Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 3.27-We know as disciples of Jesus that the devil roams about on the earth putting evil ideas into the hearts of human beings.  This helps us to be aware that we need to guard our hearts. It troubles us when someone close to us is getting ready to betray us or any close family or friend.  Betrayal leaves a deep scar on the conscience.  It hurts others, but it also hurts us.  God is willing to forgive and forget if we sincerely repent and seek His forgiveness.  To help us to avoid it in the future, though God forgives and forgets we might remember these kind of failures.  Satan is a murderer according to Jesus and one way to kill relationships is with betrayal. Jesus revealed to the disciple sitting close to Jesus that the betrayer was Judas. Jesus was 100% human and 100% divine.  In his humanity He wanted Judas to get going with the deed.  The hard thing.  The cross had to be faced and done for the good of all humanity. John 13. 2 ...

 3.26-Face your destiny with truth, courage and love.  One appointment we all have is death and judgement.  From the perspective of a disciple of Jesus we know that He faced a cross that had been a part of the plan for His life which He had spoken of commonly in His work with people.  He faced it boldly and yet with human fear.  He wanted to have the cup pass if it was the Father's will, but of course it was not.  He prayed to Him about it.  This gave Him that common touch that we all love about Him. John 13. 13  Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that His hour had come that He would depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them  [ a ] to the end.  

 3.25- Jesus is the light and the life. He goes where there is death and brings life.  Arrogance kills. Meditation on Jesus brings life. He is loved because of His spiritual connection with His Father and with His friends.  This causes our faith, confidence in the promises of God to become richer through the years.  Faith in God leads to growth in responsibilities and shrinking back causes a loss of responsibilities. There is a kind of communion with people in the Holy Spirit that is completely unique.  Kisses, hugs and tears are normal. It is resurrection. It is helping others in our fellowship circle unwrap their spiritual gifts.  Family and friends unwrap our failures, but fellowship with Jesus and His people helps us to be all we can be. It is refreshing each other to keep on keeping on.  It is those who are a father to the fatherless because of their imitation of God, our heavenly Father.  Generation after generation who strive for integrity....

 3.24- Timothy Keller @timkellernyc · Feb 23 The Augustinian point vs stoicism is -- don't be passionless! Don't love anything on earth less--love God more. Don't become less passionately loving., but re-order the loves of your heart through "one holy passion--filling all my frame". Colossians 3. 23  Whatever you do, do your work  [ y ] heartily, as for the Lord and not for people,   24  knowing that  it is  from the Lord  that  you will receive the reward  [ z ] of the inheritance.  It is  the Lord Christ  whom  you serve.  

 3.23- Security.  One of the amazing promises of Jesus to those of us who are His sheep is that He gives us a full, abundant life and that it a type of life that lasts forever with Him.  We who have this never perish.  We have the promise that no force will be able to snatch us away from our closeness to Him.  John 10. 27  My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;   28  and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.   29  [ f ] My Father, who has given  them  to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch  them  out of the Father’s hand.   30  I and the Father are  [ g ] one.” Romans 8. 38  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,   39  nor height, nor depth, nor any other cre...

 3.22- Reason #1 to smile another day if you are a Christian. Jesus Christ is able to save you forever from anything you need to be saved from. Your Savior is completely innocent. undefiled sitting next t to our Father in heaven advocating for us with complete understanding of what we are going through.  Relax and enjoy radiating a genuine smile. Hebrews 7. 25  Therefore He is also able to save  [ l ] forever those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. 26  For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens;   27  who has no daily need, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the  sins  of the people, because He did this once for all  time  when He offered up Himself.   28  For the Law appoints men a...

 3.21- Prayer principles. Know what you want to say. Be 100% sure you sincerely want God's will over yours. Confess and turn from any known sin. Receive forgiveness. Forgive anyone of anything in the same way God has forgiven you. Believe all things are possible with God. Act as if it has been done. Pray for peace in the world. Mark 11 20  As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots  up .   21  And being reminded, Peter *said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree that You cursed has withered.”   22  And Jesus answered and *said to them,  “Have faith in God.   23  Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be  granted  to him.   24  Therefore, I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and the...