– Romans 6:6

Sin is the enemy’s favorite weapon because he knows it damages your relationship with God. Yet, there is a thing that is for you to do- repent. The power of the Cross eternally breaks the power of sin; all you should do first is repent.

Repentance includes physically turning away from sin, and also includes a mental or intellectual change in the way you view sin. When you repent of a certain sin, you agree with God that what you did was wrong. Therefore, you willfully choose to step away from sin.

Repentance is not an emotional act. However, it does involve your emotional well- being. True repentance surfaces feelings of both remorse and regret over the obvious breach you have allowed to invade in your life. Sin separates you from fellowship with God, while repentance restores your intimacy with him.

We often become discouraged when tempted by sinful habits we thought were eliminated at the point of our salvation. The truth is, we still live in a fallen world under the influence of Satan.

Because you are a child of God, the enemy no longer holds the title in your life. Spiritually, you are seated in the heaven with Christ –Colossians 3:3. However, this does not free you from strife of Satan’s disastrous intentions. Salvation only shifts his goal for your life from one eternal death to one of ineffectiveness.

Some people think they can enjoy the security of being saved by God’s grace while living life with a sinful vengeance. But true salvation denotes a humble spirit and a repentant heart. There is no way to live a victorious life while coveting sin.

Perhaps, you wonder of your relationship with Christ has been obscured by a misplaced emphasis on the character of God. Yes, He is holy; yes, He is righteous Judge. But He always exercises the attributes within the framework of His mercy and grace.

When you were saved, God became your loving Father. You are His treasured possession. Run if you will; rebel against His rule; yet, the Father’s heart does not and never will turn away from you.

In the times that you feel convicted because of your sins, all you have to do is repent. It’s being humble and honest to the Father. He is always ready to pour out His grace on you and forgive you with your trespasses. When you come to Him, repenting about your wrongdoings, it turns your guilt into a sort of relief, and the cloud in your heart vanishes. All things become clear to you because you were cleansed by the blood of Jesus.

Regardless of who you are and what you have done, Jesus is always there for you. You can never offend Him or disappoint Him since He knew you perfectly before you were saved and still brought you to Himself (Romans 5:6). He wants to help you regardless of the mess you may have made. You are to enjoy God because He has removed all of the barriers and the enemy has no power over you anymore.

Fearful in praises, doing wonders?

- Exodus 15:11

God’s attributes are the inherent features that express His distinct personality.

God is immutable. God never changes in His character or in His dealings with humankind. He is unchanging. He is consistent. He is giving you great stability. He is the same God yesterday, today and forever. There may be times you may wander from His plans, from His love but He is still there picking you up from your failures. It is all because, the Lord, your God is ever loving, ever living and unchanging. Though life on earth is full of diversities, He is still the God that stays true.

The Bible says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17).

Aside from the truth that He is immutable; God is also the sovereign God. God is in complete control of both good and evil. Nothing can come into your life that can thwart His plan for you. This gives you incredible confidence for the present and future. God uses even your mistakes and the mistakes of others for His purpose. By this, you can be sure that nothing is hidden from Him. He sees the depths of your heart, yet He still love you the same. God knows everything about you. You’re every hurt, your every pain, your hopes and failures- He knows it all. His power is unstoppable. He is like no other. He holds you with His hands and so you are of great assurance. The moment you have Jesus in your life, there is nothing to be bothered about because He is the God who is in control over your life.

The Lord, our God is faithful. God always acts for your good and His glory. Whatever situation you are in right now, it’s for your own good. Romans 8:28 tells us, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” God is faithful and that He has a purpose for you. He can always be counted on to be true to His words, to His promises, to His revealed character. This is more than enough to give you security as you face uncertain problems.

On top of it all, I want you to know that God is a loving God. Nobody in this world can ever promise you an unfailing love. Only God can. He alone loves you unconditionally- to the extent that whether you love Him or not, His love for you never changes. It never fades. It never runs dry. His great love will never fail you. It is written in 1 John 4:19, “We love Him because He first loved us.”

You have to be reminded that God’s love casts out every fear. It can go beyond your pain, your hurts. God’s love is more than your problems. Know the power of His love. Know the wholeness of God. It is the best tool in this world’s adversities. The character of God is more than anyone, anything in this world. Know and experience Him completely and you will have life to its fullest. That’s the promise of God to those who seek Him. So, what shall you do now?

-Romans 6:13 (NLT)

The measure of true worship depends on how much are we willing to surrender.

To surrender is to yield or give up one’s self into the power of another. It is hardly accepted by people. It is tantamount to losing such as in battle, in a game or surrendering to an opponent. It is also associated to a captured criminal yielding to the authorities.

No one wants to be a loser. Nobody would like to yield to his opponent.

We were taught not to quit, never give up, and never give in – so the word “surrender” is unpopular. Every one wants to win while surrendering is absurd. Even today, not everyone even among “Christian nations” discover the truth that only in surrendering, we can experience worship. The true measure of surrender is obedience. Surrendered people are those who obey God even if it does not make sense.

