Author: steps2successwithspiritualsolutions

It takes faith, trust, courage, and perseverance to serve God in today's unstable world. Yet, we are never alone. Pray every day and pray often. Study the Bible. The Scriptures are a Love Letter from God to those who accept Jesus as their personal Savior. You will receive comfort, knowledge, and wisdom from the Holy Spirit. "I have loved you with an everlasting love." Jeremiah 31:3. Be blessed in Jesus' name. Amen.

We are Covered by the Imputed Righteousness of Christ

Jesus’ righteousness covers the filthiness of our sins. Yet, we do not abuse grace and mercy by committing intentional or pre-meditated sins. The Apostle Peter tells us, “Be holy, for I am Holy” (1 Peter 1:16).

Loving Jesus means putting Him first. We desire to be aligned with our Lord and Savior because we love Jesus with our hearts. Living righteously requires a desire to obey God and live holy.

Yes, our lives are a daily struggle. Sanctification is a life-long journey of spiritual growth through Jesus Christ. We are never alone! Our Spiritual team is available and ready to give us Divine Intervention available 24/7.

Prayer: God, we thank You for our salvation and redemption from our sins. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

The Back to God Movement

Without the anointing and guidance of the Holy Spirit, our archenemy is using social injustice and political division as distractions for the saints of God, and we are failing to meet God’s standards of righteousness.

What does God require of us? Micah 6:8 reads, “He has told you, mortal one, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?”

What is the Christian’s primary focus? To love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37).

What is God’s standard for believers? “Be holy, because I am Holy” (1 Peter 1:16).

The Character of the New Man (Spiritual Transformation)

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Colossians 3:12-17).

The Christian’s Secondary Focus: To love others!

Witnessing: And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

Giving to those in need: If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? (1 John 3:17). Those in the body of Christ should help their brothers or sisters in their spiritual family first.

God requires much from the righteous!

“To whom much is given, much will be required” (Luke 12:48). We are held responsible for what we have. If we have been blessed with talents, wealth, knowledge, time, and the like, we are expected to benefit others.

For the prevailing social injustice distraction of abortion and mass shootings, God has addressed this heinous act with His commandment: “Thou shalt not kill”–“You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13).

For the prevailing political conflict between Democrats, Republicans, and others, on gun control, and the COVID pandemic, Jesus addressed this, “And He said to them, “…Render [Give] therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21).

Are Christians supposed to ignore social and political issues? Absolutely not!

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way” (Psalm 37:23).

“LORD, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil…” (Proverbs 3:5-7).

The Back to God movement is to get oneself in right standing with God and witness to those looking for peace in all the wrong places. Spread the gospel daily that Jesus, the Son of God, has a perfect plan called Salvation. His Plan of Redemption is life-saving for the sinner. Jesus died for humanity! And is currently serving as our Heavenly Intercessor. Glory to the Lamb of God! When we do our part, and with the sinner’s acceptance of Jesus, the Holy Spirit will initiate and complete the transformation from unbeliever to believer.

God’s plans most often do not include our personal agendas. Pray and wait on the Holy Spirit for direction before involving yourself in social or political issues. Every evil thought and action indicates that we live in the last days. This is the time to pray without ceasing, study the Scriptures, and wait on God for His answer. We are promised a New Heaven and New Earth. Amen.

The Righteous’ Reward: “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Revelation 22:12).

Bible Reading: Matthew 25:31-46

Prayer: God, we pray for your direction, the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and the strength to resist distractions that change our focus. Lord, reveal to us the agendas that are not in sync with Your will and plan for our lives. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Too Much Clutter

Striving to keep a clean house can be a battle for many individuals. We think we have control of the matter, yet, many older things have memories attached to them. Before we realize it, our homes are cluttered, or we have storage totes packed with so many things we cannot even remember what is in them.

Spiritual Clutter: The Christian life can also have too much clutter. We accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior but embrace old worldly habits. Thankfully, we have the Holy Spirit who alerts us through our conscience that we are outside God’s will.

One of the things that I have always loved watching is documentaries. Yes, I am a virtual world traveler. I have subscribed to several channels focusing on the diversity of global humanity. But then I began to notice a trend on my favorite channel, beliefs in the spirit world and pagan worship ceremonies were incorporated in the middle of the documentary. Yes, the good part!

The beginning pulls us in, and our interest is piqued. So we compromise [unwillingly or make a conscious decision] because, after all, it’s just a cultural overview and their beliefs are not yours.

Clutter is not only tangible items, our greatest enemy desires that our minds are in conflict by presenting activities that reinforce our old, carnal habits. We begin to compromise by watching programs with sexual immorality or filthy language [soft or hard profanity] or reading books with worldviews. Note that the introduction of sin is very subtle. Satan would never present abject wickedness that would be repulsive, causing us to immediately turn away from it.

The evil one observes our behaviors and hears our spoken words. Because of our battle against carnality, we are naturally drawn to people, places, and things that are enmity against God. The compromises of sin produce clutter that is in a spiritual realm. We become attracted to the things that are pleasing and interesting to our senses. In fact, we justify it by saying, “Oh, they are a good person, everyone has faults,” or “It’s a great movie, just a few soft curse words.”

The Apostle Paul had to deal with converts who enjoyed idol worship. Hence, his letters to the churches. Although their gods were actual wood or stone images, today’s Christians have many idols cluttering their lives. The prosperity messages twist the Scriptures. We embrace individuals who say they believe in God, yet, their lives reflect worldly behaviors, and we listen to music created by individuals who are unbelievers.

Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds… (Colossians 3:5, 8-9 NKJV).

King David asked God, “Search me, God, and know my heart; Put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24)

He knew that the influence of worldly evil disguised as pleasing to the eyes and ears would create spiritual compromise leading one to desire sin, leading us to disobey God. We are living in the last days! And Satan is working overtime to skillfully develop subtle temptations which cause spiritual conflict and clutter.

14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:14-17).

Bible Reading: Ephesians 6:10-18, The Whole Armor of God

Prayer: God, we ask for forgiveness for compromising our relationship with You. Because of the things we watch or listen to, we have a situation of spiritual clutter in our lives. Lord, we ask You to “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Repentance and Restoration

My greatest desire is to have a heart-to-heart relationship with Jesus. A relationship that brings confidence, courage, and steadfast faith in times of sorrow and darkness and peaceful times. But I have followed my feelings and let the pride of self-reliance dictate my decisions. In anguish, I feel that I am separated from my Father.

I admit that my actions are responsible for the anguish and weakened faith that I possess. Yet, in the height of despair, the Holy Spirit directs me to a video short on Ezekial chapter 36. The God who loves promises to perform a spiritual surgical procedure on those who love Him but have messed up.

25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.

26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. (Ezekial 36:25-27 NKJV)

Our Father reminds us that although we have profaned His name through disobedient thoughts, words, and actions, our Restoration brings honor and glory to His Name. “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: ‘I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went.'” (Ezekial 36:22 NKJV)

When we have veered off the narrow Path of Righteousness, demonic forces of evil attempt to deceive and convince us that God is punitive in His justice, leaving us feeling dejected. The truth is our Heavenly Father, whose very nature is Love, never crushes us or removes our hope. If we humble ourselves and repent, we will receive a new heart that desires to love and serve Him. We would be the recipients of the removal of sin, transformation, and complete spiritual restoration.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your loving-kindness. We have sinned against You. Our humble prayer is that you accept our confession and restore to us the joy and peace in our hearts that we have lost. We ask you to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And we will give You the glory and the honor that You deserve. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.