Transformed Devotional Day 8

SESSION 2
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DAY 8 Devotional:

Opening Prayer:
Pray that God would transform your mind today.  Ask him to evaluate your physical health and see what areas of your life you are going to give over to the Lord today.

 

Read:

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; but were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Thought:

We live in a culture that is very self seeking.  It is all about getting ahead and being the best and doing it all for the glory of ME!  It is very easy to get caught up in this culture because so much media and advertising flood our minds with this thought.  Our culture tells is basically that your body belongs to you.

Here is a radical thought that is totally counter-cultural:  Our bodies are not our own.  We do not own our bodies.  Our bodies belong to God!  This will force us to look at our bodies and how we treat our bodies much differently.  We steward our bodies because they are the living active temple of the Holy Spirit living inside of us as believers.

When we glorify our bodies for our self, we become self-worshippers.  When we glorify God with our bodies, we offer our lives up to God and do what Romans 12:2 says, which is to offer our bodies up to God as a living sacrifice - holy and pleasing to Him.  This is your spiritual act of worship.

Response:

What did you hear as you read this short devotional?

What do you think about what you read?

What will you do in response to reading this devotional?

Talk with God - share with him what you learned from this devotional.

Transformed Devotional Day 5

Opening Prayer:

Pray that God would transform your mind today.  Ask him to give you strength to overcome any temptation you might face today.

 

Read

1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Thought:

Simple thought today - difficult application.

All of us - every single one of us - will be tempted today.  In our world, there is sin - and sin will distract and pull us away from the Lord.  Satan will use any and every tool he can by tempting you to make decisions that are contrary to God's plan for your life.

Here is the beautiful thing about temptation - WE DO NOT HAVE TO GIVE IN TO IT!!  Many times, we simply forget that God has given us a way out when we are tempted by sin.  It is so much easier to give in, right.  Falling into temptation might make you feel better, or might make you look "cool" around your friend, or temptation might be so overwhelming that you have given up to following God.

Whatever the situation might be, God has given you an escape route.  God will provide you a way out.  What is this way out?

• See God FIRST - Matt 6:33  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 
• Read the Bible
• Memorize a verse to help you when you are tempted.
• Trust God that He will be with you in and through any temptation you might face today

When you are tempted today, stop and look around, and ask God for the escape route is and CHOOSE TO FOLLOW HIM!

Response:

What did you hear as you read this short devotional?

What do you think about what you read?

What will you do in response to reading this devotional?

Talk with God - share with him what you learned from this devotional.

Transformed Devotional Day 4

Opening Prayer:

Pray that God would transform your mind today.  Ask him to forgive you of your sins and cleanse you from all of your unrighteousness. (Romans 3:23)

Read:
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!

Thought:

Have you ever viewed you life as if all you have ever done is on a black board?  All of the sin in your life is written on it, then Jesus comes into the room and says, "We are going to erase all of this!  We are going to take away all of the things that have kept you away from me away and you are going to have a fresh new start!"

Reality with sin - it damages your dignity.  When we sin, we break God's principles for our life.  It splits your soul!  Once it piles up, then we feel hopeless and feel like God would never forgive you - but he does!

Jesus is in the restoring dignity business!  That is why he came from heaven to earth.  Truly, it does not matter who you have been in the past or what you might have done in the past - what matters is what direction you are taking today!  When you trust Christ, He will give you a brand new identity and make all things new!  Think about it!

Response:

What did you hear as you read this short devotional?

What do you think about what you read?

What will you do in response to reading this devotional?

Talk with God - share with him what you learned from this devotional.

Transformed Devotional Day 3

Opening Prayer:
Pray that God would transform your mind today.  Ask him to give you strength to face any challenge you are facing today.

Read:

1 John 4:4
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

Thought:

Jesus walked the face of the earth as a human being - God in the flesh.  When Jesus returned to God in heaven, He left His spirit to dwell inside of us - those who chose to participate, accept and have a relationship with Christ.  When you know Jesus as your Lord, then God's spirit lives inside of you.

Why is this important for us to understand?

• Because God's Spirit helps us learn how to live and apply God's truth. (John 14:26)
• Because God's Spirit builds character in each one of us during difficult times. (Romans 5:3-5)
• Because God's Spirit helps us be more like Jesus. (Galatians 5:22-23)
• Because God's Spirit empowers us to Share the Good News of Jesus. (Acts 1:8)
• Because God's Spirit equips us for ministry. (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)

When we are IN CHRIST and filled with the Spirit of God, He in return will give us His power, peace, presence and purpose for life!  Pretty cool idea that we can walk through life with God, not separate from God.  Think about that!

Response:

What did you hear as you read this short devotional?

What do you think about what you read?

What will you do in response to reading this devotional?

Talk with God - share with him what you learned from this devotional.

Transformed Devotional Day 2

Opening Prayer:
Pray that God would transform your mind today.  Ask him to give you strength to be spiritually disciplined in your day today.

