THGM : Pictures and Words

16/05/2021

Turn Challenges into Opportunities to Trust God

“…Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2, NIV)

Problems, challenges, and changing circumstances are part of living. One of the most difficult lessons believers must learn is to fix our eyes on Jesus Christ instead of focusing on the problem we face.

Fixing our eyes on the problem is debilitating. It leads to depression. In fact, when all we think about is our problem, we can make an idol of the problem.

Jesus did not focus on the cross, its shame, and the humiliation coming from the soldiers and crowd. He focused on the joy, the eternal, and the ultimate results that would come from his sacrifice.

We have the promise, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” (Psalm 32:8, NIV)

We serve the God who sees and provides. God wants us to learn to trust him, and to understand that he is our provider. When we view life from that perspective, challenges become opportunities to learn how to trust God.

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” (Psalm 28:7, NIV)

No wonder the Psalmist said, “My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare.” (Psalm 25:15, NIV)

By trusting in God we show faith. God responds to faith. It was at the point of trust that the psalmist was helped. The psalmist is showing us the way to face problems. Rather than focusing on the problem, we should keep our eyes always on the Lord.

And rejoice, knowing that, with him at your right hand, you will not be shaken (Psalm 16:8, NIV).

Today, ask yourself:
Am I fixing my eyes on my problems, or am I focusing on the Lord?

01/10/2020

Happy new month and Happy independent Day , Fam 💖

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Happy new month and Happy Independent Day

25/09/2020

Pray for the Favor of God
to Rest on You

“May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.” (Psalm 90:17, NIV)

Our relationship with God through Christ means LIFE, FAVOR, and REWARD! We all want to experience a full and meaningful life. The Scripture tells us we can experience the favor of God if we establish the right kind of relationship with him. He also tells us about rewards that can come from such a relationship.

Those who practice What the Bible teach (converting our perishable time, talent, and treasure in to the imperishable values of the Kingdom), have discovered this great secret of the kingdom. We have found life, favor, and reward already. And we are anticipating much more in the life to come.

Therefore, we pray that the favor of God will rest on us. Power belongs to God. He is the one who can change circumstances. He is the one who can open doors. He is the one who can protect us from all harm and deliver us from the evils of this world. He is the one who can establish the work of our hands.

We should continually ask for the favor of God to rest on us. This acts as a checkpoint to ensure we are living in conformance with his will. He will favor and bless the one who cultivates a relationship with him.

If we are not consuming his Word and obeying him, how can we ask for his favor and blessing? We risk falling into the error of those who, “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.” (Psalm 127:1, NIV)

We want the Lord to bless and establish the works of our hands, so our lives will truly echo into eternity. He is the one who prompts us to work for the kingdom. He is the one who empowers us to work for him. May we be successful in finding and experiencing the favor of the Lord, both in this world and the world to come.

Today, ask yourself:
Am I asking for the favor of God on my daily activities? Am I asking God to grant me success in what he has directed me to do for him today?

29/06/2020

Purging Trust in Self

Memorize and Meditate:
“In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.” (2 Corinthians 1:9–10, NLT)

Soak your Heart:
At times, circumstances can seem overwhelming. Sometimes this happens so God can teach us not to rely on ourselves. He wants us to realize that our sufficiency is from God. He wants to purge us of the leaven of trusting in self.

Sow to the Spirit:
Christ provided us with eternal salvation, and we must learn to trust in him to live the Christian life. We can be confident that he will deliver us.

Flow with the Spirit:
Only the power of the Spirit can purge us of the leaven of self-trust. Paul said that he and his friends carried the sentence of death in themselves so they would learn to trust in Christ. Death is a painful process. The sooner we submit to the Spirit, the sooner we have the prospect of God changing the situation, subject to his timing.

Practice:
Ask God to train you, giving you his attitude so he can move you to the next step of his plan for your life.

01/06/2020

The Son Empowers Us to Cast Darkness Aside

Memorize and Meditate
“‘So may all your enemies perish, Lord! But may all who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength.’ Then the land had peace forty years.” (Judges 5:31, NIV)

Soak your Heart
When we experience Christ—the Morning Star—rising in our heart, it feels like the sun when it rises in its full strength. The sun scatters the darkness. When the Son rises in our heart, he brings light to our innermost being and empowers us to cast the works of darkness aside. He brings an increasing desire to invest in the imperishable rather than just the perishable. He brings to light a new worldview with a focus on the life to come in the real world of eternity.

Sow to the Spirit
Pray: I pray, Father, that the Morning Star will rise in my heart, overcoming any desires that are contrary to your will and best plan for my life. The more I am crucified to my flesh and the lures of this world, the better advertisement I can be to the world around me.

Practice
Today, go forth with the confidence that the Son is rising more and more in your heart as you commit you way to him.

30/04/2020

Knowing God: More Valuable than Gold or Silver

“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death”
(Philippians 3:10, NIV).

“Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you. Accept instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart. If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored: If you remove wickedness far from your tent and assign your nuggets to the dust, your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines, then the Almighty will be your gold, the choicest silver for you” (Job 22:21–25, NIV).

