Who I Am In Christ Devotionals

  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with gratitude, make your requests known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will protect your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6‭-‬7 . What characterizes a believer? A believer in Jesus is anxious for nothing. I love how the scripture uses words like "nothing." It leaves no out, no wiggle room. The bible says it, so this is possible for me. I CAN be anxious for nothing. How? In everything. Here's another one of those words: everything. Here's the list -- prayer and supplication, gratitude, and make requests known to God. Prayer is talking to God, not just saying words, but consciously talking to Him. What is supplication? The dictionary says, "the action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly." This looks to me like I am to bug God. But with a good attitude, humbly. With gratitude. That means not holding resentment. Espec...

  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 I'm Not Victorious By Being Super Christian The word of God reveals who I am in Christ. This verse continues that holy, biblical record. First, I AM victorious through Jesus. I'm not victorious through me being super Christian. Jesus works. It's Him. And because He works this marvelous victory in me, I am steadfast (which means fixed or unchanging according to Wordnik). Steadfast. Hey, nobody calls anybody steadfast! But the apostle Paul says I can be it. Immovable. I am on the foundation of Jesus, the Rock. Abounding in the Work of the Lord Can I always abound in the work of the Lord like the verse says? Yes. This isn't me making this up; this is Paul saying this, and he is saying it to the Corinthian church which had s...

 

 

  Today, we only have a podcast version of the daily devotional. It's about 8 minutes long. The scripture is a bit longer than what we normally cover.  Here's the passage. May you be blessed as you read and meditate on His word! 2 Peter 1:3-8  3  His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  4  By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.  5  For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge,  6  knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness,  7  godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.  8  For if you possess these qu...

 

  "In him we have boldness and confident access through faith in him." Ephesians 3:12 Unending, God-given Supply I am bold in Him. Right? I don't know; I don't feel so bold. If you want to know the embarrassing truth, I feel sorta timid.  I don't want to open my mouth. I don't want to reveal my thoughts. I even carry around old remembered shame from my childhood, so I'm afraid of getting hit with even more hard knocks. But this verse says I have boldness. Now. Present tense. It's mine. So who should I believe? The scripture or me?  The scripture, Right?  Okay, why am I even asking such an obvious question? Here's why: I debate this in my own mind regularly. Should I listen to Jesus or not? And maybe the words don't form so obviously wrong in my mind, but my actions show that the debate took place, and that I decided to do the thing I wanted to do.  I must stand on this: The Word of God is the truth. Period.  So, I actually DO have boldness.  Wh...

 

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 Things work out, even very painful things, in His time. I am His workmanship. That means He put thought and wisdom into making me. He knew what He was doing when He made me, when He saved me, and made me new. I am now a new creation. I am being made a new creation. And one day in glory, I will be fully complete. I have heard many testimonies of people who got saved and still struggled with their hurts, habits, and hang-ups. God kept working. They learned to keep coming to him over and over. And when they thought they were fully depending on Him, they realized they were still holding back something for themselves.  God demands all. I know that sounds impossible; He makes it possible.  He chisels away. Working, crafting. Wiser than Solomon. More talented than Michelangelo.  Things work out, even very painful things, in His time. I am ...

"Let my cry come before you, O Lord; give me understanding according to your word!" Psalm 119:169 Hiding Does Not Work Some days, I hurt and don't understand why. When I feel shame or anger, my thinking gets cloudy. I want to hide it, unfeel it. And I've tried (cause that's such a healthy thing to do). Hiding does not work. There's no running from it. I must cry out. (Maybe not in the middle of the grocery store...) But I need to feel it. If I refuse to feel this, I isolate myself from feelings of joy, respect, kindness, and forgiveness too. I need to welcome the feelings. Not hide. No denial. The feelings might be there because I caused damage, or because I feel betrayed or misunderstood. Open About How I Feel The Psalmist says, "Let my cry come before you, O Lord." This is being open before the Lord about how I feel. In the depth of my pain, I don't understand. I just feel bad. Feelings aren't understanding. Being honest about them can lead...