admin, Author at Christ Church

Jul '24

God is Not Angry with Me!

Posted on Jul 5, 2024 by admin in Devotions |

Jul '24

If you are “in Christ,” you can live …

A life without condemnation.

Verse 1 of Romans, Chapter 8 – “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Circle that tiny, little word “no.” In the original text, that’s a Greek word, and it’s the strongest possible word for “no” you can use in the entire language. It means “absolutely, positively NO!” There is absolutely, positively NO condemnation for those who are in Christ.
Fact: God is not angry with me.

When you blow it, God does not reject you. When you sin, God does not hold a grudge against you. Why? Because your sins have already been paid for. That’s what Jesus did on the cross. So, if Jesus paid for your sins, you don’t need to pay for them. That would be double jeopardy.

Jesus said it Himself in John 3:17 – “I didn’t come into the world to condemn the world, I came to save it.”

So, if God is not beating you up over your past mistakes, then you’ve got to stop beating yourself up!

I read about a church where they march through the streets with whips, weeping and wailing, and whipping their backs bloody to show the world what sorry sinners they are.

I thought, I know a lot of churches like that! You go to church and they beat on you, week after week. A lot of people don’t feel like they’ve been preached to unless they get a good verbal spanking. “Pastor, that message was so good! It made me feel so bad!” That’s masochism to feel like you haven’t been to worship unless you feel like you’ve been run over by a bulldozer.

Write it across your heart: God is not angry with me!

Jun '24

The Favor of God

Posted on Jun 14, 2024 by admin in Devotions |

Jun '24

June 14, 2024

The Bible tells us about somebody who really had troubles. Think about the Bible story of Job. He went through one of the most trying times any person could ever endure. In less than a year, he lost his family, he lost his business, he lost his home, and he lost his health. He had boils over his entire body and lived in constant pain. But in the midst of that dark hour, Job said, “God, I know that you have granted me favor.”

Now, here’s the amazing part! There are 42 chapters in the Book of Job. Job made this statement of faith in Chapter 10. Things didn’t turn around for him until Chapter 42! But, at the very beginning, when his troubles seemed the most hopeless, Job looked up and declared, “God, I know You have granted me favor!”

That’s real faith. Job was saying, “God, I don’t care what the situation looks like. I don’t care how badly I feel. You are a good God. And Your favor is going to turn this situation around.”

Is it any wonder that in the end God restored to Job twice as much as he had lost?

Friend, if you learn to stay in an attitude of faith, then nothing is going to be able to hold you down. You may be in a situation today that looks impossible. But don’t rule out the favor of God. One touch of God’s favor can turn everything around in your life!

May '24

A Home in Heaven

Posted on May 24, 2024 by admin in Devotions |

May '24

May 24, 2024

Lord Jesus, when I think about home … well, home is the place where I can just be myself. It’s where I am known and loved, surrounded by family and friends.

Thank You that Heaven will be my home. I’ll never be lonely there. I’ll always be loved there. I’ll be safe, comfortable, and secure. I’ll truly – finally – be myself there!

Thank You for making me uniquely me … uniquely loved… uniquely known … uniquely valued.

I pray this humbly in Your Name, Jesus, just loving You and being perfectly loved by You. Amen.

Life After Life

Posted on Apr 26, 2024 by admin in Devotions |

April 26, 2024

Can God take the darkest moment of your life – the moment of your death – and turn it into a moment of victory?

Oh, yes!

The Bible says: “Death has been swallowed up in victory! Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting? … Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57)

God can take the most difficult moment of your life – that moment when you are struggling just to breathe – and He can turn it into the most breathtaking moment of your entire life.

The Bible says, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worthy to compare to the glory that awaits us.” (Romans 8:18)

Glory awaits us! More glory than we can imagine!

The Bible says, “We are more than conquerors! … Conquerors! … For I am convinced that neither death nor life … There it is – Death! … neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39)

So, what’s after life? There’s Life after life. Life with a Capital L.

Mar '24

Your God is Bigger

Posted on Mar 8, 2024 by admin in Devotions |

Mar '24

March 8, 2024

You have an enemy. Did you know that? His name is Satan, the accuser. His main target is your mind, because the mind is the control center for your life. So, he wants to keep your mind cluttered, filled with doubts. What if it doesn’t work out? What if my health doesn’t improve? What if I don’t get that contract? As long as our mind is cluttered, it keeps us focused on our problems instead of our God.

Well, maybe you and I could learn a thing of two from a man named Hezekiah …

The Bible tells us a time when the king of Assyria invaded the land with a huge army – the largest army in the entire world. He marched from city to city, breaking through their walls and capturing their people.

Next in line was the city of Jerusalem, and word quickly spread through the city. The people were afraid and filled with panic, thinking, What are we going to do? They’re so much bigger than us.
King Hezekiah gathered the people in the city square and said, “Don’t be afraid of this mighty army. For there is a power far greater on our side. The enemy may have an army, but they are just men. We have the Lord our God to fight our battle for us.”

The same is true for you. When you are facing a big enemy, you have to remind yourself that our God is bigger – bigger than any person, bigger than any problem, bigger than any cancer, bigger than any addiction, bigger than any financial problem, bigger than anything life might throw at you in the future.

The way to stay in peace is: Don’t talk about how big your enemy is, talk about how big your God is. He flung stars into space, He spoke worlds into existence, He parted the Red Sea, and raised the dead!

I don’t care what your problem is – your God is bigger than your problem!