BEHOLD, I STAND AT THE DOOR AND KNOCK; IF ANYONE HEARS AND LISTENS TO AND HEEDS MY VOICE AND OPENS THE DOOR, I WILL COME IN TO HIM AND WILL EAT WITH HIM, AND HE [WILL EAT] WITH ME
(Revelation 3:20).

Be mindful to whom you open the door to your heart.  Know that your heart is vulnerable…susceptible to attack…easily hurt.

Therefore, listen carefully who is knocking at your heart’s door. Listen intently to the voice behind the closed door.  Give your full attention. Heed the words…and their intentions. Make sure it is the Lord Jesus, before you unbolt the latch.

BUT WHEN HE, THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH, COMES, HE WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH. HE WILL NOT SPEAK ON HIS OWN; HE WILL SPEAK ONLY WHAT HE HEARS
(John 16:13).

My Beloved, may you discern between the pure Voice of Truth of My Holy Spirit…and the empty voice of the father-of-lies.  Know that when the Spirit of Truth knocks, He will offer you Hope, Peace, and Joy.  He will never knock with a voice of despair.  Understand that when the Holy Spirit knocks, He will propose Light, Power, and Life.  He will never suggest darkness, powerlessness, and death.  When the Spirit knocks, He will set before you Wholeness, Holiness, and Wisdom.  He will never put forward brokenness, unrighteousness, and confusion.  He will not speak on His own, but will only speak what He hears from Jesus…and Jesus will only speak what He hears from Me, the Perfect Father.

HE WILL BRING GLORY TO ME BY TAKING FROM WHAT IS MINE AND MAKING IT KNOWN TO YOU.  ALL THAT BELONGS TO THE FATHER IS MINE
(John 16:14-15).

To whom have you decided to open your heart’s door? Who got permission to control YOUR heart, each moment of each day: the father-of-lies…or the Spirit of Truth?

Make a decision, today, from whom your heart is going to receive its counsel. Then, stick to your decision, daily, moment-by-moment, even when hopelessness tempts you to run away, when anger tempts you to blame others for you dilemma, and when fear tempts you to hide.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, help me to discern between Your Voice of Truth and the voice of deception from the father-of-lies. Help me to only take counsel from You, because what belongs to You belongs to the Perfect Father, the Most High God.

FOR THEY THAT ARE AFTER THE FLESH DO MIND THE THINGS OF THE FLESH; BUT THEY THAT ARE AFTER THE SPIRIT THE THINGS OF THE SPIRIT
(Romans 8:5).

Discern that your life is based on one of two purposes: the purpose to live according to your natural Self…or the purpose to live in accordance with the Spirit of Jesus. 

HE THAT COMMITTETH SIN IS OF THE DEVIL; FOR THE DEVIL SINNETH FROM THE BEGINNING
(1 John 3:8).

Know that the goals of these two purposes are opposing…conflicting…incompatible.  The natural Self is obligated to please the father-of-lies, but the Spirit is set to please the Perfect Father.  The natural Self obeys the OLD MAN, the set of negative, destructive conclusions instilled in our minds by the father-of-lies; the Spirit obeys the NEW MAN, Jesus Christ. The natural Self reacts to the negative, destructive OLD MAN conclusions through sinful defense habits and patterns of hiding, running to distraction and destruction, and blaming others. The Spirit contains the Truth of Jesus, and does not have to sin. Therefore, at any given moment in your life, you are living either to please the father-of-lies…or to please the Perfect Father.  There is no middle ground!

FOR THIS PURPOSE THE SON OF GOD WAS MANIFESTED, THAT HE MIGHT DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL
(1 John 3:8).

Understand that you need to make a choice, whether you are going to live your life according to your natural Self…and sin, or live your life according to the Spirit of Jesus, who was manifested that He might destroy the works of the OLD MAN conclusions in your spirit, soul, and body.

THEREFORE, BROTHERS, WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION…IF BY THE SPIRIT YOU PUT TO DEATH THE MISDEEDS OF THE BODY, YOU WILL LIVE
(Romans 8:12-13).

Whose works are being displayed in your life: the works of the father-of-lies…or the works of the Perfect Father?

Know your moment-by-moment choices: to live according to the natural Self and obey the OLD MAN conclusions…or to live according to the Spirit and allow Jesus to put to death these negative, destructive OLD MAN conclusions, instilled in your mind by the father-of-lies.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, how encouraged I am that I do not have to live my life according to the negative, destructive OLD MAN conclusions…and sin. How glad I am that I have a choice. Today, I am making that choice: to allow You to destroy the works of the father-of-lies in my life…to allow Your Spirit to put to death the conclusions that have controlled my spirit, soul, and body, so that I may live.

