Author: anthonyachilleos

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Jesus’ Patient Return

14th August

“And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in His sight. And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved…”.”

2 Peter 3:14-15a

Jesus is coming again. The scriptures are full of prophecies concerning this and even Jesus Himself said that He would comeback again to His disciples as He returned to Heaven after His resurrection. Yet so often we get complacent and impatient in His timing. We long for the day when He will return and finally remove our suffering, pain and sorrow. When we can be re-united with loved ones we have lost on the way. When we can speak face to face with God Himself. Yet that day is not yet…

Peter reminds his readers that one day in God’s timing is like one thousand years for us. In fact God is out of our time. He created time Himself. Peter reminds his readers that it is not that God is delaying His return because He is slow but rather because He is being patient.

“The Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” (v9)

God’s heart is only full of love. He is giving all people a chance to repent and come back to Him. He heart is that no-one will perish. He died for that very reason. However, the sad truth is many will reject Him, reject His truth and many will perish. We can hasten the speed of His return by sharing the gospel with as many people as we can. The world needs Jesus. They need His salvation. Moreover they can know about Him through YOUR life! Go and share His good news while there is time.

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Double Victory

13th August

“Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulphur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

Revelation 21:10

Although we should not underestimate the temporal power of the enemy, we should not either underestimate the power of Jesus Christ. In John’s revelation of what will happen in the ‘end times’ we learn that the devil will once and for all be defeated. Wasn’t he already defeated I hear you ask?

Yes he was, however, when Jesus was crucified on the cross and rose again, he defeated the power of death and sin and it’s strongholds on mankind. Jesus defeated the consequence of sin and the pain that sin brings. He took back the keys to the world that Adam so ignorantly gave to the enemy when he sinned in the garden of Eden. The enemy was defeated on the cross. Yet it was not a final death. His authority was relinquished and the power he had, limited, but he is very much still alive and active.

However his reign is will soon be over, his power is limited and his time will soon be done! In John’s revelation, we read that the devil’s time will finally be up. On the day of judgement, he and all his followers will be thrown into the lake of fire where they will burn forever. Finally defeated. All pain, sorrow, death, temptation, sin and everything else we associate with him, will be burned with him……Forever!!!

We have victory both now and eternally because Jesus bought it with His blood. We are on the winning. When we are with Jesus we can only win! In Him is only victory. Choose the winning side!

The Authority Of Christ
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The Authority Of Christ

12th August

“”Yes,” He told them, “I saw satan fall from Heaven like lightning! Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you!”

Luke 10:18-19

Yesterday we learnt that Jesus encouraged His disciples to rejoice, not in the authority of using His Name but in the fact that their names were written in the book of life. That is not to say that we should not rejoice in the victories gained in Christ, but rather rejoice in our salvation, the greatest victory.

However, it is important not to overlook the authority we have in Christ. That authority comes from Jesus and not of ourselves. In fact, Jesus was not just preaching an ideology, He was preaching a way of life. He saw first hand, the Father casting out satan because of his pride and arrogance. He was there. Our victory is not in some dead statue or carnal god, it is in the Living God who was and is and is to come. Because of the authority Jesus has, we can access that power and authority as part of our inheritance and because we are His children.

Yet His power and authority is not a game to be played with, but a tool to equip the believer with weapons to stand firm against the enemies schemes and tactics and to tear down his strongholds in spiritual realms. We are not supposed to go looking for trouble but when trouble comes, because of the authority we have in Christ, we can stand firm, call on His Mighty Name and see God’s power move.

If only we learned to live in His power more. We can access the very same power that rose Jesus from the dead, because that power lives in us too. Let us trust in His Mighty Name, call upon Him in times of trouble and know that the power of God is able to overcome all things.

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Knowing What To Rejoice In

11th August

“When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to Him,”Lord even the demons obey us when we use Your Name!”….“But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in Heaven.”

Luke 10:17, 20

Jesus sent out seventy-two of His disciples on a mission trip with the aim to heal the sick, spread the message of the kingdom of God and to make more workers for His kingdom. He anointed His disciples with power and encouraged them to bring peace wherever they went, if they were accepted.

