Blessed Unity

09/05/2025

Exchanged Life

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24

There is a great exchange that takes place when a person places their faith in Jesus Christ. Their old way of living is replaced with living for the Lord. Their old way of thinking is replaced with thinking on the truth of Jesus. Their old way of speaking is replaced with speech that is sprinkled with the grace of God. The old has passed, the new has come.

The life of Christ becomes the life of the follower of Christ. No longer are we led down the dead-end road of unrighteousness, but we are set free to journey down the less traveled road of righteousness. We give up what we could not keep—our life on earth, in exchange for what we can keep—eternal life in heaven. To a watching world it seems foolish to give up for God, but what we get from God—forgiveness, peace and love—is true life.

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:1-4).

Have you surrendered yourself to your Savior Jesus? Have you given Him your trust in your own goodness and good deeds in exchange for His holiness and His Spirit-filled power? This great exchange of the temporal for the eternal is what gives you the capacity to grow in grace and to become a person of great faith. However, an effective exchange requires the receiver to have faith in the Giver. God is a generous giver who can be trusted.

Maybe you have believed, but have lost your way and you need a refresher in righteousness. Perhaps repentance has become a foreign language for your heart and mind. Let loose of your old life of fear and doubt and replace it with your new life of trust and security. Put off pride and put on humility. Put off anger and put on forgiveness.

“In Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through your faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead” (Colossians 2:10-12).

Make this great eternal exchange and do not waste another day. No one has ever regretted receiving from Almighty God His agenda for their life. The Lord wants you in exchange for Him. Jesus wants your life in exchange for His life. He wants your troubled heart in exchange for His tender heart. He wants your fears in exchange for His peace and calm.

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10).

Prayer: Have I exchanged my old lost and selfish life for Christ’s new life of love, forgiveness and service to others? If not, why not now?

Related Readings: John 17:3; Romans 5:12-21; Galatians 2:20; 1 John 5:13; 2 Timothy 1:9-10

09/05/2025

Spiritual Habits: Fasting

When you think of “fasting,” what comes to mind?

Maybe you envision people willingly starving themselves. Maybe you picture a monk living off of dry bread. Or maybe you’re someone who prefers not to think about fasting … ever.

Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness fasting. And based on His conversations with His disciples, fasting was a practice He assumed they would practice as well.

But intentionally creating space in our lives to hear God by removing things that give us immediate satisfaction can feel uncomfortable—especially when our world glorifies pleasure.

Here are 3 reasons why fasting matters:

Fasting starves what is stopping us from experiencing God’s presence. It forces us to pay attention to the parts of our lives that we try to drown out through late night binges and social media scrolls. And in the process, it teaches us to rely on Jesus to meet our needs.

Fasting invites us to give up something we love to make space for something we love even more. Although giving up something you love, like food, may feel difficult and uncomfortable, it is actually an opportunity to experience great joy, because true joy is only found when our strength comes from Jesus.

Fasting often comes before breakthrough. Moses fasted for 40 days while receiving the 10 Commandments, Daniel fasted for 3 weeks and then received a vision, and Jesus fasted for 40 days and then overcame the devil’s temptations. In each of these cases, God provided clarity, strength, and breakthrough on the other side of faithful sacrifice.

Take Action: Try completing a 24 hour fast. If you haven’t fasted often, keep this exercise simple—the goal here is to finish. If you start to feel weary during your fast, turn that weariness into an opportunity to talk to God and listen to Him. Once you’ve finished the fast, write down anything that stood out to you during this time.

09/05/2025

Ezekiel 29-32: What do you run to when trouble comes? It is so tempting to run to trying to fix things myself and figuring out how I can manage things. God doesn't want us to default to our own fixes. He wants our default to be to immediately seek Him and His wisdom. When troubles came for Israel they always looked to Egypt for support. Even when the nation had been rampaged and the remnant was left instead of trusting God they ran once again to Pharaoh to "save them".
In our passage today God says enough. He will allow the sword to take down Egypt too. Nothing and no one escapes God's control. Egypt and all of the countries that surrounded would fall just like Israel had fallen. There was no where to run except to God.
As I pray though this, I believe God is reminding me that everything except Him is sinking ground for me as well. No amount of money in the bank account, no amount of retirement and investments, no amount of possessions can be my safeguard. He alone is my salvation. He alone is my long term plan. Though these safeguards would be nice to have, nothing takes His place. I can't and don't need to fear. I just need to trust Him. David often called God his portion. That means that God was his long term plan. Nothing and no one else could be counted on. Mercy what a word to us as we look at the uncertainties around us. We need to run to God alone and allow Him to be our portion forever!

