It is a majestic sight to drive along a street lined with live oak trees. The mature branches, draped in Spanish moss, provide a regal canopy overhead. If the branches stay attached to the trunk, their beauty and shade can be enjoyed for as long as two hundred years. The taproot allows these trees to locate water even in times of drought. The health of these trees is most threatened by diseases that disrupt their ability to obtain water and nutrients.

Children of God, whose delight and desire are in the words of Christ, are like trees firmly planted by streams of water. Coming near to Jesus, nurtured by His life-giving words strengthens us and prospers our souls. The roots of our being become fixed and founded in Him. Neither fierce storms of adversity nor drought will cause our leaves to wither. Our lives will produce ongoing harvests of godly goodness.

Our spiritual health is continually threatened by those things that keep us from communing with Jesus. As the branch draws its nutrients from the vine, we too must abide in Jesus. His words water and nourish our souls. As we deepen our friendship with Christ, we realize the destructive potential of living independently from Him. Controlled by our own thoughts rather than God’s wisdom will breed disease and drought in our lives: pride, selfish ambition and quarrels. Disconnected from Christ, we become like severed branches that wither and die.

Jesus says to even the weakest of His children, “You are in Me. Abide in Me and you will produce much fruit.”

Are you coming near to Jesus? He will never cast out those who come to Him in neediness. Draw near to Him today and He will draw near to you. In due time you and all those you come in contact with will be blessed by a harvest of goodness that God will work in you.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked…but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted  by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.”    Psalm 1: 1-3

All roads lead to fixed destinations. At some point we have all found ourselves on the wrong road heading away from where we want to go. When we realize we are off course, a change of direction is necessary. We may have the best of intentions to get somewhere, but if we are on the wrong road we will never arrive at the desired location.

The goal of every Christ follower is to be transformed into His likeness. God wants to  continuously deliver us from sin so that we might be examples of His love and purity. Such transformation is accomplished as we learn to walk upon His path of life. Jesus is our way out of sin, our truth, our life and our only source of goodness. His Word is our roadmap, guiding and directing us. Our power for this journey is the Holy Spirit who lives in every child of God.

Jesus will ensure we arrive safely at our final destination. But we must keep coming to Him in humility, acknowledging our need for Him. He will deliver us from every evil deed, and bring us to His heavenly kingdom, holy and faultless in the Father’s presence. Our part is to come, listen, and receive from Him.

Have you been traveling on the wrong road? By refusing to come to Jesus you will quickly find yourself vulnerable to Satan’s lies and the desires of your corrupt flesh. Jesus died to rescue you from this path which leads to barrenness and death.

Make a u-turn by confessing your sins. God will forgive you and plant your feet firmly upon the path of life.

          “You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.” Psalm 16:11

As we grow in our relationship with Christ, our lives begin to display a greater harmony between who God says we are and how we live. God transforms our mind, emotions and will according to truth as we ask Him. His Spirit writes the words of Christ on our hearts.

At the moment of salvation, God made us His chosen, holy and beloved children. We were given a brand new nature when the holy life of Christ was deposited in us. Our old nature, acting and reacting independently of God, was done away with. Romans 6:6 says, “We know that our old self was nailed to the cross with Jesus in order that our body (which is the instrument) of sin might be made ineffective and inactive for evil, that we might no longer be the slaves of sin.” The life of Christ in you is your power to walk out of sin! Jesus makes it possible for you to live as a holy child of God, which is your true identity in Him.

Do you believe this? What could be more beautiful than living the life that God intended for you to live, a life characterized by greater degrees of holy conduct? Cultivating friendship with Christ causes His life to grow and mature in you as you come to Him in complete dependence. God has already changed your nature. As you yield yourself to the authority of Christ’s words and the Holy Spirit, your behavior is changed to reflect your holy identity. Welcome God’s Spirit daily to exercise His life-giving power in you.

Are you struggling with a particular sin?

Ask the Spirit of God every day to help you turn away from sin. He will. Jesus died to deliver you completely from sin.

Thank Him for this wondrous gift.

         “But I say, walk and live (habitually) in the (Holy) Spirit (responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit); then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).” Galatians 5:16

Regret. We’ve all experienced it. There were the times our choices were not what they should have been. There were paths that didn’t lead where we thought they would go. There have been words that hurt others deeply. Our regret over such things can weigh heavily at times.

Yet we have a God who says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing” (Isaiah 43:18-19). His “new thing” in you started the moment you became a Christian:

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old things passed away;                                                                        behold, new things have come.”                                                                                                        2 Corinthians 5:17 NASB  

Now, God is eager to work out His life, the new creation, in you. He doesn’t want you stuck in the past.

 Whether it was 30 years ago or yesterday, what you did or what you were is not who you are. You are a child of God. He has redeemed you. He desires to transform you. It is for freedom that He has set you free.

 The Apostle Paul, a man who easily could have been paralyzed with regret, chose to move forward: “Forgetting what’s behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal.” What was his goal? Paul wanted to know Christ. As we walk more closely with Jesus, His holy life grows in us. His life frees us to let go of the past.

Is there a regret you need to let go of?

Will you believe, on the authority of God’s Word, that you are a new creation? God said the old person has gone, a new person has come. In Christ, you are free indeed!

Before a multitude of people, Jesus presented a radical new teaching, now known as the Sermon on the Mount. He began by pronouncing “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”  It was a stunning statement in stark contrast to what the Pharisees taught, but was paramount to all He would go on to say.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit.”  The little “s” in spirit denotes our spirit.  Jesus wants us to know that we’re spiritually bankrupt without Him.  Trying to live on our own, pursuing our own interests, and taking care of ourselves will result in spiritual poverty.  It will always leave us wanting more.  When we believe this and seek Him we are blessed.

Moses spent 40 years leading more than two million people through a desert. Scripture shows that, at times, these people made his life miserable. Surely he was eager to reach their destination. Yet, Moses told God he didn’t want to enter the Promised Land if God’s Presence wasn’t going with them. He didn’t mince words: “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here” (Exodus 33:15).

Do you grasp just how much you need God’s Presence? Do you realize how destitute you are apart from Him? King David said to the Lord, “You have said, ‘Seek you My face – inquire for and require My Presence [as your vital need].’ My heart says to You, ‘Your face [Your Presence], Lord, will I seek’” (Psalm 27:8 AMP). That’s how Moses and David lived.

Are you willing to say to God today, “Don’t send me up from here if Your Presence doesn’t go with me”?

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 5:3

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