 

Read:
John 1:12-13
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

Thought:

Everyone of us are God's Children.  Premise - when we are in Christ and believe in Jesus - Promise - we are brought near to God the Father.  We become part of the family - fully loved and fully accepted by Him.

What does that mean for us who believe?

• We get to share in the same love, same relationship and same closeness that Jesus shared with God. - Read Romans 8:15
• We can address God as "Abba Father", which means "Daddy"
• We have direct access to God - we can talk to Him, share with Him and ask Him anything.  God has granted us FULL ACCESS to His love!

Here is the beautiful thing - God is not forcing himself on you today.  He is inviting you today to participate in His life of love.  It is a choice for you to make - either participate or not.  If you choose to participate, then the creator of the universe will transform your day into the likeness of Himself and His love.

Response:

What did you hear as you read this short devotional?

What do you think about what you read?

What will you do in response to reading this devotional?

Talk with God - share with him what you learned from this devotional.

Transformed Devotional - Day 1

Prayer:
Pray that God would transform your mind today.

Read:
John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Thought:

This verse is Christianity in a nutshell.  It gives us 4 points to learn from:

1.  God is passionate about you!  God loves you!

2.  God shows his love for us by sending his son, Jesus, as a love gift for you and me

3.  God gives us a proposal - whosoever believes - You can choose to believe or not.  We do not have to earn this love - we simply have to believe

4.  If you choose to believe - then you gain the promise of eternal life.  What a deal!

If you have not accepted God's proposal believing in Jesus Christ, do it today!  If you believe, then live today in the light of this verse!

Response:

What did you hear as you read this short devotional?

What do you think about what you read?

What will you do in response to reading this devotional?

Talk with God - share with him what you learned from this devotional.

Evaluate Your Priorities - Week 8

I have thoroughly enjoyed leading you through the “Putting God First” devotional over the past seven weeks.  I have grown in my knowledge and understanding from Scripture on the priority of placing God as FIRST PLACE in my life.  It is a daily practice and exercise to place God first in my life.  There is not a “one and done” formula for daily placing God first in my life.  Everyday I must wake up and voice the prayer to God - literally telling Him, “Lord, I place you as Lord of my life today.”  

To take it a step further, it is always much easier to say something than to say something and back it up with my actions.  My mom always told me as a child, and still reminds me today, that it is much easier to say something than to actually do it!  For example, it is much easier to say I want to make time for you than to actually pull out the calendar, schedule a time, create time in the week and actually meet with you.  Saying something and doing what you say are vital when we begin to apply this concept of putting God first in our lives.  So now I am going to challenge you to not only tell God to be FIRST PLACE in your life, but challenge you to take steps to make God FIRST PLACE in your life.

If you and I are going to get serious about our relationship with the Lord, then it is time for us to re-prioritize our life with God being the center of our life.  As an illustration, let’s look at a wagon wheel.  For a wagon wheel to work properly, it has a center point and spokes branching out from the center evenly to support the wheel for a smooth ride.  If the wagon wheel center point was off or not in the middle of the wheel, then the spokes would be off and the ride would be bumpy and eventually break.  The same applies to putting God in the center of your life.  If God is the center of your Family, Work, Relationships, Schedule, Finances and Troubles, then there is balance and perspective.  Yes, there will be bumps in the road, but when they come, you are balanced with God at the center of the storm.  The question I have for you, is God the center of your life today?  Have you placed God in the middle of your chaos and given Him your life today?

CHALLENGE

• Family - what one change can you make today to make God the center of your family?
• Work - Is God leading you at work?  If not, then what step can you make today to place God in the center of your workplace?
• Relationships - What one relationship do you need to rid yourself of today?  What one relationship do you need to improve and add into your life to put God first in your relationships?
• Schedule - Have you scheduled time with the Lord DAILY?  If not, begin there.  Make God the center of your schedule.
• Finances - All you have is given to you from the Lord.  Have you given your money and finances over to the Lord?  Are you tithing to the church?
• Troubles - What trouble are you holding on to today?  Give it over to God today.

Like I expressed - it is difficult to put God first in your life.  It cannot be done on your own strength and power.  It takes prayer!  I believe that it is God’s will for you to place Him as the center of everything in life.  It is your spiritual act of worship.  Listen to these words -  “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I will be praying for you as you put God first in your life.  If you begin to apply this concept to your Christian life, you will be transformed into the likeness of Christ.  Take the challenge and begin to see God work His will in Christ Jesus through you.

Here is a final thought from Brian Anderson, founding pastor of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship in North Phoenix, Arizona as he addresses how we need to put God first in our lives:

"How Do I Know God is First? As we put God first in these six areas, we are fulfilling the first commandment, and we are worshipping God. Yet, you may ask yourself, “How do I know when God is first in my life? “The answer to this questions is to notice when He isn’t first in your life. Worry is the warning light. If God is not first in any one of these six areas, I notice that I am usually worrying about some aspect of them. I have found that putting God first in every area of my life is really the antidote to worry. Look back over these six areas in your life, and do a little self-evaluation. Is God really first?

Blessings - Keith