I have been still, praised, reloaded and am walking with Jesus as he leads into His plans for me
. And they will be perfectly fitted just for me and where I am in my journey to Christlikeness. Amen!
Check out the Sarah Young Devo! So perfect for
. We could just stop and meditate on that for awhile--I did!. The I to We devo continues to remind us how we all mater in God's Body and all have an age-appropriate, circumstance appropriate and ability appropriate role to play. We are family and we do need each other. What's your part and God's plan for you
? Process that with some friends and walk with Jesus as your Lord and Shepherd! ODB, UR and TwFYT continue to flow with words of wisdom from God. Put on that armor, easy yoke and offer your open and willing heart to God
. he loves you is with you, will lead you and give you stories to share and celebrate as we go! Amen! Let's keep it simple, work at being who we are created to be and doing what we are created and gathered to do and commit to doing what we can with what we've been given. Then celebrate a lot for who God is, who He is in me/you and His perfect easy yoke! Yes PTL! He does have some perfect things for you and us to discover and step into! Rejoice!
Love you all! God has truly called me to the perfect Body and great friends to love, encourage, grow and go together! Thank you for making pastoring such a joy! You guys are Christ in the flesh and bringing His love and wisdom alive! Keep it up! I'm praying and praising for you always!
Praise God and pray into what my fortune cookie says. Invite someone to come experience the love and joy and God's Word with us!
Sarah Young
I to We
ODB
Standing Firm in Faith
Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him. 1 Peter 5:8-9
On my walk to catch the train to work a few years ago, I saw a woman with a ferocious-looking dog heading toward me. I grew up around pet dogs, so I’m usually not afraid of furry friends, but this one looked menacing. As the dog got closer, he barked at me. I tried to laugh it off. But then he lunged at me, so I screamed. Thankfully the dog couldn’t harm me because he couldn’t reach me. His owner held on tightly to his leash.
That scary encounter reminded me that as believers in Jesus, Satan is also “on a leash” but waiting to attack if we give him the opportunity. In 1 Peter, the apostle Peter warns us, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (5:8). He growls and snarls and lunges at us to try to scare and intimidate us and to paralyze us with fear, but we can stand firm in our faith and “resist him” (v. 9).
When you feel the enemy taunting or tempting you, remember this: He’s no match for Jesus. We can cry out to Him and He’ll help us. He “will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (v. 10).
When we’re under spiritual attack, we can choose faith over fear because Jesus is always with us.
By Nancy Gavilanes
REFLECT & PRAY
How do you react when you feel the enemy taunting or tempting you? How can you focus on Christ during spiritual battles?
Dear Jesus, thank You for always being there for me even during the toughest trials.
There’s a stark difference between how believers in Jesus are to relate to God and how we’re to respond to the devil. To confuse the two is unwise and dangerous. Humility—to trustingly bring oneself low in non-anxious dependence—is always in order before God Almighty (1 Peter 5:6-7). On the other hand, we’re to be “alert and of sober mind” and must “resist” the devil (vv. 8-9), for he’s a prowling spiritual predator—the adversary of those who believe in Jesus. James’ words echo those of Peter: “ ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you” (James 4:6-8). Revelation 12:9 speaks of the devil as “that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.” In Christ, however, by faith we can resist the devil and stand strong.
Arthur Jackson
UR: Peace in the Storm
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. - Psalm 46:1 (NIV)
As I
by the window, raindrops splattered against the glass. The storm outside mirrored the chaos I felt inside. Uncertainty, fear, and doubt engulfed me. I turned to the Bible, seeking solace. Psalm 46 spoke to my soul. How comforting it is to know that in the midst of life’s storms God stands as our unwavering anchor, offering refuge and strength.
In that moment, a memory surfaced of a time when I had been caught in a storm while hiking. Lost and soaked to the bone, I prayed for help. Suddenly, a stranger appeared and guided me to safety. Reflecting on that encounter, I realized that God’s presence is like that stranger — near to us and leading us through life’s tempests.
I felt God nudging me to seek peace through prayer, so I poured my heart out to God, releasing my burdens and fears. I discovered that talking to God felt like talking to a trusted friend who listened with compassion and understanding. A sense of calm washed over me. God’s promise of refuge and strength is a profound truth we can anchor our lives upon.
Now, when I hear the patter of raindrops, I am reminded of God’s constant presence. Storms will come and go, but God’s love remains unshaken. When we seek refuge in God during life’s trials, we will find a peace that surpasses all understanding.
's PrayerDear God, thank you for your abiding love and for being with us always. Amen.
LISTEN ONLINE
