Posted on January 10, 2020 by Mike
“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16 (NASB)
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Let this be a time of worship to God. Pray each prayer and add your own personal message to God. Read each scripture as though reading it for the first time – listen carefully for the voice of God. Listen to each song paying close attention to the lyrics provided. These songs were carefully chosen. Even if the music is not your favorite style of music, know that the musicians performing are sincerely making music to the Lord. Try to feel the passion in their words and their musical expression. Give thought to the message presented and confirm the truth therein by opening your Bible and taking some time to do your own personal study. May you be greatly blessed.
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Heavenly Father, we stand in your presence in awe of your awesome power and love. We seek that which is your will in our lives and look forward to the return of your Son Jesus Christ. Please Father, wrap your arms around each of us and provide for us all of our needs. Forgive us Father, for all of our mistakes and failures in our pursuit of righteousness. Develop in us the ability to also forgive those who disrupt our lives. Open our eyes Father, to the enemy who is in pursuit of our souls. Let us see clearly the evil trying to control our lives so that we can avoid destruction. We offer this prayer in the Holy name of Jesus. Amen.
Make no mistake about it, each and every one of us is part of the daily battle between good and evil. Evil is everything that pushes us away from God. Evil is the worldly deception that panders to our selfish desires. Evil is that overwhelming urge to have more.
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21 (NASB)
The antidote for all things evil is the loving heart that God provides. When we reach out to others with a helping hand, we step around evil and shield ourselves with good. When we put God first, there’s no room for the devil’s deception. Unfortunately, the world we live in is often hostile toward good – mocking those who do the right thing and supporting those who accumulate wealth through selfish schemes. Who we hang out with can make a big difference in our effort to fight evil.
“Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 1 Corinthians 15:33(NASB)
As followers of Jesus Christ, it’s important to engage the lost in meaningful conversations and friendships. At the same time, we need to protect ourselves from those who might lead us astray. Those who are more concerned with others than themselves are moving in the right direction. Those who are more concerned with themselves rather than others, are lost and need our guidance.
“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:3-4(NASB)
As we travel through this fragile battleground our only hope is in our connection to Jesus. Our human nature is prone to wander off in the wrong direction if we don’t keep Christ as our guiding light and the savior of our soul.
Let this song fill your spirit.
A sky without a North Star
A ship without an anchor
Caught up in the current
My heart is prone to wander
All the roads I’ve taken
Lead me back to nowhere
You’re the destination
You’re the way to get there
You can have it all
Be the song I sing
Be my guiding light
Savior of my soul
Be the Lord of my life
Every step I take
Always by my side
I am yours, You are mine
Be the Lord of my life
Mercies never failing
Forgiveness overflowing
The love that You’re unveiling
A beauty just keeps growing
This is all I want
I surrender all
Be the song I sing
Be my guiding light
Savior of my soul
Be the Lord of my life
Every step I take
Always by my side
I am yours, You are mine
Be the Lord of my life
I wanna go where you go
Wanna move where you move
Wanna love who you love
Watch it break on through
Be the song I sing
Be my guiding light
Savior of my soul
Be the Lord of my life
Every step I take
Always by my side
I am yours, You are mine
Be the Lord of my life
I am yours, You are mine
Be the Lord of my life
I am yours, You are mine
Be the Lord of my life
As the battle between good and evil rages on, we find comfort and peace in the arms of Jesus. The closer we are to Jesus the more peace we experience. To that end, our primary objective has to be following carefully in his footsteps. When we follow the teaching of Jesus, we connect with the spirit of God in a special way.
“Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.” 1 Corinthians 10:24 (NASB)
When we spend time taking care of our own needs at the expenses of others, there is often a feeling of guilt that follows. On the other hand, when we spend time serving others, we experience joy and a sense of peace unlike any other – this is because we are fulfilling the teaching of Jesus.
“Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2(NASB)
The evil forces in this world want us to feel good about satisfying ourselves. God wants us to satisfy ourselves by satisfying others. This simple equation can be found repeated many times in the pages of the Bible and is a central theme in the life of Jesus.
“And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Hebrews 13:16 (NASB)
Our mission as Christians is to live for Jesus. We accomplish this mission by structuring our lives in the manner prescribed to us in the pages of the Bible. By trusting in Jesus and him alone, we cannot be shaken by the darkness of this world. A peace that surpasses all comprehension (Philippians 4:7) will fill our hearts when we put ourselves aside and get busy doing something for God.
