Category: I Corinthians

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Search The Word

I really enjoy “hidden object” games. Looking for things that are hidden and then remembering them for the next time you come back to that scene – it’s a real challenge and something I just like to do.

That’s how it was when I first really got turned on to God’s word. My goodness, that’s been almost 50 years ago now. I had been raised in church all my life but never really got in and studied the Word for myself.

But after we saw God do a miracle and heal our son, we started searching to find out what the Word said to us and how it would impact our daily lives. I remember so clearly sitting down at our kitchen table with our Bibles, a Strong’s concordance and a legal pad. We began to search out different words and how they had been used throughout the Bible. We would read a verse and then the verses before and after to make sure we saw things in their proper context. The search was on!

I will interject this here. When sharing these thoughts, I tried to be brief, but it is almost impossible to without diminishing the depth of the meaning.

We asked the Lord for understanding of His Word and He gave it to us. One Scripture that I had always heard took on new meaning. “Eye hath not seen or ear heard what has entered into the heart of God and that no one can know God’s thoughts” but in reading, truly reading the Scripture with the Holy Spirit guiding I found that there was more to that verse than how it had always been quoted.

“We teach wisdom to people who are mature, but the wisdom we teach is not from this world. It is not the wisdom of the rulers of this world, who are losing their power. 7 But we speak God’s secret wisdom that has been hidden from everyone until now. God planned this wisdom for our glory. He planned it before the world began. 8 None of the rulers of this world understood this wisdom. If they had understood it, they would not have killed our great and glorious Lord on a cross. 9 But as the Scriptures say,

‘No one has ever seen, no one has ever heard, no one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.’

10 But God has shown us these things through the Spirit. The Spirit knows all things. The Spirit even knows the deep secrets of God. 11 It is like this: No one knows the thoughts that another person has. Only the person’s spirit that lives inside knows those thoughts. It is the same with God. No one knows God’s thoughts except God’s Spirit. 12 We received the Spirit that is from God, not the spirit of the world. We received God’s Spirit so that we can know all that God has given us.” I Corinthians 2:6-12 ERV

What had been left out was the part about the Holy Spirit knowing God’s thoughts and He would give us the ability to KNOW all that God has for us. WOW!!! Talk about Hidden Treasures – we had a whole book of God’s thoughts right before us and all we had to do was search them out.

Jesus said the same thing to His disciples about the coming of the Holy Spirit. “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” John 14:26

Then there was also Jeremiah “Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:12-13

So let me encourage you today to start your own “treasure” hunt but this one isn’t a game. The verse above says we search with all our heart and King Solomon gave instruction this way

“4 Look for wisdom like silver. Search for it like hidden treasure. 5 If you do this, you will understand what it means to respect the LORD, and you will come to know God. 6 The LORD is the source of wisdom; knowledge and understanding come from his mouth. 7 He gives good advice to honest people and shields those who do what is right. 8 He makes sure that people are treated fairly. He watches over his loyal followers. 9 If you listen to him, you will understand what is just and fair and how to do what is right. 10 You will gain wisdom, and knowledge will bring you joy. 11 Planning ahead will protect you, and understanding will guard you.” Proverbs 2:4-11 ERV

I didn’t have a photographic memory so I would write the verses that really spoke to me on an index card. I always had them close at hand until they were in my heart. God’s word changed my life!

His word is more than ancient words on a page. God’s word is life. The Scriptures are God speaking directly to me and to you, life-giving, life-changing treasure that is better than gold!

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Love the Race

This has been a wonderful week with our daughter and son-in-love in Daytona Beach. We came as a 50th birthday celebration for our oldest daughter and we had a great time.

The main event of the trip culminated yesterday with the 67th running of the Daytona 500, a race we have watched for years on television, dreamed of someday attending and now it was here!

The biggest joy was we got to experience it together! Wonderful family memories we will share for the rest of our days.

I’ve been sitting here for the better part of an hour reliving some of yesterday’s events. We arrived at the track at 8:30 a.m. Found our seats, which we absolutely amazing – we could see the whole 2+ miles of the track. Then for the pre-race activities, just us and 100,000+ of our closest unknown friends. So many people, all here to cheer on 41 drivers, hoping their favorite would win. Even between the 4 of us, we all had different favorites but there was no contention in that.

