Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 3 Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. 5 For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations. (Psalm 100, NIV).
“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care.” (Psalm 95:6-7, NIV).
A life of gratitude and praise prepares us for an eternity of praising and worshiping God.
“The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).
In the Four Gospels of the New Testament, we find that Jesus reiterates the command for us to love God, the Father with all that we have.
Loving God is a personal desire and requires a daily commitment to put Him first. Heartfelt love for God is the catalyst required to serve Him with honor and reverence.
How is this accomplished when we face countless distractions, crammed schedules, and great responsibilities?
Loving God motivates us to modify our lifestyle by establishing boundaries. We do not let people, or pleasure seeking activities interfere with obeying God, which is our highest worship.
Christian Believers Are Followers of Christ
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’ ” (John 14:6).
Jesus Christ, God, the Son is not only our Savior and Redeemer, but He is also our Intercessor receiving every prayer, and our Mediator bridging the spiritual chasm between God, the Father and ourselves.
The commitment to follow Christ requires living a sacrificial life. Since God’s goal is to give us Eternal Life, we do not waste our daily gift of time to pursue wealth, success, and material possessions [Study Matthew 6].
Separating ourselves to reflect on our daily blessings and our lives reveals that God has faithfully kept His promises to sustain us.
Worshiping God in Spirit and Truth
When our hearts are converted, we are loyal to God, continuously fighting against the spiritual warfare of distractions and the internal drive of self-seeking gratification.
Loving God requires our time. We should not try to squeeze God into a busy schedule, but from the moment we awaken, God receives the first fruits of our time.
Worship Is a Lifestyle: Recently, I did a big chop eliminating activities that contributed nothing to my spiritual and personal growth.
In Ephesians 6, the Apostle Paul tells us that we face many unseen dangers and the Great Controversy of Good and Evil.
“Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Whisper short prayers silently, or audibly throughout the day. Prayer keeps us connected to Christ whose guidance, wisdom, and strength, we desperately need.
Active participation in our journey of spiritual transformation requires at least one hour every day in personal worship.
The ideal way to stay close to Christ is through morning and evening worship.
In the morning, we come to the Throne of Grace to pray for God’s plans to be revealed and to receive the Divine strength to fulfill His plans.
Evening worship gives us the opportunity to reflect on the given day, and express gratitude for the many victories, including the safe-keeping of ourselves and our family.
We should not limit expressing gratitude for God’s never-ending love, faithfulness, and the blessing of keeping us safe from spiritual and physical harm to only twice-a-day.
To live as Overcomers, we must stay connected to Christ. We ask God for the wisdom to distinguish His voice from the countless voices including our thoughts that would deter us from fulfilling His will.
The Holy Spirit keeps us on the Path of Righteousness by speaking to us through our thoughts, conscience, and the Holy Scriptures.
By any means necessary, put God first! Preparation for worshiping God eternally requires forming a lifestyle of worship in our earthly lives.
We serve a Loving, Protective, and Faithful Heavenly Father who deserves our honor, glory, and praise.
In the Book of Psalms, King David teaches us to praise God continuously for His many blessings. Our praise keeps us connected to Christ who gives us the strength to persevere.
Lord God, for guiding, protecting, and correcting us, we thank You. For giving us Your Son, Jesus Christ who redeemed and rescued us from sin’s outcome, we thank You. And for revealing your Ultimate Plan in Revelation to give us Eternal Life, we thank You. With praise and gratitude, we ask this prayer in the Worthy Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
This is a powerful reminder that we must be spiritually minded, always preparing for Revelation 22:12.
Every day, Dedicate yourself to following Jesus through personal worship. Praying and studying the Bible keeps us connected to Christ, and invites the Holy Spirit to empower us with spiritual wisdom, discernment, and strength. Peace and Blessings.
“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. (Psalm 95:6-7).
With deep reflection, I began to think about the relationship between sheep and their shepherd. We can learn from the animals who consistently demonstrate love, loyalty, and obedience to their shepherd.
“Sheep behave with loyalty, recognition, and trust toward their shepherd, responding to their voice, scent, and presence, which signals food, safety, and care.”
“Their behavior includes following the shepherd, calming in their presence, recognizing their unique traits, and learning routines associated with their herder.”
“This bond is built on the shepherd’s consistent provision of resources and protection.”
Following and Guidance: “Sheep will follow their shepherd willingly, knowing that the shepherd provides food, water, and guidance for their well-being.”
I began to think about our relationship with Jesus, our Loving Shepherd who desires to provide for us and protect us from Satan, our enemy. Yet, we must willingly choose to follow Jesus.
