Day 07 “But the human tongue can be tamed by no man. It is restless (undisciplined, irreconcilable) evil, full of deadly poison.” – James 3:6 Many times when we think of the words we speak, we tend to think about how they affect others. But what about the things we...
“But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life!”
– Jude 1:20-21
John 14:16-17 (AMPC)
16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever—
17 The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you {constantly} and will be in you.
This book of the Bible is a letter that applies to our lives today. It talks about the great apostasy, which is the abandonment of the faith. Jude is warning against being driven away from the truth of God’s word and falling into a sinful life. It is something that we each have to be aware of and protect ourselves from. In Jude 1:20, we are reminded to “carefully build yourselves up… by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love.” There are a few key words in this scripture that give us clear direction on how we can protect our hearts from being turned from God. We need to carefully build ourselves up. This is an intentional action. Some synonyms for carefully are thorough, precise, vigilant, and watchful. We need to be thorough, precise, vigilant, and watchful as we build ourselves up in the faith. The way we do this is by praying in the Holy Spirit. We know the importance of the Holy Spirit, because Jesus tells us in John 14:16-17 that the Holy Spirit will be with us to help us. Praying in the Holy Spirit is uplifting to our spirit and will help us stay on track in our walk with God. Doing all of this keeps us, as another version says, “in step with God’s love.” As we live in times where others are fearful, anxious, depressed and lost, we stay in step with God’s love, which casts out all fear! Stay in step with God’s love today and you will be blessed in everything you do.
What are some key ways that you can build yourself up in the faith?