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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Get Your Faith Straight - Devotional - Part 1 - July 30th, 2014




Get Your Faith Straight -  Part 1

Most days I go outside to water my plants, weed and straighten up things.  I happen to a have a stepping stone that stands upon its edge for decoration.  It’s not all that pretty, but it’s what it says that makes it beautiful.  It’s  the word faith.  Faith is very important and something we need to encourage each other and to keep hold of, during our most trying times in life.  It stands as a reminder to everyone looking--- to not lose faith.  Faith is so important in fact, that the bible says,” without  faith it’s impossible to please God.”  Not only is faith important to have answered prayers, but is one of the main ingredients for salvation in Christ.

I don’t know how many times I have gone outside and have found that stepping stone crooked.  The word faith is leaning in a wrong direction when it needs to be straight.  So I’m always paying attention to it, to make sure it stays straight. 

In life, when something bad happens, our faith is tried and our faith can get bent out of shape.  It's hard to understand some of what God is doing in our lives all the time, especially when it seems things are not going our way. 

I was thinking about this and I asked myself the question, "When Is Our Faith Considered Crooked?"

I think the first way our faith would be considered crooked is if we are putting our faith in the wrong things.  Putting your faith in the wrong thing can make the difference between life or death.  It would be the equivalent to a police officer trusting in his water gun verses trusting in his real gun in a dangerous situation. 

In the Christian walk, what you trust in is so important that it makes a difference between life and death.  The bible plainly teaches, we are not saved by works, but that works are to be an important part of a Christians walk because they love God.  We are not to trust in works for salvation, but live out good works  with the motive of pleasing God.   If we  have faith in our works for salvation, we are trusting in what we do to save us.  When we have faith in what Jesus did, we are trusting in what Jesus did for our salvation. 

If we are trusting in how good we are, it would be considered pride in the eyes of God.
If we are trusting in what He did, we know we could never live good enough.  We would realize He so lovingly paid our debt.   We would humble ourselves knowing , he gave us something we do not deserve.

Get your faith straight today by trusting in what Christ did and not what you have done to get yourself to heaven when you die.  Yes, live your best and give your best.  Not because you have to, but because you want to.  Want to, because God is pleased with and uses our good works for his glory.

Dear Father God,
Thank- You so much for paying for our sin debt upon Calvary's tree.  We do not deserve the love you have shown to us.  Thank- you for your mercy towards poor lost sinners,  that would have had no hope without you.  Help us be consistant in good works, that you may be glorified in our life and walk.

In Christ Jesus Name I Pray - Amen



Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.


Susan Y Nikitenko
July 30th, 2014

Devotional - Read:  Ephesians 8



Poetry And Other Materials On This Site Can Be Freely Used For Christian Bible Centered Non-Profit Ministries And must Remain Unchanged In Any Way. All Other Purposes Are With Permission Only. You May Make Requests At "treasurebox18@yahoo.com" All my poems with stories are both real and fictional designed to illustrate a biblical truth. All Rights Reserved. Please Include Site Name And Link Back To This Blog. Thank-You.

Who Is Lying, You Or God? - Devotional - July 30th, 2014

Who Is Lying, You Or God?

While I was witnessing to someone recently, I asked a lady if she had ever sinned.  She told me she had never sinned a day in her life.  I was able to answer with something I had never answered with before. God gave me the response I needed to answer the question.  I asked her first if I could ask her a question and she allowed me to.  I asked her, "If the bible says all have sinned and you say you've never sinned....then who is lying,  you or God?"  She finally confessed that she had sinned but she left in a hurry.

I was telling someone about me talking to the lady and he felt I was being brash, but I was very loving in asking her the question.  To never attempt to open someone's eyes to truth would be the wrong in my opinion, especially when God has given the answer that would help them see. 
I am reminded of the story of Jesus, when the blind man approached Jesus.  Jesus spit into the dirt and took the mud and rubbed it into the blind man's eyes.  Sometimes a little hurt can help someone see.  The motive is not to hurt, but to heal.  Jesus gave sight to the blind man.  This story is not only true, but also a symbol of giving sight to people blind to the things of God.

If I had a chance to talk to her further, I would have explained that one sin, just one, was enough to send her to hell.   The bible teaches if we break one of the laws of God we are guilty of all.  God loves us and knew we needed a Savior and sent his Son to die to a pay our sin debt.
The good thing is, she now knows she is a sinner.  A person has no chance of salvation unless  first realizing( he or she) is a sinner.  It is then they can see their need of salvation and forgiveness.
I pray that the seed sown in her heart will one day, lead her to our forgiving Savior.

Father God,  I pray you will help the lady I talked to last night.  I ask that you will open her eyes to her need of you in her life.  I pray she will see her sin the way you do and she will seek refuge in you.
In the name of Christ Jesus I pray, Amen.


 James 2:10
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

Susan Y Nikitenko
July 30th, 2014
Read: John 9
Devotional


Poetry And Other Materials On This Site Can Be Freely Used For Christian Bible Centered Non-Profit Ministries And must Remain Unchanged In Any Way. All Other Purposes Are With Permission Only. You May Make Requests At "treasurebox18@yahoo.com" All my poems with stories are both real and fictional designed to illustrate a biblical truth. All Rights Reserved. Please Include Site Name And Link Back To This Blog. Thank-You.

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