“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” (Romans 12:1-3...

Receive the Holy Spirit and the Power to Forgive God wants us to live lives of forgiveness. We all must willingly choose to obey God and forgive any offense, from the smallest to the largest, no matter how much the devil tries to poison our thoughts with bitterness. This is often easier said than done, but God doesn’t expect you to do it on your own. You cannot forgive without the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s too hard to do on your own, but if you are truly willing, He will send the Spirit to help and enable you. You just need to be willing and humble and cry out to Him for help. In John 20:22, Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit!” His next instruction was about forgiving people. He’s saying the same thing to you. He wants to fill you with the Holy Spirit and enable you to forgive, but you have to ask and receive Him. If you are willing, God can give you the power to get rid of any bitterness and unforgiveness in your heart. Ask God to breathe the Holy Spirit on you so that you can forgive those who have hurt you. Prayer Starter: God, I am willing. Breathe on me and fill me with Your Spirit. I choose to receive the enabling power of the Holy Spirit and forgive. -Joyce Meyer: Promises a For your Everyday...

“The only-begotten Son of God came to this world to redeem the fallen race. He has given us evidence of His great power. He will enable those who receive Him to build up characters free from all the tendencies that Satan reveals. We can resist the enemy and all his forces. The battle will be won, the victory gained, by him who chooses Christ as his leader, determined to do right because it is right. – {HP 17.2} Our divine Lord is equal to any emergency. With Him nothing is impossible. He has shown His great love for us by living a life of self-denial and sacrifice and by dying a death of agony. Come to Christ just as you are…. Cast yourself wholly on His mercy. There is no difficulty within or without that cannot be surmounted in His strength.” – {HP 17.3}In Heavenly Places: Ellen G....

“If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. (KJV) ( Daniel 3:17-18 )   A lot of times we have our faith backwards. If God does XYZ, then I will believe. But these men had a powerful faith. Even if God didn’t save them from death, they still stood their ground. Why must we have conditions met before we will stick our neck out for God? It comes down to trust. Will you still trust in God even if it appears God didn’t come through?...

The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. (KJV) ( Psalm 103:8 ) The key to battling anger is fighting it away with unfailing love for others.  If you really love someone you will put yourself in the other persons shoes.  They too are a son or daughter of Christ and should be treated as such.  How long can you endure before you get angry? Challenge yourself to increase your tolerance for your anger....

A Love Born of Mercy “I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. Hebrews 8:12. God’s love for the fallen race is a peculiar manifestation of love—a love born of mercy; for human beings are all undeserving. Mercy implies the imperfection of the object toward which it is shown. It was because of sin that mercy was brought into active exercise. Sin is not the object of God’s love, but of His hatred. But He loves and pities the sinner. The erring sons and daughters of Adam are the children of His redemption. Through the gift of His Son He has revealed toward them His infinite love and mercy. God proposes cooperation with His frail, erring creatures, whom He has placed on vantage ground. On the one side there are infinite wisdom, goodness, compassion, power; on the other, weakness, sinfulness, absolute helplessness, poverty, dependence…. Man is given the privilege of working with God in the saving of his own soul. He is to receive Christ as his personal Saviour and believe in Him. Receiving and believing is his part of the contract…. The plan of redemption was arranged in the counsels between the Father and the Son. Then Christ pledged Himself to render an account for man if he proved disloyal. He pledged Himself to make an atonement which would unite every believing soul to God. He who lays his sins upon the substitute and surety … can unite with the apostle in saying: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.” “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 1:3; Ephesians 2:7). In His infinite love Christ devised the plan of salvation. This plan He stands ready to fulfill in behalf of all who will cooperate with Him. In their behalf He says to the Father, Do not impute their sins to them, but lay them on Me. Be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities remember no more. They have accepted My merits and made peace with Me…. My righteousness is theirs, and for My sake bless them with all spiritual blessings   from In Heavenly Places, by Ellen G. White. To download free books by Ellen G. White,...