There are many great benefits to being in Christ.

But you won't enjoy them unless you intentionally and frequently remember them.

David demonstrates how to do this in Psalm 103. He commands his own soul to bless the Lord by not forgetting any of His benefits.

Your soul is your thoughts and attitudes. They need strong leadership from your spirit to remain in alignment with God.

Every time we begin to think on things contrary to the goodness of God or feel discouraged, we must instruct our souls, just as David did.

Bless the Lord, oh my soul! And forget not even one of His benefits!

He has forgiven all my iniquities and healed all my diseases. He has redeemed my life from destruction. In His great love, He pours out mercy on me.

He satisfies my mouth with good things. He renews my youth so that I soar over the storms of life like an eagle.

If you want to live in the benefits, you must take charge of your thoughts and attitudes.

Jesus said we can ask Him for anything, and He will do it.

So, why is it that we are so hesitant to ask?

Even when we do ask, we tend to minimize what we really want. We don't want to ask Him for too much because our extravagance might bother Him.

How foolish is that? The book of Ephesians verifies that our most extravagant thought doesn't even come close to the wonders of God.

There are plenty of people who will talk you out of asking big things from God. They have all kinds of religious-sounding reasons why it's not the right thing to do.

But it's time we heed the words of Jesus in their simplicity. Exalt His words over the fuss of everyone else.

In John 14:13, Jesus said, "You can ask for anything in My name and I WILL DO IT."

I've decided to take Him at His word. How about you?

Jesus said that you know the Holy Spirit.

The world, not so much. Not only can they not receive Him, but they can't even perceive Him.

But, as soon as you come to Christ, you know the Holy Spirit, because He is not only with you, but He is in you.

You do understand what this means, right?

The wisdom of God is in you. When you come up against a challenge, you already have the answer.

The power of God is in you. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is still working miracles through you.

How does this become reality in your life? Only by faith.

You can't wait until you feel like you know the Holy Spirit. You have to believe what John 14:17 says, regardless of your feelings.

You know the Holy Spirit. Jesus said you do, and He doesn't lie.

Righteousness, peace, and joy.

These three things permeate the kingdom of God. You cannot be in His kingdom and lack these things.

Sin is nowhere to be found in God's kingdom. Righteousness done run it off.

There's so much peace you couldn't fear if you tried. Not in God's kingdom.

You can't even be disappointed, discouraged, or depressed in God's kingdom because it is full of joy.

If the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached in a way that puts off righteousness, peace, and joy as an experience for heaven, you've heard an incomplete message.

These things are available to you right now through the Holy Spirit. All you have to do is believe what Jesus said more than your circumstances.

Say this, "I welcome and receive the Holy Spirit. And because I do, I have righteousness, peace, and joy in every circumstance."

Let’s pray for Israel, just as God commands us to do in His Word.

Father, thank you for Your commitment to Israel. It brings great joy for us to know that You are a covenant-keeping God. You never go back on Your promises!

I proclaim that the Lord is faithful to His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob! He is saving the remnant of Israel!

They didn’t recognize You the first time, but you are coming back. And this time, they will know You and be saved.

Father, I honor Your land and I honor Your people. You’ve saved them many times over, and You are doing it again.

Thank you for adopting us into the family through the blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ. We are humbled that You would make a way for us Gentiles to become Yours.

We bless Israel, our spiritual heritage. May they all be counted righteous through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Circumcision was a big deal to the early church.

It had been the sign of God's covenant with Israel for thousands of years. And all of a sudden, it was no longer required.

This caused intense disagreement even between the men who wrote the New Testament. Many were teaching that you still had to be circumcised, when that wasn't the case.

As far as I know, this is no longer a thing we argue about. But are there other things that we prioritize over the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Water baptism, speaking in tongues, the gifts of the Spirit... we can basically look at what separates the denominations to find out what we prioritize over the Gospel.

The ministry we all have is reconciling people to God, not making sure everyone agrees with our doctrine.

These other things are important, but only when the main thing has been established.

People must know that eternal life only comes to those who believe in Jesus Christ. And when you believe, the power of sin is broken as you receive the gift of righteousness.

All the other stuff is a bonus when we figure it out, but it should never cause division amongst those who now belong to Christ.