thoughts by Sylvia Gunter Archives - Page 7 of 11

Published August 22, 2019

Blessing of the Fruit of the Spirit

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” Galatians 5:22-23.

The fruit of the spirit is not an emotional response. It is God in you. Be blessed to keep in step with His Spirit and draw on who He is.

Be blessed with God’s love that gives freely without asking anything in return. Be blessed with increasing and overflowing love for others.

Be blessed with the joy of the Lord that gives you strength. Be blessed to brighten and refresh weary hearts with the joy of Jesus.

Be blessed with receiving the Lord of peace who is with you always dispensing His peace to you.

Be blessed with grace-filled patience, not just tolerance. Be blessed with God’s patient endurance in battles long fought.

God’s kindness leads to repentance. Be blessed to pass on that kindness to others. Be blessed with His grace softening all that could be harsh.

Be blessed with active goodness that does not think to repay evil but considers how to bless from the goodness of Jesus in you.

Be blessed in His faithfulness that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

Be blessed with the gentle answer of Jesus that turns away wrath. Be blessed with being wise as a serpent but gentle as a dove.

Ponder the immense self-control of Jesus. When He was taunted and crucified, He uttered only forgiveness. Be blessed with a disposition that is even-tempered and in step with His in spirit.

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

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Remember Whose You Are

Published August 3, 2019

Remember Whose You Are

I don’t know your story and you don’t know mine, but we share a common theme. We are driven by the search for true identity, a desire to be understood and appreciated for who we are. We have longing to seek out something more. Those are not evil desires. God gave us the desire to seek the essence of who he created us to be, so that he can fulfill it. He created the thirst so we can enjoy the Living Water. Unfortunately, we spend a lot of time and energy looking everywhere else but to him for that fulfillment.

In Jeremiah 2 God paints a picture of how his people loved him like a bride loves her groom, full of passion and complete in their devotion to him. But their hearts changed. In Jeremiah 2:13 God says that his people have forsaken him, the spring of Living Water, and have dug their own cisterns. They are looking for fulfillment in all the wrong places. You can hear the Father’s grieved heart as he lays out their behavior before them and then ends with “How’s that working for you?”

My heart sinks as I see the areas in my life where I have chosen to find identity in my own cisterns, rather than drinking the Living Water. We too easily revert back to our own cisterns that can hold no water. Look at the cisterns in your life. What seemed like such a good source of legitimacy suddenly pales in comparison to true legitimacy found in God. That is why it is critical to meditate on the truths of who God is and who we are in Him until it sinks down deep into our spirit, soul, and body. John Calvin wrote in The Institutes Of The Christian Religion, “It now remains to pour into the heart itself what the mind has absorbed. For the Word of God is not received by faith if it fills the top of the brain, but when it takes root in the depth of the heart.” Calvin is urging us to take deep drinks of the Living Water of who he is and what we have because of who he is:

He is Jehovah-Jireh (provider).
Genesis 22:14 Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide.
You can be sure he sees and knows your every need.
Matthew 6:8 Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

He is Jehovah-Rophe (healer).
Exodus 15:26 I am the LORD, who heals you.
You are being renewed.
Isaiah 40:31 ... those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength...

He is Jehovah-Shalom (peace).
Judges 6:24 … and called it The LORD is Peace.
You have life and peace.
Romans 8:6 ... to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

He is Jehovah-Nissi (banner).
Exodus 17:15 Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner.
You are led in Christ’s triumph.
2 Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ…

He is Jehovah-Rohi (shepherd).
Psalm 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd...
You are his well-tended sheep.
Psalm 100:3 We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

He is Jehovah-Tsidkenu (righteousness).
Jeremiah 23:6 This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.
You are free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:2 Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

He is Jehovah-Shammah (THE LORD IS THERE, Ezekiel 48:35)
Matthew 28:20 Surely I am with you always…
You are continually with God.
Psalm 73:23 Yet I am always with you…

Stop and allow these truths to sink deep into your spirit. You may “know” these Scriptural facts, but now really receive their truth deeply in your spirit where your legitimacy, identity, significance, and birthright are defined by God.

Remember whose you are… and who you are in Him!

