“You fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.” Psalm 16:11 KJV What a drastic difference salvation makes! To the one who doesn’t know God “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31); but for those who know Christ personally He is “able to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy.” (Jude 24)! Think about it...we can stand before Him-now-present tense, blameless and with great joy. Joy, the commodity that is so elusive for those who look for it in the world, is available in full measure—in God’s presence. R.A.Torrey once said, “There is more joy in Jesus in twenty-four hours than there is in the world in 365 days. I have tried them both,” and he was exactly right. Principal Rainy, of whom a child once remarked that she believed he went to heaven every night because he was so happy every day, once used a fine metaphor about the Christian’s joy. “Joy,” he said, “is the flag which is flown from the castle of the heart when the King is in residence there.” The primary motivation for worship must always be the simple fact that God is worthy of worship. Worship is for God, not for us. But an ancillary benefit of worship is the delight that it brings to the worshipper. We don’t worship for selfish reasons, but God, in His goodness, has so designed the worship experience for mutual satisfaction. Duty becomes desire, and in the process of giving Him glory and adoration He gives us peace and joy. Worship is a wonderful experience. To gain an audience with God we don’t have to wail, cry, of cut our bodies like the worshippers of Baal; He invites us into His presence to dine with Him, and the meal is always satisfying. Judson Cornwall speaks of a craving only satisfied by worship: “Several years ago while pasturing in Eugene, Oregon, where we were involved in a building program, I had a rare evening off. Seated alone in my front room after having a delicious meal, I became aware of a deep longing or a craving for something. Rationalizing that I had not taken time to listen to music for many weeks, I put some classical music on and sat back to relax and enjoy its soothing sounds. But the music only increased my edginess. Thinking that it was the wrong type of music for my mood, I changed to Christian music, but its effect upon me was no better. I began to read in silence, assuming that my intellect needed feeding because my involvement in the building program had consumed my reading time. Nevertheless, I couldn’t find any type of litera- ture that satisfied me. Almost absentmindedly, thinking that my craving was for food, I wandered into the kitchen and prepared myself a large roast beef sandwich. But inasmuch as I had already stuffed myself on my wife’s cooking less than an hour before, I soon realized that my craving was not physical, emotional, or intellectual. This left only my spirit; so I got onto my knees to pray and began to touch the presence of God. Total satisfaction swept through my being. All along it had been my spirit yearning to contact God’s Spirit. I had misread it as a craving in my soul or my body. Finally, the deep crying of my spirit had been satisfied in God’s presence.”* In like manner, we will discover that the deep longing in our lives will be fulfilled-in His presence. The following was published with the about Bible Study from June 13, 2009 After reading the following verses, list some of the advantages of being in God’s presence: 1 Samuel 30:3-6 Psalm 31:20 Acts 3:19 Jude 24 1 John 3:19 Notice in these verses that when God removes His presence, it is always a sign of grave judgment. Genesis 4:14 Exodus 33:15-16 2 Kings 17:22-23 Jeremiah 23:39 When you spend time with God, is it a restful, peaceful, joyful experience? There is a difference between God’s omnipresence and His manifest presence. The fact that He is omnipresent means that He is everywhere at all times; even in every wicked place on earth. His presence is also in the midst of His faithful followers who have gathered to acknowledge and worship Him. In what situations is God most likely to manifest His presence? List some ways you can develop a hunger for God’s presence. Write down some times that you have experienced God manifest presence, both in worship with other believers and in your private time with God. What were the circumstances that surrounded those special times? Spend some time in Psalm 131 . Picture yourself being held in the gracious arms of your Heavenly Father. *Judson Cornwall, Let Us Worship, pp. 9-10 , Bridge Publishing 1983. *Dr. Don McMinn, A Heart Aflame! pp. 10-12 , NCM Press, 1993. SCRIPTURE STUDY PSALM 16:11 JUDE 24 1 SAMUEL 30:3-6 PSALM 31:20 ACTS 3:19 1 JOHN 3:19 GENESIS 4:14 EXODUS 33:15-16 2 KINGS 17:22-23 JEREMIAH 23:39 PRAYER FOCUS Dear Jesus, Show me how to enter into your presence in quiet worship. May I learn to experience the joy of fellowship with You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Being in any relationship for any length of time with any person is hard. I mean, let’s face it: We all live this life through a lens focused on self, and self often doesn’t like it when self is being mistreated. Truly this isn’t news to any of us who have lived in adulthood for more than a few years, but what can be news to some of us is that this “self lens” is a lie, and it is the source for more of our life-spun angst than we are many times willing to admit. Just a few months ago, my husband and I had a little tiff.  