Hallelujah Life Part 3

The hallelujah life is a life that reflects the beauty of Christ. A life that reflects the beauty of Christ is a life whose past has been redeemed from humbug to Hallelujah by our Savior. A life that reflects the beauty of Christ is a life that is fully surrendered to Christ the Lord allowing him to transform our present situations from humbug to Hallelujah. A life that reflects the beauty of Christ knows that our Savior who redeemed us, the Lord of our life is also in control of our future. 

The good news is that the promised Messiah has been born! 

It had been over 500 years since God had spoken through the prophets to the nation of Israel. Life was not easy for the Jews as a nation under submission to the Roman Empire. Many people were beginning to doubt that God’s promised Kingdom and Messiah was ever going to come. Yet on Christmas Eve, God entered into time and space. On Christmas Eve prophecy was fulfilled, the glory for which Israel had waited, the Messiah was born. Truly this is good news. God is not silent, God is faithful and God fulfills his promises. 

This assurance that God is faithful and will keep his promises enables us to face our future with hope. Many times our life is not easy, and often our future is uncertain. Many times we find ourselves living in tomorrow – planning and preparing for every contingency. At times we are so busy planning for tomorrow that we don’t hear what the baby born in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve has to say to us. “I know the plans I have for you, ... plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jer 29:11). 

As long as we are worrying about tomorrow and what the future holds, we cheat ourselves out of peace and joy today. The hallelujah life is lived with our future firmly and confidently placed in God’s hands where it belongs. The hallelujah life is confident that our Lord and Messiah, who knows all about us, is also in control of our future. 

Not only can we face Christmas with confidence because we know who holds our future, but we also have the hope and assurance of where we will spend eternity. The hallelujah life knows that this baby – Jesus - not only grew up, and became a man, but that he died and rose again. And because he lives we too shall one day spend eternity with Jesus in heaven. We rejoice knowing that we have an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. 

This Christmas with all the uncertainties that surround your future will you hear and believe the good news? Will you stop worrying about tomorrow and live for today with confident assurance that your future and eternity is secure in the hands of our Messiah? 

I invite you to hear again the message of the angels – “I bring you good new of great joy – today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord”. The good news that the angels proclaimed to the shepherds on Christmas Eve was that a Savior was born who is Christ the Lord. As Savior he redeems us from our past, as Christ the Lord, he is Lord of our lives in the present and as Messiah he offers us hope for our future. This message of good news can transform our lives from humbug to hallelujah! 

Will you hear and accept this gracious gift of Salvation? Will you trust God to redeem your past? Will you surrender your life and allow Christ to be Lord of your life? Will you make Christ the priority of the present? Will you look beyond the problems of the present to the certain hope that awaits us in Christ? Will you boldly follow Christ into the future?

Hallelujah Life - Part 2

Christ came to redeem our past from humbug to Hallelujah! He takes our past, our shattered dreams, wounded hearts and broken toys and fashions us into whom we are today. The Good News that the angels brought that Christmas Eve to the shepherds was not only that our Savior was born, but also that this baby, our Savior is Christ the Lord. God entered time and space to change the way we live here and now, today, in the very situations where you and I find ourselves.

The message of good news interrupts us in the middle of diapers, dirty dishes, homework, colds, sickness, cancer, work, bills, taxes, accidents, hockey games, phone calls, email, meetings, difficult employees, unethical managers and the myriad of other activities in our daily routine. This message of good news is that Christ is Lord, and wishes to be Lord of our lives in all that we do, and Lord of our lives wherever we go. 

What does it mean for Christ to be Lord of our lives? For Christ to be Lord of our lives, we must surrender our lives to Him. We must obey him. This is one of the great paradoxes of the Christian faith. For only as we surrender our lives, surrender our desires for success, recognition, and wealth; surrender our self-centeredness, pride, dreams, hopes and fears and accept Christ as Lord of our lives do we find true peace and joy. This is the peace and joy the angels proclaimed. 

Jesus invites you to cast your burdens – yes those burdens that you face daily – upon him. He invites you to come to him in prayer and tell him what is going on in your life. Jesus invites you to tell him about your sickness, your sorrows, your pains, your hopes and dreams. Jesus promises that he hears your prayers and will answer. 

The humbug life is the life that Scrooge lived. The humbug life is a life that is lived alone, in self-reliance. The hallelujah life is a life lived in communion with your Lord and Savior in dependence on him. The pressures and temptations of life won’t go away. There still will be dirty dishes, phone calls, emails, meetings and difficult people. However the hallelujah life sees these in perspective of eternity, and knows the way we approach these ordinary activities is an expression of the Lord at work in our midst. So “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Col 3:17). 

