
Fresh Mannaby Pastor Tim BurtWe have all seen it at some time, a person doing a magic trick. He takes the coin in his left hand. He squeezes and blows on it. He opens it, and the coin is gone. He opens his other hand, and there it is. That is called magic, the art of illusion. People attempt magic. God does not do magic. We don’t hand Him our problems where He takes them in His hand, squeezes and blows on them, and they are suddenly gone. That’s an illusion, but God is about SOLUTION.I hope you'd agree that many of the problems that we have experienced were self-inflicted. For example, marriage problems don’t just happen. We do things God's word and the Holy Spirit warn us not to do. I'm sure most of us don't disobey God defiantly, but we may listen more to our fleshly desires than following the impression of the Holy Spirit, who is trying to lead us. Regardless of our motivation or justification behind our disobedience, we create problems.

When problems turn into crisis situations, people often pray out of desperation. In those times, they are looking more for a magician than they are God. I say that because they want God to wave His wand and make their problems vanish! There are many charlatans in this world who offer illusionary solutions (for a fee), but God is not one of them. If problems are born out of our immature or dysfunctional character, God's solution is going to be to help transform our character while helping us through the situation we are presently in so that we don't end up in a repetitious cycle of doing the same wrong thing again and again. Oh, don't get me wrong. God's mercy and compassion are greater than we could ever know! He will help us in a multitude of ways to get to a better place, but beyond that, God is all about transformation! He is interested in transforming us—our hearts, our minds, and our emotions. He wants to align our thinking, how we speak, and how we execute life through the instruction of His Word and the help of His Holy Spirit. He wants to transform our attitudes and motives. He wants to help purge our selfish ways and teach us how to become a vessel of His love. He wants to teach us how to have a servant attitude so that we will become more conformed to the image of Jesus Christ—our role model in selflessness. Every word Jesus spoke leads to transformation. That doesn't mean becoming Mother Theresa. It means learning to prefer others over yourself from a sincere heart.And so, God is interested in more than helping us simply get rid of a problem that we've had a hand in; he wants to help us change to avoid the repetitions of the same problem—the same as you would want and do with your children! Having made us that way, He instructs us to become blameless.1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NIV) says, "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul (your mind and emotions,) and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." If you were anything like me when I first began to learn this scripture years ago, you might have responded, Blameless? Who me? I’m as close to blameless and holy as I am to Jupiter. That’s how I felt when I first read this verse. So, let me break it down.When you gave your life to Jesus, He made your spirit new. It was instantly transformed. The blood of Jesus washed your sins away, and God put a white robe of righteousness upon you. Isaiah 61:10(NLT) says, “I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For He has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in His wedding suit or a bride with her jewels.”Jesus washed your sins away and cleansed you from all sin in His eyes. He did that so you could come to Him again and again without feeling unholy and like a spiritual loser! What Jesus did for you is a gift. You can’t earn it. That robe covers your flaws. God knew you’d have flaws. He knew Satan had tried to corrupt your heart and destroy your life through sin! God knew that the transformation of your thinking, speaking, and behavior would take time. He purposed to cover you with this robe so that when He looked upon you, He’d see you washed and cleansed from sin by His blood—dressed in His robe of righteousness robe which He purchased for you with His shed blood. He forgave you of all your sins and then put this robe upon you when you gave your life to Him and became born again.Romans 5:9 (NIV) says, "Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him!"This is just the beginning of what God did so that you could break that cycle of thoughts and behaviors that lead to most of the problems we have. He made it so you could come to Him without guilt. Then you know what He did for you? I'll tell you next time in Part 2 of this devotional. But for today, know that God will help you with every problem, not like a magician who says Abracadabra, but like the compassionate, loving Father He is who will hold your hand, touch your heart, help you humble yourself yet keep you from beating yourself up, and give you wisdom, and walk with you to your solution! Part Two next time. In His love,Pastor Tim BurtIf today's Fresh Manna was a blessing to you, please hit the "LIKE" button below! And if you'd like to tell me why, I'd love to hear from you! Click here: FreshMannaFeedback

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