I write “little” a bit facetiously because it was more than just a little argument to me.  It was huge.  It took me to my knees, quite literally, into fits of sobs and cries in which I don’t often allow myself to indulge.  As is generally the case, my poor husband wasn’t quite sure why this particular spat took me to such levels of despair, but as most of you women know, we pile stuff up. A few misguided words here, an occasional misdirected look there, and before we or the people around us know it, we are spinning out of control in a hurricane of emotion.  It often takes us completely by surprise, and when that happens, we are loathe to know how to stave off the inevitable storm. This was one such time for me, but that’s not where I want to direct my story.  Instead, I want to skip to the end, to my encounter with God as I fell apart. I waited for Jeff to leave for the day before I lost it, and when I did, a lot of pain bubbled to the surface.  I found myself crying out to God, as I often do in those rare occasions when I let tears come, repenting of my need for approval, telling Him how sorry I was that I let the words and actions of others dictate my joy.  I cried and cried, wanting to feel better, waiting for my Father to soothe me in some way. And He did, of course, but it was the way in which He did it that surprised me…at first. I was sitting alone, crying and repenting, when I very clearly heard my Lord say to me, “Am I enough for you?” These words were unexpected.  “Yes!” I cried even louder. “Yes, Lord, You are enough for me!  I’m so sorry that I often act as though You are not. ”A slight pause, and then, “Am I enough for you?” “You are my strength and my shield, my Redeemer and my Deliverer,” I cried.  “You are all I need!  Please forgive my unbelief! ”Quiet, and then again, “Am I enough for you?” After hearing these words in my head for a third time, the comfort I was seeking so vehemently finally came.  I didn’t answer Him right away this time, as I instead was taken aback by how much He loves me and the way in which He displays that love toward me. I suddenly remembered Jesus’ words in John 14:21, He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and  will disclose Myself to him . God will always comfort us by showing Himself to us.  He brings peace by pointing us to Him. It dawned on me after hearing His question a third time that God never strokes me or soothes me by making much of me or drawing attention to me.  In all the seasons of my life when my Father has comforted me, He has done so by pointing my attention back onto Him. He is the Author and Giver of life.  He is the only source and manifestation of love.  To look anywhere beyond or around Him does not, and will not, lead to happiness and satisfaction.  My Savior, My God, gave Himself up for me so that I might live.  He is the truest and most complete definition of love.  How can He  not  be enough for me? In that moment, my human heart wanted to be stroked.  My human tears longed to be wiped away with words like, “I love you, Deb.  You are my treasure and my bride.”  And these words would be true words from my Savior.  However, when my heart is breaking because I am looking anywhere else but to God, the only comfort He will ever give me will be Himself. “Look at Me,” He will say.  “Gaze upon Me, for I am life.  I am joy.  I am peace.” My comfort that day came in the constancy of my Father’s character.  It came in the constancy of my Savior’s sacrificial love. He never changes.  He always remains the same. He is constantly constant. What amazing peace that brought me in those moments of despair!  I belong to a God,  the  God, who is constant.  His love, His salvation, His mercy, His grace—they are constant, no matter what else may come in this lifetime.  That means no matter what I do or what might be done to me.  He never changes. Sisters, life is hard.  There are moments in every single day where we might find ourselves sinking in despair.  I say to you, as my Father said to me, “Look up!  Look to the One who chose you and will keep you, but most especially, look to the One who is all that is righteous and good and loving.” Stay in this truth. He is constant and He does not shift with the wind or with your crazy, out-of-control circumstances. Sing with the psalmist in Psalm 121:1-3, I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made the heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved, he who keeps you will not slumber. Let His peace reign supreme in your life right now.  He has not left you.  He will not leave you. He is constantly constant. www.debwaterbury.com .

