I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
The Kingdom of Light
When we talk about the gospel of Jesus, we most often talk about Jesus’ crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection. As Christians, these are the truths that we believe in that grant us salvation, and are an important part of the New Testament message.
But there is more that happens behind the scenes of Jesus’ death. Paul unpacks some of those things in the letter he writes to the Colossian church.
Through his resurrection, Jesus conquered the evil supernatural powers that oppose God. Jesus proved Himself victorious over death and darkness—they cannot defeat Him or overthrow His Kingdom.
This is why Paul says that we have been rescued from the dominion of darkness. Before we were part of God’s family, we were held captive in darkness by our own way that opposed God. In fact, later in the same chapter of Colossians, Paul says:
"Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior."
Colossians 1:21 NIV
However, since Jesus conquered death and was victorious over the kingdom of darkness, we too are rescued and freed from our old ways as well. We are forgiven in Christ and given a new life in God’s kingdom–this is what Paul calls "redemption."
Death has no dominion over us, if we accept the life Jesus freely offers to us.
We are now called a new creation in Jesus, and the Spirit of God dwells within us, guiding us toward what God planned for us.
Take a moment to consider the greatness and goodness of Jesus. Thank Him for all that He has done for you, specifically for making a way to have a relationship with Him, free from your old ways.
What steps can you take today to continue to walk in the kingdom of light rather than the kingdom of darkness?
Power, Love, and Discipline
One of the miracles of salvation is that when we have faith in Christ, God not only saves us—He also gives us the power to live according to His will. Your life in Christ is one that is empowered by the Holy Spirit living within you.
This is a great gift, but a big shift. It often takes time to change how we think and act. We may have bad habits that take hard work to correct, or patterns of thought that are challenging to break.
Thankfully, God promises to be with us and to empower us to make these changes in our life. When Paul is writing to his mentee Timothy, he encourages him to continue to develop the gift that God has given to him. While we are saved in an instant, it takes a lifetime to develop and work out what God is doing inside of us.
Paul reminds Timothy that God’s Spirit does not give us fear or cowardice. Those things are tools of the devil who is trying to keep us from God. But the Spirit of God empowers us with confidence in Him. He gives us the ...
