From: November 10, 2024
“For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14 ESV).
What the law with its repeated offerings was unable to do, Christ with His single perfect offering has done. What is this impossible thing that Christ has accomplished? He has made those who trust in Him “perfect” before God for eternity. The word “perfect” is from the Greek word τέλειος (teleios), which can be translated, “complete, mature, to reach the goal, or perfect.”
When we place our trust in Christ’s “offering,” we are already “perfected.” We are already made whole and complete in Christ, so that we are fully accepted by the Father for eternity. Positionally, we are already at the right hand of the Father in Christ Jesus. We are already counted holy. We are considered saints.
Yet in the present, we are still “being sanctified.” We still experience the battle between the flesh and the Spirit, and sometimes give into the flesh. Even so, all our sins are already forgiven. The Spirit empowers us to repent and walk in His power, growing in maturity. This is our experience. This tension between our position in Christ and our experience in this world has been called the “already/not yet” of the Christian life. In Christ, we are “already” perfected, but “not yet” perfect.
However, on that Day, our position and our experience will be the same, for we “shall be like Him” (1 John 3:2). Those that are in Christ, will become perfectly like Christ. This is God’s purpose for those who believe.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we are amazed at what You have done for us in Christ Jesus. We therefore yield ourselves afresh to Your sanctifying work in us, so that we become like Christ in every way. Fill us with Your sacrificial love and unconquerable joy. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: November 10, 2023
“My heart is confident in you, O God; no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart!” (Psalm 108:1 NLT).
David declared the confidence of his heart towards God. In other words, David had set and established his heart on God. He had fixed his focus on God alone. Having made God the object of his heart’s desire and confidence, he declared his intent to sing and give praise to God. He set his heart on praising God before all peoples and all nations.
The Lord was looking for one with a steadfast heart for God, when He sent the prophet Samuel to anoint David as Israel’s future king. God said of David, “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, which shall fulfill all my will (Acts 13:22).
When the Lord looks at you, does He see a heart for God? Does He see a steadfast heart that desires to fulfill God’s will?
PRAYER: Dear Father, examine our hearts and purify them for You. We want our hearts to be confident in You. Wherever our hearts are entangled with idolatry or temptation, forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. You deserve our wholehearted devotion. We set our hearts on You alone. We will sing and praise You among the nations. We are Yours, O Lord! Strengthen us now for the journey today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: November 10, 2022
WHO WILL STAND IN THE GAP FOR GOD?
The Lord told the prophet Ezekiel that He had looked for someone to “stand in the gap” of the wall surrounding Israel, but found no one. The physical walls surrounding Jerusalem were still standing at this time, but the spiritual walls were already breached. It wouldn’t be long before the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzer tore down the physical walls too.
Will the Lord find someone to “stand in the gap” for our families, for our churches, for our cities, for our land? Will the Lord find us willing to stand in the gap for Him?
PRAYER: Dear Father, our yes is on the table. We say yes to standing in the gap for You. Empower us by Your Spirit. Give us Your zeal and strength for the work. Help us to overcome the temptation for comfort that we might stand in the gap during the night, knowing that morning will soon arrive. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: November 10, 2016
To those who have received the free gift of salvation that comes through faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit bears inner witness that God has not only forgiven their sins, but has decided to remember them “no more.” Do you struggle with the memory of past sins and failures? If you have given your life to Christ, then all your sins are forgiven and forgotten. Therefore, it is not the Spirit that keeps bringing them to your mind, but your own flesh giving in to Satan’s accusations. As you grow in the Lord, you will learn the difference between the Spirit’s conviction and Satan’s accusation. The first is meant to give you life and freedom from condemnation, the second is meant to kill and enslave. Give your life to Christ and yield to the Spirit’s witness who says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1).
From: November 10, 2015
Not only did God send Christ to die for our sins and sanctify us, but He also sent the Holy Spirit to bear “witness” to us, so that the His righteous laws might be written on our hearts and minds. It is by believing in Christ Jesus that we are saved. And it is by the Holy Spirit that we are assured of our salvation. For the Spirit is the inner witness that gives us the awareness of our adoption as children of God, so that we call Him “Abba, Father” (Rom.8:15-16). It is through His inner witness that our hearts and minds are continually sanctified, so that we love God as Father and desire to do His will.