We Can Only Be Saved By Grace

                                                       When The Door Slams

The grace or our Lord [His amazing, unmerited favor and blessing] flowed out in superabundance [for me, together] with the faith and love which are [realized] in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful and trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance and approval, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost.                                                                                                      1 Timothy 1:14-15 AMP

       
        Paul was not just acting humble when he declared that he was the worst of sinners. He never forgot that, in his blind zeal for Jewish religious traditions, he had arrested and tortured numerous Christians and urged that they be killed. Looking back on his crimes years later, he bluntly stated that any righteousness he once thought he had, now realized was "rubbish' (Philippians 3:8 NKJV).

        Why did God choose such a violent sinner for one of His leading apostles? Paul explained that God wanted to show by his example that there was no person so vile or sinful that He could not redeem them (1 Timothy 1:16). You might also ask why God chose Peter as a leading apostle after Peter cursed and swore that he didn't even know Jesus (Matthew 26:69-74). Again, the Lord wanted someone presenting His Gospel who knew that he was unworthy, who was convinced that he, and others, could only be saved by God's grace. 

        However, sometimes after you have been serving the Lord for a few years, have cleaned up your life, and have overcome several bad habits, you can forget what a bad state of mind you were in. You can begin to think you are quite righteous and can even start to believe that you are good enough to make it on your own. But think for a moment about the life Jesus saved you from, and remind yourself that it was by grace you were saved, not by your own goodness (Ephesians 2:8-9).   

        Think about this:  Jesus made it clear to His disciples: they should pray always. So should we. Heartfelt prayer produces powerful changes in us and in our world. When we lift our hearts to our Father in heaven, we open ourselves to a never-ending source of divine wisdom.

        Do you have questions about your future that you simply can't answer? Ask for guidance of your heavenly Father. Do you sincerely seek to know God's purpose for your life? Then ask Jesus for direction-and keep asking Him every day that you live. Whatever your need is, no matter how great or small, pray about it and never lose hope. Jesus is not just near; Jesus is here, and the Lord God is ready to talk with you right now.      

        Petition: By God's grace I want to live to the end in faith, knowing that I will not receive the promise on earth, but seeing them and welcoming then from a distance, I confess that I am a stranger and a pilgrim on the earth. Instead, I long for a better country, a heavenly one. In this way, God will not be ashamed to be called my God, for He has prepared a city for me. Like Moses, may I esteem reproach for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of this world, because I am looking to the reward (Hebrews 11:13,16,20 NASB)

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

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You Know The Story, The Way Of The LORD Perfect, Precise, And Practical

                                                     When The Door Slams

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. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.                                                                  Jeremiah 29:11:13 NIV

         There are no problems God cannot solve, no circumstance that escapes His attention. No future that can't be adapted to His plan. God is never surprised, never of education, and never in doubt. His way is perfect, precise, and practical. 

        In the difficult times of our lives, we struggle, misunderstand, and then blame God. Why? Because we don't know the end of the story. We think what we face is unfair and that God sometimes don't make sense, but that we can consider Him intentionally and untrustworthy. What He knows-but we don't see-is that there is an ending that proves His faithfulness. We just have not arrived at that part of the story yet.

        The LORD God, do not need to recheck His plan to see if it was correct. He don't need to ask someone if He should have tried a different plan. What God understands and plans for us can be trusted even when we struggle to make sense of it.

        We are familiar with the beginning of our story. We are living in the present. The future? That is the part God understands, and He promises there will be a future. Just hold on. Trust your heavenly Father promise that His plan for your life is perfect and for your good even when it don't make sense.

        Think about this: All of us must live through those days when we find ourselves distracted by the frustrations of life. Although we may; at times, struggle mightily to rise above the distractions of everyday living, we need never struggle alone. The LORD God is here, eternal and faithful with infinite patience and love, and if we reach out to Him, The LORD will restore our sense of perspective and give peace to our souls.

        Affirmation: Whoever is wise and understanding will show it by his good conduct and works done in the humility that comes from wisdom. If I harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in my heart, I should not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice (James 3:13-16).

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

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There Is Restoration After Failure

                                                   When The Door Slams

"So repent [Change your inner self-your old way of thinking, regret past sins] to God-seek His purpose for your life], so that your sins may be wiped away [blotted out, completely erased], so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day];.                                                      Act 3:19 AMP  

        Most men despise personal failure. We don't want to admit wrongdoing. We even hate asking for directions. Every difficulty becomes our own burden to bear. Perhaps this is why some men tend to spiral out of control when they are caught in sin. 

        They have tried to correct things on their own, personally blamed others for their  predicament, and then, when the secret is out, they decide it is no longer worth the effort, spiraling into behaviors they never dreamed possible. 

        Failure should bring us face to face with Jesus. We come to Him and bow at His feet in the brokenness of a man finally willing to ask for help. There is no shame in this purifying act-it is exactly what God wants us to do. In fact, He makes a promise that He will heal us from our sin if we confess it: "If we admit our sins-make a clean brake-a-way from them. Jesus will not let us down; He will be true to himself. Lord God will forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing" (1 John 1:9). 

        There is restoration after failure. There is hope after hurt. There is love after rebellion. This is only possible through the God who is all too aware of our failures and chooses to love us anyway. If this describes the world you live in now, then stop wasting time. Admit your failings and ask the Lord God for the help you need.

        Think about this: When our dreams come true and our plans prove successful, we find it easy to thank our Creator and easy to trust His divine providence. But in times of sorrow or hardship, we may find ourselves questioning God's plans for our lives.

        On occasion, there will be circumstances that will trouble you to the very core of your soul. It is during these difficult days that you must find the wisdom and courage to trust your heavenly Father despite your circumstances.

        Renewal: May God fill me with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that I may walk worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work, and growing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power according to His glorious might, so that I may have great endurance and patience with joy (Colossians 1:9-11). 

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

                                                        Never Rest Ministries

                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Then Jesus Intervened

                                                     When The Door Slams

Trusting the LORD with all your heart, and do lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.     Proverbs 3:5-6

       Listen to this: After observing and approving of the stoning of Stephen, Saul of Tarsus decided to rid the world of as many followers of Jesus as he could. The high priest gave him the authority to go to Damascus, root out those who belonged to "the Way" (Acts 9:2), arrest them, and bring them back to Jerusalem for trial and execution.

        Then Jesus intervened. As Saul and his band approached Damascus, Jesus blinded Saul and told him that he was persecuting followers of the Messiah. By the time Saul got to Damascus, he was convert to Christianity. The problem was that no one on earth knew that except Saul. To Christians everywhere, Saul still was Enemy #1. 

        Imagine the surprise of Ananias, a disciple of Jesus in Damascus, when God told him in a vison to go to Saul of Tarsus in Damascus and lay his hands on Saul so that Saul could regain his sight. What sense did it make for Ananias to help the world's greatest persecutor of Christians? God told Ananias that he had made Saul "a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel" (Acts 9:15). 

        Ananias didn't understand completely, but he trusted in God and was obedient. He went to Saul, laid his hands on Saul, and told Saul that Jesus wanted Saul to regain his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. And all of this happened. Because Ananias trusted God, other disciples in Damascus trusted Saul and helped him. Saul became the apostle Paul, spreading Christianity in Damascus and throughout Roman Empire.  

Think about this: Trusting God can be difficult, especially when God asks you to do something that doesn't make sense to you. But when you trust in God with all your heart and lean on God instead of your own understanding, God makes great things happen. 

Intercession: All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous act are like filthy rages; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and made us waste away because of our sins. Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand (Isaiah 64:6-8 NIV).

Ask the Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                            Never Rest Ministries