Abraham was commanded to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Peter, after having a failed night of fishing, was commanded to let down the nets. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego chose to worship God even with the mind set that even if God would not save them from the fiery furnace, they still chose God as their God.

Mary broke the alabaster jar and poured the perfume at Jesus’ feet. It was a very expensive perfume which could have been sold for a high price as suggested by one of Jesus’ disciples. But she chose to offer it to God.

Paul and Silas, after being severely beaten, offered a sacrifice of praise to God (acts 16:25). Jonah, after being in the belly of the big fish for three days, offered a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God (Jonah 2:9). They didn’t feel like praising God, but were willing to sacrifice. They offered the sacrifice of praise in difficult situations.

True worship is giving not receiving. Oftentimes, we want to receive. But it is hurting for many to give. True worship pleases God. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Many Christians only want Jesus to be their Savior, not their Lord. They professed Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but their lives do not manifest that He is their Lord. When we completely surrender ourselves to Jesus, we discover that he is not an oppressor but a saviour. He is not a dictator, but a friend.

“Lord, help me to understand the value of surrender. My life is not my own. I consecrate my life to you. I give my life as a pleasing sacrifice. “

An attitude or disposition you may want to adopt is this: “When I am attacked, my first responsibility is to respond in ways that will bring peace not trouble.  Romans 12: 14-19 says: “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them . . . Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty . . .  Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.  If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.  Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

To be able to handle confrontation well, we need to do the following:

1. We must learn to appropriate responses to replace any poor ones we have;
2. We must make a commitment to God to respond in those ways, and
3. We must rely on Him for the power to respond appropriately and lovingly.

When someone attacks us in anger, our first job is to respond in ways that will hopefully help him calm his anger.  That is the main objective of these strategies.   Nevertheless, another foundational attitude that we should think about is, “Nothing always works.”  Meaning, we may do very well in responding in harmonious ways, and the other person may still not be willing to give up his or her wrath.  We cannot control the feelings of others or force them to respond peaceably or appropriately.  Like what Romans 12:18 says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”   It is not always possible; but when we respond in godly ways, we significantly increase the probability that the other person will calm down and we will be able to handle the issues at hand.

Some of the strategies from Scripture that we can take in response to verbal attack are the following:

1. Think before you react.  (James 1:19-20; Prov. 15:28; 29:20)
2. Respond gently (Prov. 15:1; 16:21; 25:15)
3. Really listen (Prov. 19:20; 18:2, 13; James 1:19)
4. Remain silent.  (John 19:9; 17:22; Isa. 53:7)
5. Agree.  (Matt. 5:25; John 18:37)
6. Bless the person. (Luke 6:28; Rom. 12:14)
7. Avoid fighting.  (Eph. 4:31; Prov. 16:21; 17:14)
8. Offer to help. (Lk. 6:27-28; Matt. 5:40-41).
9. Give caring feedback. (John 19:11; I Pet. 3:9)
10. Ask for forgiveness.  (Matt. 5:23-24; I Sam. 15:24-30; 25:28)

May every word that will come out of our mouth be words that will build not destroy, strengthen not discourage, give life and not kill.  As a result, we shall reap love, unity, harmony and friendship among our family, friends and neighbors.

Faith alone is what saves a person from death. It is what connects us with the Lord in a way that enables us to experience eternal life and a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. The just shall live by faith. But what is faith? Have you asked yourself: “Do I have the right kind of faith? If not, how can I find it? What does it mean to exercise your faith?” Faith is coming to Christ just as you are for forgiveness and grace. Faith enables us to realize our true positions as sojourners on this planet. Little wonder the world cannot understand a Christian’s faith. We have nothing, yet we possess everything. We are sorrowful, yet we are able to rejoice. We are poor, but we are rich. Such is life when, through faith, we ascribe substance to invisible things.

Faith begins with a need. All of us have a “spiritual itch”, an emptiness. When we become aware of this itch, we try to scratch it through careerism, pursuit of money, immorality, drugs, and alcohol among others. Yet we remain empty. The itch persists. Why? Because we “have sinned and fall short of the glory if God” (Romans 3:23). This passage is where faith begins. It begins with an awareness of our deep spiritual need. It beings when we acknowledge that sin is present in our lives. Saving faith means coming to Christ just as you are: spiritually itchy, spiritually needy, and spiritually empty. Psalm 32:5 says, “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’; and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” God’s forgiveness cannot be earned. It can never be deserved. Sins from the past cannot be made up for by doing “good” works today. Salvation, God’s gracious offer of forgiveness for all our sins, is a gift from Him. That’s what the Bible says in Colossians 2:13 and 14.

“When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”

Faith is what will enable us to see God as God of love at work through hurt and hardship in our lives. How do we cultivate such faith?  Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. If we would find the faith that gives invisible things substance, that enables us to live triumphantly, then we must find it by hearing the Word of God.

Still confused? Jesus died for you. He paid for your sins on the cross. I would encourage you to pray, “Lord will you forgive me? Will You save me? Will You accept me? Will You open Your arms and let me draw near?” I’m sure God will by His grace.