Grow Devotes

“May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” I Thessalonians 5:23 NIV   In I Thessalonians 5:23 there is a Greek word used, “holoteles,” which means whole or complete. More specifically, it means “through and through.” The expression “through and through” in the English language describes one object...

 “Wilt thou be made whole?” John 5:6 KJV   In John 5 Jesus asked a deformed man, “Do you want to be made whole?” Jesus noticed the imperfection in the man, the part that was causing him disability, and asked if the man wanted wholeness for that part that was lacking. The man wanted the ability to walk. He gave Jesus his imperfection, and Jesus transformed that wanting part of...

“Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:4   What God created not only comes from Him; but it also continues to receive its life from Him. He is the source of all life, including you and me. We are complete when we are in a dependent relationship upon Him. The God that created us is a good God, a loving...

“…his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.” James 2:20 NLT   There might be an occasion where we think the right thing to do is to wait on God to move, but in actuality, sometimes God is waiting on us to make a move. In the second chapter of James, we see that our faith, by itself, is ineffective. The effectiveness of faith is...

“For the Lord God will help me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint…” Isaiah 50:7   When Jesus walked out to the disciples on the sea, Peter said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” Peter was asking for supernatural ability to do what his Teacher was doing. Jesus replied, “Come.” Peter stepped out of...

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28   There have been times when it seemed like my life was on hold. Even though God had given me a dream for the future, my situation did not appear to be moving forward. I questioned why God didn’t seem to be fulfilling His...

“…so He made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.” Jeremiah 18:4   God is faithful to take us into a new season of life, but there are times when preparation is necessary for us to move forward. Seasons of preparation occur throughout our life, preceding new levels in our relationships, influence, contributions, ministry or career. God has purpose in everything, including the...

“…where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” II Corinthians 3:17b   If a relationship is healthy, there is trust, and because of trust, there is liberty. When I trust you, I don’t feel the need to control you. Also, if our relationship is healthy, then it is full of life, and life produces what is good. It produces peace and security, blessing and grace, joy and favor,...

“…the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32   To have God’s freedom in our life, we need to recognize and observe boundaries that are pleasing to Him. Healthy boundaries are not meant to control us, but to cause us to live in freedom.    There are boundaries set in the Bible. In the Bible, God reveals Himself and the lifestyle that He fashioned us for, a lifestyle patterned after...

“…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run…” Hebrews 12:1   Some of the best advice I’ve heard was from a sassy preacher’s wife in south Louisiana. She was speaking to a group of women about getting free from a past offense. Her advice: “Build a bridge and get over it!” Her point was that freedom is sometimes as simple...

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free…” Galatians 5:1a (NASB)   What is a primary reason that a person doesn’t feel that they can be who they really are? Fear! Why can’t they do what they want to do? Fear! What holds them back from having what they want to have? Fear! What are we so afraid of that we let fear keep us from being ourselves?   ...

“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance…” Ephesians 1:11   “In Christ” is a term that describes our position of surrender to Jesus Christ, making us one with Him.  This coupling union makes it possible for us to be reconciled back into relationship with God.   In Ephesians 1:11, Paul writes that in our union with Christ, we have obtained an inheritance. An inheritance is a possession received after...

“[God] raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6   “In Christ” is a term that describes our position of surrender to Jesus Christ, making us one with Him.  This coupling union makes it possible for us to be reconciled back into relationship with God.    God made us to sit together with Jesus in the heavenly places. Obviously we...

“…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” II Corinthians 5:17   When the Bible mentions being “in Christ,” the reference is to our position of surrender to Christ, a spiritual position that makes it possible for us to have a restored relationship with God. It’s a family position with God as our Father, and with us...

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…” Galatians 2:20   “In Christ” is a term that describes our position of surrender to Jesus Christ, making us one with Him.  This coupling union makes it possible for us to be reconciled back into relationship with God. One aspect of being in Christ is through identification. Identification is when a person...