Malachi 1:14 “For I am a great King, says the Lord Almighty, and My name is to be feared among nations.”

You are the Lord Almighty.  The mightiest Warrior…the all-powerful King of Israel.  Your Rulership is over the entire universe.  By Your power,  You have created all things, and You stand ever ready to preserve their existence.  We thank You Lord for Your faithfulness, and stand in awe of Your total authority.

Malachi 1:7-8 ” You place defiled food on My altar. But you ask, ‘How have we defiled You?’ By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible. When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you? says the Lord Almighty.”

Leftovers.  For many, they’re not very appetizing.  So why  do we repeatedly offer them to the Lord ?  Those remaining bits and pieces of our time and money in a rather half-hearted attempt at devotion.  God doesn’t want our leftovers.  He wants our utmost.    He doesn’t want what’s left…He wants our very best.

In Christ Jesus…You are a citizen of Heaven.

In this upwardly mobile society, we move about a lot.  Sometimes out of necessity, sometimes for pleasure…and there’s times we find ourselves in places that are different, strange, and unlike what we’re accustomed to…and we feel uncomfortable…longing for our home.  As Believers, we’re foreigners  here on Earth…for our citizenship is in Heaven. (Phil. 3:20)  It’s no wonder then that we feel conflicted, uneasy and awkward…we’re just visitors here!

In Christ Jesus…You are more than a conqueror.

” I can’t do it.”  Do you know that’s music to Satan’s ears?  All he has to do is whisper, “You can’t do that.” and we usually cave in.  For doubt is the biggest culprit of our  disobedience to the Lord.  If we could somehow not only realize, but allow the concept to settle deep into our souls, that it’s God doing the work and not us, we would become invincible.  So the next time Satan is spreading doubt, remind him…I can do all things with the help of Christ, for it is the Lord, not me, working out His plan and purpose in my life…so back off Satan, and watch what God and I can do!

In Christ Jesus…You are a new creation in Christ.

In II Corinthians 5:17 it says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”   If Jesus dwells within you, you have been born again…a spiritual rebirth of a brand new person.  But we humans like to return to the comfortable and easy things of the past rather than step forward into activities  that are new, strange…and scary.  As a Believer, you can’t go back to your old person, for he or she  doesn’t exist anymore.  You can only move forward…for the plan and purpose of God is to make you into something you’ve never been before.

In Christ Jesus…You are complete in Jesus Christ.

Many of us walk around with gaping holes in our heart…holes caused from personal loss, trauma, or at the hands of someone else.  We frantically  search for things to fill these holes, but find nothing that lasts or gives us peace of mind.  Jesus Christ is the only person or thing that can make your heart whole again. For in Him,  you are made perfectly complete…lacking nothing… able to fully realize who you are in Christ.

In Christ Jesus…You are redeemed and forgiven.

Forgiveness.  For some that’s a hard word to accept.  They feel as if they need to “do” something first in order  to gain God’s pardon.   But to be forgiven by the Lord has nothing to do with us…for it is solely based on God’s unmerited love and mercy… His redemptive power working to heal and make us whole again.

In Christ Jesus…You are a loved Child of God.

When you receive Jesus into your heart and believe that He died for your sins, you are adopted into the family of God.  As Romans 8:16-17 states, “You have received the Spirit of sonship.”   Regardless of whether you had both parents, only one parent, or no parents at all when you were growing up…you have been adopted into God’s family…and in doing so,  have been chosen and legally named as a joint heir with Jesus.

Nehemiah 8:9 ” This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep. For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the Words of the Law.”

The Words of the Lord are powerful. They convict and lay bare the sin in our life and cause Godly sorrow.  This Godly sorrow leads to brokenness and repentance.  For every time we listen to the Word being spoken, it’s an  opportunity for the Lord to change us.

Nehemiah 8:2-3 ” So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. “

The Israelites had gathered together and asked Ezra to read the Law.  Many had never heard the reading of the Word, for they had been born and raised in Babylonian captivity.  The Lord had been faithful in rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem…He had miraculously  aided them in rebuilding the crumbled walls…but now it was time to rebuild His people.  The  Lord is wanting to rebuild His people again…to reclaim, restore, and re-establish  Believers for His glory.  Now is the time for you to break off the chains of captivity and allow God to begin a new rebuilding project in you.