A concert, a university band, exhibits and displays. Food – lots of food. Race swag to buy and excitement filled the air. The sun was warm and it seemed to be a perfect race day. The race started without a hitch, until lap 9, when it started to rain and the track had to be cleared. We stood/sat for the next 3 1/2 hours – people mingling, eating, laughing – conversations as to how long this delay might take but no one was going home. We were there to see the race.

There was a prize on the line, a goal to reach!

Now, don’t worry I’m not going to give you a play by play – just a comparison.

We were the crowd, but we were also the competitors. We loved watching every car but we were also competing against the elements. Would we become discouraged, would we give up before the ended, would we quit?

“Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won’t let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us. 2  We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side of God’s throne!” Hebrews 12:1-2 CEV

In our walk with Christ, our spiritual race, we are surrounded by a crowd of witnesses, those who have already completed the race. They cheer for us to keep going, don’t stop, don’t give up. There are also those who hope we fail. Don’t listen to them.

We make the pit stops and get the repairs and tune-ups needed to improve our endurance. When crashes come, we regroup and follow our lead pace car (Jesus). We might brush the wall or hit someone else’s bumper but we maintain control and we finish the race.

There will be rain delays, flat tires, adjustments and even crashes but this is a true saying, we win!

” Athletes work hard to win a crown that cannot last, but we do it for a crown that will last forever.” I Corinthians 9:25 CEV

“ I am grateful that God always makes it possible for Christ to lead us to victory. God also helps us spread the knowledge about Christ everywhere, and this knowledge is like the smell of perfume.” II Corinthians 2:14 CEV

You’re in a race today – enjoy it! Spread the news of the One who makes you a winner!

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Loving Conversations

In those times when we think “doesn’t God see what’s going on” or when we say “I wish I knew what to do now”, the Bible tells us that God, our heavenly Father, is waiting to talk with us, to direct us, to reassure us.

From the beginning, in the garden the Lord would come to talk with Adam in the cool of the day. On the day they sinned, He still came looking for them. Sin doesn’t keep us from God but trying to hide our sin from Him does. God didn’t abandon them. He made clothes from them and gave them instruction on how to live.

The Lord talked with Noah and gave him the specifications for building an Ark and told him how to care for the animals that would be on it.

God spoke to Abram and made him a promise that he would be the father of many nations and that his descendants would occupy the “promised land”.

Joseph and the Lord talked about a famine that was coming to Egypt and he told the pharaoh how to prepare for it. It saved the Egyptians and also all the members of Joseph’s family.

The Lord spoke to Moses from a burning bush while the nation of Israel was being held captive in Egypt. He gave Moses an exit plan.

The Lord spoke to the kings of Israel showing them how to succeed in battle and He gave this promise to the prophet Jeremiah.

“I was still being held prisoner in the courtyard of the palace guards when the Lord told me: I am the Lord, and I created the whole world. 3 Ask me, and I will tell you things that you don’t know and can’t find out.” Jeremiah 33:3 CEV

And that’s just a few examples from the Old Testament. In the New Testament we find the Lord giving instruction to Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, Zachariah and the shepherds through visiting angels.

Once Jesus started His ministry the Father spoke through the words of Jesus and those words are still our instruction for today.

“ Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you.” Matthew 7:7 CEV

We have also been given the Holy Spirit to give us instruction and guidance.

“The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn’t speak on his own. He will tell you only what he has heard from me, and he will let you know what is going to happen.” John 16:13 CEV

And because we have the Holy Spirit, we also have this promise.

“We who have the Spirit are able to make judgments about all these things. But anyone without the Spirit is not able to make proper judgments about us. 16 As the Scriptures say,

‘Who can know what is on the Lord’s mind? Who is able to give him advice?’

But we have been given Christ’s way of thinking.” I Corinthians 2:15-16 ERV

The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to hear and know God’s love and direction. That’s why we bring everything – everything – to Him. We trust Him, unwavering and He gives us the direction we need.

“Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. 6 With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way.” Proverbs 3:5-6 ERV

Start the day meeting our Father for a loving conversation. He will direct our paths and He tells us not to worry. We can trust Him!