Some of you may thinking that this is easy to say, but you don’t know the way my children behave, you don’t know the financial strain I am under since I lost my job, you don’t know the health problems I have, you don’t know the pressure my boss puts on me to behave in a certain way, and what will happen to me if I don’t please him; you don’t realize I won’t be accepted if I don’t behave in a certain manner, and do certain things. You’re right. I don’t know the circumstances you face today, but I do know with absolute certainty that God sees and understands your circumstances. Therefore I invite you to hear again the message of the angels – “I bring you good new of great joy – today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord”. 

This baby whom the angels announced, Christ the Lord, did not remain a baby. He grew up to become a man, and he has been tempted in every way, just as you are yet he was without sin (Heb 4:15). 

You are not alone in the midst of the temptations and pressures of your life. Jesus, our Lord, walked this earth and understands the temptations that you face. Since Jesus was able to live a life without sin, Jesus is able to help you resist the temptations in your life. And to that we shout Hallelujah! Yes we will still sin, say things we shouldn’t say, and do things we don’t want to do. But we know there is forgiveness and to that we shout Hallelujah! Yes we will stumble, and fall, but Christ walks beside us and he will pick us up when we fall, and to that we shout Hallelujah! 

This Christmas will you continue to depend on yourself or will you hear and believe the good news? Will you allow Jesus to be Lord of your life, here and now? Will you take your eyes off of your circumstances and turn your eyes to your Lord? Will you let Jesus redeem your present situation and fill you with peace and joy here and now? But not just here and now, but will you also serve Jesus as you go about your routine throughout the week? Will you choose to live the Hallelujah life? Will you choose to live your life moment by moment in the realization that Christ is Lord of your life? 

Let us do whatever we do, whether in word or deed, let us do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Christ our Lord (Col 3:17). 

Hallelujah Life - Part 1

The angels announced to the shepherds on Christmas Eve, that in the town of David a Savior has been born who is Christ the Lord. The angels’ Hallelujah announcement to the shepherds is good news of great joy which should change every aspect of our lives, so that we can never be the same. This announcement should transform our lives, our past, our present and our future from humbug to Hallelujah.

The hallelujah life is a life that is lived moment by moment believing that our sins are forgiven. Jesus whose birth the angels announced to the shepherds is our savior! Jesus would demonstrate his own love for us by dying for us while we were still sinners (Rom 5:8). God would make, Jesus, who was announced by the angels, who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor 5:21). In this act God removed the barrier which separates us from Him, and reconciled us to Himself. The hallelujah life is a life lived by faith, that through grace, Jesus, the Son of God, who was born in Bethlehem has redeemed our past.

Some of you may find yourself today living in the past. You may find yourself reliving the bad and terrible things that have happened in your past – divorce, death, alcohol, poverty, abuse, or bad choices. You may find yourself wishing things were different, wishing for different childhood experiences; regretting things you have said or done; or wishing you had said or done certain things. You may feel the pain and hurt of what others have done to you. You may find yourself living with guilt, remorse or resentment. Living this way robs you of the joy and peace that the angels proclaimed. Others of you may find yourself denying or suppressing the hurts of your past through substances, activity or people. You may have become so good at suppressing the past, that you no longer enjoy the present. In fact you may be so busy or so wrapped up that you cannot even hear the good news that God is proclaiming to you. 

I invite you to hear again the message of the angel – “I bring you good news of great joy – today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you”. I invite you to hear and accept this gracious gift of a Savior from heaven above. Come and confess your regrets, your sins and remorse for your past, and accept the gracious gift of forgiveness that our Savior offers. “For if we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Yes, everything that has happened in your past is forgiven. The things you should have said and done, but didn’t or the things you shouldn’t have said and done but did are forgiven. Hallelujah! You are forgiven! 

The angelic messengers proclaimed good news not only to the shepherds but to you and me as well. Our savior has been born. Hallelujah! By grace through faith there no longer is room for self-pity, regret, guilt, remorse or resentment. You no longer need to live a humbug life! Jesus fills us with joy and peace! You are able to live a hallelujah life! Why? Because as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed your transgressions from you! (Ps 103:12) 

This Christmas will you continue to live in the past? Or will you hear and believe the good news? Will you allow the saving power of God to redeem your past and fill you with joy and peace? 

Trusting God's Promises

His team had been working on the project for over a year. They had filed patents for an innovative solution that would greatly improve the efficiency of the new plant. The detailed design for the new plant had just been completed. The project team was eagerly anticipating starting construction of the new plant. 

Then the president called him into his office and announced that the project was being cancelled due to lack of funds. He was informed that he had to lay-off his team that day, and then he had one week to wrap up the project before he would be laid-off. 