When they came back they were over joyed at experiencing victory in the Spiritual realms and realising how powerful the Name of Jesus was in casting out demons. Yet Jesus reminded them that true joy was found not in spiritual victories but in knowing their position in Heaven.

Today we can know the fullness of what Jesus did for us on the cross and the victory that was won. There is and was no greater victory. It is because of that victory that we should rejoice. We should rejoice that we are called Children of God, that we can abide in His love and that whatever comes against us, we can remain secure and unshaken because our names are written in the Book of Life. It is the knowledge of how much we are loved and valued that helps us to rejoice in-spite of our circumstances and in the midst of storms. Gaining victories through Jesus’ Name is great, yet the greatest miracle is when your name was written in the Book of Life because of the Blood of the Lamb.

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Divine GPS

10th August

“O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.”
Jeremiah 10:23

The introduction of GPS in recent years has put a new spin on finding directions. Our phones, tablets, and dedicated GPS devices connect with orbiting satellites to determine where we are and tell us how to get where we want to go. We have to take the steps ourselves, but the directions come from over our heads.

This is not an entirely new idea, of course. The psalmist David said that God has ordained our days—and the steps in those days—before they come to pass (Psalm 139:16). Solomon wrote that “a man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). And the prophet Jeremiah wrote that “a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23, NIV, 1984). The point of these verses is not that God micromanages our individual steps through life. Rather it is the recognition that we need His help to find our way.

Our lives are not our own. We need God to guide our steps to walk us through this thing called life. Based on these verses, ask God to guide you today and every day. Divine guidance beats all others.

Today’s post is taken from Turning Point’s Daily Devotional

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Love is Contagious

8th-9th August

Weekend Edition

“We love each other because He loved us first. …. Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.”

1 John 4:19,21b

Love summarised is this: God loved us, we sinned. He gave Himself up for us because He loved us, we still sinned. He paid our price, when we were sinners. We accept God’s love, and now God looks at what Jesus did for us, rather than what we did wrong. Our position in Him is no longer a ‘sinner’ but a child of God, who is seated with Christ in Heavenly places. Our identity is not that of a ‘sinner’ but that of someone declared free and innocent of all wrong doing. Our debt has been paid, we are free to live without chains. In all of the above, what is there that we did to earn His love…. Actually nothing. Our only role is to accept it.

When we accept God’s love our attitudes change, our desires to want to please Him rather than ourselves change. Moreover, our love for others change. Why? Because we are so content in the love of God, because we know who we are and have accepted His love for us, it changes the way we view others. No longer do we see people we human eyes, but we see people through the eyes of Christ. If God so loved you and gave Himself for you, then God also loves the people you meet daily on the street, at home, at work, at school and even in the roughest parts of your community.

We loved God because He first loved us. We loved others because we are loved. We love ourselves because God does. The root is always God’s love. Our prayer: That we may know more of God’s love. That we would understand it more. Then we would experience it more. That we would live in His love. When we do, our who lives will radically change.

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Perfect Love Casts Out Fear

7th August

“Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this show that we have not fully experienced His perfect love.”

1 John 4:18

When we were children and did something wrong, we lived in fear from the consequences of our actions, the wrath and the imminent punishment we would face if we were found out. That awareness of our wrong-doing caused us to fear the imminent punishment that was waiting for us.

Do you carry that same fear into your relationship with God?

John tells us that God’s love for us is so much, that not only did He overcome all sin in His death and resurrection, but overcame all fear. Because we live in God and He lives in us, that fear is expelled by His love. However, the fear that we face comes from not fully understanding God’s love for us. If we know that we are fully forgiven for our sins, then we have no reason to fear God’s wrath.

There is a difference between the Holy Spirit’s conviction and that of human guilt and condemnation that we put on ourselves. The human guilt and condemnation causes us to fear the consequences of our actions. Yet if we are to fully comprehend the love Christ has for us, then we realise that even when we do sin, Jesus’ love is evermore present and His grace is evermore abundant.

Yes sinning is wrong and causes division in our intimacy with Him, but it doesn’t change God’s love for us. It doesn’t change that fact that we were brought at such a high price, with the body and blood of Jesus’ Christ. We are His children. His love doesn’t change for us when we do wrong. It is consistent. It is because of this consistent love that we have no need to fear. We can just pick ourselves up again, lean on His grace and kindness and abide in His love.