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

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Blessed Are Those Who Love the Irritating

Published June 18, 2019

Blessed Are Those Who Love the Irritating

When tests come through those who irritate me, I have to ask myself, “Am I loving God by loving them?” If I am not loving them, I am not loving God. John’s repeated admonitions in 1 John about personal relationships convicts me every time. For example, “If someone claims, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother or sister, then he is a liar. Anyone who does not love a brother or sister, whom he has seen, cannot possibly love God, whom he has never seen.” He gave us a clear command, that all who love God must also love other Christians (1 John 4:20-21). Oh my!

Offense is the act of provoking, annoying, irritating, or causing pain or injury. It is also the reaction the offense produces, like indignation, resentment, or anger, which can lead to breach in a relationship. When someone sins against us, our flesh rises up and demands retribution. But the way of grace must watch over our hearts, guard our mouths, and release the offender.

The writer of Proverbs urges us to respond to offenses by giving evidence of the grace of God. Read these statements and ask God to reveal how you responded the last time you were offended.

A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense (Proverbs 19:11). Patience is wisdom, and wisdom lets an offense pass without responding sinfully. Love keeps no record of wrongs suffered.

Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city (Proverbs 16:32). It is better to be patient. A Spirit-controlled response wins battles.

An offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city, and disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel (Proverbs18:19). A hostile relationship is hard to win back. Contention separates people into opposing sides. Jesus died to break down the dividing walls.

He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity (Proverbs 21:23). When our unguarded mouth gives vent to our unhealed heart, we unleash words that hurt deeply.

Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, Do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared (Proverbs 22:24-25). Don’t take personally the anger of angry people, or you will find yourself reacting to them in the same destructive way.

Calmness can lay to rest great errors [offenses] (Ecclesiastes 10:4). A quiet spirit will overcome anger and turn aside the hurtful actions of others. Identify the great forgiveness of Jesus in each situation and relationship.

“He was delivered over to death for our sins (offenses)” (Romans 4:25). We overlook offenses because Jesus took our offenses and bore them to His cross. Those who have been forgiven much will forgive much.

Jesus is the standard and He is the means, the power, and the grace for any person or situation. He never leaves us without the power to obey His commands, because He is living in us to obey. “I have told them about Your nature; and I will continue to speak of Your name in order that Your love, which was poured out on Me, will be in them. And I will also be in them” (John 17:26).

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

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Comfort: God’s Holy Exchange

Published June 9, 2019

Comfort: God’s Holy Exchange

All of us will be walking in more of the Luke 4:18-19 (NKJV) ministry of Jesus as we go on with God.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.“

Jesus began his ministry on earth quoting from Isaiah 61:1-3.

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD … has sent me … to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion, to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”

Jesus defined his call and his eternal relationship with us when he quoted this passage in his first public sermon. He brings good news to us, binds up our broken heart, and comforts our mourning in our grief. These days may not feel like his goodness or his faithfulness, but his Word promises that dark clouds are under God’s feet (Psalm 18:9). He never stops inviting us near him to love, guide, deliver, heal, and comfort us. All we love is in his hands. He hears our prayers and our tears when there are no words. He counts them as liquid intercession, which is precious to him (Psalm 56:8a). He is our Mighty Warrior and contends with those forces that contend with us (Isaiah 42:13; Psalm 35:1).

Be blessed with a still heart, while God fights for you (Exodus 14:14; Psalm 46:10). Be blessed in his covenant of love that can never be taken from you (Romans 8:35,38-39; Psalm. 18:19). Be blessed to know that everything is for his glory (2 Corinthians 4:15). He is being glorified in you.

God’s promise is sure that he is able to guard what you have entrusted to him (2 Timothy 1:12). Receive his covering of his sweet presence and peace that passes all understanding in all your cares. He never loses sight of whom he designed you uniquely to be and whom he designed those you love to be. His plans for you are written on the palm of the nail-pierced hands of his Son.

Be blessed to know him as your Father of compassion and God of all comfort, who comforts you in all your cares.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

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The Only Question We Need to Ask

Published May 15, 2019

The Only Question We Need to Ask

The daily news can sound rather hopeless.

There are wars and rumors of wars, global warming, a failed economy, personal financial ruin, the threat of epidemic, and the list could go on. For some it is not the big global issues that have struck your heart with fear. It is the family member facing a debilitating disease, the broken relationship that seems irreconcilable, or the problem that seems too big to handle.

Our circumstances can lead us to ask a lot of “Why?” “How?” and “What if?” questions. All of our questions are answered in the most important question, the “Who” question.