Slowly he returned to his office. Turning toward the window and he took a deep breath, and reflected on his leadership of the project. As he reflected over the past year he knew that his hands, his heart and his lips were clean before God, before his team and before the leadership of the company. 

Following his normal practice of seeking God’s wisdom before making any decisions, he cried out to God for wisdom. Knowing his natural inclination to bad mouth his employer, he prayed that God would keep his hands, his heart and his lips clean in the coming week. With a heavy heart for how this news would impact his team members, he prayed for each team member by name as well as the president and leadership of the company. 

In the coming months he experienced the soul-ravaging misunderstanding of friends who blamed his leadership for causing the project to be cancelled. Then came the joy-crushing disappointment as a former co-worker claimed a prestigious award for building a plant based on his teams design. Through it all the Lord remained with him! The Power of the Most High continued to overshadow his life! He remained God’s child. 

As he was packing his family to move to a job in another town, his pastor asked him how he was doing. He replied with joy, “Whether I am leading a project team, laying off people, or unemployed – God is with me. I am the Lord’s servant and God’s word to me will be fulfilled.” 

Mary’s Story

Mary was anticipating celebrating her upcoming marriage with her family and friends and starting her family quietly in Nazareth. Her hands, her heart and her lips were pure before God. But then one day her wedding plans went out the window. Her life was totally turned upside down. Her whole life was rearranged. 

An angel appeared to her, and told her that she would become pregnant before the wedding. Instead of a child who would carry on the family name, she would bear a son who would be the King of the house of David, a son who would be crucified but live forever, the Son of God who would save people from their sins. 

Mary chose to believe the angel’s promise that “no word from God will ever fail.” In faith she replied “I am the Lord’s servant, May your word to me be fulfilled.” Because Mary chose to respond with grace, God, through Mary brought hope into our world. Because Mary chose to cling to the promises of God, God through Mary brought the promise of God, Jesus, into the world. 

Over the next few years Mary would encounter the soul-ravaging misunderstanding of friends and the joy-crushing evil of Herod causing her to flee in the dark of night to Egypt. Yet she remained highly favored by God! The Lord remained with her! The Power of the Most High continued to overshadow her! She remained the child of God. 

Conclusion 

When something happens in your life which is not what you anticipate and your hands, heart and lips are pure before God, and you have heeded Godly advice and used the skills and talents that God has blessed you with to the best of your ability – than standing righteous before God’s throne you can with confidence proclaim “I am the Lord’s servant, May your word to me be fulfilled.” 

Your circumstances do not alter God’s promises, or the fact that you are God’s child. 

As you move forward trusting on God’s grace, God brings his grace and life giving water into the lives of those around you. 

If you are celebrating today, or are walking on air as you walk from success to success, Jesus says to you today that your successes will not have the last word. Celebrate, and let others celebrate with you. But as you celebrate, remember that it is God’s love which defines you. 

If your heart is broken, or you are wading through the deep waters of disappointment, Jesus says to you today that your tears will not have the last word. Weep and let others cry with you. But as you cry remember that it is God’s love which defines you. 

Miracles

Would you rather experience a miracle or live with the status quo? What if the miracle came with the cost of ridicule or rejection?

His day began as every other day. His parents led him to the temple gates where he sat down to beg. It was a beautiful day. He could feel the sun shining on his face. He could hear the voices of people talking as they walked past him. Having never been able to see, he would sit there listening to voices and try to picture what people might look like. When people stopped to talk to him, he would ask lots of questions and he learned how to identify the accent of people who walked past him. One day he heard some voices that he hadn’t heard before. They sounded like Galileans. As he listened, he realized they were talking about him. He didn’t have to listen, he knew they were wondering what sins he or his parents had done to cause his blindness. He had heard this conversation many times before.

But then he noticed that they were quiet. He could sense they were still standing next to him. After talking about him like a theological object lesson, were they now actually going to give him some money? Then he heard one of them spit on the ground, and stir up the dirt. Were they going to throw rocks at him? Then someone was touching him, someone was touching his eyes and rubbing dirt or something on them. His eyes stung from the dirt. Then he heard this person say to him, “Go, and wash in the Pool of Siloam”. As he struggled to his feet, he turned toward the person who had rubbed clay on his eyes, asked his name. The person replied “Jesus”.

Somebody took him by the arm and led him to the Pool of Siloam. There, kneeling beside the water he washed the gritty clay out of his eyes and off his face. As he wiped the water off his face, he knew that he had received a miracle! Not only could he see shapes, and light, but he could recognize objects that he had previously only known by their shape and texture. He had depth perception; he could walk and not stumble or trip over things.

