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Eva Conner | Transformation From the Inside Out

You are in me, and I am in you. John 14:20

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Romans 8:1-9 – External Power Source to Bring Life

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We need an external power source.

We need an external power source to restore life where death once ruled.

1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)

Romans 8:1-9

There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus.

This is good news for all of us. We need to shed the guilt once and for all.  Do you see the words in the first verse of chapter 8 above?  There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. The Spirit of life in Christ Jesus set us free.  We’ve been talking about the law in the past few lessons.  We know the law itself was not bad. In fact, the law was holy and pure because it came directly from God and anything that comes from God has to be holy and pure.

The problem is not with what we do – the problem is with who we are!

We are sons of Adam; therefore, we all have a sinful nature. No amount of works that we do on our own can change our inner nature.  The law shows us what is right and what is wrong. But our sinful nature cannot obey the law. We are not capable without help. I heard this analogy and connected with it so I’m sharing it with you:

Think of your inner self as a dead car battery.  On your own, you can do nothing to that car battery to restore life. Cleaning the outside with soap and water doesn’t change the inner, dead part of the batttery.  The only thing that can change the inner part of the battery is an external power source.  

Our inner self is the same as this dead car battery. Nothing we do externally will change our inner self.

We need an external power source to bring new life to our inner man.

That external power source is the Holy Spirit!  Paul confirms this in verse 2.  “And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” When we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, He sends His Holy Spirit to dwell in us.  He is our Comforter and our Guide but it is not instantaneous. Let me clarify.  The very minute we accept Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells in us – this is instantaneous.  What does not happen so quickly is learning to walk in the Spirit.

How do we do this?

Paul tells us in these verses above that we can either let the sinful nature control our minds or we can let the Holy Spirit control our minds.  One leads to death and the other to life and peace.  The battle is in our minds.  In Romans 12:2, Paul tells us:

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Romans 12:2

So knowing that the battle is in our minds, we must let the Holy Spirit control our thinking. We need to turn from the ways of the world toward the ways of God. This raises another question.

How do we let God transform our thinking?

We let God in our minds and our thoughts by developing a close relationship with Him. We develop a close relationship with Him when we spend quiet time with Him and get in His Word. These are the two primary ways that we will know who God is and hear from Him.  His Word is His Voice.  When we get in the Word – studying, meditating, praying – we will draw closer to God. His Word is alive and breathing. It is Life. The Word is Jesus Christ.

The Word of God will bring about an amazing transformation of our minds, souls and spirits.

Stay in the Light and the Love Always,

Eva

10 Marriage Prayers for Each of Us

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Marriage Prayers – Let’s pray together for our marriages.

10 prayers for our marriageToday is December 31 – the last day of the year. As we end our year, let’s pray together for our marriages. Here are ten marriage prayers to strengthen our relationships and make them one in Christ Jesus.

1. We are created in God’s image.

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.  Genesis 1:27

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”  Genesis 2:18

Dear Father, Thank You for making each of us – man and woman – for each other – and for making us so perfectly and beautifully in Your image. When we look at our spouses, let us see You. Let us see past the flaws and brokenness to see  Your perfect love and grace.♥

2. God saw that man needs a help mate.

Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.  “At last!” the man exclaimed.  “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’” This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.  Genesis 2:22-24  

Dear Father, Thank You for the gift of our spouses. We see in Your Word that they are truly a gift from You. Please help each of us, man and woman, accept each other as a gift from You. Give us eyes to see that we are married as One in covenant and that covenant does not just mean as man and woman, husband and wife. That covenant means that we are husband and wife and Jesus Christ. Help us to receive our mates as if they are directly from Your Hand.♥

3. We need to seek God first for fulfillment and joy.

Then he said to the woman, “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth.  And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.” Genesis 3:16

NOTE: “And you will desire to control your husband” can be interpreted a couple different ways.  It can mean exactly what it says that wives will seek to dominate their husbands.  Or it can mean that wives will have desire for your husband. While this in itself is not bad, it can become a thorn in your marriage if the wife desires her husband in a way that she should desire God.

We are to seek God and only God to be our Lord and our Master. We should not look to our husband for that inner fulfillment and joy that only a relationship with God can provide. When wives seek from their husbands what they should be seeking from God, there is too much pressure on the husbands and they are setting their husbands up for failure. No human man can satisfy that deep need that we each have within for fulfillment. Only God can satisfy.