What are our sources of fear? From where do they originate? Past hurts can lead to present fear. Any traumatic event-a painful divorce, a car accident, a debilitating illness can cause us to fear what’s ahead. The hurt we experienced must be properly dealt with before the fear will subside. Lies from Satan and our own self-talk can immobilize us. Satan is called the father of lies (John 8:44), which implies that he tells a lot of them, and he’s good at it. Often, his lies are intended to make us fearful. For example, you will read an article in the newspaper about teenage drug abuse and Satan will suggest, “Your kid will become part of the drug culture.” Lies can often be self-inflicted. Our minds will wander aimlessly, inadvertently attach to a random thought and embrace and embellish it. Perhaps you live with the nagging thought that you will never amount to anything. You live with the fear of failure every day. We can also fear the unusual and the unknown. Perhaps the disciples were feeling anxious about the unknown when Jesus announced that after three years of being together, He was going to leave them. Anxious thoughts no doubt raced through their hearts: “What are we going to do after Jesus leaves? Just fish and collect taxes again?” Jesus, sensing their anxiety, said to them, “Do not let your hearts by troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me.” John 14:1.   So how do we gain victory over fear? Here are a few simple suggestions. The mental dimension of fear is ministered to by truth. (John 8:32). The emotional dimension of fear is ministered to by perfect love. ((1 John 4:18). The volitional dimension of fear is ministered to by faith (Luke 8:25). John 8:32 says that the truth will set us free. When our fear is based on lies, truth will help bring relief. 1 John 4:18 teaches that “Perfect love casts out all fear.” Perfect love can be expressed by a reassuring presence from a loved one, a concerted effort to write, call or visit the person on a regular basis. Don’t leave them out in the cold. Perfect love is expressed by caring involvement. Helping the person to drive again after they have been in a car accident, being trustworthy for a friend who has been betrayed, listening to them as they process their fearful emotions are ways to show “perfect love.” As we look through the future, we can view it through the lens of fear or the lens of faith. Just as fear is future-oriented (we do not fear the past), faith is future-oriented. God promises, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life…your Heavenly Father knows what you need…But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:25,32-33.   Never face your fears alone. Jesus is there to meet you in the midst of your fear. God wants us to bear each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2) and that includes sharing and bearing the fears and anxieties of those who are paralyzed by fear. Wouldn’t it be profitable to share with someone who loves you, all the fears and anxieties with which you struggle, and to be able to do that on a regular basis? This is God’s design and will!

“God’s dwelling place will be among His people, and He will be with them” (Revelation 21:3). Let me share with you a few takeaways from the book of Revelation. Everyone will someday stand before God The Bible tells us in Hebrews 9:27: “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” We will all stand before the Lord. For the unbeliever it will be a long, draining and depressing reminder of a life filled with poor choices, but for the Christian, Christ will plead your case on your behalf. When John got a glimpse into heaven in Revelation 4, he saw that God was on His throne in the middle of it all. That’s where He sits, and that’s where we will someday stand. God will keep His word All throughout God's story of redemption, we’ve seen that God wants to redeem us and reconcile us into a right relationship with Him. That message has never changed. The book of Revelation is where we see His upper story intersect with our lower story. His purpose has never changed, and His promise will not be broken. You need to be ready Revelation 21:7-8 warns us of the punishment faced by those who oppose Jesus. One of the messages of Revelation is for us all to be ready for His return. "Everyone who conquers will inherit all these blessings, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8  But cowards who turn back from following me, and those who are unfaithful to me, and the corrupt, and murderers, and the immoral, and those conversing with demons, and idol worshipers and all liars—their doom is in the Lake that burns with fire and sulphur. This is the Second Death.” LB And for those of us who have put our trust in Jesus Christ, it would be the height of selfishness if we didn’t try to bring someone with us to heaven. We talk a lot about the second coming of Christ, but one fourth of the world has never heard of the first. Conclusion Christ’s second coming will be far different than His first visit 2,000 years ago. He was disguised as a baby that time, but not this time. The mask is off; His identity is revealed, confirmed, and validated. We don’t know when it will be, but we need to be ready and waiting for that Day when we will finally be with Him.

