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Today’s Affirmation: It is God who gives me the desire and power to do what pleases Him.
Philippians 2:13 is the basis for this affirmation. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. (NLT).
In Celebrating Recovery, this verse is the basis of Step 2 in the 12 step process. “We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” Are you there yet? Do you believe that there is a God who can work in you so you desire what pleases Him? Do you believe He will give you the power to do His will?
My personal story is that I have no doubt that I do NOT have the desire and power on my own self discipline to do what pleases Him. When operating on my own desires, yes even today, this minute, I will choose to do what is NOT pleasing to God. Most of us need God and His power moment to moment.
I have come to believe that we ALL need God to restore us to sanity. The people of scripture beginning with the original Adam have sinned when seeking their own way. Do we expect to be different, this time?
I love Phil 2:17 where Paul says: “But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy.” (NLT)
Just pour out all you have. Sacrifice your all to God, let it go. Then it is God who will fill us back up with His desires, His will, and His purpose. Breathe out me and breathe in Christ. Fill me Lord Jesus. Restore me and give me Your desires and Your power!
- Do you believe most people are insane in some way? Why do we feel it is only us?
- Do you believe God can restore?
- How do you cope with your desires, your habits, and your hang-ups?
- What does it look like to you to pour yourself out as a sacrifice?
Work in me Lord. I pour out my evil self and ask you to fill me with Your desires and Your power today. I do desire to do what pleases you!
Tom Raines
Christian Affirmations 4 Life
Tom,
You are “right on the money” with this one!! I have been going thru my life/testimony this week and looking at His covenants (promises) to me ~ I can do nothing of value/in my own will apart from/without my Savior! A man’s heart is wicked and deceitful.
Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
We are a fallen race living in a fallen place, BUT by His loving mercy and grace and the glorious gift of His blodd that He shed for ME ~ I am an heir to the kingdom!
I need Him every moment of everyday and praise Him that I do not walk this journey alone!
2 Corinthians 5:17
17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
He will NEVER forsake us!
1.Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
2.Deuteronomy 31:8
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
3.Joshua 1:5
No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
4.1 Kings 8:57
May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us.
NONE OF US CAN DO IT ALONE!!
Proverbs 20:9
Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin”?
There was ONLY ONE ~ our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Hebrews 10:22
let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Surgery (pruning of our hearts) is painful, but absolutely necessary for growing in Christ and becomming more like Him.
Thank you for this affirmation/covenant/PROMISE to ME from God!
I am blessed because of it! Have a great day!
Oh man Oh man, Cyndy those are some of my favorite verses. You are pouring yourself into your covenant project and the Holy Spirit is in return just pouring His word out to us through you. Wonderful, thank you for taking the time to type all of that. I just LOVE it! I need to know more of the procedure of HOW you are doing this exercise. I understand you are writing pages but not clear on the step by step process you are following. Maybe you can share that on Strengthening the Body! Share this wonderful outflowing of God’s promises to us. THANK YOU!!!
On my own I am nothing, can accomplish nothing of eternal worth, and will fall. Good reminder Tom.
Thanks Bill, unfortunately I am AMAZED at how quickly I can go back to my flesh. I must constantly pour myself out so He can fill me. I am filled with evil without HIM. With you Bill I praise Him for His goodness!
Hi tomraines,
i think that one way that we can affirm our covenant with God is in our day to day life and decision making. The thing with this is that we need to have a reasonably good knowledge of what the Bible says. What Jesus wants from us. Without this knowledge we don’t really know what to do. What does God want me to do in this circumstance? Can someone else tell me? If I just follow what they tell me to do is that alright? Can someone else give me the faith and courage to make the hard decisions? No. We have to do it ourselves from our own faith and knowledge from our own heart.
We get this by reading and absorbing the Bible. Living Scripture able to save our souls. Man’s words are not God’s Words. We have left off our duty and responsibility to learn from God through the Bible through his Spirit. We want to take a ‘shortcut to the desktop’ so to speak. I think that this is how people are being deceived and how false teaching is so widely accepted by God’s people. They don’t know any different.
God does say in the Bible that his people perish for a lack of knowledge. People seem to be substituting other books, tv programs, and conferences, and the testimony of other people to try and learn about God. I think this is not working very well. We need to read and meditate on God’s Word the Holy Bible. I think if we try to circumvent this responsibility we pay a price.
Eventually, this responsibility of the believer for reading the Bible becomes ‘our joy and our strength’ and we look for moments in the day when we sit down can read it. The Word breathes life, hope, and faith into our lives.