Dear Father, Thank You for showing us in scripture that from the very moment after the fall of mankind into sin, wives were given a desire to control their husbands. And thank You for opening our eyes to this truth. Help each of us who are wives strive to not control our husbands and help us all love our spouses more than we love ourselves. We will strive to surround ourselves with Your Word – from the inside out.

Help us to get Your Word in our very souls so that we can truly honor You in our marriage.  And Father, we also ask that You be the ultimate Lord and Master in each of our lives individually and as one in marriage. We ask that You show us if we are seeking this fulfillment from our mate instead of from You. Search our hearts and show us our anxious thoughts. We put our hope in You and You alone.♥

4. All that we have is Yours – not ours.

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to Him. Psalm 24:1

Dear Father, Thank You for our very lives. Thank You for the air that we breathe. Help us to not treat one another as possessions. You’ve shown us in Your Word that we all belong to You. Because we are Yours, we should revere one another as children of the Most High God. We should love one another as Your precious loved ones. Help us to love, honor and respect one another. Thank You for reminding us that everything in this earth is Yours. All of our possessions and money are Yours – not ours. Help us to honor You with our possessions. Keep us from putting possessions ahead of each other or ahead of You.♥

5. We must trust in God for protection of our loved ones!

The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forevermore. Psalm 121:7-8

Dear Father, Thank You for this reminder that You watch over us at all times, that our protection and safety come from You. Help each of us hand over our worries for our spouses to You. You do not want us to bear unnecessary burdens. You desire for us to hand those over. Today, we hand over the unnatural worry that plagues us for the protection and the safety of our spouse. Thank You for taking this burden from us and for the freedom that You continually give us in all areas of our lives.♥

6. Two are better than one and three are even better.

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone?  A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Dear Father, Thank You that two are better than one. And even more that three are better than two. Father, we, as husband and wife with Jesus Christ, are the triple-braided cord that cannot be easily broken. Help us to strengthen one another to succeed. We vow to encourage, comfort and lift up each other and not tear each other down.♥

7. Help us honor You with the money You give us.

“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heavenly’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!”  Malachi 3:10

Dear Father, Work in both of our hearts so that we are on the same page with our giving. Help us to desire to give more than we keep. Give each of us, husband and wife, a deep desire to give to Your Kingdom, to do Your work on earth and to share Your Son Jesus.♥

8. We will strive to agree together in all things.

I also tell you this: if two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am here among them.  Matthew 18:19-20

Dear Father, We, as husband and wife, stand before You in agreement that our marriage will be kept holy and pure. Help us to come to You for advice in all of our decisions.  We vow mutually to live our lives to serve You.  Give us Your wisdom and understanding in all matters. We need Jesus in our marriage.♥

9. Let no one split apart what God has joined together.

“Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.” Matthew 19:6

Dear Father, Thank You for joining us together in marriage as one with You. Help each of us take our vows seriously. We ask that You give us Your strength to resist the temptations of the world. Turn our hearts toward one another each and every day. Let us see our spouse in a new way. Help us never lose the love and compassion we have for one another. Grow that love and compassion more and more each day. Give us discernment to see the attempts of the enemy to come between us. When we see these attempts, strengthen us in prayer together. Help us to be honest in all areas. Let nothing stay in the darkness. Bring Light into our marriage and our home.♥

10. Show us true love for You and for one another.

This is real love – not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 1 John 4:10-11

Dear Father, Thank You for saving us by grace. When we mess up, give us grace to forgive one another as you forgive us. Help us to realize our identity and authority in Christ Jesus. Let us walk in that full authority. We are loved by the Most High God and because we are loved, we are able to love others. Help us to remember this love always.♥

Let God strengthen you.

Dear Father God,
Thank You for my spouse. Thank You for blessing our marriage. Let us find honor and favor with You and with men. Let us find favor in our jobs, favor in our neighborhoods, and favor in all that we set our hands to do. Let us always glorify Jesus in everything that we set our hands to do. And let us always give as You direct us to give of our time, our talents, our money, our resources. Thank You for giving us Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Let Jesus become the very cornerstone of our marriage.
All this we ask and pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen♥

Romans 2:1-11 – God’s Righteous Judgment

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God's righteous judgment

God’s righteous judgment doesn’t necessarily mean something bad.

