Happy Sunday! I pray you've all had a great weekend! Today I am sharing from my studies from our #21DaysBibleChallenge days 12, 13, 14, and 15. As of today we are on day 19 which means we are only two days away from finishing the book of John! God is faithful!
Day 12: John Chapter 12
Lesson1: What are your intentions? God sees the heart, not the words
"Why was this fragrant of oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. "- John 12: 5-6
- Right before the above Scripture was written, Mary had taken an expensive oil and anointed the feet of Jesus with the oil. Judas saw this asked why that oil was not sold instead and the proceed given to the poor, but the Bible points out that he said this not because he was a good man that cared for the poor. His intentions was not pure. He wanted them to sell the oil so that they'll give him the money to keep and he will use the money for his own selfish desires.
- The first thing the Holy Spirit pointed out to me was that intentions mean everything. No matter how sweet and kind my words are, if my heart is in the wrong place, my words means nothing to God. In addition, the Holy Spirit revealed that nothing is hidden from God. We may be able to deceive people into thinking we are good people, but God is not fooled.
- "But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart"- 1 Samuel 16:7
- Prayer: Father search my heart and teach me to love with pure hands and a pure heart. Amen
Day 13: John chapter 13
Lesson 1: Before you act, it must first have been in your heart
"And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son to betray Him"-John 13:2
- The Holy Spirit revealed that sin is not something we just happen into. It is deliberate; It is something that has been cooking on our minds for a while before we decide to act on it. Before we sin, we must have pondered about it in our hearts, weighed the consequences, and then carried it out.
- "Every fruit is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from bramble bush. A good man our of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."- Luke 6:44-45
- Judas entertained the thought of betraying Jesus long before he carried it out because when the devil placed the idea in his heart, he did not reject it. The Bible instructs us to flee from all appearances of evil. We are to rebuke sin and the thoughts that will lead to sin as soon as we encounter it.
Day 14: John Chapter 14
Lesson 1: I have no reason to be troubled! God is for me and with me!
"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. "- John 14: 27
- I felt so much peace and love reading John 14. I saw how much Christ truly loves us. Even as He was getting ready to leave and go back to the Father, He first made sure we were going to be taken care of. He promised that He was not leaving us as orphans and gave the Helper (The Holy Spirit) ( John 14: 18; John 14: 26) and on top of that He gave His peace.
- In the midst of the problems I may face in this world, I am not alone. The Holy Spirit dwells in me and is fighting for me! This is more than enough reason to relax and leave everything in the hands of God! The peace God gives is not dependent of circumstances. With the peace of God we will be able to sleep even while the storms are raging!
- Prayer: Thank You for giving me Your peace Jesus!
Day 15: John Chapter 15
Lesson 1: Growing fruit is just the beginning of spiritual growth. God still will prune me!
" Every brand in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit"- John 15:2
- The definition of prune is to cut off some of the branches of ( a tree or bush) so that it will grow better or look better. From this the Holy Spirit revealed to me that even though I may be bearing fruits and living for Christ, He is still at work in me!! There are things that the Lord has to constantly keep cutting out of me and away from me (pruning) that I may grow better ( spiritual growth) and look better (be a better reflection of Christ).
- A Christian must be able to stay surrendered to Christ that Christ may daily remove anything in us that will stop us from being productive. In the above above Scripture the Holy Spirit revealed that the purpose of the daily and constantly pruning is so we may bear more fruits! If God does not discipline us we may eventually stop bearing fruits and the consequences of not bearing fruits is being cut off completely from God.
- "The Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastens everyone He accepts as His sons"- Hebrews 12:6
- "Blessed is the one You discipline, Lord, the one You teach from Your law"- Psalm 94: 12
- "Blessed is the one whom the Lord corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty." - Job 5:17
- One thing all of these Scriptures have in common is that we should consider ourselves blessed to have found favor with God that He chose not to leave us in our sin, but out of the love He has for us, corrects us. Any father that does not correct his child when he sees the child heading for danger cannot boast of loving that child! God has loved us with an everlasting love.
- Prayer: Father I surrender to Your correction. Prune me for Your glory!
Thank you for reading! I will post the rest of the devotions left by Sunday! In the meantime, you can find me on Facebook or instagram. The links are listed below. Have a blessed week!
Yorkamazing <3
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