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Love Forgives, Love Forgets

I’m not sure how many little hearts there are in this Valentine but let’s use it as an example. Not 490, for sure but just imagine each one of them is an expression of forgiveness.

Peter asked Jesus about forgiveness. Obviously, someone had offended Peter and he wanted to know how often he had to forgive.

“Then Peter came to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I forgive him, up to seven times?’ 22 Jesus said to him, ‘I tell you, not seven times but seventy times seven! ‘” Matthew 18:21-22 NLV

Seven is a very significant number in the Bible. It is the number of completion so I’m sure that Peter must have thought that forgiving 7 times would be more than enough.

Jesus told Peter that seven wasn’t enough. He needed to forgive the offender as much as 70×7, or 490 times. Jesus wasn’t referring to the actual number of 490 and when offended for the 491st time Peter no longer had to forgive. Instead, it did not matter how great the offence, forgiveness was still required.

Let’s take that number, 490, and apply it literally. With 24 hours in a day, that would mean that we must be willing to forgive about 20 times an hour or once every 3 minutes. Seriously?!

Oh Lord, do you really expect us to forgive that often? His answer is yes!

We are to live a life where forgiveness is abundant. Jesus even prayed to forgive those who were responsible for crucifying him.

“Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing.’” Luke 23:34 NLV

It was a part of everything He did. When Jesus was teaching his disciples to pray he included forgiving and forgiveness in that model prayer. You remember he said, “Forgive our sins, just as we have forgiven those who did wrong to us.” Matthew 6:12 ERV

Now for all of you who might be tempted to keep track and start counting we have been given teaching on that too.

“ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. 5 Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it. 6 Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth. 7 Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits.” I Cor. 13:4-7 ERV

I’m so glad that I didn’t write this. I sometimes rationalize and make excuses for not being more forgiving, but God removes all that. I am so glad He does because if I could justify my lack of forgiveness, He certainly would have reason to in judging me for my actions.

Thank you Lord that you don’t! Thank you that You freely give your forgiveness to all of us. Lord, we desire to be more like you. Remind us of the 490 so that we can see just how much You are willing to forgive us each day. Your love never gives up on us. We want to be like you.

“ You were spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were not free from the power of your sinful self. But God gave you new life together with Christ. He forgave all our sins. 14 Because we broke God’s laws, we owed a debt—a debt that listed all the rules we failed to follow. But God forgave us of that debt. He took it away and nailed it to the cross.” Colossians 2:13-14 ERV

Thank you, Lord, that You quit counting. Thank you that You forgave all!

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Regifting

My oh my this has been a busy week. Four full days of baking and candy making, three days of our son visiting, two Christmas parties and one family night. Every day was a delight!

I’m normally one of the first to get my annual Christmas letter and cards in the mail but not this year. I just finished the Christmas letter yesterday so it will arrive late. I told Dave yesterday that I just needed to sit by the fire last night and relax. Friends dropped over and although our conversation was short, it filled my heart with love and gratitude.

Then the evening ended with us enjoying my favorite Christmas movie, White Christmas, for the 51st time as a married couple. It’s what we do!!

With every activity, every cinnamon roll and banana bread made, I have been grateful for the Father’s wonderful love and our many, many blessings. I’m thankful that He has given us breath for this life and provided us with eternal life to follow.

This morning I am recycling and regifting a writing from years ago. I hope its meaning touches your heart.

I saw a segment on the news about re-gifting and it got me to thinking. Have I ever re-gifted? There have been more times than I would like to admit over the last 50 years that I have certainly been tempted too but to actually do it – yes, I have!

But then I realized that every day I live should be an act of re-gifting. My life is a precious gift from the Father. But even my life is a “re-gift”. Jesus came to give us the gift of life – He gave His life for us.

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 KJV

I want my life to be a re-gifting of what Christ has given me – forgiveness, love, joy, peace. Then I want others to re-gift those same things as many times as they would like.

“And so faith, hope, love abide [faith—conviction and belief respecting man’s relation to God and divine things; hope—joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love—true affection for God and man, growing out of God’s love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love.” I Corinthians 13:13 AMP

Let’s all take the gifts that we have received from the Father and re-gift them to others.