08/08/2025

07/05/2025

As we celebrate our nation's independence, let's remember true freedom comes only in Jesus Christ. If Christ is not your personal savior, he can be today! A simple prayer of repentance from sin and belief in Jesus provides eternal freedom. And for those already in Christ, remember, "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1

07/05/2025

07/05/2025

Thinking and praying for each one of you
Day 1: Are you a peacemaker or a peacekeeper?
Conflict is inevitable, so how do we engage with it appropriately? How can we know that we have done our best to honor God in our relationships when we have hurt others or others have hurt us?
To grow and become more like Jesus, we must learn how to deal with conflict biblically. Even Jesus had conflict with the people around Him, yet, He was without sin. This can encourage us that conflict isn’t always a sin, but we must still learn how to work through it in a God-honoring way.
Jesus said in His famous Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons (and daughters) of God” (Matthew 5:9). Just as God sought peace and reconciliation with us by sending His Son, we are to seek peace with others. Being a peacemaker takes risk and sacrifice, but it can also bring great joy to see relationships around us reconciled. How can we do that if we hold on to our hurts and don’t choose to love and forgive others?
The author of Hebrews encourages us to strive for peace with everyone—EVERYONE! There are no exceptions here! The reason is because we want everyone to obtain the grace of God (their salvation). Another reason is so that we will not become bitter. Bitterness is an internal emotional cancer that can grow, fester, and cause deeper trouble in our lives and the lives around us.
What do you think the difference is between a peacemaker and a peacekeeper? A peacekeeper avoids conflict by sweeping the needed conversations under the rug. A peacekeeper will allow the “elephant” to stay in the room and pretend everything is fine. No need to ruffle feathers. No need to elevate the situation. Just ignore it, and we will keep the peace. But a peacemaker does the opposite. A peacemaker cares about the person and the situation enough to put the time and energy into pursuing peace with others. There is intentionality. There is a posture of learning and being for the other person. There is a desire for reconciliation and not revenge. Which is your tendency when you feel tension in the room or hurt by another person?
Being a peacemaker is not something we can do on our own. We need God’s strength, wisdom, and guidance as we converse with others. We can have confidence in knowing that we are more like Jesus when we pursue peace with others. The first step in resolving conflict God’s way is to determine that you want to become a peacemaker and not remain a peacekeeper.
Reflect on these questions:
• How does being a peacemaker represent we are related to God?
• Why do you want to become a peacemaker and not remain a peacekeeper?
• Who is hard for you to strive for peace with? Why do you think that is?
Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to empower you to become a peacemaker. Ask Him to show you where you have avoided conflict and invite Him into this journey of learning how to do it biblically. Also, begin to pray for the person with whom you find it challenging to have peace.

“Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

06/09/2025

Here is a little encouragement for you to keep in mind throughout your week! Praying for you all and hope you have a great week!

06/09/2025

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

06/06/2025

This morning as I was reading Matthew 6:22, I was wondering exactly what Jesus was saying during his sermon on the mount in this verse. So I looked it up and this is what I learned:

In this verse, Matthew uses the physical eyes to teach a lesson about spiritual sight. He describes the human eye as 'the lamp of the body'. It is through the physical eye that a man's pathway is lit and through the spiritual eye of faith that truth is seen. Our physical eyes illuminate external objects, and make the features of people we meet visible - for we read that the eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.

As His children, who have been saved by grace through faith, our spiritual eyes are open. We are to manifest lives that are like a physical eye, that is ablaze with the light of God's love - for the Lord Jesus is the Light of the world. He is the one Who gives us His own perfect, inner light. Those who believe on Him, are to walk in spirit and truth. They are to reflect His own shining luminosity, for He is the One that floods our inner heart with truth, and our outer life with His own beauty, and the radiance of His own glory.

