Changed

When we run across someone who knew us long ago, and we do from time to time, they are amazed at the change in us. They meet us expecting the same old person, but that old man is dead. A new man has arisen to take his place. ~ DickEvans.org

Living Life

Philippians 4:9 NLT 
Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you. 

The Bible is not a rulebook for living life. It is a book of examples to live by, examples of a Christ centered life. We live in the age of grace and are led by a loving Holy Spirit. We follow Him because we love Him, not because we are afraid of what God will do if we don't.

We follow the examples of those we read about and learn from them because we are a new creature, born again into the Kingdom of Heaven. No longer are we led away by the evil one who attempts to pull us to and fro. With our eyes on Jesus, we are secure in our salvation.

Father God, help me today to follow the examples you have provided in Your Word. Help me to listen to Holy Spirit and follow His lead in all I do. In Jesus name, I pray.

Church

The church, body of Christ, is more than the group that hangs together on Sunday after the service. The body is to be connected all throughout the week. Then we will be able to say that others know us and know our purpose. ~ DickEvans.org

Power

Ephesians 6:10 does not say to be strong because of His power. It says to be strong with His power that is within. Jesus said we would do greater things than He had done and that happens when we are strong with His power. ~ DickEvans.org

Represent Jesus

As Christians we are being observed in all that we do. Others judge Christianity on our behavior. We represent Christ to them. We must be careful to always represent Him in our words and in our actions. ~ DickEvans.org

Blameless

When we trust in Jesus our sins are taken away as far as the east is from the west. No matter how bad our sins have been, no matter what family or race or country we come from. It does not matter. Each of us comes from sin and each starts our Christian walk blameless in His sight. ~ DickEvans.org

Offerings

When I sit down to do the bills each month it amazes me how much I spend on items like cable television, internet access, cell phones, and DVD rentals. How often are we so concerned with getting all this stuff that we even reduce our offering to Him? How often are we guilty of carrying off our treasure to these pagan temples? ~ DickEvans.org

Examples

What the Apostle Paul taught, what he said, and how he lived were all examples to live by. And that is where God wants to see us, living examples of Christ in the world in which we live, living the life we talk. ~ DickEvans.org

Imperfect Vessels

1 John 4:13 ESV
By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

The Lord working through us has nothing to do with who we are or what we have been doing. For him to minister through us is not a reward for our good behavior. It is the result of our practicing his presence in allowing him to work through us.

It is a choice that we make for he is already in us. His word tells us that he abides in us and we abide in him. He wants to use our hands for touching, our feet for going where he has for us to go, and our mouth to speak the words he has for others.

He's not looking for perfect vessels. After all, the only perfect vessel was Jesus himself as he walked the earth. As we practice his presence and choose to allow him to work through us the miraculous happens. Healing occurs. Prophetic words come out of our mouth. Words of knowledge come forth.

It has nothing to do with our being prayed up, fasting, or being in praise and worship all day. All of those things are good, but it is about who is in us and not who we are.

He can take us at our lowest point and use us in a miraculous way. All it takes is our choice to follow him. This vessel is imperfect. But as we allow him to use us and as we allow Holy Spirit to change us we become more and more Christlike. We take on more and more of the mind of Christ. And we release more and more of our old life to God.

Father God, allow Jesus to work through me today.

Reflection

Christ is in us and as we walk forth how we come across to others reflects Christ to them. We can be pretty on the outside with makeup and clothes and hair style, but the inside displays the level of our conversion. With His nature, we will be known for the beauty that comes from within. ~ DickEvans.org

Obstacles

It is time to stop letting the enemy mislead us by telling us it is alright to ignore those things that will stretch us. It is time to turn things over to God; to let Holy Spirit lead us down the right path and through the obstacles. ~ DickEvans.org

Recognition

We live in a society where our accomplishments are raised up as banners for all to see. We want to be recognized. How much more our reward will be when we can let the good we do speak for itself. When we no longer have the need to be recognized, we too can be called truly wise. ~ DickEvans.org

Rules

We should look beyond human rules all the time. God’s standard is what we need to live by. It is His character we want to emulate, not societies. We need to turn to the Holy Spirit for direction in all that we do. ~ DickEvans.org
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Prayer

Prayer is not saying a memorized bunch of words over and over again. No, it is about having a relationship with Jesus; about speaking to Him. It is about staying alert to His voice and being thankful to Him for all that happens each day. ~ DickEvans.org

Our Task

To God, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. So when He says that He will be right back, He means in His time, not ours. He loves all His children and wants to see many more saved. That is our task; to reach the lost and present the Gospel message to them. We are waiting for Him and He is waiting for us. Let’s do our part today. ~ DickEvans.org

Waiting

John 6:29 NKJV
Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."

How many are waiting for God to do something for them? How many are waiting for Him to perform something for them? How often I hear the words, "in God's time" or "He is a last minute God".

These may have been true under the old covenant when mankind lived in fear of retribution if they did not please a God who gave and took away. They begged Him and then waited for Him to work on their behalf.

Then came Jesus. The game changed. The law was replaced with grace. No longer do we have to beg God and wait for "His timing".

Jesus went to the cross and carried all the burdens of mankind forever on Himself. He died for us so we could live in total freedom. Freedom from sickness, disease, curses, even sin forevermore.

What is our price for that? The only thing we have to do is believe in He who the father sent. Believe in Jesus and what He did for us at the cross. Our freedom is free, bought and paid for by Jesus.

So we are not waiting on God. We are waiting on our belief to line up with what He has already done.

We need to cross over from walking in our old programming that says we have to do something to please God. Cross over to walking in the truth. The truth that our debt has been fully paid.

Practice His presence daily walking in the spirit that gives life and not in the flesh that bends to old programming, to our feelings, to satisfying our fleshly needs.

