We will sense a war going on in...

The Spirit vs the Flesh

By Joyce Meyer - Posted March 12, 2017

But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God). 
—Galatians 5:16

Like a horse that has been trained to keep his ear always tuned to the voice of its master, we must be willing to follow the Lord in all His leadings, not just those we feel good about or happen to agree with. We won't always like what we hear Him tell us to do. 

We must realize that in order to follow God, the flesh must be told no at times, and when that happens, the flesh suffers. There are times when we are galloping full speed ahead in one direction when suddenly the Master tells us to stop and instructs us to go in another direction. It is painful to us when we don't get our way, but ultimately we understand that God's ways are always best.

In the verse for today, the apostle Paul writes about the conflict between the Spirit and the flesh. If we follow the leading of the Spirit, we won't satisfy or fulfill the desires of the flesh that lead us away from God's best. This verse doesn't say that the desires of the flesh will disappear; we will always have to wrestle with them. But if we choose to be led by the Spirit, we won't fulfill fleshly desires—and the devil won't get his way. 

We will sense a war going on in us as we choose to follow God's leading. Our flesh and God's Spirit usually disagree and we are tempted to keep the flesh comfortable. But, we all must learn to submit to God's Spirit and overcome fleshly desires and temptations. Determine today that you will not let your flesh lead you, but that you will be led by the Spirit of God.

God’s Word for You Today: God wants to give you His best.

HOW DO YOU SEE GOD?

By Joseph Prince – March 12, 2017

Luke 7:9

When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!”

The way you see Jesus, the revelation that you have of Him, will not affect God’s acceptance of you. But it will affect your acceptance of what God has for you. It will affect how you receive from Him.

Consider the Roman centurion who told Jesus, “You don’t have to come to my house. Just speak the word and my servant at home will be healed.” (Luke 7:6–7) Compare him with Jairus, the ruler of a synagogue, who told Jesus, “My daughter is dying. Please come to my house and lay Your hands on her, and she shall live.” (Mark 5:22–23)

Do you know that Jesus does not have to go to your house to heal you? So why did Jesus follow Jairus to his house? Jesus had to come down to Jairus’ level of faith. Jairus believed that his daughter could be healed, but only if Jesus came and laid His hands on her.

The centurion was different. He said, “Lord, You don’t have to come to my house. I know who You are.” This centurion believed that Jesus did not have to come to his house for his servant to be healed. He believed that Jesus only needed to speak the word. He said to Jesus, “Just speak the word and my servant at home will be healed.”

Do you know who Jesus is? The centurion had a greater understanding of who Jesus is than Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, and he wasn’t even a Jew!

Jesus asked his disciples, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:40) He even remarked, “O you of little faith.” (Matthew 6:30) But to the woman whose daughter was demon-possessed, He said, “O woman, great is your faith!” (Matthew 15:28) And to the centurion, He declared, “I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!”

My desire is for you to have an accurate understanding of who Jesus is because when your revelation of Jesus is big, you will know what has been freely given to you. And when you know what is yours in Christ Jesus, you will be rich in all things!

Thought For The Day

The size of your revelation of Jesus will affect how you receive from Him.

Dream Day

By Joel Osteen – Posted March 12, 2017

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

"Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained...”
Proverbs 29:18, NASB

TODAY'S WORD:

I have friends who run an orphanage in a very poor nation. Every Friday, they go down to the slums and take the children to the beach. They call it “Dream Day.” As the children play in the sand and water, as they look at the beautiful ocean and watch the magnificent sunsets, they talk to them about how God knew them before they were formed in their mother’s womb, how they have seeds of greatness on the inside. They speak vision into them. Now, they’re finding that these children from the slums are overcoming incredible odds, getting scholarships to colleges, breaking out of poverty, becoming leaders in the community. 

Scripture tells us that when people don’t have a revelation of God’s love and His Word, ultimately, they perish. It doesn’t say where there is no money, where there is no opportunity, where there is no talent people perish. What limits us is a lack of vision and understanding about God’s plan for our lives. 

Today, I encourage you to let God’s Word shape your vision of the future. Let today be your dream day. Set aside the cares of the world. Set aside distractions and worries and look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Father, thank You for the dreams and desires You have placed in my heart. Today I set aside worries and distractions. I lift my eyes to You. Enlarge my vision and help me to see the dream You have for my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.