Let this song sink into your soul.
Worthy of every song we could ever sing
Worthy of all the praise we could ever bring
Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe
We live for you
Jesus the name above every other name
Jesus the only one who could ever save
Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe
We live for you
Oh we live for you
Holy there is no one like you
There is none beside you
Open up my eyes in wonder
Show me who you are and fill me
With your heart and lead me
In your love to those around me
Jesus the name above every other name
Jesus the only one who could ever save
Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe
We live for you
Oh we live for you
Holy there is no one like you
There is none beside you
Open up my eyes in wonder
And show me who you are and fill me
With your heart and lead me
In your love to those around me
And I will build my life upon your love it is a firm foundation
And I will put my trust in you alone
And I will not be shaken
And I will build my life upon your love it is a firm foundation
And I will put my trust in you alone
And I will not be shaken
Holy there is no one like you
There is none beside you
Open up my eyes in wonder
And show me who you are and fill me
With your heart and lead me
In your love to those around me
And I will build my life upon your love it is a firm foundation
And I will put my trust in you alone
And I will not be shaken
And I will build my life upon your love it is a firm foundation
And I will put my trust in you alone
And I will not be shaken
Nothing happens in our lives until we take a step forward and put our plan into action. Following Jesus is not a passive endeavor. Every moment of every day is an opportunity to take hold of the teachings of Jesus and put them into practice.
“But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.” James 1:25 (NASB)
Every step we take closer to Jesus brings us one step closer to the peace-filled life we all crave. Showing appreciation for loved ones on a regular basis is one of the ways we follow the teachings of Jesus. Asking those in need how we might be of help rather than simply offering to pray is another step closer to Jesus. Working together with others to provide assistance to those in need, is yet another way we can bring about the peace that serving others provides.
“Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.” 1 John 3:18 (NASB)
The darkness of this world will try to convince us we don’t have time for anyone else’s needs, but that’s a lie. The darkness of this world wants us to believe we need to spend more time taking care of our own needs if we want to be happy – that’s also a lie. We know these are lies because our experience demonstrates these things to be untrue. When we get busy doing God’s work, the devil’s lies drift away.
“In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35 (NASB)
No one else can do what God has called you to do. You have been placed where you are by God. You have been given special talents and resources by God. God intends for you to use your talents and resources to serve those around you to his glory.
Let this song inspire you to do more.
I woke up this morning
Saw a world full of trouble now, thought
How’d we ever get so far down, and
How’s it ever gonna turn around
So I turned my eyes to Heaven
I thought, “God, why don’t You do something?”
Well, I just couldn’t bear the thought of
People living in poverty
Children sold into slavery
The thought disgusted me
So, I shook my fist at Heaven
Said, “God, why don’t You do something?”
He said, “I did, yeah, I created you” (now listen)
If not us, then who
If not me and you
Right now, it’s time for us to do something, yeah
If not now, then when
Will we see an end
To all this pain
Oh, it’s not enough to do nothing
It’s time for us to do something
I’m so tired of talking about
How we are God’s hands and feet
But it’s easier to say than to be
Live like angels of apathy who tell ourselves
It’s alright, “somebody else will do something”
Well, I don’t know about you
But I’m sick and tired of life with no desire
I don’t want a flame, I want a fire and
I wanna be the one who stands up and says
“I’m gonna do something”
If not us, then who
If not me and you
Right now, it’s time for us to do something, yes it is, come on
If not now, then when
Will we see an end
To all this pain
Oh oh, it’s not enough to do nothing
It’s time for us to do something
We are the salt of the earth
We are a city on a hill
We’re never gonna change the world
By standing still
No, we won’t stand still
No
If not us, then who
If not me and you
Right now
It’s time for us to do something
If not now, then when
Will we see an end
To all this pain
It’s not enough to do nothing
It’s time for us to do something
It’s time for us to do something
His door is now open to you. You are in God’s presence. Don’t leave without Him. Keep Him with you throughout your day.
Go in peace.
All scripture references are linked to Bible Gateway so that you can read each verse in context. Bible Gateway allows you to change the verse to your favorite translation and compare it side-by-side with multiple translations. In addition, you can select to hear an audio version of any verse by clicking on the speaker icon. Keep the Bible Gateway App on your phone so that you can visit the Word of God at any time during your day.