Blessed be the Lord, for He is -

my Rock, my Loving-kindness, my Fortress, my Shepherd, 

my Stronghold, my Deliverer, my Shield, my Refuge, my Healer, 

my Portion, my Righteousness, my Provider, my Hope, my Redeemer, my Savior, my Lord…

and I am blessed because He is…

but one thing I do...

Philippians 3:13-14 …but one thing I do:  forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Releasing my struggles of the past, I must forget what lies behind and reach forward with expectation for what lies ahead in You, Lord….pressing on in faith and trust - looking at what has been only to praise You for Your loving-kindness and goodness and faithfulness….

Realizing our captivity

Do we truly realize, understand and acknowledge our captivity in and to this world? The lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life hold us in their bondage as we walk this earth - while the enemy of our souls strives to keep us there.

There is only ONE who can release us from the bondage of this captivity.

He has broken the chains, He sets the captives free….

The price has been paid, the power of the enemy has been defeated…

Let us confidently walk in His victory praising and honoring Him and Him alone. 

quote for ponderment

When the psalmist saw the transgression of the wicked his heart told him how it could be. 

"There is no fear of God before his eyes" he explained, and in so saying revealed to us the psychology of sin. 

When men no longer fear God, they transgress His laws without hesitation. The fear of consequences is no deterrent when the fear of God is gone.

A.W. Tozer

Fruit of the Spirit

 Do we 'bare' the fruit of the Spirit in our daily lives? Or do we 'bare' our deeds of the flesh?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control….(Galatians 5:22-23)

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these….(Galatians 5:19-21)

If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit…

Galatians 5:16-18 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.