Who is a God like you, O sovereign Lord?
You have begun to show to Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works You do? Deuteronomy 3:24

There is none like the God of Israel.
You ride on the heavens to help us and on the clouds in Your majesty. You are the eternal God, our refuge, and underneath are Your everlasting arms. You will drive out our enemy before us. You are great, and Your name is mighty in power. Who should not revere You, O King of the nations? This is Your due. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like You.
Deuteronomy 33:26-27, Jeremiah10:6-7

Who is a God like you?
My whole being exclaims, “Who is like You, O Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.” Psalm 35:10

There is none other like you,
…O Lord, God of Israel, in heaven above or on earth below. You keep Your covenant of love with Your servants who continue wholeheartedly in Your way. You have kept Your promise. With Your mouth You have promised and with Your hand You have fulfilled it. 1 Kings 8:23-24

Who, O God, is like you?
Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, You who have done great things. Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? Psalm 71:19, 77:13

There is none like you, O Lord.
No deeds can compare with Yours. For You are great and do marvelous deeds, You alone are God. You put to death and You bring to life, You have wounded and You will heal, and no one can deliver from Your hand. Psalm 86:8,10; Deuteronomy 32:39

As the swirl of your life feels like it is going to overcome you, take a moment to gaze into the night sky and enjoy the stars in their full splendour. God is so mighty that He spoke this vast universe into existence. At the same time He is so intimate that He calls each star by name and not one of them is missing. How much more so does He care about us and what concerns us today?

Hear Him speak tenderly to your heart.

Who is a God like me? says the Holy One.
To whom will you compare Me? Who is My equal? Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? I bring out the starry host one by one and call them each by name. Because of My great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. Isaiah 40:25-26

I AM God and there is no other.
I AM God, and there is none like Me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. Isaiah 46:9-10

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

www.thefathersbusiness.com
From: Prayer Portions p. 41-43

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Seeing God’s Fingerprints

Published April 10, 2019

Seeing God’s Fingerprints

Listen with your spirit to God’s Word.

Psalm 66:5 “Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man’s behalf!”

Beloved one, I bless you with seeing your Father’s fingerprints on your life. I bless you with your Father planting reminders of himself and his majesty everywhere around you. I bless you with appreciating that the heavens declare the glory of God and everything around you proclaims the work of his hands. I bless you with remembering and celebrating his mercy and grace in all that touches you. I bless you with knowing that your Father has made everything beautiful for its own time. I bless you as he makes himself known to you more profoundly and intimately. I bless you with deep awareness that he has planted eternity in your heart.

Be in awe that the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end is so incredible. I bless you with knowing that your Father’s plans for your life are too numerous to comprehend or even imagine. I bless you with tracing his hand and understanding how particulars fit into his cosmic picture. I bless you with glimpses of his whole design, as his image within you longs to see the beauty of it all, to know the meaning of it all, to discern the ultimate purpose of it all. I bless you with grasping the strategy of heaven, at least in part, but I also bless your spirit to entrust your desire to know into his all-knowing.

I bless you with coming to your heavenly Father, with drawing near with your heart and your spirit to him. I bless you with seeing with fresh perspective what your Father has done for you, the awesome miracles he is doing for you. I bless you with seeing with thanksgiving and gratitude God’s working in your life and in your world. I bless you with celebrating the heritage of blessings your Father has invested in you. I bless you with counting your blessings, never ceasing to give glory to God as you were created to do. I bless you with fulfillment in joining the heavenly chorus of worship of your heavenly Father for his character, his availability, his Father-heart, his love, his mercy, and on and on.

I bless you, beloved one, with enlarging your spirit. I bless you with room to breathe free, to become, to grow, to fill the whole frame of God’s masterpiece of your life. I bless you with receiving your life from the hand of your Father. His plans are marvelous. I bless you to appreciate your awesome, overwhelming creativity and intricate design and the design of everybody and everything in your world. I bless you with more revelation into the plans and purposes of your Father’s heart for you, and in you, and through you, and for others, and for the place and community in which you live. I bless you in the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

by Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

www.thefathersbusiness.com
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God’s Sufficiency Exceeds our Needs

Published April 6, 2019

God’s Sufficiency Exceeds our Needs

For every need, there is a name of God that meets the need.

Our lack is perfectly engineered to magnify His perfect sufficiency. The great I AM stands ready with His supply from His eternal riches. His infinite supply magnifies in bold relief our complete dependence on Him. It is not I, but Christ. Celebrate how he reveals himself to you this week in his names.

