Author: mary

We are God’s prized possession as it says in James 1:18: “He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.” What an amazing thought. Do you have something in your life that is your prized possession? Maybe it is a rare item like a baseball card or an antique. Maybe it is something that was passed down in your family. Maybe it is something that just means a lot to you because of who the giver was. Well, We are God’s prized possession.

He created us and knows us better than we know ourselves. An inventor is always proud of their invention, just as an author is proud of his book. In the same way, God is proud of His creation. In the garden of Eden, after God created man, He saw his creation and said that it was good. He was proud of what He had made. But only man can have a personal relationship with Him. The birds cannot. The beasts of the sea and land cannot. The trees cannot have a relationship with Him. He created man to have a relationship with Him.

He was pleased with His creation. The beautiful thing is that God still creates. Psalm 139:13-14 says, “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous— how well I know it.” He is still creating today! Take joy in your Creator and bask in His wondrous works!

So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. James 1:16-17

In this life we must be aware of the dangers around us. The word says that the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy and he will try to do that in any way he can. In my life, I have seen him do all of these things. I have seen him kill people who were addicted to various things. I have seen him steal the joy the Christian has. I have seen him destroy church bodies over little things. So, yes, he will kill, steal, and destroy the Christian in any way he can. We must be on guard against him.

However, we know that God is the complete opposite of the enemy. He comes to give us a way and a hope. Every good and perfect gift is from Him. We must recognize when God is working in our lives. God is the same as he was yesterday, and will be the same for generations to come. He always works in the lives of His people. This verse reminds us that He never changes. Just as He worked in countless people‘s lives in the Bible, He will work in your life. That is a promise.

Do you know God in this way? Do you trust that he is always working for your good, and He has promised to walk with you through this life? We can have peace because He never changes. We can have hope because His gifts are good and perfect. Just as He was the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, He is the God of you and me today. Put your hope in Him.

Sin does not just happen. It begins in the mind and gives way to actions. We don’t just “accidently” sin and go against God. It is a choice that begins with a thought or desire. James 1:15 says, “These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.” It begins in the mind. When you begin to entertain thoughts of sin and evil, it will consume your mind until you make a choice to defy God. Then sin is birthed as this verse says. Once it is out there in the world there are two choices. You can either repent and turn back to God, or you can continue on in the sin. Once you choose to continue, sin will grow and eventually lead to death as this verse says.

So how do we stop this from happening? First, it begins in the mind. You must take every thought captive as it says in 2 Corinthians 10:5: “We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.” We capture the thought and make it obey. What does this look like? Immediate prayer. The second you feel your mind wandering, stop and pray. Ask God to help purify your mind. THe other thing you must do is fill your mind with scripture and the things of God. This can only be done if you are studying scripture and spending time in the Word. Take time every day to fill your mind with Him.

You can stop sin before it happens. You can change the trajectory of your journey by repenting and following God. He is the only One who can free you of your sin and thoughts.

We will struggle with our own desires and our desire to follow the Lord. We have a spiritual nature and a sin nature and they are always in conflict with each other. They will always be at war. So when we struggle with our sin nature, we cannot blame anyone but ourselves as James 1:13-14 tells us: “And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.” God does not tempt us. He does not present us with sin. Our sinful nature is what often leads us away and entices us.

It all began in the Garden of Eden. Remember Adam and Eve and the fruit? That day in the garden, the enemy presented Eve with a choice. Follow God or choose her own desire to eat of the fruit that God warned her against. She chose sin, and then Adam followed and chose sin as well. A rift formed between God and man. Sin can not be in the presence of God, so He had to send them out of the beautiful garden where God walked with man. So the struggle began. However, the story did not end there. God made a way to repair the relationship with man and restore him once again: Jesus. Jesus was the way, the truth, and the life. Man was now able to come to the Father through the Savior! It is because of the Savior that we do not have to live in our sin and struggles. We can follow Him and He will deliver us!

You are faced with a choice everyday. You can choose your sin and struggles and find yourself empty and desolate, or you can choose God and His ways and find peace and joy!

As difficult as it can be living in this world some days, we are promised that for Christians, this life is not the end. We will inherit a great reward. When this life is over, we will see Jesus Himself and inherit eternity with God forever. However, there will still be great testing and temptation while living in this world. James 1:12 says, “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

We know that James 1:3-4 says that the testing of faith will grow the Christian, so we will continue to be tested, but we decide if we allow those tests and trials to grow us in the faith or destroy faith. We decide if we want to give into temptation and follow the ways of the world, or overcome the same temptations that Jesus faced. This can feel impossible some days when it feels like it would be easier to give in and live as the world lives. So how can we resist this temptation? James 4:7 says, “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Humble yourself so you will be able to resist the devil. This is a daily task, not just a one time thing. Romans 12:2 tells us, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” If you resist the urge to copy the world’s behavior, you will see how God is transforming you.

So set your eyes on eternity and the reward you will gain if you resist the devil. Every morning give your day to God and glorify Him!