Good Morning Sunday...
Thank you Father for this NEW day. Please continue to fill our Hearts & Minds with Your Truth, Love, & Patience. Thank you for Loving us so much! In Yeshua, Jesus Christ Name, Amen. A big Thank You to Brother Larry Good for today’s devotion. Bless you Brother! - Our Father Grows Us 1 Step At A Time (Elul: Day 11) “then, so far as your former way of life is concerned, you must strip off your old nature, because your old nature is thoroughly rotted by its deceptive desires; and you must let your spirits and minds keep being renewed, and clothe yourselves with the new nature created to be godly, which expresses itself in the righteousness and holiness that flow from The Truth.” Ephesians (Eph) 4:22-24 CJB Although God could instantly transform us, he has chosen to develop us slowly. Jesus was deliberate in developing his disciples, just as God allowed the Israelites to take over the Promised Land “little by little” so they wouldn’t be overwhelmed (Deuteronomy 7:22). He works in incremental steps in our lives. Let’s take a look: “And Yahweh your God will clear away these nations from before you little by little; you will not be able to finish them off quickly, lest the wild animals multiply against you.” Deuteronomy 7:22 LEB Why does it take so long to change and grow up? There are several reasons: · We are slow learners. We often have to relearn a lesson 40 or 50 times to really get it. The problems keep recurring, and we think, “Not again! I’ve already learned that!” But God knows better. The history of Israel illustrates how quickly we forget the lessons God teaches us and how soon we revert to our old patterns of behavior. We need repeated exposure and repentance is key. “You must say to them: ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “Return to me,” declares Yahweh of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says Yahweh of hosts. “Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “Return from your evil ways and your evil deeds!” ’ But they did not hear and they did not pay attention to me,” declares Yahweh. “Your ancestors, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? However, did not my words and my regulations which I commanded my servants the prophets overtake your ancestors? And they repented and said, ‘Yahweh of hosts planned to do with us according to our ways, and according to our deeds so he has dealt with us.” Zechariah 1:3-6 LEB · We have a lot to unlearn. Since most of our problems — and all of our bad habits — didn’t develop overnight, it’s unrealistic to expect them go away immediately. There is no pill, prayer, or principle that will instantly undo the damage of many years. It requires the hard work of removal and replacement. The Bible calls it “taking off the old self” and “putting on the new self” (Romans 13:12; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:7-11, 14). “The night is far gone, and the day has drawn near. Therefore let us throw off the deeds of darkness and put on The Weapons of Light.” Romans 13:12 LEB “if indeed you have heard about Him, and you were taught by Him (just as Truth is in Jesus), that you take off, according to your former way of life, the old man, who is being destroyed according to deceitful desires, be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on The New Man (in accordance with God), who is created in righteousness and holiness from the truth.” Ephesians 4:21-24 LEB “in which also you once lived, when you used to live in them. But now you also lay aside all these things: anger, rage, wickedness, slander, abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, because you have taken off the old man together with his deeds, and have put on the new man that is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free, but Christ is all, and in all.” Colossians 3:7-11 LEB · Growth is often painful and scary. There is no growth without change, there is no change without fear or loss, and there is no loss without pain. Every change involves a loss of some kind. We fear these losses, even if our old ways were self-defeating, because, like a worn-out pair of shoes, they were at least comfortable and familiar. (Hebrews 12:7-11) “Now all discipline seems for the moment not to be joyful but painful, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness for those who are trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11 LEB · Good habits take time to develop. Remember that your character is the sum total of your habits. You can’t claim to be kind unless you are habitually kind. Your habits define your character. There is only one way to develop the habits of Christlike character: You must practice them — and that takes time! There are no instant habits. Paul urged Timothy: “Be diligent about this work, throw yourself into it, so that your progress may be clear to everyone.” 1 Timothy (1 Ti) 4:15 CJB Something To Think About...Something To Ask About... Something To Pray About... •Why do you think God allows us to go through pain and loss while we are growing spiritually? •What is a bad habit that you’ve had trouble changing? How is God helping you with this right now in your life? •What one thing do you need to practice doing every day so that you are developing more Christlike character?
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SERVANT OF YESHUA 7
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