However, if an eye is damaged or blinded, then eyesight is impaired, and vision is compromised. Instead of being flooded with the light of life, a soul is shrouded in a deep, inner darkness. Instead of seeing people and objects clearly, a man's visual perception is enveloped in a dark, inky blackness.

In this verse, Christ is teaching that those who believe in Him will receive spiritual illumination, while those that reject Him, will remain spiritually blind, estranged from God and blanketed in ungodly blackness.

The analogy of the eye, being the lamp of the body, is such an easy concept, that a little child can understand. How important, therefore, to keep our spiritual eyes clean and clear, as we look away from that which is evil and worldly and focus our eyes on Jesus, Who is our singular source of light and our sufficiency in life. When we do so, our whole body will be filled with His light and love - to the glory of God the Father,

My Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for the simple illustration of the eye being the lamp of the body. Lord, I confess that there is nothing that can commend me to You, but I praise Your name, that in Christ I have been removed from the curse of the Law. and have the light of Christ shining in my heart. May I keep my heart pure and virtuous, so that others may see the light of Christ shining in and through me - to Your praise and glory - this I ask in Jesus' name, AMEN

06/06/2025

Detox

There are four common categories of toxic thoughts. These are negative, fearful, discontented, and critical. Chances are you are struggling with toxic thoughts in one or more of these four ways. Don't let these toxic thoughts grab hold of you and consume you. The deeper you let them take root inside you, the harder they will be to shake off. Identify those thoughts and reject them today.

Which types of toxic thoughts do you experience most often? What are some examples of your toxic thoughts?

05/14/2025

Thinking and praying for each one of you
Day 1: Are you a peacemaker or a peacekeeper?
Conflict is inevitable, so how do we engage with it appropriately? How can we know that we have done our best to honor God in our relationships when we have hurt others or others have hurt us?
To grow and become more like Jesus, we must learn how to deal with conflict biblically. Even Jesus had conflict with the people around Him, yet, He was without sin. This can encourage us that conflict isn’t always a sin, but we must still learn how to work through it in a God-honoring way.
Jesus said in His famous Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons (and daughters) of God” (Matthew 5:9). Just as God sought peace and reconciliation with us by sending His Son, we are to seek peace with others. Being a peacemaker takes risk and sacrifice, but it can also bring great joy to see relationships around us reconciled. How can we do that if we hold on to our hurts and don’t choose to love and forgive others?
The author of Hebrews encourages us to strive for peace with everyone—EVERYONE! There are no exceptions here! The reason is because we want everyone to obtain the grace of God (their salvation). Another reason is so that we will not become bitter. Bitterness is an internal emotional cancer that can grow, fester, and cause deeper trouble in our lives and the lives around us.
What do you think the difference is between a peacemaker and a peacekeeper? A peacekeeper avoids conflict by sweeping the needed conversations under the rug. A peacekeeper will allow the “elephant” to stay in the room and pretend everything is fine. No need to ruffle feathers. No need to elevate the situation. Just ignore it, and we will keep the peace. But a peacemaker does the opposite. A peacemaker cares about the person and the situation enough to put the time and energy into pursuing peace with others. There is intentionality. There is a posture of learning and being for the other person. There is a desire for reconciliation and not revenge. Which is your tendency when you feel tension in the room or hurt by another person?
Being a peacemaker is not something we can do on our own. We need God’s strength, wisdom, and guidance as we converse with others. We can have confidence in knowing that we are more like Jesus when we pursue peace with others. The first step in resolving conflict God’s way is to determine that you want to become a peacemaker and not remain a peacekeeper.
Reflect on these questions:
• How does being a peacemaker represent we are related to God?
• Why do you want to become a peacemaker and not remain a peacekeeper?
• Who is hard for you to strive for peace with? Why do you think that is?
Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to empower you to become a peacemaker. Ask Him to show you where you have avoided conflict and invite Him into this journey of learning how to do it biblically. Also, begin to pray for the person with whom you find it challenging to have peace.

“Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬
as we start a new journey on PEACEMAKING!!!