Are you growing in grace? To me, grace is Holy Spirit empowerment to become more like Jesus; therefore, growing in grace means increasing in Christlikeness through the unmerited power of God’s Spirit. So let me rephrase the question: Are you relying on the Holy Spirit to make you more like Jesus — at home, at work, in relationships?
“The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). At the time these words were proclaimed, the Israelites had just returned from captivity in Babylon. Under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah, the people had rebuilt Jerusalem’s ruined walls, and now they set their sights on reestablishing the temple and restoring the nation.
If you claim to have no enemies, I would love to hear how you managed to get this far in life without having a single person oppose you. Surely at some time someone has envied you or tried to wreck your goals or interrupt your plans. And, the fact is, these things are what make someone your enemy.
There seems to be a counterfeit for just about everything today. It used to be that as you walked down the streets of New York City, you encountered street vendors hawking “authentic” Rolex watches, designer purses, jewelry and other desirable wares. They looked great but they were cheap imitations of the real things.
The Holy Spirit stirred my spirit concerning his love and led me to this passage: “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keeping yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ until eternal life” (Jude 20-21).
At times David suffered greatly under the Lord’s chastening rod. He was afraid the Lord had utterly forsaken him because of his sin, a thought he could not bear, and he pleaded with the Lord, “Let not the floodwater overflow me, nor let the deep swallow me up; and let not the pit shut its mouth on me” (Psalm 69:15). He was saying, “Lord, please don’t let me go so far down I can’t get out!”
How often do you pray for others? Too often when we tell someone, “I’ll pray for you,” we forget to do it. Or we pray once and then quickly forget about their need.
The apostle Paul experienced hardships so dire that he feared for his life: “For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life” (2 Corinthians 1:8). Paul shared his need with his brothers and after he was delivered, he gave them credit for their support in prayer (see 2 Corinthians 1:11).
America’s children today are a lost generation. No generation in history has been so plagued by sex, drugs, alcohol, greed and murder at such a young age. Who is to blame for this?
Our educational system has become vile and perverted as teachers are introducing students to atheism, evolution, perversion, permissive sexual attitudes and anti-religious bigotry. A teacher cannot place a Bible on his desk — but he can display literature on subjects ranging from communism to pornography.
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed [changed] into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Believers spend far too much time praying, “God, change my circumstances; change my coworkers; change my family situation; change the conditions in my life.” Yet we seldom pray the most important prayer: “Change me, Lord. I am the one who stands in need of prayer.”
You may not want to think about it or even accept it, but if you have determined to follow Jesus with all your heart, Satan has marked you for destruction. And he’s going to flood your life with troubles of all kinds.
The apostle Peter warns, “The end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers” (1 Peter 4:7). In other words, “This is no time for lightness. You must get sober-minded about spiritual things because it is now an issue of life and death.”