The Daily Dose

Abba Father

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”  Romans 8:15

This scripture is actually a continuation from yesterdays Dose.  I know we read this in our scripture reading passage yesterday, but I couldn’t pass over this precious truth that God truly is our Father.

So it continues from verse fourteen that says if you are led by God’s Spirit, you are a son/child of God’s. The passage goes on to say in verse fifteen:  Because you are led by God’s Spirit, you did not receive a spirit of slavery and fear.  God’s Spirit does not include fear and He doesn’t enslave anyone.  He is the Spirit that adopted us into His family and that is why we can call Him our Father, our Abba/daddy Father.  Abba is the closest relationship you can have with your Father.  You share all things with Him and He shares with you.  You have also been adopted into the family so He takes an extra step to make sure you feel welcomed, loved and included in the family. 

This is why Psalms 23 says that He welcomes us as His special guest.  Yes, we are part of His family, but we are precious and special to Him.  So special that He goes out of His way to come close when we call on Him.  He is always ready and always available to help, guide and protect.  All you need to do is ask and believe He will.

This passage continues by saying that when His Spirit and our spirit are in agreement, we become a connected heir with Jesus.  We are part of the plan and get in on part of His inheritance.  The work of salvation didn’t stop at Jesus, it continues to go on even today and into eternity.  We as believers have a part in His salvation plan and that is to tell others and bring others into this most precious relationship with our loving Abba Father.  Sharing His love with all those that He brings into our lives is the greatest purpose we have for living in this world.  We have been giving this short time to love God and to love people.

Today I want to encourage you to press into your Abba Father today.  Thank Him for adopting you and for welcoming you into His Kingdom as His special guest.  Tell Him how valuable your relationship with Him is to you and glorify Him for making you a part of His family and His salvation plan.  Then go out and share it today with someone who needs some good news in their life, today.

Today’s scripture reading: Romans 8: 12-17

Spirit led

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”  Romans 8:14

In previous Doses I have talked some about hearing from God on the inside, so I want to focus on that today.  Our Heavenly Father is so wonderful, and He wants to help us and lead us away from things that can trap and harm us.  He also wants to lead us to the plans and things He has for us to accomplish.  That is why He sent His Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth (His way) and away from the darkness (John 16:13). To recognize when you are hearing from God, you must know Him. 

So that would be the first step in hearing from God, you must first be a child of God.  That is when you come to the point in your life when you recognize that you need a Savior and receive the Lord Jesus into your heart and life.  The next thing to do is develop a personal relationship with Him through spending time talking to Him (praying) and reading His Word (the Bible) every day.  As you begin to line your life up with the things He has taught in His Word, you will sense a nudging on the inside that you know lines up with His Word.  Such as:  If you tell a lie, you may remember that you read in God’s Word you should not lie, or if you gossip or talk about others, you may hear a “prompting” again that these are things you know are not pleasing to God by what you have read in His Word.  Lining your life up with God’s Word will empower you to know what you should and should not eliminate in your daily habits.

Side note: Just because you have accepted Jesus into your life as Lord, doesn’t mean that whatever you are thinking or feeling is from Him.  You have to yield to Him and let Him know that you want to get into agreement with Him.  God lead us through our daily walking in relationship with Him.  If you go through life obeying all the rules you read in the Bible, but never have a personal relationship with God, you will miss out on the purpose He has for your life. The other thing to watch out for is not doing things because you don’t feel like it or because it may not make sense in the natural world.  Feelings are fickle and because they can change so quickly, you cannot depend on them to lead your life. Things such as tithing, loving your enemy, or submitting to one another in love may not make sense to you in the natural, but they are spiritual laws that God has set up to bless you.  These are things that require faith and humility and may be uncomfortable to start.  However, when you act in faith on the Word of God that He leads you to, He will give you the grace to follow through and receive His blessings because you are following.

Lastly, hearing from God is a step of faith, and His Spirit’s ways will always line up with His Word.  If you are not sure God is leading you in a direction, ask Him for scripture to back up the direction you hear on the inside.  He will bring it to your thoughts or will lead you to it in your daily reading.  I promise you God is not trying to make it hard.  He sent us His Holy Spirit to help us have an advantage over the rest of the world and know the things He is leading us to.

