PRAYER MEETING TOMORROW AT 6:30
Daily Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart:
John 8:28, “Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.”
God wants to effect in us a transfer of our source.
We see this transfer in Romans 14:7-8, “For none of us livethto himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.”
This simplifies everything.
This makes everything uncomplicated.
This keeps us in the enjoyment of Christ hour after hour.
Then we no longer handle the self, consult with it, debate with it, or live it out.
We just know one thing–how to enjoy Christ, fellowship with Him, handle everything with Him, and relate to our environment with Him.
We find ourselves no longer living an independent, self-trusting life.
But increasingly we live dependent on the Lord, just as He lived dependent on the Father. In John 8:28 He describes His own living: “I do nothing from Myself.”
He neither spoke nor acted from Himself. It is this dependent life that the Lord supplies to us in our spirit.
This grace-wrought dependency is the goal of God’s dealing with the self.
It refers to a genuine transfer of source that takes place in us so that we live one spirit with the Lord.
Now the Lord wants us to become familiar with our spirit–to discover our spirit, use our spirit, and learn to take the initiative with our spirit.
In the past, our soul has been so activated that we have been flooded with our own thoughts and enmeshed with our own feelings and choices.
In Ephesians 2:3 Paul clearly defines our unregenerate state: “Among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the thoughts.”
“The desires of the thoughts” means that we have lived out Satan in our independent thoughts.
This characterized our old life, before we were regenerated.
Even after we are regenerated, we may still live out of the source of our self in many things.
However, in regenerating our spirit, the Lord has imparted His own dependent life into us.
He lived a dependent life, and that is the nature of His life in us.
Thus, our dealings with the Lord in our daily life will come in the things and in the areas where we live independent from Him.
Expect to be brought into an ever deepening dependence upon Him.
Until Tomorrow,
With a Shepherd’s Love
Pastor
…….
TODAY’S PRAYER LIST
Bill Lawhead – Prayer Needed
Brandon’s Grandmother – home
Debra Roberts – Home in need of prayer
Hanna Hall – Pray For Grace
Don Slate – Angela Bryan’s Dad – Hospice
Larry Stanley – Home
Mary Williams Son – Mike – Accident
Rick Gourley – Hospital
Amy Garner’s Mother
Ashley Burn’s Sisters
Barbara Shed’s Family
Bill Moody
Charlie Sessom –Waiting
Colby/Connor – Allison’s G’sons
Denise Stubbs – Kim Allison’s Mom
Doug Fritzel
Greg & Keith Payne – Lisa’s Brothers
James Garner’s G’Son
John Burnette
Joyceann – James Garner’s Daughter
Kimberly – Dustin’s Sister
Larry Barker – Hip replacement
Linda Breedlove’s Sister – Sarah
Lynn – Nancy Brown’s Daughter
Mary Sims
Michael Stanley
Nancy Brown’s G’Daughter
Nora Allison – Dustin’s Mom
Pastor Stucke– Nikki’s Dad
Paula Ferus’ Missionary Friend
Ricky Stubbs
Roseleigh Osborn
Scott Lanier – Lisa’s Cousin
Sharon Blalock
Sherry Yoachum – Recovering
Shaelyn – Jill’s Friend
Sheila Simmons Cousin
Todd Bailey
Todd Roberts
Tom Witcher
Wanda Galanti