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What is the Most Important Thing in Your Life?

Sabbath Devotional–The Struggle of Sanctification–What is the Most Important Thing in Your Life?

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”  John 15:5

A relationship with Christ is the most crucial aspect of a believer’s life. Our covenant vow to become a follower [disciple] of Jesus is demonstrated through the daily surrendering of our desires. Jesus gave us a complete explanation of the requirement to follow Him: “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'” (Matthew 22:37).

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

We give up independent thought processes and desires by praying daily, “God, not my will, but Your will be done in my life. Holy Spirit, today, I ask for guidance, wisdom, and discernment to recognize distractions from warfare. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Give us this day, our daily bread. Wisdom and discernment are spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit which require us to ask for them daily. We build a relationship with Christ through diligent prayer and by studying the Scriptures. Worship provides us with the spiritual nourishment and strength we need to stay connected to God. And our hearts are prepared to hear the Voice of God through the Holy Spirit.

“Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.” (Romans 12:3, last part)

All have received the gift of faith. We can compare it to a seed. Faith is a gift that needs to be cultivated and nurtured to produce growth. Our faith grows from completely trusting in God’s promises despite the giants that we face. “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through Him, the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

We fight the battle of trusting our judgment versus having faith in the invisible God. Feeling that we have to act instead of praying and trusting in God places us in the predicament of our will versus God’s will. Many have given up because it’s too hard to wait, trust, and obey. Yet, without faith, we can never have a relationship with Jesus Christ.  

Faith gives us hope and proclaims that we believe that God knows best, that He never fails, and will provide the perfect solution. Even if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we open our hearts to receive Divine Intervention. Yet, faith has no gray area or middle ground. Either we are all in or completely out.

All relationships require trust including Jesus plus us. Whether it is a miracle, the solution to a hardship, or pursuing a dream, our faith enables us to wait on God. The struggle happens when we allow our fears to override God’s plans. Even if we do not know God’s will for our lives, we pray, ask, and wait. “Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14).

Waiting produces thriving faith, yet, it also requires courage. The waiting period proves if we are really connected to Jesus. Many become discouraged during the silent phase of waiting. Satan uses this time to place doubt in our minds. Has God forgotten my prayer? Where is the miracle? If God doesn’t do something quickly, then…, or we begin to compare ourselves to our peers–everyone else has achieved their dreams, why am I the only one who has nothing?

We usually think of someone performing a life-saving action as courageous. Faith requires all the mental, emotional, and spiritual strength we possess to have 100% trust in God. Our relationship with Jesus is based on our faith that is fueled by courage. Come to Jesus just as you are–He is aware of the little we offer. But little becomes much in the Master’s hands.

Jesus patiently teaches us how to exercise the courage that produces unrealistic faith in Him. Our love relationship with Jesus is based on the human effort of faith. When our faith begins to waver, we need to immediately pray and reinforce our faith with the promises of God. “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13).

Being determined in our efforts, and keeping our relationship with Jesus is always our priority. With Divine authority, every day, Jesus takes our frail weaknesses uniting them with His strength and we receive the spiritual empowerment to persevere and run the race in this earthly journey of life.

Prayer: God, we pray for the anointing of the Holy Spirit. We need Your direction and the strength to keep striving despite our obstacles. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Needful Things

If human beings do not understand or acknowledge our dependency on plant and animal life then we certainly fail to acknowledge our dependency on God–Sonya Johnson

Before I was six years old, my grandparents and my mother had taught me that if all the green things that grow were taken from the earth, there could be no life. If all the four-legged creatures were taken from the earth, there could be no life. If all the winged creatures were taken from the earth, there could be no life. If all our relatives who crawl and swim and live within the earth were taken away, there could be no life. But if all the human beings were taken away, life on earth would flourish. That is how insignificant we are.
Russell Means, Oglala Lakota Nation (November 10, 1939 – October 22, 2012).