Here it is in a nutshell: Knowing God through Christ is priority number one in the life of the Christian.

As we get to know God and store his Word in our heart, the Word of God will become personally operative in our life.

Paul wanted to know Christ and the power of his resurrection above all.

Job realized that a relationship with God was more valuable than the finest gold. God became Job’s gold and silver, the two items that the world most values.

Nothing can compare to knowing the King of Kings and experiencing his favor. All the significant characters in the Bible made this great discovery. Jeremiah stated:

“This is what the Lord says: ‘Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:23–24, NIV).

A single characteristic identifies all of the Bible greats: They knew God.

This should also be our first priority. From that relationship will flow all that is important in life, now and forever. Everything is sourced in almighty God. “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to

11/02/2020

Soak your Heart


God has made such power available to us through the gospel. That power is the preaching of the cross: Christ—the power of God—is in us.

God wants us to experience Christ’s resurrection power. God wants us to comprehend the incredible greatness of his power toward us who believe—the same power he worked when he raised Christ from the dead. This power operates in our lives as we learn how to tap into it.

Sow to the Spirit
This “power” passage helps us expand our vision of God. As we understand that all power is sourced in God, we realize that nothing is too difficult for him to handle.

Practice
Beginning right now, claim this “power” verse as you walk with your Lord by faith.

04/12/2019

Enjoy a life that will echo into eternity.

Good Works do Not Save Us; We are Saved to Do Good Works


“Jesus Christ gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:14, NKJV)

We have been saved to do good works. Let’s be very clear about this. Good works do not save us.

We are not saved “by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:5–7, NKJV)

The work of salvation has been done by the Lord Jesus Christ himself. We are justified (made acceptable to God) by receiving as a gift the salvation he has provided through Christ.

However, we are saved to do the good works he has appointed for us. “This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.” (Titus 3:8, NKJV)

He has set us free from the power of self and sin so we can do the work he has prepared us to do.

We must first make sure we have established a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Then we must take the next step: to become a converterlator,investing our time, talent, and treasure to convert the perishable things in this world into the imperishable values that will last for eternity.

Today, ask yourself:
Am I eternally minded? Am I conducting my life in such a way that it will echo into eternity?

02/11/2019

Jesus is the Best Friend You Can Ever Have

“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” (Revelation 3:20, NLT)

Let's focus on our relationship with God. This verse from Revelation tells us how Jesus Christ desires to get to know us, much like a friend we would invite to join us for dinner.

“Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.” (John 14:23, NLT)

When someone makes their home with you, that is about as intimate a relationship as we can have. Not only is Jesus with us individually, but he is with us when we are gathered together as believers: “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:20, NLT)

That is relationship.
One reason God wants us to have a relationship with him is so we can also have a proper relationship with other people.

“But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7, NLT)

Relationships with others help us be more effective in fulfilling the mission God gives us to reach the world around us. The blood of Jesus Christ removes our sin so we can be transparent with each other. This transparency removes the barriers that can separate us.

God assures us that he will never leave us or forsake us, “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.’” (Hebrews 13:5, NLT)

Jesus is the best friend we can have. No one else can promise this. He has the power to keep anything from separating us.

Today, ask yourself:
Am I aware of the friendship I can have with Jesus Christ? Am I cultivating it?

29/10/2019

Enjoy a life that will echo into eternity.

Soak your Heart


God has made such power available to us through the gospel. That power is the preaching of the cross: Christ—the power of God—is in us.

God wants us to experience Christ’s resurrection power. God wants us to comprehend the incredible greatness of his power toward us who believe—the same power he worked when he raised Christ from the dead. This power operates in our lives as we learn how to tap into it.

Sow to the Spirit
This “power” passage helps us expand our vision of God. As we understand that all power is sourced in God, we realize that nothing is too difficult for him to handle.

02/07/2019

The Triple Three Approach to Battling Life’s Challenges

“Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.” (Micah 7:8, ESV)

How comforting these words are when we sit in the darkness of circumstances that threaten to overpower us.

Jesus Christ, the light of the world, shows us the way to life and immortality. The Psalmist also discovered where to look when difficulty came:

“Light shines in the darkness for the godly. They are generous, compassionate, and righteous.”
(Psalm 112:4, NLT)

We have what I call the TRIPLE THREE APPROACH, outlined in 2 Thessalonians, the third chapter.

First, he promises to strengthen and protect us:

“But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3, NLT)

Second, he directs us to focus on Christ, not on the problem. Focusing on the problem drains life from us, whereas Christ gives us power and peace:

“May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5, NIV)

It takes discipline to focus our mind properly in the midst of the storm. Developing this discipline is a process, and we must exercise the perseverance of Christ, allowing him to overcome our anxieties and worries.

Third, he assures us that only Christ can give us the peace we seek.

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.” (2 Thessalonians 3:16, NIV)

Today, ask yourself:
Have I tried the TRIPLE THREE APPROACH when I faced a difficult situation? What steps will I take today to have this approach ready?