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Imitators Of Christ

6th August

“Imitate God, therefore in everything you do, because you are His dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered Himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.”

Ephesians 5:1-2

What is true love? Going the extra mile? Doing something you don’t want to do to make someone else happy? Or is it just being kind to everyone? Well you could answer all of the above yet the greatest example of love was Christ’s sacrifice for us.

Sacrificial love

Paul tells us in his wonderful writings, here in Ephesians, that Jesus offered Himself up as a sacrifice for us. That means that He surrendered every Heavenly privilege to come down to this earth as a servant. He gave Himself completely for our sakes. He gave Himself 100%. Even when we didn’t deserve it, He gave Himself up for us. Sacrificial love means loving without thinking about your own privileges, rights or what you can get out of it in return.

Un-conditional love

Jesus’ unconditional love meant that He loved us, even when we were sinners. In other words, He loves us no matter what we do, not expecting anything in return and without limit. His love flows from a bottomless pit. There is no end. If we are to love with that same love, then we need to understand God’s love for us and love with that same love. If we try and love in our strength, it will be conditional but when we love with Jesus’ love, we just keep on giving love. Jesus didn’t stop giving love even when He was being beaten or mocked. He just kept loving. That is our marker!

1 John 4: 12 tells us that although no-one has seen God face to face, He can be revealed through the love that is expressed in our lives. In fact it says that if God live in us, then the FULL expression of His love can be seen through us. That is powerful. Jesus is our standard. Let His full love be expressed through you.

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We Love Because We Are Loved

5th August

“This is real love – not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.”

1 John 4:10-11

When Jesus took our place on the cross, not only did He sacrifice Himself for us, but demonstrated how much God loved us, as He allowed His only Son to die for us. If that picture is too hard to understand, imagine this.

God Himself, came to Earth in the form of a human, the very people He created. He allowed Himself to give up His Heavenly rights and made Himself lower than a servant. He allowed Himself to be tempted in every way, for our sake’s to help us in our suffering and weaknesses, yet He was victorious because He never sinned. He allowed Himself to be ridiculed at the very hands of those He gave breath to. He gave up His right to defend Himself and allowed Himself to be captured in the garden of tears by one of His so called ‘friends’. He went through that so He could relate to us when we feel let down or abandoned. He was whipped, shamed, beaten and tortured. His body was broken and frail, yet all He could think about was you and I.

Furthermore, scripture tells us that it was His joy to endure the cross, because He knew that His sacrifice would mean that we could have a renewed relationship with Him. He even knew that years later, He would still be abandoned by those who call themselves His ‘friends’, yet He still choose to sacrifice Himself for those people too. He knew that people would deny He ever existed, yet yes, He still choose to die for those people as well. In fact, it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us. He didn’t wait until we would become good again. He showered us with His love, even when we were sinners.

Friends, if we have been so loved but such a great God with such great love, then let us accept His love, and love others with that same love. May the world see Jesus’ love through our lives.

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Our Confident Hope

4th August

“Therefore, since we have been right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has bought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.”

Romans 5:1-2

God’s love and grace is amazing. Once enemies, we are now children of God. Once sinners, we are now saved. We have been given the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ. And it is not because of what we have done, as if it was something that could be earned. It simply was and is a gift. A daily gift that you can have as much of as you want. Jesus’ love is limitless. We have been brought with such a high price that we now are seated in the very presence of God, in Heavenly places. Moreover, we are so blessed that God gives us the faith to receive and believe it. We are in Christ and He is in us. We stand in a place of undeserved privilege, yet can share in the blessings of His grace and glory as true children of God.

We now can confidently and joyfully look forward to Jesus’ return and to living eternally in future glory with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Yet while we are on this earth, we bear the responsibility of being His representative, spreading the grace and love of God, our Heavenly Father.

Wherever you are at today, know that God has so much love for you . No matter where you are, what you have done, God’s grace is a real today as it was when we He bled on the cross for our sins. It is because we have been brought with such a high price that we can boldly and confidently share in His love, accept His grace and abide in His presence.