Today, I want to encourage you to talk to God about “hearing” from Him or getting a “word” from Him on the inside, so you can begin to learn what His voice sounds like.  You can start by saying something like “I love you, my Father”. Then sit quietly and wait for a response on the inside.  Let Him know that you want to start living your life being led by His Spirit inside you. He will begin small, so if you act on it, you will have little risk if you hear wrongly.  Write down what you are hearing and review it often to reinforce and remember that He is leading you.  God is so good and He has given us a Helper to help us in this life.  Don’t ignore His leading, learn to listen to His voice on the inside, and He will guide your every step.

Today’s scripture reading: Romans 8:12-17

The Spirit of life

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.  Romans 8:11

Have you ever had days when you felt like you could use some life in your body?  Maybe you were worn out or stressed out?  Maybe you were feeling run down or contracted the latest flu symptoms?  Or maybe you just stayed up too late the night before and needed to catch up on some sleep?  Whatever the reason was, you were exhausted and needed a boost to keep you going.  It happens quite often in life and in reality our natural bodies have been dying since the day we were born.

However, there is some good news if you are a believer in Christ Jesus.  That news is that the same Spirit of God that raised Jesus from the grave also lives in you and gives you sustaining life.  What does that life include?  Things like eternal life, health, energy, strength and empowerment to complete your assignment.  Whatever it is that you need, the life of His Spirit has it for you.  When we call on our Father to heal or empower us, He is the One that enacts His Spirit within us to heal and empower and not just a little bit.  It is the same resurrection power that raised Jesus up from being a dead man to being a glorified man.

So why doesn’t my life always look like the life of the Spirit of God living in me?  Why do I sometimes feel run down and empty?  Why do I get symptoms and sickness?  Why don’t I always have strength, energy and empowerment?  Am I doing something wrong?  Well, the first thing to do is ask.  Ask the Spirit of God inside you to strengthen you, ask Him to empower and help you.  Just as you used your faith when you invited Jesus into your heart, you use your faith to receive the life that the Holy Spirit lives to give you.  When you received Jesus, nothing happened on the outside.  At least not right away, but over time, your life began to line up with God’s ways and God’s Word.  It’s the same when you ask for healing and restoration, you may not seem immediate results, but rest assured the answer is coming.  We serve and love the God who cannot lie, so if He says that His Spirit is inside of you giving you life, by faith, you believe it and receive it.  You may have to pray:  “Father, you said you have placed your life giving Spirit on the inside of me so even when I don’t feel Him, I believe He is there and He is at work.  Thank you for my healing and restoration now in Jesus’ name!”  Then every time you wonder why you don’t feel better or energized, just go ahead and thank Him again that He is working on it and you are by faith receiving that healing!

Today I want to encourage you to spend some time meditating on the life of God’s Spirit living on the inside of you.  Think about His unending love and goodness He has given you.  Remember that Jesus was in the tomb for three days before the life of the Spirit raised Him up, so it may take a little time for that life giving Spirit to show up in your natural circumstances.  Just remind yourself that it is coming and thank your Heavenly Father that His Help (the Holy Spirit) is on the way to rescue you from every affliction!

Today’s scripture reading: Romans 8:9-11

No condemnation

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.  Romans 8:1

No condemnation.  Think about that for a minute.  It reminds me of what Jesus said to the woman that was caught in the act.  John 8:10-11 says When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”   It didn’t matter to Jesus what she had done, He was not there to condemn her only to rescue her.  She didn’t even come to Him willingly, she was dragged there by a mob.  Jesus made sure she knew that He was not condemning her for her sin.  He also told Nicodemus in John 3:17 that “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world would be saved through Him.”

The passage here in Romans 8 has some qualifications for no condemnation.  They are:

1. You must be in Christ Jesus (born again, child of God)

2. Do not walk according to the flesh (rather walk by faith)

3. Walk in agreement with the Spirit of God (obedient to the Word and direction of God)

Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world, but the world was already condemned by its sin.  Jesus came to rescue us from that condemnation.  The very next verse here in Romans 8 says that the law of the Sprit of life in Christ Jesus makes us free from the law of sin and death. (condemnation)  Glory to God!