Our Greatest Challenge: We inherited hearts overflowing with desires that rebel against God’s plans for our lives.
It is easier to pursue our desires than to surrender in faithful obedience and follow our Shepherd.
Ask yourself, “What is keeping me from following Jesus, my Shepherd?”
Set aside some alone time to think about the desires, habits, and pursuits preventing you from making the commitment to become a faithful follower.
“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me…” (John 10:14).
Jesus reminds us that He knows the pure motives of His sheep. They are the Believers who abide in Him by maintaining a heart-to-heart relationship through daily surrender.
The Characteristics of Faithful Sheep
Through daily personal worship, we consecrate ourselves utilizing Jesus’ prayer to His Father, Not my will, but Your will be done.” (Luke 22:42).
When our hearts are converted, we readily surrender ourselves to worship God in Spirit and Truth. Love and loyalty for our Shepherd is demonstrated by intentional obedience, which is our highest act of worship to God.
As time slips rapidly into eternity, we are confronted with the choice, Who will I follow? Jesus, or myself?
Our Triumphant King’s promise: “…Be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the Crown of life. (Revelation 2:10).
The behaviors of the righteous: Follow Jesus, renounce sin, relinquish your desires, and prepare daily for His Soon Coming.
“Commit everything you do to the Lord [YAHWEH]. Trust Him, and He will help you.” (Psalm 37:5, NLT).
Lord God, thank You for giving us freedom from a sin debt that left us spiritually bankrupt. Jesus, You are our Shepherd, we give ourselves to You. Lead us, correct us, protect us, and cleanse us from the unrighteousness of our heart’s desires. With praise and faithful obedience, we thank You, God, and lift Your Name on High for the gift of Jesus. We ask this prayer in Jesus’ Holy Name, Amen.
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20, ESV).
God’s Priority is to change our Character to prepare us for our reward of Eternal Life.
Are we cooperating with the Holy Spirit in the daily Spiritual process of growth and maturity [Sanctification]?
Pursuing the world’s temporary and meaningless prosperity, pleasures, and success are a waste of the Believer’s time and energy. We can take nothing with us to Heaven except a Righteous Character.
God promises to give us everything we need. Be content with what you have.
We are looking forward to a perfect life with Jesus in the New Heaven and New Earth.
Worship God in Spirit and Truth by consecrating yourself daily to follow Jesus Christ. Peace and Blessings.
Bible Study: Romans 12:1-2; Philippians 4
Lord God, we ask you to reveal any desire, habit, or behavior that would prevent us from receiving our reward of Eternal Life. In faith, we ask this prayer in the Righteous Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
The best advice we can follow is to pray more and to think less about our desires. God’s Love has no boundaries. His answer of “No” protects us from suffering the consequences of following our hearts.
“In the Bible, God demonstrates His unparalleled, unrivaled, unequaled powers and abilities and His love to humanity.”
“Only God has the mind of Omniscience, the ability to know and comprehend every iota of knowledge that can be known.”
God’s Love includes His goal for us to receive our reward of Eternal Life. But is this our goal?
Take a few minutes to think about the goals that you are pursuing. Our priorities reveal whether or not, we are choosing Heaven as our Eternal destiny.
God will never bless us with anything that distracts us from putting Him first, or interferes with our spiritual growth and transformation.
Only God can give us our best lives. His thoughts, plans, and ways are above our understanding. Our responsibility is to pray daily, asking for His plans to be revealed, and to use our faith to trust and obey His will.
Redirecting our faith and focus from pleasure, prosperity, success, and material possessions is the only way, we can do our part in receiving our Crown of Life from Jesus, who is coming soon. Peace and Blessings.
Lord God, we desire to know Your plans for our lives. We ask You to lead us, guide us, protect us, and correct us, as we travel in our spiritual journey with Jesus. Lord, we desire to live with you forever in the New Heaven and New Earth.We ask this prayer in the Loving Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Surrender to God gives us Freedom and Peace. There is only One Way to Follow Jesus on the Path of Righteousness.
We use our faith to surrender and obey. How do we know what God wants us to do? Every day, we have personal worship, and ask Him to reveal His God plans for the given day.
Believers, we are living for Revelation chapters 21-22. Yes and Amen!
Lord Jesus, we are Your sheep and desperately need Your help, guidance, and strength to keep moving forward on the Path of Righteousness. We thank You for hearing and answering this prayer that we ask in your Holy Name, Amen.
