15 April 2018
Two-Minute Features | 22 April 2018 | 08 April 2018

The Spirit Helps Our Character Development (TMF:870)

Friday, April 20, 2018
Peace to Live By: The Spirit Helps Our Character Development (TMF:870) - Daniel Litton
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       As we go along our journeys, the Spirit will point out new things that need to be corrected. And we are to work on these things when he points them out, eliminating bad habits and forming good, new ones. We are seeking to be perfect (though we will not attain it in this life) as we continue to bring our thoughts, words, and behaviors in agreement to the Lordship of the Spirit, the Lordship of Christ. We do not make decisions anymore based on our fleshly impulses and desires, or at least, we try not to most of the time. We don’t make decisions either based off of what this world says we should do, following the ways of those around us who don’t know Christ. So, because we are filled with God’s Word, which works in conjunction with our being filled with the Spirit, the Holy Spirit helps us to make good and right decisions. We live through faith with love—having a right ‘heart’ attitude, as we live out Scripture. The Spirit even guides us in the gray areas.

We Have to Learn to Be Led by the Spirit (TMF:869)

Thursday, April 19, 2018
Peace to Live By: We Have to Learn to Be Led by the Spirit (TMF:869) - Daniel Litton
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       Many have to learn to be in tune with God’s Spirit, to be led by him. That means to be so in tune with God’s Word that the Scriptures have input in all areas of our lives. The Bible is the filter by which we live. And this makes God’s Spirit happy. Remember what James told us, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8, ESV). As we are seeking to be pleasing to God, and seeking to have a deeper relationship with him, we then automatically get closer to him. God wants us to experience real life, and the only way we are going to do that is if we “live by the Spirit.” And by allowing God’s Word to be our filter, we try not to let anything stay present within us that we feel is dishonoring to God. Now, this doesn’t mean we are perfect by any means—far from it. As we go along our journeys, the Spirit will point out new things that need to be corrected. And we are to work on these things when he points them out, eliminating bad habits and forming good, new ones.

We are Not to Follow a Set of Rules from the Bible (TMF:868)

Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Peace to Live By: We are Not to Follow a Set of Rules from the Bible (TMF:868) - Daniel Litton
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       We all have a collection of habits we have formed, patterns that shape out our daily lives. Now, we can, and many of us did in the past, let our fleshly desires—those fleshly thoughts and impulses that just randomly come to our minds, which are guided and carried along by the world—we let those ways shape our lives. But, once we became a Christian, we realized we needed to change from following those instincts, to following the ways of God. And so, we read the Bible and saw what God had to say about our behavior, and how he wants us to act in varying life circumstances and situations. But, you see, that’s where most Christians stop. That’s where they hang up their coats and stay awhile. That’s where I was for years. We just live Christianity following a set of rules we formulate from the Bible; we make a religion out of it rather than a life ‘experience’ out of it. We should not be making decisions based off of rigorous laws we have created from the pages of Scripture. Many have to learn to be in tune with God’s Spirit, to be led by him.

We are to Follow the Spirit in our Lives (TMF:867)

Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Peace to Live By: We are to Follow the Spirit in our Lives (TMF:867) - Daniel Litton
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       Much discussion has been given in regard to the Holy Spirit’s leading of the Christian. I think that the best way to understand how the Spirit of God leads us is to look at the Word of God. And, so, we are going to do that. Turn with me in your Bibles, or tap in your Bible apps on your mobile devices, and let’s go to Galatians chapter 5, and today, specifically, I want us to focus on verses 16 through 18. Really, the rest of chapter 5 here, starting in verse 16, is relevant to this discussion, but we do not have the time to cover all of it today. So, starting in verse 16, the text reads: “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law” (Galatians 5:16-18, ESV). So, Paul notes here we are to “walk by the Spirit.” Our walking in our lives consists of the things we do on a daily basis, in the most basic sense, right?

For Those Who Don't Have the Spirit, Part 3 (TMF:866)

Monday, April 16, 2018
Peace to Live By: For Those Who Don't Have the Spirit, Part 3 (TMF:866) - Daniel Litton
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       Our bad is not erased by our good. So, the only way we can become acceptable to God, good in his sight, is by counting on Jesus’ sacrifice for us. All of our sins are put on him, and he bore the penalty for our sins. Then, he rose from the dead into life. So, when you trust in Jesus today, you gain true life, real life. And he gives you his Spirit by whom you can live out the rest of your life. If you would like to accept Jesus today as your personal Savior, and personal Lord, then I want you to follow my lead in this prayer: God, I am currently not in right relationship with you. But today, God, am told I can come into a personal relationship with you, and I want to come into this relationship. I realize that things I have done in the past have not made you happy, and I want to turn from doing those things. I believe Jesus died for me so that I can be in relationship with you. I believe he rose from the dead. So, God, I give you my life. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.