The problem is that because we are still in this world and around sin, so we often feel the weight of condemnation.  So what is the secret?  The solution is in your relationship with Him.  When you press into your Heavenly Father through your salvation in Jesus, He not only cleanses you from all unrighteousness, but He also leads you by His Spirit within you.  As you follow closely, you then have the confidence in your connection with your Father.  1 John 3:20 & 21 tells us that if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things. If it doesn’t condemn us then we have confidence toward Him.  The more time you spend focused on God and His plans, the less your heart will condemn you.  The more time you spend focused on yourself and your issues, the more you feel condemned.

Today I want to encourage you to take time to talk to your Father in Heaven.  Press into Him on a new level and ask Him to lead you out of any condemning feelings you may be having.  If you are feeling bad about yourself, ask Him for a renewed view of how precious you are to Him.  Get a fresh revelation that there is absolutely no condemnation to those who are God’s children who are led by His Spirit not by your senses.

Today’s scripture reading: Romans 8:1-8

Get it out!

I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.  Romans 7: 18-20

This is not an excuse to sin, but have you ever struggled like the apostle Paul talks about in this passage?  He says that he doesn’t do what he wants to do and he does what he doesn’t want to do.  This sounds like it should have a simple solution and really it does, however, it is not easy.  The passage says that the reason for doing what you don’t want to do and not doing what you want to do is because sin is living in you.  This is actually good news and the reason is because you can locate where sin is in your life easily and then get rid of it.  It is a little like when you get a virus in your computer.  You want your computer to do one thing, but it keeps doing something you don’t want it to do.  The reason is because you have a virus that is interfering with your desired outcome.

A simple life example is if you have trouble when you are around certain people controlling your language.  Whether it is bad words or bad talk (gossip, complaining or criticizing), the root of this issue is what you are allowing to enter into your heart.  I recognize that there are some times that you cannot control what you hear and what gets into your head.  The times when you are around ungodly people like at work, shopping or restaurants.  However, there are times that you can control it, but choose to let it in anyway.  These times include but are not limited to movies, music and social media.  So even though you don’t agree or don’t want to take part in these types of activities, because you tolerate them into your life they are being reinforced in your heart and sometimes they slip out your mouth.  You didn’t want to and in fact your will was not to, but you did anyway.  This does not mean that you are not a Christian anymore, it just means that you have a sin root in you that grew as you watered it with repeatedly hearing or seeing sin.

The good news is, that once you recognize that you continue to do something that you don’t want to do, you can begin to identify where it is coming from.  If it is using foul language, cut out all the areas that you have control over hearing foul/crude language.  If it is gossip and complaining, eliminate the influencers that are full of gossip and complaining and etc..  See what I mean?  It is a simple solution, but not easy to do.

Today I want to encourage you to start watching for the things you would do that you don’t want to do.  Once you identify one, turn it over to God and ask Him to help you to eliminate this habit.  He will help you, but you have a part to play.  The most effective way to eliminate sin is to replace its root with the Word of God.  Any area that you recognize as a negative influence, replace it with God’s Word.  Through reading, listening to or watching podcast or videos, you can easily fill that space with good and eliminate the sin working in you. In the same way, the actions that you do want to do, begin to strengthen them in your life by practicing them where ever you are. You can eliminate continual sin in your life, but you have to make changes to do it.

Today’s scripture reading: Romans 7:7-25

Harvest of good deeds

So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the One who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.  Romans 7:4

Something new was planted on the inside of you when you received Jesus as your Savior.  That seed began growing in you that day and has continued ever since.  It is more powerful than the seeds of darkness that once grew within you, so as it grows, it leaves no room for those old destructive seed habits that once overran your heart.  Now, you have the pureness of God’s love and goodness guiding and directing your life. As you spend time cultivating your relationship with Him, the seeds of His goodness and love are strengthened and growing in your heart.