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The Best Gifts

This morning my heart is filled with gratitude and joy.

God has graciously blessed every one of us with so many wonderful gifts.

“ He gives us everything we need for life and for holy living. He gives it through His great power. As we come to know Him better, we learn that He called us to share His own shining-greatness and perfect life. 4 Through His shining-greatness and perfect life, He has given us promises. These promises are of great worth and no amount of money can buy them. Through these promises you can have God’s own life in you now that you have gotten away from the sinful things of the world which came from wrong desires of the flesh.” II Peter 1:3-4 NLV

My heart is filled with gratitude this morning; God’s amazing love is overwhelming; His peace passes all understanding (that means I can’t figure out how I can have so much peace when things seem anything but peaceful) and His grace (giving me what I don’t deserve) is so marvelous!

Each day I have the opportunity to receive these gifts anew; each day I have the opportunity to share these gifts with others; each day I have the joy of saying thank you to my wonderful Father who has given these gifts to me!

“But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” Ephesians 4:7 KJV

The gifts we have been given are not for our benefit alone. We have the opportunity to share them with others. The Holy Spirit is the giver of these gifts. He empowers us so that we become a blessing to others.

Just as our hands help our feet by putting on our shoes and socks or our sense of smell helps to keep us from eating something that is spoiled, our Spirit-given gifts help others in the body of Christ to grow and mature in the things of God.

“The Holy Spirit works in each person in one way or another for the good of all. 8 One person is given the gift of teaching words of wisdom. Another person is given the gift of teaching what he has learned and knows. These gifts are by the same Holy Spirit. 9 One person receives the gift of faith. Another person receives the gifts of healing. These gifts are given by the same Holy Spirit. 10 One person is given the gift of doing powerful works. Another person is given the gift of speaking God’s Word. Another person is given the gift of telling the difference between the Holy Spirit and false spirits. Another person is given the gift of speaking in special sounds. Another person is given the gift of telling what these special sounds mean. 11 But it is the same Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, Who does all these things. He gives to each person as He wants to give.” I Corinthians 12:7-11 NLV

We receive our gifts from God and then we use them for His glory.

No one is left out. Everyone receives. Share what you’ve been given. It will be a wonderful blessing to those around you!

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Thoughts of Peace

Yesterday morning we talked about decluttering our thoughts. It really is freeing to let go of the worries, the what-ifs, the constant bombardment of unsolicited thought and focus on what the Spirit of God is teaching us.

“We who have the Spirit are able to make judgments about all these things. But anyone without the Spirit is not able to make proper judgments about us. 16 As the Scriptures say,

‘Who can know what is on the Lord’s mind? Who is able to give him advice?’

But we have been given Christ’s way of thinking.” I Corinthians 2:15-16 ERV

The Apostle Paul was continually instructing the new Christians on how to have a renewed mind. He wanted them to have their thinking conforming to God’s word and in turn he knew it would transform their lives.

“ Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:3-11 NLT

To be like Christ we need humility. We let God’s word and will be done in our lives. Learning to serve and care for others, knowing that God, Himself, is committed to caring for us.

“A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” Luke 6:45 NLT

Our hearts are the treasury of God’s love, and we can make daily deposits into our account by what we think and by following through with corresponding actions.

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9 NLT

We choose to think on the good things, the things that are godly and pure. We capture thoughts that go contrary to God’s word. When we do, we have peace, God’s abiding peace!

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Swept Clean

This morning when I got up and looked around the house, I stopped to be thankful for my mother. I so appreciated the qualities of tidiness and organization that were a natural part of her life and that she passed those qualities on to me.

“ But everything should be done in a way that is right and orderly.” I Corinthians 14:40 ERV

He uses the word everything and every place I have researched the word everything means everything. Cluttered minds, thoughts or actions that can be a detriment to us hearing God. Too many distractions are stressful and rob our peace.

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

It’s hard to “be still” with a 1000 things on your mind. It’s important that we have our thoughts line up with God’s so that we can make wise and godly decisions. God’s purpose in creating the earth was to make order out of chaos. In the beginning the earth was without form and void but God spoke the worlds into existence with His words and brought order and beauty.

