Devotion 9/25, Yes, Jesus Does!
Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old.
Lamentations 5:21
When we let sinful practices take over our lives, our lives will lay in ruin just as Mount Zion did. Sin sucks the joy out of our days and turns our peace into chaos. Our future looks bleak, and our hearts grow cold. That sin that looked so appealing at the start, now has brought us only misery and troubling consequences that are long lasting in our lives. When we finally come to the end of ourselves, that is when we call out to God and ask Him to “restore to us the joy of our salvation” (Psalm 51:12)!
As we go forward in Christ we have a new mindset. We live out Romans 12:1-2…“Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of Gods mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His pleasing and perfect will.”
When we are tempted to sin, we do as Galatians 5:16 instructs, “So, I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
And James 4:7, “Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
God has given us all we need to live our lives for Him through His indwelling Holy Spirit, He has given all we need to resist the sins that tempt us. We, however, must choose to cling to Christ and distance ourselves from the temptations that come our way!
Father , thank You for Your love, mercy and grace! Thank You for giving me your Holy Spirit to empower me to resist sin in my life. Thank You for your forgiveness when I do sin. Help me to recognize the temptations when they come and to flee from them immediately. I desire to live for You and praise Your name every day, Amen!
Prayer from Philip Ware:
Holy and awesome God, I know a huge gulf stands between your perfection and my limitations. Yet, dear Father, I believe you have spanned that gulf with your grace. While I wait for that perfection to dawn in all its fullness, please empower me for my battles with the evil one and deliver me from all spiritual harm and attack. Until the day I see you face to face, please accept my all-too-limited and human praise for all you have done to save me. I rejoice in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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