He hurried home. It took some convincing to prove to his neighbors that he really was the same person who they had led as a blind man to the temple gates that morning. When they finally grasped what had happened, they brought him to the Pharisees. He couldn’t comprehend the Pharisee’s stubbornness. They were totally unwilling to believe that a man born blind could see. Their rejection and insults, because he experienced a miracle, hurt almost as much as the words some people said to him when he sat at the temple gate begging.

Earlier that day when he came home, you should have seen the delight and happiness on his parents face to know that their son could see. But now standing in front of the Pharisees, he could see the agony on their face. They were respectable people in the community, and he watched them stifle their joy and gratitude to stoically maintain their standing in town.

That day, he received another miracle. Just after the Pharisees cast him out of the temple, Jesus found him! As he looked into Jesus’ face, the face of the one who had restored his sight, he learned that Jesus was the Son of God. He discovered that the one who created clay, the one who formed him out of clay, had taken clay to restore his sight. Then Jesus opened his eyes to see the Kingdom of God. From that moment on he walked in the glorious experience of God’s gracious light, mercy and forgiveness. From that day on he worshipped the Lord.

Once again Jesus had done the work of His Father who sent him. A person with an eternal soul just like you entered into God’s Kingdom that day.

God still works miracles!

Jesus still works miracles! Jesus still opens blind eyes! Jesus still brings substantial emotional and physical healing into people’s lives! Bring him your trials, your tears, your pain, your sickness. Come to Jesus in all your need!

Bring to Jesus your friends or coworkers trials, tears, pain or sickness. God is ready to miraculously meet anyone’s need with his abundant riches, wonderful grace, and unlimited power!
God isn’t surprised by what is happening in anybody’s life. Trust God to work miraculously in your life and in your friends and coworkers lives.

I repeat it: Don’t let worry enter your life. Live above the anxious cares about your personal needs. People everywhere seem to worry about making a living, but your heavenly Father knows your every need and will take care of you. Each and every day he will supply your needs as you seek his kingdom passionately, above all else. So don’t ever be afraid, dearest friends! Your loving Father joyously gives you his kingdom realm with all its promises! (Luke 12:29-32 Passion Translation)

Read John 9 on BibleGateway #bgbg2

God Dwells With You

God dwells with you full of grace and truth. 

God’s Kingdom is as close to you as the very air you breathe. 

God invites you to experience today the divine life that he uniquely created you for. 

God is continuously in action, alive and dynamic penetrating all existence, surprising us under microscopes or browsing the internet, in the exploration of space or in the quiet, honest conversation with friends. 

God continues to reveal his grace with compassion, forgiveness and unfailing love. God continues to reveal his truth through his words and teaching intertwined with his acts of mercy. 

God offers you a secure existence with peace, joy, power and love flowing from his eternal heart. 

God loves you and longs to have intimate fellowship with you. You are not alone as you go about your daily routine. No matter where you go, or what you do, God is with you. The Creator who spoke the universe into existence and then filled it with light, shines the light of his truth and grace wherever you are. God never leaves you alone in the dark! 

As you go about your work today, you don’t go alone; the Holy Spirit is with you. It is the Holy Spirit who gives you the ability to be wholeheartedly devoted to God and who keeps your desires and thoughts focused on God in every task. 

As you enter your workplace today remember that you have been blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Everything owes its existence to God. Without God nothing was made that was made. Everything you produce or accomplish at work only exists because of God. 

You can come to God, the creator of the universe, the creator of the systems, processes and raw materials you work with, and seek his wisdom and guidance in all things, big or small. You can come to God and ask for wisdom for each and every problem you are trying to solve. You don’t have to carry the tremendous burden on your shoulders of trying to figure things out for yourself. With each new skill you acquire, with each new discovery you make, you are discovering more about God’s glorious and magnificent character and creation. 

With God, there is no ordinary. With God, every encounter, every task, every situation brims with divine possibility. 

God is personally and intimately present with you! 

God is exactly what you need today! 

God will Answer!

Wherever we work, at times challenging situations will arise that don’t have simple answers. What do you do when something or someone in your workplace bothers you? What do you do when you find yourself working with people who are lazy, corrupt or dishonest, who don’t follow policy, are gossips, twist the truth, back-stab, are incompetent, rule with fear, make false accusations, manipulate or are bullies? 

But first - what about you? None of us live a perfectly virtuous life. Are your hands clean, is your heart unpolluted by sin, are your lips pure before God? Have you found yourself complaining, finding fault, joining in empty conversations, cheating, exaggerating the truth or putting others down? Come to Jesus and he will forgive you. He will freely pour healing grace upon grace over your hands, heart, and lips to cleanse you from all unrighteousness so that you can stand with grace in righteousness before God’s throne. 