When we need a hug, Abba-Father takes us in His arms to love us and protect us. (Romans 8:15)

When we need someone on our side, He is our Advocate, the divine lawyer who pleads our case. (Job 16:19)

When life has knocked us down, the Breath of the Almighty renews our life and refreshes our strength. He is vital to our existence, because in Him we live and move and have our being. (Job 33:4)

When we feel totally helpless, Faithful and True is absolutely dependable and trustworthy. (Revelation 19:11)

When the shame of the past weighs heavily upon us, the Father of mercies cleanses our sin and our memories in the sea of His forgetfulness. (1 Peter 1:3)

When we feel weary and discouraged, our God of hope lifts the burden of responsibility from our shoulders and puts it on His shoulders of government of our circumstances. (Psalm 42:5)

When we are stressed and overwhelmed, Jehovah-Shalom, our peace, floods our souls with assurance that He cares about every detail. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

When we can’t forgive ourselves, the blood of Jehovah-Tsidkenu, our righteousness, has wiped our slate clean, no matter what we have done, because He is our sinless sacrifice. (1 Peter 2:24)

When we treasure His salvation and desire His intimate friendship, the heart of Jesus bursts with joy. (Mathew 6:21)

When we have been wronged, our Righteous Judge settles all violations against us with perfect judgment, so we must not take matters into our own hands. (Jeremiah 11:20)

When we need guidance, the Spirit of Truth is the infinite Word of God available to us to give understanding that is accurate and reliable. (John 16:13)

We have everything we need, because His name is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

If Jesus isn’t a perfect father (Abba) to you, He can be. If you invite him into your life and let Him start loving and renovating your life from the inside out – He will. He longs to be in a loving relationship with you. Here is a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person You want me to be. Amen.

Is it the desire of your heart to make this prayer yours?

If yes, pray now and according to his promise, Jesus Christ will come into your life.

From: Prayer Essentials For Living In His Presence, Vol 1, page 59-60.
© 2000 Sylvia Gunter

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Praying the Beatitudes

Published January 20, 2019

Praying the Beatitudes

The Beatitudes are the radical new order of blessedness initiated by the new covenant signed in the blood of Jesus. They are not the Scriptural equivalent of your mama’s admonition to “be sweet.” They outline the new way of the kingdom that Jesus said we should seek above all else (Matthew 6:33). It is a tall order to be like Jesus, like His dependence, His compassion, His humility, His longing for the Father’s glory.

The Beatitudes are conditional promises of blessing. Letting Jesus work His character in us is the condition; blessedness is the promise. Pray for yourself, that you will enjoy the blessing of being the person God wants you to be, as God molds you in the character of His beloved and well-pleasing Son.

Blessed are the poor in spirit. Matthew 5:3
Heavenly Father, let me honestly face myself with courage to admit that I am utterly helpless and destitute to receive more of heaven’s kingdom. I want the humility not to be impressed with myself and my accomplishments. You must increase, I must decrease (John 3:30). More of You, God, none of me. I am overwhelmed with the sense of my spiritual need. I recognize my true spiritual condition of pride and self-sufficiency, and I am broken over my need to cast myself upon Your mercy. But I am covered by the blood of Jesus!

Blessed are those who mourn. Matthew 5:4
God, break my heart with what breaks Your heart. Let me embrace the true grief of the Man of sorrows. I die to unholy grief (self-pity). Let me receive Your holy comfort in my losses (Isaiah 61:2). Wipe away my tears in Your tender mercy.

Blessed are the meek. Matthew 5:5
Work in me the grace of spirit and soul to receive Your restraints for my strengths. My Lord Jesus was meek, lowly, and gentle of heart (not to be confused with weakness). He knew He had all the infinite resources of God at His command. Rein me in, so that I will be gentle in Your strength. I accept all Your dealings with me as good. Help me get angry at the right time, in the right measure, only for the right reason. Replace my self-assertiveness and demanding my rights with Your holy long-suffering and humility. More than anything, I want to respond to Your invitation, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:26-30).

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Matthew 5:6
I want to fast of being satisfied with my own righteousness. I intensely long for more of You with unquenchable thirst. My spirit and my soul will be completely satisfied only in the living water of Your presence. I won’t try to satisfy my soul’s appetite at the world’s table. I’ll taste and see that You are good. I ardently desire You as much as I need food to sustain life (Psalm 36:8-9, 42:1-2, 63:1,5; Isaiah 55:1-2).