This is good news and the key verse for today says that when we invited Jesus into our lives, we became united/joined together with Him.  The result produced His good works shared with others.  Now our lives consist of making a difference in the hearts of all those who come around us. 

The passage goes on to contrast our old way of living by sinful desires that produced sinful habits leading to death.  However, now in Christ Jesus we have been released from our sin nature and have been given newness of life that is directed by the Spirit of God.  It is the difference between darkness and the Light, Day and night.  Simply put: you once lived in blindness, but now in His salvation you can plainly see all things.  Glory to God!

Today I want to encourage you once again to press in closer to the voice of God’s Spirit within you.  Ask Him to make His path plain and clear to you.  Take authority of any interference that may be trying to distract you from following closely and take those steps of faith to reach out and share with those that He brings close to you.  Remember that all who come into your presence are entering the presence of God also.  Make sure that they can plainly see His heart by the way you give His love and goodness to them.

Today’s scripture reading: Romans 7:1-6

Who do you serve?

Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Romans 6:16

Pretty simple right?  This passage says that you are a slave to one or the other, but you do have a choice.  You can choose to live a sinful lifestyle until you die or you can choose to live a life of purpose and follow God’s plan which leads to a right relationship with your Father.  Oh, and there are benefits to obeying God.  I have said it before, but it bears repeating.  God doesn’t require obedience because He wants to control you, He requires obedience to get you to His blessed path.

Think of it this way.  If you are a child and your earthly father has a family business that is successful and flourishing, he would train you up in that vocation so that you could be successful in it too.  Your success is guaranteed because you follow the successful pattern that he has already developed.  You could say “No, I want to do something different with my life.”  Then you go out on your own and get a job with an employer.  Now you are learning that vocation and plan.  You may be successful in the job, but it will never belong to you.  You are a slave to an employer, not empowered by your father. 

If you choose a lifetime of sinful living and making your own path, your life will end in death and separation from your Heavenly Father for all eternity.  In contrast, if you follow His plan and become obedient, you will not only live forever with your Father, but you will be bringing others that you love with you.  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Today I want to encourage you to choose God’s plan for your life.  Get alone with Him each morning and receive the instruction He has for you that day.  Walk closely to Him through your day and check in regularly so you won’t miss the details.  His plan is step by step, day by day.  This is the way He gets to walk through life with you and bring you to the greatest success and fulfillment.

Today’s scripture reading: Romans 6:13-23

I ran out of that grave

Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  Romans 6:4

Newness of life.  When we received Jesus as Lord and Savior, we received new life.  This is where the phrase “born again” comes from.  We were dead in trespasses and sin according to Ephesians 2:5-6, but He made us alive together with Christ and raised us up together with Him. Now we are born from above and are a living spirit being not just a human being.

Today’s passage talks about being buried with Him through our baptism, and although we know we were not actually put in a dead man’s tomb with Him, we also know that all who are in Christ Jesus were raised up with Him at His resurrection.   Matthew 27:52 actually says that when Jesus raised up from the dead after three days in the tomb, the Old Testament saints also raised up from the dead and came out of their tombs.  This is the perfect picture of what happens when a person turns to God and receives His salvation through Jesus.

Now, this is the picture that the LORD showed me . . . Jesus taking my hand and the two of us walking out of that tomb together.  Just like the Old Testament saints came out of their graves, I came out also.  Even though I wasn’t on the earth yet when Jesus walked out of His tomb, when I received Jesus, I ran out of that grave with my LORD Jesus!!  Hallelujah!!  Jesus’ work covered the past, present, and future!  The past was the Old Testament saints, the present time covered the disciples and the saints of Jesus’ day, and the future is for us, those who are in Christ Jesus today!  Hebrews 10:10 says, “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (people, sin and time).”  So now, when I hear that I have been raised up with Christ Jesus, I remember this picture of me walking out of the tomb with Jesus, forgiven and free from the bondage of sin. I am washed clean by the blood of the Lamb and walking daily in His power and victory!

