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TRUE FREEDOM

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Matthew 5:4 (NKJV) Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. In this beatitude, Jesus is talking about those who mourn over their sin. This is a godly sorrow that produces repentance and leads to salvation.  2 Corinthians 7:10 says, “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” Do you remember the story of how King David sinned?  He had an affair with Bathsheba, which was wrong in the first place, but in order to cover it up, he had Bathsheba’s husband killed.  Did you know that David felt sorrow, remorse, guilt, and shame for what he had done?  He mourned over his sin.  In fact, in Psalm 51 David expressed how he felt about his sin: Psalms 51:4 (NKJV) Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight—that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge. In all the evil that David did, God forgave H...
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HUMILITY OF HEART

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Matthew 5:3 (NKJV) Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the   kingdom of heaven. Let us begin today with the first “attitude to be in our lives”: the attitude of humility.  By talking about being “poor in spirit” Jesus is saying that this is the opposite of self-sufficiency.  “Poor in spirit” speaks of those who realize that they are totally helpless and lost apart from God.  The person who is poor in spirit realizes his own utter helplessness without the Lord, and puts his whole trust in God. When we think we are ok because we are a good person, we are depending on our own self-righteousness.  But self-righteousness will not make you happy.  Self-righteousness will not get you into the Kingdom of Heaven. Apart from God, we are totally lost.  It is only by God’s grace that we can be saved.  Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God...
Location: New Jersey, USA
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CLIMBING COMPANIONS

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Matthew 5:1-2 (NKJV) And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a   mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He   opened His mouth and taught them The Beatitudes, or as I like to call them, “Attitudes to be in our lives,” are nine attitudes.  If taken to heart, they can change a person’s life by changing their attitude in life.  Let us take the next few days and let them build within us. Here we see Jesus, as the crowds were growing, not looking for ways to get a bigger crowd, but to get with His disciples and teach them.  He wanted them to be able to go forth with His words and help others.  I like the way that the Message Bible brings out these two verses: Matthew 5:1-2 (MSG) When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds,   he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down 2 and taught his   climbing compa...
Location: New Jersey, USA
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MY REDEEMER LIVES

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Job 19:25-27 (NLTSE) But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. 26 And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! 27 I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see   him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought! I know that my Redeemer lives, and His name is Jesus!  One day, if the Lord Jesus does not return and I pass away, this flesh will decay.  But, as Job said, we will see Him again in this flesh, and this thought overwhelmed Job.  Let me tell you, it overwhelms me also! To think that death has no power over a child of God.  That yes, this flesh might decay and go back into the ground, but when He returns, my body will be resurrected and I will see Him in this flesh.  Amazing!  Truly amazing!  Think of what He is saying here.  That every one of our friends and loved ones that are in Christ, who have gone before us, we will see again,...
Location: New Jersey, USA
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TIME TO PRAY

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1 Timothy 2:1-4 (NKJV) Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications,   prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for   kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable   life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the   sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to   the knowledge of the truth. God wants us to pray, not just for those we agree with, but for all people, and especially those in authority. We need to take time today, and every day, to pray for our president and those in political office.  We need to pray for those who are over us in other areas as well. We need to pray for our pastors and our bosses.  This scripture says to pray for all men, so I see this as including every person that the Lord puts on our hearts.  One thing that I have found out is if we would take a few minutes and ...
Location: New Jersey, USA
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JESUS, OUR UMPIRE

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Job 9:32-33 (AMP) For [God] is not a [mere] man, as I am, that I should   answer Him, that we should come together in court.  33 There is no umpire   between us, who might lay his hand upon us both, [would that there were!] Here we see an Old Testament man crying out for a mediator (one who could approach God on his behalf) but he could not find one.  What a sad way to live.  You have a hunger and love for God, but because of your sins there is no way that you could come near to Him.  The book of Job is known to be one of the earliest books of the Bible.  It might even be pre-law, and yet Job brought sacrifices for his children and family.  So what am I getting at by saying this?  This Old Testament saint had no umpire: no one to tell him the score, to hold his hand and God's hand, and work out the problems of man's fall. But today, we have Jesus!  Jesus is our Mediator!  He’s our Umpire!  He tell...
Location: New Jersey, USA
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HE MUST INCREASE

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John 3:30 (NKJV) He must increase, but I must decrease. True fulfillment in life comes when we let Jesus increase in our lives, and when we decrease.  Think of the person who made the statement from today’s passage.  John, the cousin of Jesus, was having great popularity in his ministry.  People were coming from all over to be baptized by him.  Then one day, Jesus came and John recognized who He was.  He heard the Voice, He saw the Dove, and he said to Jesus, “I need to be baptized by you, not the other way around.” Now people come to John and say, "Hey John, that guy you were talking about, well, His ministry is getting bigger than yours.  More people are coming to Him than to you.”  This could have caused jealousy in John, but he knew his mission on earth.  He knew that all that he had was not his own.  He knew that as a steward, he was to manage what God had given him.  We only have what our Father God knows ...
Location: New Jersey, USA
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I'M A CHILD OF THE KING

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Galatians 4:7 (NKJV) Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if   a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Who am I?  We see so many people in the world trying to figure this out.  Who am I?  If I want to find this out, I need to go to the source.  My source, and I pray your source, is the Word of God, the Bible. The Word of God tells me where I came from, and where I am going.  That gives me complete contentment within myself.  I know that I might have been the driver of my life, but I have given God the wheel to help me in my race.  I have found out that God is much better with this than I am, so I say, “Lord, tell me which way to go and I will follow you.” As we look at this question today, of "Who am I?" we find from the Word of God that we are King’s kids, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.  It says in Revelation 19:16, “And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING O...
Location: New Jersey, USA
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SUCH A TIME AS THIS

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Esther 4:14 (NKJV) For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief   and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and   your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to   the kingdom for such a time as this? Do you ever wonder why you were born in this generation?  We could have been born during the ancient Roman era, or during the Wild West, or any time throughout history.  But God, our Abba Father, chose for us to be born here in the 21 st  century, and it is because He has a great plan for us that we could not have fulfilled in any other time period. I believe that we are a very special people.  We are born at this time, with all the problems and all the confusion that is in the world today, for a reason.  I believe that we might be the group of people that will see the return of Jesus Christ, the King and Lord of the earth.  With that responsibility, also com...
Location: New Jersey, USA
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FAITHFUL PEOPLE

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Nehemiah 7:1-2 (NKJV) Then it was, when the wall was built and I had   hung the doors, when the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had   been appointed, 2 that I gave the charge of Jerusalem to my brother   Hanani, and Hananiah the leader of the citadel, for he was a faithful man   and feared God more than many. Our Heavenly Father is looking for faithful people.  He is looking for people who will stick to their word, no matter what.  In Proverbs 20:6 it says, “Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man?” I want to say, “Here Lord!  We are faithful!  We are holding on no matter how we feel, or what the situation looks like.”  We live in a world where people will sell their souls for a few dollars, or for a time of fame.  I want to be faithful to God.  The way that I can be faithful to God, my Father, is to live a faithful life. I need to be faithful to my w...
Location: New Jersey, USA
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