Clever Free Methodist

Jesus was very clear on what one must do to not only follow Him, but to also be His Disciple. Luke 9:23 , “Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” The first critical step in discipleship is to get “self” out of the way. We must die to self. Galatians 5:24 , “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” This dying process is both a decision and life-long process (journey). This does not mean that when we “die to self” we become unproductive, inactive or unresponsive, nor do we feel ourselves to be dead to the world. Dying to self means that the things of the old life (before becoming a Christian) are put to death, most especially the sinful ways and lifestyles we once engaged in. We become transformed by replacing our past lifestyle with godly things. We find a good example of how to gain victory over “self” in the Old Testament. Here we find King Jo

  When my family lived in Kansas, our home came with a “safe room.” This room was designed and built to withstand a tornado. This room was just big enough for our family to fit into along with food supplies. The door, nearly three-inches thick, had three “dead-bolt” locks in which to secure the door tightly. It was reassuring to know we had a convenient place in which to go for shelter and safety from horrific storms. The same is true for our spiritual lives. In this fallen world, we are always in need of shelter from the tempest of “spiritual storms” that are raging around us in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12 , “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” The “shelter” is, none other than, God our Heavenly Father. Proverbs 18:10 , “The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe.” Eve

  Jesus, I Belong to You It is becoming more obvious that Satan is being less subtle, more open and aggressive with his plans of trying to destroy us, our faith, the church and the message of the Gospel. May we never forget the sobering reminder of 1 Peter 3:18 , to “stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. We must never let our guard down. We must never get so accustomed to our life-routines that we become complacent and begin “easing off” on our commitments to grow in our faith, deepen our relationship with God our Father, and represent Jesus to the world (2 Corinthians 5:20). It is my hope, by sharing this prayer of commitment with you, that you will consider the statements being made. The goal is to strive and commit to being able to pray each segment with all sincerity and to covenant with God to align your life to its truths. Will you at least read it now ….pray, and consider how to incorp