Today I want to encourage you to see yourself raised up with Christ Jesus and walking out of the grave of your dead past life and into the power of God’s grace that raised Jesus.  Get ahold of your position in Christ Jesus and the strength and authority He gave you to walk through this life in victory!  Then begin to thank God our Father for His supernatural provision through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son Jesus.  This revelation brings fullness of joy!

Today’s scripture reading:  Romans 6:1-12

Abundant grace

“Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,”   Romans 5:20

Let’s talk about sin for a minute.  There is no complex definition.  It is simply falling short of God’s glory. (Romans 3:23)  It is a condition we were born into because of the choice Adam and Eve made in the garden.  I know we like to think we don’t sin unless we break one of the big 10 (the Ten Commandments). But the reality is there were over 600 commandments given to Moses in the wilderness.  Well, this verse says that the law was given to make the offense abundant or more obvious.  In this way it is completely evident that we need to receive our Savior through God’s grace for the law to be fulfilled.  Without Jesus this is impossible.

The next part of the verse is utterly amazing!  It says that where there is an abundance or an overwhelming amount of sin, there is so much more grace available.  The definition of grace is having all sufficiently in all things and having it in abundance for every good work. (2 Cor. 9:8)  So we can conclude from this passage that by receiving God’s infinite grace, it makes up the difference of where we fall short from God.  Grace is God’s divine empowerment to complete His plan for your life regardless of the fallen world we live in. Glory to God!  His grace fills in all the places we are lacking.  Truthfully, I cannot put into words the greatness of God’s grace.  It is so much bigger than could ever be explained in our earthly language. Therefore, my final thought for you to consider would be: God’s grace is like a tidal wave, crashing over me, rushing in to meet me right where I am and filling in all the gaps where I lack in ability.

Today I want to encourage you to take some time to consider and ponder the grace of God.  How is it different than His love?  Then when you get some revelation about it, think even bigger.  God’s grace is eternal and without end!  No matter how big you can think, it is still bigger yet!

Today’s scripture reading:  Romans 5:12-21

God loves sinners

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5:8

God’s love.  It is unending, unlimited and unshakable.  Why does He want anything to do with me anyway?  Is it because I’m a good person?  No, I know that is not the reason, because I once was a bad person and He loved me then.  Is it because I go to church now and try to do good things?  No, because He still loved me after I’ve done bad things, too.  The truth is God’s love has nothing to do with something I have done or something any of us has done, for that matter.  It’s all about what He has done.  The first thing He did was make us in His image.  He created us (people) to be His family.  All people.  Next, He made a way to get His family/people back to Himself after we were separated from Him by sin.  What was that way?  The blood of Jesus.  Now, He can receive us back into a relationship with Him through our accepting Jesus and returning God’s love back to Him.

Today’s verse says God showed how much He loves us by giving Jesus as the payment for sin . . . Not after we received Him, but while we were still sinners.  So today, God doesn’t love me because I’m a Christian.  He loved me before I was a Christian, when I was still lost and without a Savior.  Jesus didn’t die for Christians, He died for sinners. The reason why He died for sinners was because God loved them then and He still loves sinners today.  It doesn’t matter how many good things you do; you cannot make God love you anymore than He already does.  Likewise, it doesn’t matter how many bad things you do, you cannot make God love you any less.  God loves people . . . all people!!  The difference between you, me, and the rest of the world is that we love Him back.  We decide each day to have a relationship with Him.  We decide each day that we are going to spend time talking and listening to Him and His Word.  We are the ones that decide that we are going to take the time to get to know God and His love for us.  It is up to us now if we are going to have a relationship with God.  If it were up to God, He would save the whole world, that’s why Jesus died for the whole world. (John 3:16) Jesus died for the whole world, but only some choose to accept His salvation.  However, God wants all His people back because He loves them all, even while they are still lost in their sin!

Today I want to encourage you to consider that there’s nothing you can do to make God love you more than He already does right now.  However, there is something you can do to be closer to Him.  You can spend time with Him, talking to Him, and including Him in your everyday life.  You can hang out with Him more each day and then share His love with other people that God wants to have a relationship with, and that’s everyone!

Today’s scripture reading:  Romans 5:6-11