Father God loves us unconditionally. His grace is ever present and all we have to do is reach for it. We are in Christ and He is in us. We are the righteousness of Christ. We are Holy because He is Holy.

Lord, help me to walk in this truth. Help me to be the person I was born again to be.

Power

As Spirit filled believers we have been given authority and power. Jesus said we would do even greater things than He had done. That does not come from knowing how to speak so that others follow. The power comes as we step out and obey the Holy Spirit; as we do what He asks of us. ~ DickEvans.org

Truth

There is only one truth and the Holy Spirit leads us right to it. Jesus tells us “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” If the words we hear are not lining up with His words, with the Word of God, then we must close our ears and move on. ~ DickEvans.org

Joy

Real joy can only come from the Lord. Anything else is but a temporary fix dreamed up with human thought. As our relationship with Him builds, so builds our joy. ~ DickEvans.org

His Words

When we become a believer and receive the Holy Spirit, He wants to fill our mouth with spiritual truths; He wants us to speak the words He gives us. Yet how often do we fall back on our training and formulate our own message instead? We must learn to put aside our words of human wisdom. We must let His words come forth. ~ DickEvans.org

Never Alone

When we go out to do His work, the spreading of the Good News, He is with us. We are never alone. And He tells us that many in the city are His; many are ready to receive the message we have to give. All it takes is for us to open our mouths and they will follow. ~ DickEvans.org

Turn it Over

We need to turn control over to the Holy Spirit. It is up to us to allow Him to work in our day to day lives. The more often we do that, the quicker our character changes can take place; the quicker others will see the mind of Christ evident in our lives. ~ DickEvans.org

Prosperity

3 John 2 NKJV
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

Prosperity is something we think of when we're lacking in finances. Yet Prosperity is an overabundance of anything.

May we prosper as our soul prospers. This is not about money. Our soul prospers as we walk this Christian walk. As we renew our minds and start walking as Jesus walked, the soul prospers as it becomes more and more like our spirit. Like the Holy Spirit.

And prosperity could be in finances, but not finances to get that big TV set. Not to purchase things. Not to keep up with our neighbors. Our soul prospers has it begins to think and act out of our spirit rather than out of our flesh.

Jesus died on the cross so we could walk in Prosperity. So we could walk debt free. So we could walk in complete health. So we could be certain not only of our heavenly destination but that we could walk totally unencumbered while here on earth. So we could walk in all the promises of God. So we can have prosperity in the here and now.

Ready

As believers, we are to go into the world and preach the gospel. But not everyone we tell believes, even when press on in our enthusiasm. Not everyone we tell is able to hear the truth. But if God has opened their heart, they are ready to receive His word; appointed to eternal life. ~ DickEvans.org

Treasures

When we received Christ, we also received all the treasures. So we have the treasure chest; all we need is the key to unlock it. The key is the Holy Spirit and all we need to do is listen. As our relationship with Him matures, He unfolds more and more wisdom and knowledge to us. We must not be anxious for it will come in His time. ~ DickEvans.org

The Driver

When we were born into God’s family, when we asked Jesus into our heart, He came to live in us. The Holy Spirit lives in each and every one of us who believe. If we let Him do the driving, we cannot sin because He does not sin. Isn’t it time to put Him in charge? ~ DickEvans.org

Salvation

Salvation comes from the Greek word Lutrosis. It means redemption or deliverance, especially from the penalty of sin. It is used two other times in the Bible; both in Luke where it speaks to redeeming God’s people. We have been saved; freed from the penalty of our sins. ~ DickEvans.org

Instant

Instant access, instant potatoes, instant coffee. We expect to get what we want and get it when we want it. We want everything in an instant. And we expect the same speed from God. He fulfills all of His promises in His time. ~ DickEvans.org

We Are Free

Jesus came to free us from the law by fulfilling it for us. We are no longer under law but are under His Grace. We must be careful not to let any new law come between us and our relationship with Him. Nothing has to stand in our way anymore and we have to be careful that we don’t let it. ~ DickEvans.org

Blessings of God

1 Peter 3:9 NIV 
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

God's blessings are all around us. His promises throughout the Bible are ours because of what Jesus did on the cross. They are yes and amen.

But why, do you ask, do bad things happen to me? And to others. It is not that His blessings are not there for us to grab hold of. No, it is because of our sin as we walk this earthly walk.

Yes, the Father does not see our sin. Satan does. And this opens up doors for him to send his demons in to disrupt our lives causing chaos and sickness.

Too often as Christians, we get caught up thinking about His mercy and His grace. Yes, His grace is upon us. Our sins are forgiven and remembered no more. We live under grace. His mercies are new every morning. He loves us unconditionally.

This does not give us a license to sin even though God does not see us doing so. Satan does. So the straighter the walk we walk, the more sinless walk we walk, and the closer we walk with Him.

What is sin? It is anything that takes our focus away from God in our walk with Jesus. Anything that is not filled with His love as we interact with others is sin.

Although we are not bound to them for our salvation or to live under God's grace the Ten Commandments and the Old Covenant laws are good guides for living our lives free from sin.

As the apostle Paul said about living under grace, we do what we know we should not even though we know what we should. And we know what we should not because we know God's word and what is right and what is wrong.

Lord help me to stop doing what I want because it feels good; because it satisfies my flesh. Help me to walk the walk you have for me, the walk Holy Spirit attempts to guide me into each day. Shield my thoughts so that I can only feel what You feel and see what You see and want what You want. In Jesus name, I pray.

Recognition

Jesus told us to go and preach the gospel, to make disciples. He did not say to get the required years of schooling first. No, He was speaking to you and me, to ordinary men and women. And because of the relationship we have with Him, others will recognize us as men and women that have been with Jesus. ~DickEvans.org