Worship should be a way of life, with many facets of expression. The insistence that there is only one way to worship God has often left the body of Christ confused, fragmented, and frustrated. Some worship leaders declare that a certain defining style of worship is the only correct way to worship the Lord, but that is a narrow view of His inexhaustible riches. Music and song are ways we can praise God’s name, but the Word says we can worship God in many ways. We can worship with feasting ( Psalm 22:29 ) . I think that’s a great concept. “All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— those who cannot keep themselves alive.” We can worship the Lord with joyful songs ( Psalm 100:2 ). “Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.” We can worship God with sacrifices and offerings ( Isaiah 19:21 ). “So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge the Lord. They will worship with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them.” We can even worship by walking and jumping as the man did who had been lame was healed by the name of Jesus ( Acts 3:8-9 ). “He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.” But regardless of the method, the worship of God must be in Spirit, (from our natural consciences) and in truth (consistent with our lives)  John 4:24 . We don’t have to be great singers or musicians to worship God.   Our worship can be filled with radical demonstrations of praise and other times be very quiet and personal. Neither is better than the other. But we do need to be in a relationship with a personal God and live with the truth of His greatness reflecting through all we are becoming and all that we do.   I have lived with many unhealthy labels in my life, but I have a longing in me for the King of Heaven to label me an “extravagant worshipper.” As a worship minister, I ask worshippers to ask the question “Are we there yet? Are we there yet?” Parents will tell you that phrase is often used by their children at the beginning of a long journey. Even though it seems we have been traveling for hours, we’ve a long way to go before our worship is extravagant.   Extravagant worship is not achieved by taking shortcuts. “When the ark of the Lord’s covenant was finally brought to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, the priests, musician, and singers joined in unison to bring extravagant worship. All the Levites who were musicians…stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. The trumpeter and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they sang: ‘He is good; his love endures forever.’ Then the temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God” ( 2 Chronicles 5:12-14 , emphasis added). The priest’s attempt to connect with God was blown away by God’s coming and connecting with them.   People often want quick solutions. They want directions to the easy path; but shortcuts never lead to the gold in life. Most shortcuts become setbacks. I have tried shortcuts in worship, I have tried to do things my way, but I only ended up frustrated, and the goal seemed to be slipping away.   To practice extravagant worship, we need to be good about saying “I lay down my life.” Come to Jesus with a grateful heart, and in everything you do, live a lifestyle of extravagant worship!   Taken from  Extravagant Worship: Holy, Holy, Holy is He Who Was and Is and Is to Come!  By Darlene Zschech. Bethany House, 2002. Used with permission.

The Australian Coat of Arms depicts a very insightful image—and one that I hold dear since I was born and raised in Australia. There are two animals portrayed holding up a shield—the Red Kangaroo and the Emu. They were chosen not only because they are indigenous to Australia, but also because they were created to move forward. The Emu, a large non-flying bird slightly smaller than its cousin the Ostrich, is known for its speed covering as much as nine feet in a single step when running full throttle. It is the only bird with calf muscles—much like a human—nonetheless, it can’t walk backward. It can only move forward. The Red Kangaroo—like all kangaroos—moves by a hopping motion called saltation, which literally means “to leap.” They push off with both of their large feet simultaneously and use their tails for balance. The combination of their muscular legs, big feet and tails help the kangaroos move forward effectively. But again, they can only move forward—not backward. I believe God designed you—another marvel of creation—to move the same way. Forward-bound, never stepping back, not even looking back. Throughout the Bible, God