Seek, Pray, Obey, and Persevere in Jesus’ Strength! Peace and Blessings.
“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” —1 Corinthians 14:33, ESV
Because of sin, conflict is a natural part of life. But regardless of the highly practiced worldview, “Conflict is healthy,” God clarifies that He is never present in disagreements, arguments, confusion, or strife.
“Be alert and of a sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
Because Satan is shrewd, dissension presents itself in various [covert] ways. Something as simple as, “What are we going to eat for dinner?” can escalate into a tug of war when our hearts are not filled with Christ’s love.
“And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household” (Matthew 10:36). Do not be deceived by describing conflict as “a little disagreement.” Little conflicts invite the unrighteous spirit of confusion into our homes.
Dissension changes the atmosphere of our homes and our minds, characters, and personalities, which become instruments that Satan easily manipulates.
The Spirit of Strife not only destroys our internal peace but also separates us from God, placing us on the same unrighteous level as unbelievers. To “Agree to Disagree” is one of Satan’s deceptive theories of compromise, and is not Biblical, or a Righteous Principle.
Our earthly lives are the only opportunity given by God to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to transform us into the likeness of Christ. Through humility, surrender, and faithful obedience, the righteous are covered with Christ’s garment of spiritual peace.
“If possible, to the best of your ability, live at peace with all people” (Romans 12:18, CEB). God’s expectation for every Christian believer is that we possess a pure, loving heart that reflects the Righteousness of Christ. A home that is peaceful and righteous is the home where the Spirit of God is always present.
“Careless words stab like a sword, but the words of wise people bring healing. (Proverbs 12:17, GWT).
Satan’s most effective conflict strategy is to use people to provoke us, so we will react with angry thoughts and words, or impatiently blow our vehicle horn, an unholy substitute for irate spoken words.
Do not give Satan control of your mind and mouth by speaking emotionally charged words. Unrighteous responses are one of the easiest ways to sin.
Angry sarcastic words are thoughtless words that not only escalate the situation but are also hurtful. Fact: Apologies do not soothe or heal wounded hearts.
Seeing Conflict Through Spiritual Eyes: There are only two powers in this world, God, who is Good, and the Creator and Giver of Peace, and Satan, whose evil schemes always produce conflict with the intent to destroy harmony and peace.
Overcoming Satan’s Schemes of Conflict Requires the Teamwork of Human Effort and Divine Intervention.
“The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent” (Exodus 14:14, NASB).
How to Handle Conflict With Unfamiliar People: Immediately pray for strength, remain silent, and walk away. No discussion is necessary. Walking away is our witness.
Handling conflict with familiar people [family, friends, coworkers] who are also believers is the true test of our love and loyalty to Christ. Unless they are immediate family living in the same home, we must separate ourselves from those whom the enemy is using to persecute us.
Throughout the Holy Scriptures, God reveals boundaries in interaction with our family and friends. Husbands and wives must pray together when animosity arises between them, and parents must be a godly example for their children when dissension arises.
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32). Never harbor grudges: We must extend mercy as God extends Mercy to us.
The first response in the Christian home is not to hear what happened first, but to engage everyone present to immediately pray a prayer of repentance, and with humility invite God to resolve the conflict. Only then, when the Holy Spirit is present, should they hear the rest of the story. An effective way to resolve conflict and evaluate with fairness is, after the prayer, have each person write about their experience.
Dissension is often fatal to our spiritual growth and transformation. We must never forget that we accepted Christ to live righteously and cooperate with the Holy Spirit for a complete spiritual makeover of our mind, character, and personality. One thing is for certain: There will be no conflict in heaven.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:10-12, NIV).
The Truth: Quick and intemperate responses reveal that our hearts are unconverted, and we do not possess the righteous character traits that align with the Fruit of the Spirit.
The Righteous Attributes of Christ: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).
Whether strife arises with familiar people, or strangers, remain silent! God has gifted us with the power of self control, React by breathing a silent prayer. Ask God for Divine Help. Using self-control, Stand down your anger!
Prayer and Silence accomplish two spiritual goals: We learn to totally depend on God to fight and win our battles, and our character is transformed daily by the power of the Holy Spirit necessary for us to receive our reward of the Crown of Life.
Lord God, we ask for forgiveness for the many times we have thought or spoken angry words that did not reflect Your love. We ask you to give us the strength and the guidance to cultivate a spirit of meekness and to extend mercy when experiencing the persecution of conflict for serving You. In Jesus’ Righteous Name, we pray, Amen.
Steps 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions 
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