Stand before God’s throne and be silent; rest in his presence reflecting on the peace, joy and holiness that surrounds you. Then in humble prayer ask God to search your heart and see if there is any wicked way in you. 

God bends down to listen to your prayers when you cry out from honest lips and a pure heart. Ask God to protect your mind and soul and keep them pure before him. Ask God to keep your heart wholly devoted to Him. Ask God to help you hold the shield of faith which extinguishes all the flaming arrows that Satan throws at you. 

Ask God to reveal afresh the wonders of his great, unfailing, marvelous lovingkindness! Ask God to accomplish his righteous purposes in your workplace. Ask God to arise, and rescue you from the clutches of the wicked, and to deliver you with his mighty hand. 

God is wise enough to discern guilt and innocence. God alone has the active power to set things right. The Lord is your inheritance. The Lord is your rescuer and redeemer. This is what your gracious Heavenly Father freely does for his children. 

You are God’s child, and God’s treasured possession! It is God’s desire to keep you as the apple of his eye, and to hide you under the shadow of his wings in the midst of every situation. Under the shadow of God’s wings, you join with all believers whom God shelters from the wickedness of people and the evil in this world. 

God’s presence is not an elusive phantom of troubled dreams at night. God’s presence is a present reality in your workplace! 

When you must speak, ask God to guard your tongue so that you only speak words of faith, hope and love. Choose to use words from Scripture so that your life in prayer is consistent with your speech to others. Ask God to guard your heart and mind so that you don’t respond in sinful ways. When you must act, ask God to direct your steps so that you don’t stray from his path. 

Faithfully, patiently, in the power of the Holy Spirit continue to put one foot in front of the next placing your trust in God alone and not your own abilities. 

You can have confidence in God for tomorrow when you live God’s way today. Know with certainty that one day you will see God’s face! 

May Jesus Christ be praised, and may God receive all the glory and power and honor because of the way you live your life today!

4 Ways Prayer Will Transform Your Life

Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people . (Eph 6:18)

Here are four ways that prayer will transform your life! 

1. Prayer releases you from bondage to the spirit of this world so that you can bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. 

Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. (Jer 17:7-8) 

2. Prayer will change you from lusting after the things of the world to loving the Creator of this world. 

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:15-17) 

3. Prayer will shift your focus from the brokenness of this world to the redeemer and healer of this world. 

Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. (Matt 8:7-8) 

4. Prayer will transform you from ruminating on the way people relate to you to loving people the way God loves you. 

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:7-8) 

When you get to heaven you will learn of many lives that God has transformed because of your prayers! 

Come and Pray

• Pray in the Spirit on all occasions 
• Pray in the Spirit for every task and every decision you make at work
• Pray in the Spirit for your family
• Pray in the Spirit for your brothers and sisters in Christ 
• Pray in the Spirit with all kinds of prayers and requests
• Pray with Joy!

Be Strong in the Lord

How do you stand strong in God’s mighty power amidst the challenges you face at work? How do you stand against the devil’s schemes at your workplace or in your life?

Workplace Challenges

As Christians, some of the challenges we face in the workplace are of our own doing—consequences of our actions and attitudes. That’s why Paul warns us to live in such a way that nobody can find fault in what we do.

Some of the challenges we face in the workplace are part of living and working in a fallen world. Storms, sickness, weeds, broken down machinery, computers that crash, dust, garbage, death, decay, and rot are results of the fall.

Still other challenges in life and work are spiritual in nature. Sometimes it’s obvious when Satan is scheming against us like when he appeared to tempt Jesus. Other times, we’re completely unaware that a battle is raging in heaven over our soul and prayers, like when Daniel prayed and the angel sent to answer Daniel was resisted for twenty-one days (Daniel 10:12–14). 

God's Armor

When you find yourself in a spiritual battle God graciously offers you his armor to wear. Each piece of God’s armor – truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation, and God’s word are precious gifts that God offers you. Your loving heavenly Father designed them so that they fit your unique personality perfectly. 

Truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, and salvation, are offensive weapons God gives you to protect yourself against anything and everything that the devil might throw at you. They are not defensive weapons to be used against your colleagues, or to brow-beat them into heaven. There is only one defensive weapon which God gives you, namely the sword of the Spirit. The sword of the Spirit is God’s word which comforts you and teaches you in all things. 

The truth that there is a Creator grounds your work, and your life into a reality that is larger than yourself. The truth of sin, provides an explanation for things that you perceive that aren’t right in your workplace. The truth of redemption provides you with hope. By believing that Jesus Christ died for your sins and was raised from the dead according to the Scriptures, and that as the reigning Lord He now offers forgiveness of sins and the liberating gift of the Spirit to all who repent and believe enables you to stand righteous before a holy God, with your sins forgiven. This is not only good news for tomorrow, but the anchor that provides you with peace for today! 

