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I'm Adopted!

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Have you ever known someone who was adopted but they looked like their adoptive parents? You were surprised to learn that the father and or mother had nothing to do with the making of the child yet they look and act just like them? Some adoptions are obvious because the child may be of a different ethnicity than the adoptive parents, but that's not always the case. The scripture tells us that we have been adopted into God's family through Jesus! This is great news for all of us, my question is, do you look like your daddy? Do you act like your daddy? Do you have the same characteristics and habits of God? When one is adopted into a family, they are raised with that families morals and traditions. My Father in Heaven is a giver, so I want to be a giver. My Father in Heaven is a forgiver, so I want to be a forgiver. My Father in Heaven is full of compassion and mercy, so I want to be full of compassion and mercy. I want to look like Jesus! I want to serve like Jesus served! I wa...
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Clean Vessels

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God has designed us all to be used for a special purpose in life. We have all been set apart and made different from everyone else, I believe this is why we can often struggle to feel like we "fit in" because we are designed to be different. God has gifted us all with different talents and abilities which means we all need one another. We are to work together and create a beautiful mosaic that was specifically designed by our Heavenly Father. We are all important parts of the body of Christ and without one we are hurting. Just as our body has many parts, with a missing part, the rest of the body has to work harder to perform functions that it wasn't created to do. To be used to God in our own unique way, we must become clean vessels for Him. We do this simply by getting rid of the junk in our lives. Things that aren't pleasing to Him. If you are questioning if something is right or wrong, ask yourself if your actions would be ones that make God proud and please Him. ...
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Resist the Devil

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James 4:7 (NLT) So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Have you ever felt like the enemy has been attacking you left and right? That you cannot catch a break? God has an answer to this problem. In James chapter 4 it says we are to humble ourselves before God - let's stop there and ask ourselves honestly, are we humble before him? What about when you are going through a difficult situation, do you try to fix the problem yourself? Or are you taking this matter to prayer first and asking God to help you and give you His strength and wisdom for the victory? When we try to fix things on our own, we are telling God that we are smarter than Him and we don't want to mess with getting Him involved. Like He somehow isn't going to have the best answer for us. God is all-knowing, He will guide us to the right path, the path of blessing and righteousness, not the path of destruction. Next we are told to resist the devil. What does that look li...
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Build Yourself Up

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Have you ever marveled at how quickly businesses and homes can be built today? If you have the right weather and a good crew, you can have a home built in 6 months! That's pretty quick timing. I do notice that the crew does not take a few months off because they are tired or just don't "feel" like building the home. I would say their paychecks are what is motivating them to continue building homes. They keep working until the job is done and if there are any mistakes, they correct them and move on. Just as a carpenter would work on a home, diligently and carefully, we are to work on building ourselves up in our faith. We cannot afford to take time off of work, building up our faith. When we do this, we are going backwards in our pursuit of Christ. If we stop working, our paychecks quit coming. As we are building ourselves up in Christ we are paid in peace, filled with love and we are exercising our patience and self-control. We are blessed beyond measure as we contin...
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A Life of Thanks

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1 Thessalonians 5:18 (AMP) In every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. How often do you find yourself thankful for the life you have? I'm sure all of us can say that we could have better circumstances in our lives but take away the perfect life mind set and ask yourself if you are really grateful for what you have. It's easy for us to get so accustomed to the blessings in our lives that we don't even think of them as gifts from God anymore. The simple things like clean water, warm blankets, worship music, job opportunities and family. There are people all around the world that don't have any of these things. We are to give God thanks for everything in our lives, even for the situations that seem unfair because He is just and He is right. When I wake up each day I thank God for a new day and praise Him that I can get up and make a difference in someon...
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not a fan.

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As we are ending our small group study of "not a fan,'' I'd like to reflect back on a few key points. Jesus came to the earth for a divine purpose. He performed miracles: giving sight to the blind, raising the dead, healing the sick, etc. Then being beaten beyond recognition and crucified, all for us. So we could be healed and have salvation. He was the sinless lamb. He is the only one that I could be proud to follow. Many people would say, "Yes," when asked if they were a follower of Jesus. Then when asked to "define their relationship" with Christ, it's not a response a follower should have. Lots of people want to follow Jesus but they have no desire to give any sacrifice. Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice when He hung on that cross. Couldn't we give up something? For Him? Fan - an enthusiastic admirer. That is where most Christians are today in their relationship with Christ. The followers however, will take up their own cross and a...
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