consistently leads His people in one direction:  “Press on…look ahead…forget what lies behind…REACH FORWARD to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:12-14). Just as the Apostle Paul challenged the Philippian church to move forward, Propel Women exists to mobilize and motivate women to go forward—to keep reaching for all that lies ahead. The word  propel means “to drive, to push, to cause to move in a particular direction,” and that is forward. That is the direction God wants you to move. I know our world often feels like it is spiraling out of control—certainly globally and often close to home. That’s why Jesus is the only hope, and we as Christians have been given the responsibility to shine his light in a dark world—to encourage others with hope that they too can move forward in life. Your world needs believers like you who can lead themselves well, and then lead others. Propel Women wants to accelerate your growth—through every season, challenge and change. We want to energize you to move from where you are to the next place God has orchestrated for your life—activating you to live on mission, on point. We want to help you REACH forward—a motion that will always require intentional effort. If you’ve been considering and praying about a change—whether it’s a promotion, moving to a new city, or going for more education—it will begin with your decision to take a step forward. To help you in your decision-making, take a personal inventory and contemplate these questions: 1. Have you been where you are long enough?  Whether it’s some place physical—like your present position—or someplace mental—like your attitudes or habits—if you’ve made a permanent place out of something that was supposed to be a pit stop, or somewhere you were supposed to grow through, then you’ve been there long enough. Procrastinating is never going to move you. 2. Is it time to break out of where you are into where you are going? To break  is to shatter, smash, snap, crack or fracture. It’s to interrupt, disturb or break your routine. When you break something, it often hurts physically or emotionally. It might not be comfortable, but it’s often necessary to leave a place that’s constricted, confined and limiting. It’s often necessary to grow to the next level. Remember: It’s just as easy to miss a moment as it is to seize a moment. 3. Is it time to advance? To advance  is to move forward in a purposeful way, to press on, to progress. Oftentimes, it takes courage to let go of where you are and what you have to lay hold of the future. You will have to be more faith-FULL than fear-FULL. If God is saying go, your willingness and determination will be necessary to go and receive what he has for you. 4. Is it time to forget the past—if that’s what’s holding you back—and risk failure or hurt again? God will always have another chance ready for you to take. But you will have to let go of any of the past holding you back emotionally. You will have to build strong emotional intelligence and capacity to move forward and successfully lead others and build healthy relationships. You can do this! 5. Does it seem impossible? Maybe…but so what? Impossible is what God does. And nothing he asks us to do can ever be done in our natural strength anyway. If you can manage it on your own, you don’t need God. It’s time to increase your capacity. The world is waiting—and you are the answer. If God is saying, “Go,” then don’t say, No.” Whether you are a CEO of a national company, a supervisor in retail, a stay-at-home mom managing a home-based business, or a post-career leader in your community, God has things for you to do every day you are on this Earth. There are assignments for you to responsibly manage—and now is the time to live propelled into your future. Answer these questions and discover your leadership capacity—then embrace all that God has for you to do, individually and collectively. Identify how you are equipped, and then be confident in how he’s gifted you and prepared you. He’s calling you forward, the only direction the Emu, the Red Kangaroo and  you  were ever created to go. www.propelwomen.org