When your faith rests firmly on the bedrock foundation of the completed work of Christ, every flaming dart of fear and doubt that Satan throws at you in your workplace is extinguished. God’s free gift of salvation protects the talents, skills, wisdom, knowledge and understanding God has blessed you with. God’s righteousness protects your heart from the evil that surrounds you. The word of the Lord which is the sword of the Spirit, enables you to be strong in the Lord and his mighty power, and to resist the devil’s temptations that you face at work. 

Putting on the full armor of God

You can’t put the armor of God on in your own strength. It is God, and God alone, who enables you to wear his armor. When you choose to allow God to clothe you with his armor, you experience God’s power strengthening you in your inner being. It is God’s power that enables you to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is Christ’s love for you in the darkest of places. It is God’s power that enables you to rest in God’s gift of grace. 

When you are clothed with God’s armor – when you are clothed with truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation and God’s word you can stand firm against the devil’s schemes. 

Just like it takes time and practice for a soldier to learn the proper way to hold a shield, or to use a sword, it will take time and practice to wear and use your spiritual armor effectively. 

Throughout your day, pause in prayer and ask God to clothes you with his whole armor and to give you the wisdom to know how to use his armor. 

Prayer 

Father, I thank you that you have provided me with your armor so that I can stand strong. I rejoice that your mighty power is stronger and wiser than any of devil’s schemes. Father, buckle the belt of truth around my waist. Help me to rest in the truth of who you are, and who I am in your sight. 

Guard my heart with your breastplate of righteousness. Through the power of your gospel, may I be an instrument of peace in every encounter with other people. 

Lord, I know that I can’t do this on my own strength, and so help me wield the shield of faith. Extinguish all the flaming arrows that Satan and people throw at me. 

Jesus, thank you for your wonderful gift of salvation. Help me to look beyond my situation and focus on the immensity of your love for me. Thank you for the Bible. Speak to me today through your word so that I may be able to stand firm in this day of evil. Amen

Scripture:

In conclusion be strong—not in yourselves but in the Lord, in the power of his boundless resource. Put on God’s complete armour so that you can successfully resist all the devil’s methods of attack. For our fight is not against any physical enemy: it is against organisations and powers that are spiritual. We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil. Therefore you must wear the whole armour of God that you may be able to resist evil in its day of power, and that even when you have fought to a standstill you may still stand your ground. Take your stand then with truth as your belt, righteousness your breastplate, the Gospel of peace firmly on your feet, salvation as your helmet and in your hand the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Above all be sure you take faith as your shield, for it can quench every burning missile the enemy hurls at you.  (Ephesians 6:10-17 JB Phillips)  

Whatever you do

As you enter your workplace today remember that you have been blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. You are God’s child! Your sins are forgiven! You are God’s handiwork. Your life is rooted and established in God’s love. You are seated with Christ in the Heavenly realms. You bear fruit of goodness, righteousness and truth. You are a glorious person, reflecting the image of God! These blessings were bought for you through the shed blood of your Savior, Jesus Christ. Nobody at work and nothing that happens at work today can take these away from you.

God esteems you highly. God esteems your work highly. God judges your work according to the uprightness of your heart, not your position in life, or your job. When you do your work with excellence, righteousness and truth it doesn’t matter who you work for or what you do, your work is worthy in God’s eyes. When you do your work as if you were serving the Lord, it doesn’t matter if your work seems meaningless or of great value, your work is worthy in God’s eyes. 

As you go about your work today, you don’t go alone; the Holy Spirit is with you. It is the Holy Spirit who gives you the ability to be wholeheartedly devoted to God and who keeps your desires and thoughts focused on God in every task. May every moment at your work be an opportunity for you to experience God’s presence. 

Jesus experienced the joy and grief, sorrow and laughter, delight and hardship of working in this world. While sinful hearts corrupt the best of workplaces, God’s righteousness shining through your life improves the worst of workplaces. 

You will never find the perfect environment without stress or strains. The great people and the difficult people you work with, the successes and challenges of your work all need to be received in the context where God has placed you with gratitude. Trust God to work out his purposes through what is happening in your workplace. 

Trusting in God’s loving care, you can be a reconciling presence in your workplace by putting the interest of others before your own career or financial interests. 

Do your work respectfully, conscientiously, willingly, enthusiastically and cheerfully, as doing the will of God from your heart. Leave the drama and politics of your workplace in God’s hands. Don’t let fear or greed tempt you to grab whatever you can from your job. God in his righteousness is close beside you offering you wisdom to do your job with excellence and strength to avoid temptations which can lead you astray. 