1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism.
Romans 2:1-11

We are all capable of being hypocrites if we are not centered on Christ.

I’m not sure about you but Romans 2:1 is very scary to me.  So how do we remain Christ-centered?  Let’s look at a few other verses to help us find our answer:

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 
Romans 12:2-3

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 
Philippians 4:8

We must learn to control our thinking. Much of our battle is within our own head. Our thought life can truly make or break us. Whatever we feed will grow.  If we feed negative thoughts, that is what is going to grow and show in our lives. Conversely, if we are able to refocus our thoughts on what is pure, loveley, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy, we can control our minds and be victorious.

The key to escaping God’s wrath…

The key to escaping God’s wrath is found in Romans 2:4.  It is REPENTANCE. Our society has done a good job of making this word ugly. But do you know the definition of repentance?  It is simply to change your mind and turn from sin.  Do you see how it links with our thoughts? When we stop fighting God and simply allow our hearts and minds to turn TOWARD HIM, we are turning FROM sin.  We should get before Him and confess our sins.

Confession is good for our souls.

It cleanses us and takes away the dirt associated with sin. Confession is humbling. And when we ask God for forgiveness, we need to know that we are forgiven.  We are not only forgiven but God forgets our sins that we confess.  So next week if we confess the same sin, God is asking “What sin?” because He forgot!!

For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. 
Jeremiah 31:34

As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:12

God is not against us. He has made a way for us that is so easy if we will only turn our hearts toward Him. In Romans 2:5, we see that it is our stubbornness and unrepentant heart that will one day bring God’s wrath.  So if we let go of the stubbornness (which is also pride) and have a repentant heart, we do not need to fear God’s wrath. Verse 7 shows us that if we are persistent in doing good, we will have eternal life.  When we get before God in prayer, we need to ask Him to not let our hearts be hardened.

Psalm 51 is a good Psalm to pray.  I won’t cite the entire Psalm in this post but take a few minutes to read this Psalm and a few more minutes to pray through this Psalm.

Prayer is vital to staying right with God.

We should approach prayer as if we’re coming before a dear friend. Yes, we should honor and respect God but He wants us to have an intimate relationship with Him as well. He wants us to approach Him boldly with confidence and pour out our hearts.

The more time we spend in His presence, the less time we have for our minds to wander.

The more time we spend in His presence, the more Christ-centered we will be.

Stay in the Light and the Love Always,

Eva

 

Daily Prayer – Sing Out Your Praises

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Sing out your praises to the Lord

Sing out Your Praises and Give God all the Glory!

Sing out your thanks to the Lord; sing praises to our God with a harp. He covers the heavens with clouds, provides rain for the earth, and makes the grass grow in mountain pastures.  He gives food to the wild animals and feeds the young ravens when they cry. He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse or in human might. No, the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love.
Psalm 147:7-10

Dear God,

Thank You for today. We sing our praises to You, our God!  Thank You for being our Provider. You meet all of our needs. Nothing is possible in our might but with Your might all things are possible. All glory is Yours for hanging the moon and the stars in the sky.

We delight in You, Lord. We put our hope in You and no one else. Thank You for being everything that we need. Use us to promote Your glory in Your Kingdom.  Enable us to share Your Name with those who are lost and in darkness.  Set a desire in our hearts for You that nothing else can satisfy.

Let Jesus become our greatest delight and Your Word our greatest treasure. It is in His name that we pray.

Amen♥

Daily Prayer – You Have a Place in The Body of Christ

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Unique place in Body of Christ

You have a unique and important place in the Body of Christ.

But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it.
1 Corinthians 12:18

Dear God,

Thank You for today.  Your Body is so unique and beautiful. We each have a place that no one else can fill.  We each belong and have gifts that are just ours.  You care about each of us so very much to make us as special as You have. Show each of us our place and our gifts.  Teach us our special talents.

Use us to build up others in the Body of Christ.  Help us to encourage and edify one another.  Let us not be jealous of another’s gift but see our own gift as a special hand-picked gift from You. Your ways are so much higher than our ways and we thank You for that.  We ask that You empower us to invite others with us into Your Body.

In Jesus name we pray.

Amen♥