I love to run—with friends, alone, on a trail, anytime, anywhere. I love the challenge and the press of reaching new milestones and levels of exertion, so I know what it’s like to hit a wall. It’s that roadblock moment mid-run that’s actually a form of a collapse of the entire system: body and form, brains and emotion. Your legs feel like concrete, your breathing becomes labored, and you begin to shuffle. It’s where the brain works fine, but the legs up and quit. When you hit a wall, you have two choices: keep going even though you feel your strides shift into small steps, or give into all the negative thoughts flooding your mind and stop. Your body is responding to the press—and it’s telling you it needs the energy to overcome. Sometimes, in pursuit of our purpose and destiny, we hit a wall, too. Where once we were full of energy and faith, we suddenly realize we’re not moving forward as fast as we once were. And the wall begins to talk to us night and day:  “You cannot get over me, you cannot get around me, you cannot get through me. ” Whatever our wall is, it’s in those moments that we have a critical decision to make. We can cave into discouragement and all the negative thoughts and quit. Or, we can look to the Lord who knows the solutions and how to bring down even the toughest walls.  He proved he can in Joshua 6 when the children of Israel hit the mother of all walls—the walls of Jericho. Jericho was a city  inside the Promised Land  with walls made of heavy, mud bricks—30 feet at its highest, 5 feet at its thickest. And it looked just as impossible to them as your wall does to you. But impossible is what God does (Mark 9:23). To bring down the wall, God instructed them to:  “March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days.Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in” (Joshua 6:3-5). And it worked.  “By faith, the walls of Jericho fell after the people had marched around them for seven days” (Hebrews 11:30). God wants your wall to come down as much as you do, but it will require faith—just like it did for the Israelites. When the walls did fall, it was after seven days of preparation—of God working in them and through them. Let him do the same in you. Let him use these five steps to build your faith and bring down your walls. 1. LOOK UP AND FALL DOWN. Before the children of Israel marched around the city, Joshua was surveilling the walls, and as he looked up, Jesus appeared to him as a man of war (Joshua 5). When Joshua realized who he was, he immediately fell face down in humility and surrender.  Like Joshua, look up and see the one who can give you a plan. Then fall face down letting go and giving all the control to God, trusting him. 2. WILLINGLY OBEY. Jesus will give you a plan, so make sure you’re prepared for unconventional instructions and unconditional obedience.  Marching around a city, blowing horns and shouting had no military value, but it worked. I have discovered that strange plans call for strong faith, but we can always trust what God tells us to do. 3. WALK AND DON’T TALK. Even though God promised Jericho would be delivered into their hands, they had to keep walking—they had to take the first step of faith and continue for seven days in silence (Joshua 6:2).  Sometimes we have to keep walking in the right order, along the right path, for the right amount of time—even when nothing changes. Like the Israelites, we have to learn patience and diligence—and see the victory by faith before we experience it.  God wants us to see his promise to us as bigger than the obstacle we’re facing. 4. REMEMBER GOD IS IN YOUR MIDST. When the Israelites marched, the priests led the march carrying the Ark of the Covenant which represented the presence of God. Having the Ark out front was God saying,  “I am leading the charge.”  It was God who made all the difference at Jericho, and it’s God who will make all the difference in your life.  It does not matter how big your wall is, God is with you, and no wall is too big for him. He is fighting for you! 5. JUST TAKE ANOTHER LAP. With each lap the Israelites took, the walls did not get smaller—but they kept taking laps anyway. So don’t grow weary in your well doing, even when you feel like you’re in a holding pattern (Galatians 6:9).  Every lap you make around your walls is strengthening your faith, because there’s power in doing the same thing over and over. It’s the process God uses to build your faith muscles.  Even though God tore down the walls at Jericho, the people still had to march, shout and take the city. So keep putting your faith in action and take another lap. Yes, God could have knocked the walls of Jericho down the first day, but he had a bigger purpose in mind. He wanted the people to grow in their faith, to keep going regardless of how they felt, to look to him to tear down the walls. And that’s what he wants from you too—even when your stride slows down to a shuffle. So keep going. Keep believing. Keep propelling forward. Your wall is coming down. www.propelwomen.org.