Despite our lack of understanding or acknowledgement of a loving Creator, God gave His Son, Jesus to die for us. With Redemption from our sins, we gain wisdom of our purpose on earth. And then we spread the gospel to others which places us on the highest-ranking of needful things.

Our Quest for Love

Devotional—The Struggle of Sanctification—Our Quest for Love

“Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.'” Genesis 2:18

From a loving God who created us in His image, we were given the ability to love. The central theme of the Bible is love which is demonstrated throughout the Old and New Testaments. God loves us unconditionally. Sadly, our love for God is inconsistent. Humanity is the only created being [except Satan and his angels] to follow our heart’s desires and boldly disobey the Creator God.

Our Creator God is aware that we need love. In Jeremiah 31:3, God validates His position of love for humanity. “…I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”

The need for love is the one concept that unbelievers and believers agree on. “All of us have an intense desire to be loved and nurtured. The need to be loved…could be considered one of our most basic and fundamental needs.” https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sapient-nature/201401/the-need-love

As believers, we do not agree with the unbeliever’s mindset on whom we love first and the pursuit of love.

Jesus tells us who we are to love first: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5). Jesus also emphasized that loving God requires the surrender of our entire being. Still, we need the intervention of the Holy Spirit to give us daily guidance and the strength to overcome temptation. Prayer ensures that our decisions reflect a love for God, especially when we are fighting carnal desires.

Our quest for love often leads us into temptation, placing us in spiritual jeopardy. Satan is also aware of our need for love. He sends people who appear to love God but have hidden ungodly traits and habits. “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9

Because God is all-knowing [Omniscient], His love includes protection against spiritual, emotional, and physical harm from evil. Unfortunately, our emotions override the Holy Spirit’s warnings. Pray for spiritual discernment before you become involved in any relationships—friends or romantic. God knows the true nature of every heart. Remembering that our insight is limited, we acquiesce to His perfect ways and rely on God to give us loving relationships.

Do not trust your emotions! Love, at first sight, is based on external factors. Love is often confused with infatuation. Feeling good about a person based on appearances or spoken words can lead to deception. Pray for guidance! “… the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7, last part).

Yes, God said it was not good for us to be alone. And we do not like being alone. God created the institutions of the family and marriage. And, Jesus had friends. Remember, His divinity gave Him spiritual insight in every situation. Do not allow yourself to feel desperate! At times, we will live in solitude which is designed to give us spiritual growth.

God’s divine plan and purpose for our lives usually do not align with our desires. He is concerned about our righteousness—right living. Read Jeremiah 29:11. Pray and ask God to reveal His plans for your life.

Our quest for love should always lead us into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. The love that we receive from God is preparing us for eternal life. With surrender, the Holy Spirit changes our characters, and we are molded into the likeness of Christ. The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) is evidence of our spiritual growth and development. Every day, God rains down His love on the hearts open to receive His abundant blessings.

“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'” (Matthew 22:37-39)

God is more interested in the love that allows us to form a relationship with His Son, Jesus. Our love is demonstrated by our faith, trust, obedience, and loyalty to God. Always let your quest for love be for God first!

Prayer: God, we surrender our hearts, souls, and minds to love You from now throughout eternity. Thank you for Divine guidance and protection. We love You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Jesus is With Us in the Storm

steps2successwithspiritualsolutions's avatarSteps 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions

Since 2020, we have encountered many changes in our lives. Ongoing challenges have caused many to become discouraged and lose hope. Despite our unexpected stormy trials, believers are never alone. ” I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Trials, sorrows, and difficulties are designed to give us spiritual growth and dependency on God. We were not created to live without God’s divine intervention. Yes, it is natural for our emotions to escalate when we perceive our hardships as overwhelming. But uncontrolled emotions make us forget the power of God. We lose our faith and hope. Thinking that we are alone in resolving our challenges, we become weary and forget that God is in control.

Take the time to separate yourself and pray…

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