‘WHAT SHALL I DO, THEN, WITH JESUS WHO IS CALLED CHRIST?’ PILATE ASKED. THEY ALL ANSWERED, ‘CRUCIFY HIM!’
(Matthew 27:22).

 What do you do with Jesus, every day?

IT IS BECAUSE OF HIM THAT YOU ARE IN CHRIST JESUS, WHO HAS BECOME FOR US WISDOM FROM GOD
(1 Corinthians 1:30).

What do you do with Jesus when you are at wits end and there seems to be no answer to your problem and no way out?  Do you allow Jesus to become your Wisdom from the Perfect Father…or do you reject Him?

JESUS STOOD AND SAID IN A LOUD VOICE, ‘IF ANYONE IS THIRSTY, LET HIM COME TO ME AND DRINK’ (John 7:37).

What do you do with Jesus when you are thirsty: when you feel like an outcast, when you feel like nobody loves you, or when you feel that this life does not make sense?  Do you come to Him for a drink of His Hope, His Love, and His Truth…or do you push Him away?

WHEN JESUS SPOKE AGAIN TO THE PEOPLE, HE SAID, ‘I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. WHOEVER FOLLOWS ME WILL NEVER WALK IN DARKNESS, BUT WILL HAVE THE LIGHT OF LIFE’
(John 8:12).

What do you do with Jesus when the darkness of despair closes in around you—when you feel there is nothing left to live for?  Do you invite Him to shine His Light into your darkness…or do you refuse Him?

FOR IF, BY THE TRESPASS OF THE ONE MAN, DEATH REIGNED THROUGH THAT ONE MAN, HOW MUCH MORE WILL THOSE WHO RECEIVE GOD’S ABUNDANT PROVISION OF GRACE AND OF THE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS REIGN IN LIFE THROUGH THE ONE MAN, JESUS CHRIST
(Romans 5:17).

What do YOU do with Jesus?  Do you receive Him as your abundant provision of Grace when your weaknesses threaten to take over?  Do you receive Him as your Gift of Righteousness to reign over your jealousy, animosity, and rage? Do you receive Him as your Savior to reign over your depression…your fear…your confusion?  Or do you crucify Him?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I receive You as my Drink of Living Water. I accept You as my Wisdom from the Perfect Father. I invite You to be my Light in my present darkness. Lord Jesus, be my abundant Provision of Grace when I feel like an outcast.  Be my Gift of Righteousness in my sin.  May I reign in life through You.

AND HE WHO SEARCHES OUR HEARTS KNOWS THE MIND OF THE SPIRIT, BECAUSE THE SPIRIT INTERCEDES FOR THE SAINTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH GOD’S WILL
(Romans 8:27).

The Perfect Father cares about your heart.  He cares about the abandonment that lives there, the betrayal that hurts so much, and the rejection that was so unfair.  He knows about the scar of shame—that painful emotion caused by guilt and the feeling that you are fatally flawed.  He cares about the anxiety that lives in your heart—that fearful concern about the future.  Believe that your Father cares so much about your heart that He sent His Light, Jesus Christ, to shine in your heart when the darkness—the guilt, the confusion, the bitterness, the jealousy, and the sadness—threatens to take over

FOR GOD, WHO SAID, ‘LET LIGHT SHINE OUT OF DARKNESS,’ MADE HIS LIGHT SHINE IN OUR HEARTS TO GIVE US THE LIGHT OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GLORY OF GOD IN THE FACE OF CHRIST
(2 Corinthians 4:6).

The Perfect Father knows about your struggle against the father-of-lies…and He did something about it. He sent His Son, Jesus, to overcome the father-of-lies and his lies.  Furthermore, He provided you a Helper, the Holy Spirit, to intercede for your heart, daily—to intervene between your heart and the negative, destructive beliefs of the father-of-lies…if you invite Him into these beliefs.

I HAVE TOLD YOU THESE THINGS, SO THAT IN ME YOU MAY HAVE PEACE. IN THIS WORLD, YOU WILL HAVE TROUBLE. BUT TAKE HEART! I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD
(John 16:33).

When you pray, allow the Holy Spirit to pray through you, according to God’s Will. If you let Him, He will search your heart and pray to the Father through you, according to what you need. He will address the abandonment, the rejection, the shame, and the condemnation that live in your heart. If you allow Him, He will intercede for you, so Christ’s Light might enter your heart and drive out the dark beliefs of the father-of-lies.

PRAYER: Lord God, I invite You into the troubled spots in my heart.  Teach me how to trust in You: to rely on Your Truth…to lean on Your Love…to abide in Your Hope. Shine Your Light on the darkness in my heart, so it would flee in the Light of Your Glory.