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Please watch the following video: https://youtu.be/ZVzjyeF88vg

Please watch the following video: https://youtu.be/Wfpec57GGFE

Jesus desires us to know, commune and fellowship with Him on a moment-by-moment basis. We need a more personal communion with God in prayer and through His Word so that we can grow more in the “grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Let me help you to find a place to start. You need more than the knowledge that you need to abide in Christ; you need to know exactly what that means and how to go about it. Here are a few simple points that will help you daily to abide in Christ. 1. Spend quality time in prayer. Have you prayed today? The Bible tells us to, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) As well it tells us to, “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2) We must follow God day by day with prayer. We must fill our mouths with urging, and fill our urging with faith and fervent desires. Abiding in Christ means that we are celebrating our fellowship with Him, and the greater our fellowship the more we will realize the richness of Him and be able to appropriate His grace and love in all dimensions of our lives. To abide in Christ is to pray always and as the psalmist told us, to pray without ceasing. Are you abiding with Him through prayer? Are you setting aside a time everyday in which you get alone with Him in prayer? 2. Passionately worship Him. Paul tells us in Romans 12:1: “I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” In worship, we offer ourselves completely to the Lord. Every day, we need to endeavor to put forth some vigorous acts of love towards Jesus Christ. Even during your normal day, in your secular business and employment, you need to look up to Jesus Christ in worship. In your personal devotions and with your family, worship Christ with passionate adoration that comes from a heart that is truly in love with Him! I am talking about even taking a moment right now wherever you might be and just make a commitment that you will begin to present all of who you are to Him as a living and holy sacrifice-that you will give Him 100% of who you are! I don’t know about you but the Lord has been so good to me and in turn I truly want to worship Him with my life. 3. Cultivate an attitude of thankfulness for what He has done for us. “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Jesus relinquished the glory and majesty that was His in heaven to take on the role of a lowly servant, lovingly submitting to His Father’s plan. He suffered the wrath of God on the cross-He took the penalty we ought to have suffered for our sin. He endured criticism, ridicule, unbelief, and finally humiliating death by crucifixion in order to right our relationship with God. He humbled Himself before the Father to become the Lamb of God, and He did so in full view of mankind, even when He was labeled a criminal and unjustly convicted. This wasn’t just the brutal suffering that is depicted in so many movies. Jesus, fully God and fully man, became sin so that we in exchange might miraculously become the righteousness of God. And through Him, we have God’s free gift of salvation and eternal life. Knowing this, how could we respond any differently than to absolutely love Jesus Christ with incredible passion and be overwhelmingly thankful? Anyone who calls himself or herself a true Christian needs to remember that they were truly lost before they accepted Christ. But now because of Him, look at what a true Christian can become-in right standing before God the Father, redeemed, filled with the Holy Spirit, and living with a true purpose in life! One who is truly abiding in Christ has a grateful heart. Too be very honest with you there isn’t anything or anyone in our life that should have a place of greater importance or who deserves more thankfulness than the One who set us free from the bondage of sin and separation from God! Let me close by asking where you are abiding? Are you abiding in anxiety, loneliness, discouragement, fear, anger, disappointment, worldliness? Abiding in Christ is a process. So don’t get discouraged if it seems hard to understand how to get it working out in your life. Just start doing-abiding and then just rest in Him, trust in Him, and allow Him to meet with you when you abide with Him.

Ours is a cocooning society. Politics and pandemics have isolated us. We sit dazed and mesmerized by our gadgets. But technology is no substitute for companionship. We have virtual friends more often than real contact with others. But we long to belong.The highest privilege that can be bestowed on a person is to be adopted into God's family. In our salvation, God not only forgives our sins and imputes Christ's goodness to us, but He also adopts us into His very family. How awesome is that! You see, understanding that in our salvation we are adopted into God's family and enjoy a Father-child relationship with God is foundational for Christian living and for finding freedom in our new life in Christ! “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” ( John 1:12 ) As we read earlier, John mentions adoption at the beginning of his Gospel where he says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” As well, in I John we read, “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. Beloved, we are God’s children now.”  The New Testament epistles bear repeated testimony to the fact that we are now God's children in a special sense, members of His family. Paul says in Romans 8:14-16: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” This awesome act of adoption by God should be so liberating to us. Our adoption clearly assures us that we are significant to our heavenly Father. From now on, our sense of significance is derived not from but in Christ. From this knowledge flows our sense of value. No longer are we preoccupied with the way others see us. We are wholly consumed by the way the Father sees us. No longer are we seeking the approval of others, we seek a deeper revelation of the Father's exquisite perspective of us. So from now on, when the Devil tries to exasperate you by what was true about your old self, you now need to stand firm in your faith by meditating on God’s view of you: I have been given the right to be a child of God (John 1:12). I am a child of my Heavenly Father by adoption (Romans 8:15). I am God's work of art (Ephesians 2:10). I am loved by the Father himself (John 16:27). I have been redeemed and forgiven (Colossians 1:14). I can approach the Father with confidence (Hebrews 4:16). I am a brand new person in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17). So go into your week having your mind illumined with the truth that you as a true believer in Christ, are a true child of God, and a welcomed into His family! That should put a skip in your step, a smile on your face, new strength to carry on, and freedom in your heart!