I look to the promises… for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, for they will be comforted, for they will inherit the earth, for they will be filled. Give me the Beatitude kind of satisfaction in You. Thank You for these promises of blessing, more of heavens reign here on earth, the comfort of the Comforter, inheritance.

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

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Are You Ready for Something New?

Published January 3, 2019

Are You Ready for Something New?

Before every major new thing He did, God gave this word to His people: “Consecrate yourself, purify yourself, repent.” Study for yourself and see how many times God said, “Consecrate yourself, and tomorrow I will (or you will)...” Over and over, God showed new revelation of Himself and new unfolding of His glory to those who prepared the way by purification:

– Before leaving Egypt: Exodus 12:15, Luke 12:1, 1 Corinthians 5:6-8

– Before God met Moses in holy glory on the mountain: Exodus 19:10

– Before crossing the Jordan: Joshua 3:5

– Before God revealed sin in the camp: Joshua 7:13

– Before God’s new king was anointed to bear the lineage of Jesus: 1 Samuel 16:5

– Before bringing the ark of the presence of the Lord to the place God prepared for it: 1 Chronicles 15:12

– Before Hezekiah’s revival: 2 Chronicles 29:5

– Before God pours out His Spirit: Joel 1:14, 2:15

– Before the entrance of Jesus onto the scene, John preached
“Repent to prepare the way of the Lord“: Matthew 3:2

– Before Jesus went to the cross, He sanctified Himself: John 17:19

The priests consecrated themselves before the dedication of the temple, and God showed up in such glory that the priests could not minister (2 Chronicles 5:11-14). Oh dear ones, read Solomon’s prayer in one of the most majestic passages in the Bible in
2 Chronicles 6 and 7. Let its praise, and prayers, and promise, and pleas for mercy, and repentance, and answers, and forgiveness thrill you, as you long for fire to fall and the glory of God to come, as in 2 Chronicles 7:1.

Will you pray this prayer for radical consecration?

“Jesus, make me holy. Work in me Your redemption from all iniquity (wickedness) and purify (sanctify and cleanse) me for Yourself for Your own possession, zealous for good deeds, doing what is good and right (Titus 2:14). Cleanse me and free me of lawlessness, so that I will be eager to please you.“

by Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

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Blessing of Belonging and Worth

Published December 3, 2018

Blessing of Belonging and Worth

Psalm 139:13-16

Listen with your spirit to what your Father says about you, how He made you, how He sees you. David was talking to God about his life, when he said in Psalm 139:13-16

.”You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body.”

Come to be blessed by your Father and Creator. According to God’s Word, you are very special, You are created, crafted and designed by God your Father. He planned for you before He said, “Let there be light.” You are no accident, not conceived of the will of man. He reached down and chose the family to place you in. You did not have to exist. He wanted you to be. He willed you into existence.

You are welcome in His world. God had been waiting for millennia for the particular point in time when you were conceived. He smiled that day. You are one of His best ideas! He chose every pair of your 23 pairs of chromosomes and every one of your more than 10,000 genes. He was pleased when His plans came together as He wove you together in your mother’s womb. He chose the day and the time you would come into the world. You are unique, one of a kind. There is nobody else like you.

Know that God celebrates His marvelous design of you. He made your inmost being. The essence of who you are is worthy of praising Him, because you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Every detail of how your body is shaped and formed, how every organ and every cell fits together is the result of God’s thoughts. Every facet of your personality is the result of His thoughts. You are beloved, and you are beautiful. God celebrates His marvelous design of you. You have something to give your world that no other person has. Your family and your community of faith need the deposit that God has placed in your life. They will not be complete without you as you shine in your unique display of His image in you.

Be blessed in the name of God your Creator who made you and formed you. Deuteronomy 32:6b

By Sylvia Gunter

Used by Permission
From:: You Are Blessed In The Names of God, page 29

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Who’s Right vs. What’s Right

Published November 26, 2018

Who’s Right vs. What’s Right

Who’s Rights vs. What’s Right

In this country we are consumed with rights. Depending on who you listen to, an unborn child should have a “right” to live, or a woman should have a “right” to an abortion. In the media you will hear people who passionately believe they are right to fight for their rights, destroying others in the process. They speak in angry words against those who don’t agree with them. To be on the right side of moral issues with an angry spirit is also a sin.