Agreed that we need to rely on God and have “reaonably good knowledge” but I think there is danger in leaning on our own understanding. This is the Living Word of God. The word meets people where they are. Many great tragedies have been caused because people view the world through their own interpretation. I am sure you have some understandings today that are different from another time you read that word. We are all a part of the body of Christ. If we are all the same and the same part that would not be what Jesus wanted. I think our fleshly minds want to take a hard stand and we would be much better served to undertand our limits. That we do not have the mind of God and we should not play His part. I agree that people perish from lack of knowledge but I also think many have perished due to confidence that they had in knowledge was theirs and not Gods. Scripture certainly guides us in the paths and directions we should take. However, I do not discount that God provides people in our life to assist in guidance. Reading the bible is truly my joy and my strength and I realize I am limited by my intellect and can benefit from the perspectives of others. I do appreciate your input!
Hi tomraines,
I agree that as the Body of Christ we need each other. Definitely, we need the contributions of others in our lives. Otherwise there would be no need for the 5- fold ministry of helps, teachers, pastors, prophets, and apostles. I think what I am saying here in this blog is that many people occupy themselves with literature other than the Bible and say that they have been in the ‘Word’ today. They’ve been taught this by false teachers, that as long as they’re reading something christian based with some scriptures of the Bible inserted in it, then they are ok. I’m not saying here that reading novels or attending conferences is wrong, I’m trying to say here that those things are not a substitute for consistent reading of the Bible in its context and fullness.
Some people seem to think that they can’t understand the Bible or that it is difficult to read. If they would hang in there for a while, I believe God gives them what they need to interpret and understand what it is He is saying to them and ministering to them and teaching them.
I think this teaching of people not being able to understand the Bible was part of the thinking of the dark ages. People were not allowed to read the Bible. It was thought that only the priets could interpret and understand God and his Word and then they would teach the people. The same thing occured in the priesthood of Aaron in the OT. The priests interpreted the commandments of God and then taught the people. This system was how the Pharisees were able to keep adding, changing and taking away from God’s laws and precepts.
I believe that the same danger is around today. Just in a different format so to speak. For sure, there is good teaching being done through some books, seminars and so forth. I believe there is also heresy and false teaching being done also in some books and seminars.
How does the believer know which is which? They know the difference by reading what is the Truth. And that is the Bible.
Hi tom raines,
I know it is judgmental to say that there is a crisis of the Holy Spirit today in the lives of believers, but I am beginning to think that that is what is happening. I talked to some people recently who feel so guilty, who feel so weak, who don’t know for sure that they are doing God’s will, I have spoken with some people have no feelings of assurance of their salvation. The Bible says that we should have this assurance. That by faith we should have this assurance. Where does the faith for our assurance come from? God and the Holy Spirit.
I’m am wondering if people have turned away from the Holy Spirt because of the excesses that have been displayed and committed over the last 50 years or so. We don’t want to be thought ‘strange’ by the world.
The Bible says.
the Holy Spirit will teach the believer from God’s word.
the Holy Spirit provides the ability for people to live for God.
the Holy Spirit brings power into our lives to obey God.
and many other works that He does.
is God saying today through the place and circumstances that some believers find themselves in that are contray to what they feel and believe they should have, that they need to seek the Holy Spirit? Not to replace Jesus. The Holy Spirit does not do that. He lifts up and exalts the name of Jesus.
One thing the Bible seems to teach is that we must ‘Ask’ for the Holy Spirit from God. I think many people have not done this. They have been taught that they have all of the Holy Spirit that they should have and need by making a confession of faith in Jesus Christ. Peter made a confession of his belief in Christ as being the Son of God, the Savior many days before he received the Holy Spirit that Jesus said his disciples were to wait for.
I am totally with you and yes I do feel that the key is the relationship with the Trinity! Father, Son and Holy Ghost. I do feel that many have been taught that JUST making a confession of faith, saying a sinners prayer or completing the “laws” and repetitions of the church wrongly so. I feel that you are right that there is NO substitute for reading the word of God. We are to write it upon the tablets of our hearts. We are to talk about it as we sit at home, as we walk along the road and when we rise up and lay down. The WORD of God along with the relationship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit we will be guided along God’s paths and desire what He desires. This is a moment to moment relationship without ceasing. I am ok with pointers and coaching by others but they do not take the place of the Word nor guidance of the Spirit.
I ask the Holy Spirit to guide us in life and into the Word that we may be equipped to serve His Kingdom!! Thanks for pointing out your position!!