YOU, HOWEVER, ARE CONTROLLED NOT BY THE SINFUL NATURE BUT BY THE SPIRIT, IF THE SPIRIT OF GOD LIVES IN YOU. AND IF ANYONE DOES NOT HAVE THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST, HE DOES NOT BELONG TO CHRIST.  BUT IF CHRIST IS IN YOU, YOUR BODY IS DEAD BECAUSE OF SIN, YET YOUR SPIRIT IS ALIVE BECAUSE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.  AND IF THE SPIRIT OF HIM WHO RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD IS LIVING IN YOU, HE WHO RAISED CHRIST FROM THE DEAD WILL ALSO GIVE LIFE TO YOUR MORTAL BODIES THROUGH HIS SPIRIT, WHO LIVES IN YOU
(Romans 8:9-11).

Believe that if you have accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior, the Spirit of God lives in you, and your spirit has been made alive by God’s Spirit.  God’s Spirit has imbued your spirit with His Righteousness.

THEREFORE, BROTHERS, WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION—BUT IT IS NOT TO THE SINFUL NATURE, TO LIVE ACCORDING TO IT
(Romans 8:12).

However, although your spirit is made alive by God’s Spirit, your mind and the rest of your body is dead because of sin still living in it.  God controls your spirit, but it is up to you whether you will let Him control your mind, your emotions, and your actions and reactions through His Spirit, as well.

FOR IF YOU LIVE ACCORDING TO THE SINFUL NATURE, YOU WILL DIE; BUT IF BY THE SPIRIT YOU PUT TO DEATH THE MISDEEDS OF THE BODY, YOU WILL LIVE, BECAUSE THOSE WHO ARE LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD ARE SONS OF GOD
(Romans 8:13-14).

Know that you have a daily choice: to either submit your mind, emotions, and actions to God’s Spirit who lives in your spirit, or to submit your mind, emotions, and actions to the OLD MAN victim nature.

What will it take for you to allow the Spirit of God to take control of your whole spirit, soul, and body and therefore be led by His Spirit, in your mind, your emotions, and your actions and reactions?

PRAYER: Lord God, I authorize Your Spirit to lead the thoughts in my mind, to lead my emotions, and to lead my actions and reaction, because those who are led by Your Spirit are sons of God.  Be my Righteousness.  Be my Holiness.  Be my Wisdom. Bring my whole spirit, soul, and body in line with Your Spirit.

IT IS FOR FREEDOM THAT CHRIST HAS SET US FREE. STAND FIRM, THEN, AND DO NOT LET YOURSELVES BE BURDENED AGAIN BY A YOKE OF SLAVERY
(Galatians 5:1).

Know that it is for freedom that the Lord Jesus has set you free: freedom from helplessness…freedom from hopelessness…freedom from powerlessness…freedom from shame…freedom from guilt…freedom from fear…freedom from abandonment…freedom from unworthiness…freedom from condemnation…freedom from sin…freedom from believing that you are a bad person…freedom from rejection—FREEDOM FROM YOUR YOKE OF SLAVERY!

FOR THE LORD GIVES WISDOM; FROM HIS MOUTH COME KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
(Proverbs 2:6).

Beautiful One, allow My Counsel into your heart, then My Wisdom will set you free from the negative belief that you do not belong. Invite My Holy Spirit to renew your mind, then My Power will set you free from the oppressing belief that you do not count. Allow My Perspective into your thoughts, then My Truth will set you free from the accusatory thought that you are a lesser being. Throw your arms wide open and receive the freedom that I, Christ Jesus, hold out to you, Child.  Then, stand firm in this freedom, and do not allow the father-of-lies to lure you back into the yoke of slavery with his beliefs of condemnation, abandonment, rejection, and shame.

SO IF THE SON SETS YOU FREE, YOU WILL BE FREE INDEED
(John 8:36).

Are you burdened with a yoke of slavery? Are you inundated with fear? Are you ruled by depression? Are you submerged in shame? Are you scorned by rejection?

Know that the Lord Jesus can set you free from ANYTHING! All you need to do is invite His Presence and Participation into your yoke of slavery.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You are the Alpha and the Omega, the Light of the World, the King of Kings, the Author and Finisher of my faith, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the Prince of Peace, my High Priest. Nothing is impossible for You. I invite Your Presence and Participation to set me free from my yoke of slavery, even today.