“Don’t change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but let God change you inside with a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to understand and accept what God wants for you. You will be able to know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect.” Romans 12:2 ERV

We need to let His Word bring order and beauty to our lives as well.

The word “perfect” in that verse jumped out at me and reminded me of another verse that focuses on perfect peace.

“You will keep the man in perfect peace whose mind is kept on You, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3 NLV

Still your mind. Take on God’s way of thinking. It will sweep out the clutter and lead you to perfect peace.

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Thankful for the Father’s Love

Today is our son’s birthday. Nothing like your children’s birthdays to cause you to reminisce!

Spent a good portion of the morning thinking about our lives with our son. We are blessed!

But then my thoughts wandered, and I began to think about what my heavenly Father thinks about me and so many verses came to mind.

” I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering. 12 You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers.” Jeremiah 29:11-12 CEV

My Father has a plan for my future – hopeful and successful.

He has known my days from the very beginning.

“You are the one who put me together inside my mother’s body, 14 and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt. 15 Nothing about me is hidden from you! I was secretly woven together deep in the earth below, 16 but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed. Even before I was born, you had written in your book everything I would do. 17 Your thoughts are far beyond my understanding, much more than I could ever imagine.” Psalm 139:13-17 CEV

Because of the Father’s unconditional love for us He has never said anything bad about us, never given up on us, never thought anything but the best of us. In spite of our shortcomings and failings we’ve always had His love.

“Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. 5 It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured. 6 It does not rejoice at injustice, but rejoices with the truth [when right and truth prevail]. 7 Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening]. 8 Love never fails [it never fades nor ends].” I Corinthians 13:4-8 AMP

Since God is love – this is a description of how He is toward us!

These are the Father’s thoughts toward me, and He will never abandon or desert me – He’s always there with all I need. He’s there to forgiven me when I fail.

“But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.” I John 1:9 CEV

As a parent of adult children and as a grandparent, I hope that my life will always be an example of the Father’s love!

I am so glad that my Father loves me!

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Steadfast & Immovable

I’m sure you’ve had those moments when something pops into your mind and you say to yourself, “Gosh, I haven’t thought about that in a long time”. This morning is one of those moments for me.

I was praying over friends and family this morning and I began to pray these words. “Lord, let them be steadfast and immovable. A solid representation of Your love. Not moved by the world’s opinions but standing firm on Your infallible word”.

It was then a flood of Scriptures came rolling in. Verses I had committed to my heart years ago, verses that have been my life-line both physically, emotionally, and spiritually for many years.

Today, I liked to share them with you. Verses of victory and strength.

“But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” I Corinthians 15:57-58 NLT

Steadfast and immovable. Steadfast: resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering

“If you live to satisfy your sinful self, the harvest you will get from that will be eternal death. But if you live to please the Spirit, your harvest from the Spirit will be eternal life. 9 We must not get tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life at the right time. We must not give up. 10 When we have the opportunity to do good to anyone, we should do it…”Galatians 6:8-10 ERV

Don’t grow weary in well doing.

“ To end my letter I tell you, be strong in the Lord and in his great power. 11 Wear the full armor of God. Wear God’s armor so that you can fight against the devil’s clever tricks. 12 Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places. 13 That is why you need to get God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil, you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing.” Ephesians 6:10-13 ERV

When you’ve done all to stand, STAND.

“ Can anything separate us from Christ’s love? Can trouble or problems or persecution separate us from his love? If we have no food or clothes or face danger or even death, will that separate us from his love? 36 As the Scriptures say,

‘For you we are in danger of death all the time. People think we are worth no more than sheep to be killed.’

37 But in all these troubles we have complete victory through God, who has shown his love for us. 38-39 Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us—nothing in the whole created world—will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39 ERV

Complete victory: more than a conqueror.

“We show our love for God by obeying his commandments, and they are not hard to follow.4 Every child of God can defeat the world, and our faith is what gives us this victory. 5 No one can defeat the world without having faith in Jesus as the Son of God.” I John 5:3-5 CEV

Overcome the world.

My dear friend, your struggle is not too great for God. His word is the solid rock foundation to build our lives on. Built on His word we can be and will be steadfast and immovable in the storms and we will stand!

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