Unfortunately, this attitude is also found in our churches, our families, and our own hearts. It is easy to get caught up in who’s right instead of what’s right. When we focus on who’s right, our motivation is proving my point, justifying my opinion, proving someone wrong, correcting someone, being vindicated. Do any of these motivations honor God? In a word, no.

When we focus on what’s right, we can graciously stand for truth and do so with the heart of the Father. God wants all men to be reconciled (Matthew 5:23-26, 18:15-17). So whether it is a political issue or that argument you had with your spouse, God calls us to surrender our “rights” and to pursue what is right, which is reconciliation. God will give us opportunities to choose what’s right versus who’s right, as He continues to mold us to be more like Himself.

Why choose what’s right?

For Jesus’ sake: Because I love Jesus and want to obey his prayer for unity in John 17, I will do everything He commands to be reconciled with those He loves. I choose to pursue oneness with all for whom He died. If the cross unites us, let nothing else separate us. John 3:16, 14:15, 21, 23-24; 15:9-14, 17:21-23.

For the Father’s sake: Because I love my Father and do not want to grieve His heart of love for His children, I will do everything I can to be in harmony with all His children. Relationship in His family and love for His children is more important to God than my position on anything not essential to salvation. Our heavenly Father is best able to correct His own children. 1 John 5:1-3, Matthew 5:9, 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.

For the Spirit’s sake: I do not want to hinder the Holy Spirit by any sinful attitude of anger, unforgiveness, or disunity. Ephesians 4:29-32, Isaiah 66:1-2, 32:15a, 17-18; 1 John 4:11-12.

For my sake: Because I want the grace and peace of God to reign in my life, I choose not to harbor bitterness or judgment. An unresolved offense hinders my worship and fellowship with God. I choose to let this situation be God’s instrument to train me in grace and righteousness. Hebrews 12:14- 15, Matthew 5:23-24, 5:7, 7:1-2; James 2:13, Romans 14:1, 10-13; 15:1.

For the sake of the church: Because I want the church to be a positive reflection of Jesus, I bring my opinions to the cross. I choose unbroken fellowship in His church because disunity dishonors the name of Jesus and brings reproach on the witness of the church to a lost world. John 17:21- 23, Ephesians 4:1-6, Galatians 2:20.

For the glory of God: Is anything worth forfeiting the glory of God in my life and in His church? No obedience is too costly, too humbling, or too hard, because I want His glory, power, presence, and blessing more than my personal agenda. Romans 15:5-7, John 17:24-26.

Pray that the Holy Spirit will show you the Father’s heart. Obey Him, no matter the cost. May Jesus be glorified as you seek to be reconciled with all your brothers and sisters in Christ.

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

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Your Father’s Heart Longs for You

Published November 9, 2018

Your Father’s Heart Longs for You

“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing” Zephaniah 3:17

“The Lord Your God is in the midst of you, a mighty One, a Savior—who saves! He will rejoice over you with joy. He will rest in silent satisfaction… He will exult over you with singing” (Amplified).

Your Father’s heart longs for you. Be blessed as you receive His embrace. He loves you in the way you were created to be loved. He has come to overwhelm you with His love. He takes great delight in you. The prayer of Jesus was “Father, let them know deep inside that as You love Me, so You love them, they in Me and I in You” (John 17:21,26 paraphrased). God loves you as much as He loves His Son. His love for you is way beyond anything you can imagine.

Rest in His presence and let His peace quiet your mind. Let His love calm your heart. He is for you. God is mighty to save. He will fight your battles for you. He has said to you, “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you.”
(2 Chronicles 20:17).

Your Father smiles at you today. God likes you — today, every day, every moment. Hear Him rejoicing over you with singing. Let His love be the foundation of your life. You are beloved in the complete finished work of Jesus. God delights in showing you His love.

Let go of the past, as you face the future with your Father. Be blessed with joy, peace, and rest in Him. Be blessed with refreshing and renewal in His presence, as you pursue the fulfillment that He has created for you. Be blessed as He gives you victory and rejoices over you.

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

From: www.thefathersbusiness.com

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Praying On The Armor

Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power

Published August 23, 2018

Praying On The Armor

The Word of God commands us be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power (Ephesians 6:10-18). We daily stand firm against the devil’s schemes by putting on our spiritual armor. It is as important to dress spiritually each day as it is to dress physically. So declare daily that you are obeying God’s command to stand in all the armor available to intercessory soldiers in the battles we face.