MAY YOU EXPERIENCE THE LOVE OF CHRIST, THOUGH IT IS TOO GREAT TO UNDERSTAND FULLY. THEN YOU WILL BE MADE COMPLETE WITH ALL THE FULLNESS OF LIFE AND POWER THAT COMES FROM GOD
(Ephesians 3:19).

I live in the mountains and I love to take a walk each day on one particular dirt road that forms a complete circle.  During my walk, I always talk to God about everything and everyone in my life.  Sometimes I have specific questions for Him.  Sometimes I feel hopeless, lonely, or angry.  Sometimes I talk to God about a perturbing perception.  Sometimes I walk around the whole circle crying.  Sometimes I laugh and rejoice.  Whatever happens in my life, I share it all with God on my walks around the circle.

Do you know what?  I have noticed that the Lord Jesus has been walking with me around this circle of dirt road and giving me His Understanding, so I might know Him who is true.  There is this one particular spot in the circle where Jesus addressed my condemnation—where He clothed me with His Righteousness.  Then, there is the other spot where He addressed my shame—where he promised me that He + I = ENOUGH.  Then, there is the spot where He just embraced me with His Presence when I was going through the valley of the shadow of death.  On another spot, He addressed my rejection and crowned me with His Acceptance and Honor.  The whole circle is marked with spots where the Lord Jesus met with me.

I have EXPERIENCED the Love of Jesus on my walks, although it is too great to understand fully.  With each EXPERIENCE of His Presence, I have come to know Him better. Thus, He has been making me complete with all the fullness of Life and Power that comes from God.

WE KNOW ALSO THAT THE SON OF GOD HAS COME AND HAS GIVEN US UNDERSTANDING, SO THAT WE MAY KNOW HIM WHO IS TRUE
(1 John 5:20).

Have you experienced the Love of the Lord Jesus in your life, even though it is too great to fully understand?

If not, I encourage you to choose a special spot, somewhere, to communicate with Him, daily, about everything and everyone in your life.  Start where you are with your feelings of disappointment, loneliness, and despair.  Soon, by getting to know Him who is true, you will experience the Love of Christ in your heart, and you will be made complete.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I desire to walk with You through this life to experience Your Love when I feel forsaken, rejected, and condemned. I yearn for Your Embrace when I go through the valley of the shadow of death, so I may know You. I long to be made complete with all the Fullness of Life and Power that comes from God.

IF YOU THEN, THOUGH YOU ARE EVIL, KNOW HOW TO GIVE GOOD GIFTS TO YOUR CHILDREN, HOW MUCH MORE WILL YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN GIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT TO THOSE WHO ASK HIM!
(Luke 11:13).

Precious Child, today, I want to remind you that I have sent you a Gift—My Holy Spirit. I want you to know that My Holy Spirit can do something very supernatural. He can make things that are dead come alive. He can change your darkness into Light, your brokenness into Wholeness, and your guilt into Blamelessness.

THE [HOLY] SPIRIT MAKES ALIVE
(2 Corinthians 3:6).

What need do you have, today, that needs the supernatural touch of My Gift, the Holy Spirit?  Is it hopelessness, helplessness, or powerlessness? Is it sadness? Is it confusion? Is it bitterness?  Maybe you need love for someone you have not been able to love.  Maybe you need to forgive someone you have not been able to forgive.  Maybe you need patience for the people in your life…or for your circumstances. Understand that the father-of-lies has come to kill you, steal from you, and destroy your heart from the inside out. But My Holy Spirit has come to make you alive, no matter how bad your circumstances are, no matter how bad the damage in your heart is, and no matter how black your darkness is. Will you receive My Gift, today?

NOT THAT WE ARE SUFFICIENT OF OURSELVES TO THINK ANY THING AS OF OURSELVES; BUT OUR SUFFICIENCY IS OF GOD
(2 Corinthians 3:5).

What is there in your life that is dead—that needs the touch of the Holy Spirit, in order to come alive? Name it and then ask the Holy Spirit to work His supernatural Life in your heart and life.

PRAYER: Perfect abounding Father, I thank You for Your Gift, the Holy Spirit, who came to make alive in me what is dead. Thank you that You did not abandon me here on earth to deal with life and death on my own.  How encouraged I am that Your Holy Spirit can do what I am not able to do.

Perfect Father, I am not adequate in myself, but my adequacy is from You. I need the help of Your Holy Spirit, every day, every hour, every moment. Come into my heart, Gift of God, and change my darkness into Light, my brokenness into Wholeness, and my guilt into Blamelessness.

Holy Spirit, come and create Love in my heart for those I have not been able to love.  Create Forgiveness in my heart for those I have not been able to forgive.  Create Patience in me, so I can deal with the difficult people and circumstances in my life. Make alive what is dead in me.