Your real power comes when you allow God to infuse your workplace with his presence through your life.

Eph 5:6-9 (J.B Phillips) Slaves, obey your human masters sincerely with a proper sense of respect and responsibility, as service rendered to Christ himself; not with the idea of currying favour with men, but as the servants of Christ conscientiously doing what you believe to be the will of God for you. You may be sure that God will reward a man for good work, irrespectively of whether the man be slave or free. 

And as for you employers, be as conscientious and responsible towards those who serve you as you expect them to be towards you, neither misusing the power over others that has been put in your hands, nor forgetting that you are responsible yourselves to a heavenly employer who makes no distinction between master and man. 

Facing Your Fear

Today is a wonderful day! Even if it feels like you are all alone surrounded by an abyss of fear – Fear of rejection, fear of losing our job, fear of screwing up, fear of the future, fear of paying the bills, fear for your health. Your destiny is not defined by your fears. Your destiny is dependent solely on the infinite power of the Almighty! You are not alone! God in his holiness and righteousness is right beside you.

Set aside your fears and focus your attention upon God who is the master of the nations, master of all people, and who is utterly trustworthy. Trust in God and your spirit will be free to sing with joy. 

When we fall into the abyss of fear we lose hope that God is with us and we often turn to people or the things of this world to rescue us. But then, if people disappoint us or say things that wound us further we may feel like we are trapped in a hopeless downward spiral. 

Choosing to focus on your situation in the abyss of fear is choosing to tackle an impossible task, for nothing that God created is capable of redeeming your situation. Choosing to focus on rescuing yourself or satisfying your own needs is dangerous, for you risk making God, the King of the universe a means to your own end. 

If you have fallen into the abyss of fear – look up and you will see Jesus standing there with his pierced hands outstretched to rescue and redeem you. If you choose to take Jesus’ hand, He will give you a new name, and place a song of praise and thanksgiving in your heart. 

God has placed before you an infinite well of salvation. Even when you are afraid you can drink deeply the water of God’s forgiveness, God’s salvation, God’s encouragement, God’s strength, and God’s love found in this well. You can freely drink the living water from this well whenever and wherever you need. This well will never run dry. This well is sufficient not only for you, but for all people. The water from this well will cleanse all your fears and fill you today with overflowing joy. 

Give thanks to the Lord! Praise his holy name! God is your salvation. Trust him and don’t be afraid! The Lord your God is your strength and your song! 

Don’t let fear define your day. Enter God’s courts with praise and thanksgiving for they are the only way you can refocus your attention from the abyss of fear to the blessings your loving Heavenly Father has bestowed upon you. 

Make known his praise to your family, your coworkers, and your friends! Tell everyone what the Lord has done. Let them know that God is mightier than all you fears, and God is the source of your strength. 

Sing to the Lord, for he has done wonderful things! Join with your brothers and sisters in Christ today in a glorious celebration shouting God’s praise with joy! 

Great is our Holy God who lives among us! 

God's Incredible Gift

He was known as a man who manifested a passion for the supremacy of God throughout his career. During his last meeting with his executive team, he led the team in a prayer of praise and thanksgiving, exalting God’s name. For a brief moment he tore back the curtain hiding God’s Kingdom, to show his leadership team that God had been revealing himself in every failure, success, struggle and joy.

As he praised the Lord, he reminded the team of twelve true, good and wonderful things about God:

1. God is Great – Their accomplishments were just tiny a reflection of the greatness of God’s creation.
2. God is Powerful – All power belongs to God, and God is powerful enough to move his greatness to accomplish whatever he wills. They didn't have to fear the future.
3. God is Glorious – God is the source and essence of all the beauty that they created.
4. God is Victorious – Their current success was but a foretaste of God’s victorious triumph over all that is evil in the world. 
5. God is Eternal – Although companies come and go, God is unchanging and endures forever. 
6. God Owns All Things – God who possesses everything, freely entrusted to them the raw material, business processes, people and technology that they relied on. 
7. God is King – God is exalted over all things. God is supreme over every aspect of the business, their competitors and their customers. 
8. God is the source of riches and honor – Their wealth, socio-political status, physical situation and spiritual standing didn’t come from shrewd business deals, good decisions, good timing or hard work. Every success, every penny they earned, and every penny they gave away came from the bountiful goodness of a promise-keeping God. 
9. God is Wise – God provided the wisdom to the people, who developed the business processes and technology which made them successful. 
10. God is the source of Strength – God’s invisible hand was the source of strength behind all their greatness and success. 
11. God is merciful – Even though they didn’t deserve to be helped, God had granted them success. 
12. God is joy – Joy can only be experienced when our desire is focused on God, not on ourselves or our accomplishments. 

