Our God is a living God and works within us whether we choose to accept this or not. Philippians 2:13  " For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." 

He has created us, fashioned us and given us the freedom of choice.  Sadly, many have chosen to use this God given gift to pursue their own way of living..  Living their lives totally apart from God and pursuing the passions and desires of what this world has to offer.  Money, possessions, pride, status, power and pleasures, just to mention a few.   

I know this all too well, for over fifty-three years that’s how I lived my life.  Believing and pursuing the lies, and the deception that the master manipulator, Satan, has promised.   I was, as it shows in these words of truth, living my life as found in Hosea 10:13  “ You have plowed wickedness; you have reaped iniquity.  You have eaten the fruit of lies because you trusted in your own ways.”

God gave us our minds to create, think, reason, learn, make decisions, meditate, ponder and to live our lives all based on the choices available to us here in this world.  His deepest desire and purposes for us is to carry out His will and to lead our lives according to His ways of righteousness and goodness.

Our life is what our thoughts make it and is based on the choices we make and the actions we take on any given moment.

We choose how we feel, our friends, our mates, our careers and jobs, having families, how we spend our money, our time, our fun, our hobbies and where we live.  We choose to believe in God or to reject Him.

                                We become what we think about the most ! 

“ It is the Spirit who gives us life the flesh profits nothing.  The words I speak to you are Spirit and they are life.”  John 6:63

In this world you will have troubles - its all part of the process of life and living.  Jesus Christ himself said in John 16:33  ‘These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have trouble[tribulation]; but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world ” 

The peace Jesus Christ is speaking to us about is not found in this world but living through Him and for Him in the Spirit of Truth.  When things are going well in our lives, we feel good- we feel secure we are satisfied and happy.  We seem to have no worries. 

True security in life is not what you have but what you learn to live without.  One never knows what the future holds.  We can be in a good paying job have a nice nest egg, have a great family and in an instant all can be gone with events beyond our control.

Covid 19, death of a loved one, an incurable disease, a tornado, hurricane, earthquake, loss of a job, divorce, stock market collapse.  So many things are beyond our control so many things that one can never be prepared for. 

Life is a test here on earth and God will test us to see if we will remain faithful, and place Him above all other things in your life.  Will you love Him in all circumstances ?  Will you obey Him even in times of difficulty and feelings of abandonment ?  Will you trust Him in delivering you from all evil and temptation ?  Will you allow Him to lead you, guide you and enable you to experience all the fullness of God’s faithful, loving promises ?

We see this throughout all of scripture and the history of mankind because He wants us deep within our hearts to follow Him and obey His commands, giving up ourselves and our will to pursue His will and His ways ?  Will you let go of all control so He can work within you ?

C.S. Lewis says there are two kinds of people;  Those who say ‘Thy Will be Done’ and those whom God says, ‘All right then, have it your way’   Tragically, many will endure eternity in Hell, because they choose to live without Him here on earth.  

The Bible says as found in Ecclesiastes 3:11 “ God has placed eternity in the human heart “  That is how God has created each and everyone of us.  We have a body that will die one day and a soul that will go on into eternity.  Again my friends, choose living for Christ in this world so that we may live in the presence of Christ forever.  Or continue to live apart from God and be separated from God in eternity.

Make no mistake about we belong to God we are not our own person.  You(we,I) were created by the very hand of God to serve Him for His good pleasure.  Romans 14:8  “ For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord.  Therefore, whether we live or die we are the Lord’s.”

2 Corinthians 5:5,6,7  “ Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.  So we are always confident, knowing that while we at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.  For WE WALK BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT.  We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” 

God has prepared us – given us His Spirit – as a guarantee to everlasting life – to walk by faith – to be absent from the body – to be present with the Lord. 

 Let these words of truth fill every fiber of your being and understand what true faith is and what living in His presence truly means.  Then rest your heart in this verse found in Psalm 16:11  “ You will show me the path of life; In your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

2 Corinthians 5:14,15  "For the love of Christ compels us, that if One died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”

Make a conscious effort today to begin using the God given gift of your mind and your heart, and use the freedom of choices that our Lord and Savior has given to us.   Choose to embrace and commit to God’s way of living and your life will suddenly take on new meaning and purpose.  1 John 4: 4  “He that is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”

Start today – Don’t delay and change your life - Let the power of God’s words speak to you and be filled with a peace and joy beyond measure.  

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