December 2011 - Daily Thoughts about God

Kelly loved the prospect of a new year at her doorstep. It made her anticipate a fresh start.

This year she was thankful for the calendar turning. As she looked in the mirror she was reminded of some of her choices and the consequences they had brought to her life. She had some regrets this year. Yes, a clean start would feel good. She would make some resolutions and hoped, this year, to keep them.

Yet she knew herself all too well. Fear nibbled at her heart and mind as she hoped she had the courage to make the changes she needed to.

God knew the desire of her heart to change. He used a Bible verse that came in a card to remind her how to make a lasting change.

The words flew off the card and, unexpectedly, went straight to her heart…

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

With sudden clarity Kelly knew she would not likely succeed in her hope for a change in lifestyle. No, in herself she would simply circle back to where she had been. She didn’t want that. She realized it was only God who could create a clean heart in her and give her the right attitude.

Silently she prayed asking God to forgive her stubborn independence, she asked for His help to create in her the kind of change that she needed. Only with His help could she make the turn and go the other way in her life.

God is the only true source of help when we need a fresh start. Turning to Him, asking His forgiveness and turning away from the wrong attitudes or the destructive behavior is the only way to true freedom. He can direct us to those who can help us along our pathway as we make the changes and face the challenges.

His strength, given to us on a daily basis, is more powerful than any resolution we can determine in our own heart. He will do it! We need only ask and depend on Him to act.

Father God,Thank you for Your desire for me to make a clean start. Thank you for Your forgiveness for my stubborn independence. Please create a clean heart in me. Give me daily strength to make the right choices. Renew the attitude of my mind with new thoughts and desires that will help lift me above the pull of wrong choices. Help me to follow Your pathway. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so I can walk in a way that pleases You and in turn also refreshes me. In Jesus’ strong name I pray, amen.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2011/12/31/gr_fresh-start/

by Dr. Bill Bright

“And so [Jesus] did only a few great miracles there, because of their unbelief” Matthew 13:58

It was my first visit to Nazareth, and through a series of fortuitous circumstances, I found myself enjoying lunch with one of the city’s prominent leaders. As we talked together in the crowded dining room our conversation turned to Jesus Christ, and ultimately this gentleman bowed his head and began to pray aloud, inviting Christ to be his Savior and Lord.

The change seemed to be immediate and dramatic, and follow – up has proven that God did meet him and change his life. During the course of our conversation, he indicated that what I had shared with him was a new truth. Though he was religious and active in his church, he never had been told that he should receive Christ.

Upon further exploration, I found that, in the entire community of Nazareth, there were but a few in those days who understood the truth of the living Christ indwelling the believer. I was amazed!

Nazareth was the town in which our Lord had spent approximately thirty years of His life. The son of a carpenter, He had walked those winding streets, living, loving and laughing with other young children as they were growing up. He left the town when He entered His public ministry, and went on to perform mighty miracles, die on the cross for our sins and be raised from the dead – and He changed the whole course of history. But 2,000 years have passed since then, and there is still little evidence of the influence of Jesus in the lives of the people of Nazareth.

Then I remembered that it was said of our Lord, He could do no mighty things in Nazareth because of their unbelief. That seems to be true in more than just that city today. Even though there are a billion and a half professing followers of Christ throughout the world, the majority seem to be practical atheists.

And so, our Lord cannot do mighty things in Nazareth, or throughout the world, because of unbelief. The key to releasing His power to accomplish revolutionary, supernatural things in the world – and in individual lives – is faith. “According to your faith be it unto you” Matthew 9:29(KJV). “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin” Romans 14:23(KJV). “The just shall live by faith” Romans 1:17(KJV).

Questions: Why is it that, although many people claim to be Christians, they are living as practical atheists. How is your life characterized by supernatural living? Please read Mark 6:1-6.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2011/12/29/bb_mighty-things/
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Short Thoughts for Cell Phones – God-daily.com

A Fresh Start

Mighty Things Through Faith

Month: <span>December 2011</span>

A Fresh Start

Mighty Things Through Faith