Standing in awe of God, he closed his prayer with a petition that God would grant them a heart solely devoted to keeping God’s commands, statutes and decrees. He knew that apart from God, their hearts would go after anything but God. He knew that it was only the work of the Holy Spirit that could keep their hearts loyal to God. 

As you look at what you have accomplished – how would you describe God, whose invisible hand is on your life?

Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:

“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever!  Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.

“O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!  We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace. (1 Chr 29:10-15 NLT).

Praying for your Workplace

Today you have a fantastic opportunity to joyfully demonstrate your confidence in God ... by praying for your workplace and your co-workers.

You are God’s child! You are bound to God’s love and goodness which transcends everything happening in your workplace. Your workplace can’t rob you of your peace, joy or strength. God is the one who satisfies your soul. It is your privilege each day to nurture your relationship with God through prayer.

Your life is anchored in Christ. Standing on this firm unshakeable foundation you are able to pray for your coworkers and your workplace. Your prayers are a bold declaration of your faith that God knows how to keep you wherever you work. Your prayers are a gentle testimony of your quiet hope that God will make all things right. 

When you pray, you are praying to the Lord of Heaven’s armies. You are praying to the only one who reigns supreme with complete and great power. This means you don’t have to be the messiah who tries to redeem your workplace. God is active in your workplace today! 

When you pray, you are praying to the Lord who placed the leaders of your company in their roles. This is a mystery that is hard to fathom. 

When you pray for the leadership of your company you are acknowledging that each leader is a glorious gift of God to this world. These are men and women created in God’s image. God delights in each one and has blessed them with unique skills and talents. They break God’s heart because they do not know him. As you pray for them and the decisions they make, God will fill you with his love for them. 

Prayer connects you to God’s grace. As you pray for the brokenness of your workplace God will give you the wisdom to live with grace. 

Prayer for your workplace and your coworkers will keep you from succumbing to the temptations to worry, to feel regret, to feel self-important or self-righteous, or to follow the behaviors around you. 

There is a slice of heaven beaming brightly in every workplace. When you pray, God will open your eyes to see the many manifestations of his grace and righteousness where you work, and your attitude will shift to praise for who God is and what God is doing.

Praying for Stressful Workdays

I know that a struggle today will result in music tomorrow – Max Lucado (A Gentle Thunder)

What do you do in times of crisis? What do you do in stressful situations at work? Where do you turn when innumerable cares or exasperating troubles threaten to overwhelm you? What do you when your manager dumps five piles of work on your desk and wants it done for the next morning and you already have plans for the evening? What do you do when reworking the presentation will take four hours and you only have two hours to do it in? 

These are the times when we need to keep our eyes focused on God and seek his wisdom. No crisis is beyond His control. As Christians we aren’t exempt from fear … But we have an intimate, personal relationship with the God of the universe to whom we can take our fears. Our faith in God is not a ticket to escape life’s difficulties or stressful situations. Yet in our weakness we know we can take our eyes off the stressful situation and focus on our loving all-powerful God. 

If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land (2 Chr 7:14). 

When I blindly race head first into a stressful situation I make stupid mistakes. My joy, peace, patience, gentleness, lovingkindness and self-control fall on the ground, and I trample them into the mud. But when I press the pause button, and take the time to remember God’s character and God’s promises; when I humbly cast my life on his mercy seeking his grace and power eventually a new song of joy and praise wells up in my heart. 

Instead of blindly rushing forward when faced with a stressful situation, if you humbly ask God for wisdom He will replace your fear with the wisdom you need and bless you with peace and joy. 

You can expect God to work in the middle of your stressful situation! God is faithful! God is unchanging! God will stand behind his promises! 

Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful. (2 Chr 20:20). 

Take the time to narrate your predicament to God. God always has the time to listen to you. God listens with kindness and compassion. When you admit your weakness and powerlessness you are affirming your confidence in God. 

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor 12:19) 

Throw yourself on the mercy of God. You don’t need to prescribe how God will resolve your situation. You just need to ask God to demonstrate his power, his righteousness, his holiness and his grace. When you throw yourself on God’s mercy, you are claiming your seat in the spectators’ gallery to watch the Lord work. 

With a symphony of praise anticipate God’s manifestation of his steadfast, divine love in the middle of your circumstances. Praise anticipates in faith God’s fulfillment of his promises through his sovereign power. Praise declares your trust in God. 

As God’s child learning to trust and obey while seeking God’s wisdom and glory is of greater importance than merely surviving your stressful circumstances. 

This kind of faith doesn’t spring up in the middle of a crisis. This kind of faith is cultivated over a lifetime of quiet obedience to God and trust in His word throughout the routine of everyday life. 

Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever. (2 Chr 20:21 NKJV)