Most of us eat every day, some of us too much because yesterday's food
is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do some
of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manner the word of God to keep us
through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change all of
that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need to live
healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host, author
speaker l David Harris. Good morning, Good morning, Good morning. It
is Wednesday, July nineteen, twenty twenty three. Hello, my name is
Lle David Harris. I am your host, and this is your Daily Portion
where we give you God's word every single day, and today is no exception.
We are continuing in our Lesson study series through the Book of Ephesians.
Our caption for today is now blessed forever by Grace. Now blessed forever Grace.
We'll get into that in just a moment, but first I'd like to
say welcome one, Welcome all, and ask you to go over to your
Daily Portion dot com. If you've not already done so, join our online
community. That is where you can ask your questions concerning the Word of God
regarding the lesson. You can share testimonies, prayer requests, and we just
have a good time in the space when you are asking and sharing. Right,
so I speak to you, I share for these ten minutes, and
then in that community where you have follow up questions and whatever I just describe.
That's where we live seven days a week, twenty four to seven.
You see. Also, please pick up the Your Daily Portion book at your
Daily Portion dot com and we can grow in faith and fellowship together. Let's
go ahead and pray, and then we will get underway. Father and Heaven,
thank you for giving us this new morning and the blessing of being called
by your name, and for the journey that we are experiencing into grace and
salvation. Please teach us to love you with everything we have in our In
Jesus name, I pray, Amen and Amen again, now blessed forever by
grace. I don't know if you have been paying keen attention to the journey
to reach this place yesterday what was it called yesterday? My memory is failing
me. Now resurrected, ascended and exalted with Christ, we're working in reverse
and before that once deluded by our own desires. And then before that it
had to do with being deceived by the enemy. And so now God is
leading us on a pathway to say, you are not alone. You do
not have to be a victim. You do not have to succumb to your
humanity, You do not have to succumb to the temptations of the devil.
You can be saved by grace through faith. But that's not of yourself.
It's not of yourselves, right, it is not of works, lest anyone
should boast. So we have the privilege of being blessed forever by God by
grace through faith. So I'm going to read now from the Book of Ephesians,
chapter one and again. Since we're going through the book and we're pacing
ourselves, you will hear certain passages over and over again, because repetition does
what deepens impression. Okay, and so beginning at verse three, chapter one,
blessed be the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who
hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. I haven't
asked you this lately, but where do temptations have their power? Just be
honest, be honest. See, remember the Bible says that that in started
in heaven in the bosom of Lucifer, who became Satan, and the dragon
right that old serpent like. So it started in heaven. The war broke
out, and then Jesus Mikael in the language of revelation, so he and
the devil and their angels they had a war, and there was no place
found in heaven for the devil and his angels. So Jesus and his angels
kicked the devil and his angels right out of heaven. And the Bible says,
woe unto the inhabitors of the earth and of the sea, because the
devil is has come down unto you, having great wrath. And so that
means since he said before that, rejoice ye heavens, and ye that dwell
therein because the devil's gone, that means I'm coming back. It's full circle.
Now. That means that if we are seated with Christ Jesus in heavenly
places, and prayer does not bring God down to us, but us up
to God. If that is the case, and indeed it is, then
when temptation has power over us, it is because we have not allowed ourselves
by faith to be in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. We have not allowed
ourselves we have become earthly. We have allowed the moments of trials and temptations
to bind our feet to planet Earth. When God is saying come up a
little higher, you can come up through prayer. He said also that when
we praise him, he inhabited the praises of his saints. And so we
praise God, we enter into worship, we pray. We are taken up
to God, and He is not brought down to us. And we're talking
about spiritually speaking. So please, I don't need any text messages or emails
to say, what did you mean, Dave? Did you mean that like
physically? I'm not talking about that. I am saying that God positions our
mindset. He positions us from a power perspective, perspective connecting with God,
so that temptations lose their sway. There's a song we sing it in church
all the time. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful
face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of
His glory and grace. So we understand now let's keep going Verse four of
Ephesians chapter one. According as He hath chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be what holy and without blame before Him
in love. So standing before God in judgment is not supposed to be a
place of trepidation. God is holy, He is just, He is good
one hundred percent of the time. He is a consuming fire like He is
the holiest of all. Blessed be his name. But you know what God
created us in his image and in his likeness. Do you know what else?
He created us for his glory? Do you know what else? He
never intended for anyone to sin? And therefore this plan of salvation, where
He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places with Christ Jesus,
he is now positioning us to that place, that space, that reality,
eternal reality that he had in mind from before the world was. And what
place was that that we would be without blame in him? Ah? What
was that place? That we should be holy? Fully holy, just like
he is. The Bible says that we are to be holy for the Lord,
our God also is holy. It didn't say also, I just added
that for the Lord, our God is holy, so be holy. Because
he's holy. Let him be the cause of your holiness. If you are
King's kids and you are. If I am a king's child and I am,
that means this is the only outcome that is acceptable. Keep going Ephesians
chapter two and verse seven, that in the ages to come, he might
show God wants to manifest in the universe, that he might show he wants
everyone to see what his intent was from before the world was that he might
show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness to ord Us through Christ
Jesus. And that's the end of the passage there. We never graduate from
grace. I can hear now my younger brother, he's not my brother,
but he's a brother in Christ, right, Pastor doctor Myron Edmunds basically saying
something like what we're reading here like, we do not graduate from grace.
We do not graduate from grace. Everything is about grace. If we're going
to be said, everything is about grace. If we're going to overcome those
challenges in our marriages, right, everything is about grace. If we are
going to understand what God's intent is for us, Everything is about grace.
If we will overcome those bad words and those nasty habits, and those addictions
to alcohol and other chemicals. Right, if we are to become kinder and
gentler to our children. It's all about grace, and we never graduate from
this. God wants to demonstrate to the universe. And I'll read you a
quote tomorrow with the Lord's Spair's Life to men and to angels, that God
is revealing his character through us through Jesus Christ. Peace. Thanks for joining
us listening. Friends. Always remember we cannot live by bread alone, but
by every word that comes from the mouth of God. This has been your
daily portion with l David Harris. Make it a great day.