Father, our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. They are fallen angles cast down from heaven by the command of the true and living God. They are subject to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We are in Him and stand in His already-assured victory. Therefore, we put on our full armor in You so that when the fiery darts come, we may be able to stand our ground.

We stand firm because we have taken up these weapons:

We buckle the belt of truth around our waist. Truth is the Person of Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life.

We put on the breastplate of righteousness. The Person and sinless sacrifice of the Lord Jesus is our Righteousness.

We put on our feet the sandals of the preparation of the gospel of peace. The Person of the Lord Jesus is our peace.

We take the shield of faith which extinguishes all the flaming arrows of the evil one. The Person of the Lord Jesus Christ is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He is all the faith we need.

We take the helmet of salvation. My Lord Jesus Christ Himself alone is our salvation. His mind guards our minds.

We take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. The Word is the Person of Jesus Christ who came in the flesh and defeated the works of the enemy. His Word never returns to Him void.

We clothe ourselves in all of Jesus and pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

“No weapon formed against us will prevail, and we will refute every tongue that accuses us. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from Me,” declares the Lord (Isaiah 54:17).

The One who was born of God keeps us safe, and the evil one cannot harm us (1 John 5:18).

In the name of Jesus, amen.

By Sylvia Gunter

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Sense of Being

1 John 3:1- “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”

Published June 26, 2018

Sense of Being

Spirit, listen to the heart of your Father speaking to your heart in His Word in 1 John 3:1.

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”

You bear the imprint of your Creator’s fingerprints on your entire being. You are a special evidence of His continuing handiwork and creativity in the earth today. He chose generational treasures for you and your soul and body. He made you His child on whom He lavishes His love. Be blessed to feel with almost aching sharpness and clarity the truth that you are greatly loved. He calls you beloved. He likes you. In fact, He adores you. You are the apple of His eye. You are His special treasure. You are legitimate and worthy because He loves you, not because of anything you have done. Be blessed with a deep and abiding joy as a favored child of Most High God.

God gave you your competence, your talents, and your personality. Beyond that is your identity of belonging and worth and your legitimacy in Him as a covenant son/daughter. Be blessed with a healthy sense of being from a solid core of identity and legitimacy in Him. Be blessed with physical, emotional, relational, mental, and spiritual sense of being in Christ Jesus. Be blessed to realize that you stand in His favor based on relationship, not performance. Be blessed with His approval and pleasure. Be blessed with awareness of all your spiritual blessings He has deposited in you. Be blessed with knowing you are set in a large place in the spirit realm, a place of authority in Him.

Be blessed to know that you are loved, wanted, and needed in the world. Your Father placed you right where you are. Be blessed with relaxing in His perfect care in every detail, knowing He is lovingly watching over you. Be blessed with freedom from fear. You are immovable and unstoppable as you remain in that place of abiding in Him and Jesus in you. Be blessed as God encourages and empowers you in His truth and purposes for your life.

Be blessed in the name of your Father who loves you as He loves his own Son

(John 17:23).

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

From: You Are Blessed In The Names of God
To learn more about Sylvia Gunter: www.thefathersbusiness.com

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Overcomers Blessing

Overcomers - Ephesians 1:18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know ...

Published October 16, 2017

Overcomers Blessing

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order
that you may know … his incomparably great power for us who
believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which
he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated
him at his right hand in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 1:18-20).

You are identified with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
You live in the risen and ascended Christ every day because God
raised you up with Him. He is your life in all His resurrection
power (Philippians. 3:10).

Because of what Christ did, you are hidden in God and sealed
by the power of the Holy Spirit. Choose to live from the reality
of the finished work of Christ’s resurrection and ascension. All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus, and you
are seated with Him at the right hand of the Father, established in
His authority (Ephesians 2:6). You live in His power and dominion over
spiritual forces of darkness. You reign in life through Christ.

Be blessed to understand your true position in Christ. The Spirit of
Christ Jesus is present every day in you so that you can live always
from your spirit, not allowing the soul or body to take over.

You are a covenant child of God Most High. He is the God of all
grace, God of the impossible. You have the privilege of coming
into agreement with Him in your spirit, soul, and body. You are
intended to live in honor and authority in Jesus’ name. You are on
kingdom business. Be blessed to represent your King everywhere
you go.

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission