It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. Proverbs 25:2

Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

The Process of Spiritual Growth II – Truth Trusted and Accepted.

Once the truth of God’s word is revealed to us then a decision will be made whether to trust this truth or reject it.  God’s word is truth regardless if we believe it or not. Our decision does not take away the truth of God’s word. Nonetheless, it is our choice to accept and trust God’s truth or reject it and remain in darkness according to a fallen system. 

Our actions are based on what we accept and trust as truth. Though our words may say one thing, our actions will reveal our true heart.   God tells us His word is truth and we are responsible for what we do with His truth. When we acceptGod’s word as truth then we are to trust and live a life of faith based on His truth. Much of God’s word goes against the grain of what we have experienced in this fallen world system. It takes acceptance and trust in the God’s truth and His love for usto stand, when the whole world is screaming lies and hatredagainst it. 

Isaiah 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’ ”NKJ

Jeremiah 17:7-8 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,And whose hope is the Lord.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green,And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit. NKJ

The truth of God’s word often sounds so foreign to our minds because it is a different way of living and thinking than what we have been taught or accustomed to. Therefore, we must conscientiously and persistently seek God’s word and decide to change our perspective to accept and trust that He is who He says He is, the Almighty God, that His word is true and He is able to perform all that He has promised. 

Romans 4:20-22 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.  And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

Often times the word of Jesus is a hard saying and not everyone can accept it. That is why we must first decide if we believe Jesus is the Son of God and to acknowledge His words as truth. Only then are we able to trust and accept the sayings of Christeven though we may not fully understand or comprehend the whole context of His word. 

When Jesus told the people that they would have to eat His body and drink His blood, many of his disciples turned from Jesus, this was a hard saying. In their minds Jesus was asking them to do the unthinkable, to become cannibals, which was repulsive to them and many were offended by what He said. 

John 6:53-54 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 

John 6:60-61 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? 

Some disciples were offended by Jesus’ words because they refuse to trust His sayings as truth but they leaned unto their own understanding, experiences and teachings. Jesus explained to them that His words were spiritual and yet they refused them. They were still living in their carnal mindset, refusing to transform the way they think or to accept and trust the word of Jesus. 

John 6:63-64a It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.”

Many of Jesus’ disciples turned from Him because they could not understand the spiritual principal Jesus was giving and though they had seen His miracles they rejected His truth because their natural minds could not comprehend or understand His saying.  But the disciples who were close to Jesus knew Him enough to trust His word though they did not understand it. There will be times that we must believe and know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God and rest in that truth. 

John 60: 66-69 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.   Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Even though Jesus told the people He was speaking of the spiritual, many left Him. They were using their old mentalityand interpreted the word of God’s truth by it. All they knew was what they had been taught by a fallen system full of lies, where Satan is the father of lies and blinded their eyes to the spiritual truths of Christ teachings. 

There is a spiritual realm that we cannot see and yet we participate in this spiritual realm because we were created with a body, soul and a spirit in the likeness of God that we may commune and fellowship with Him in all three parts of our triune being.  The spirit of mankind died when they sinned in the garden, but Jesus came that our spirits may be renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit and we can understand God’s spiritual truths. 

We should never limit God only to what we know or see. No matter how much knowledge or how many degrees one may have, they can only obtain a certain degree of knowledge. No matter how much or how hard they study it is still a degree of knowledge, they will never have a total knowledge or becomeall-knowing.  There is only one Omniscient and Omnipotent, Jehovah God, that is our Father who sent His Son Jesus to be wisdom for us.  

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. NKJ 

John 6:63-64a It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe.”  NKJ

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with:

The Process of Spiritual Growth in God: Truth Revealed, Trusted and Tested

There is a process to spiritual growth in God’s word, a truth is revealed, a truth is received and accepted and then that truth is tested. God has given us His word and the Holy Spirit to instruct and guide us in all truths.  Then it is a matter of us receiving that information and trusting it as truth and then making applications and walking it out by faith when those truths that we have accepted are tested in our lives. 

God has given the Holy Spirit to lead, guide and to teach ustruth and the ways of His kingdom. With any learning, it is a process of information, instruction and application. Jesus is the truth of God’s word and the Bible was given to us for information that we may know who God is and the purpose of our being, which is to reflect His glory. 

John 13:25-26 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.  

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Often times the truth of God’s word seems to go against much of what we have known, experienced naturally or have been taught by this fallen world system. This sometimes makes it difficult to release what we have been taught or how we feeland often times it is because of pride and self-importance. When people are wronged it is natural for them to want to get revenge or to hate those who have done them unjustly. God’sword tells us to forgive and to pray for those who have done evil and in doing so we show and reflect His love. 

2 Timothy 3:13-15 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.  But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

This fallen world refuses to listen to the truth of Jesus because it is tied up in darkness and sin. It was because of Satan that sin came into the world. The false lies of Satan are ingrained in the very fiber of this fallen world system. Humanity has been living in darkness and blinded to the truth of God’s word because of Satan who is the father of lies. Jesus came into the world, that we may know the truth and have a choice to turn from Satan’s deception. 

John 8:44-45 

You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.

John 18:37-38 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”   Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.

Pilate asked the same question many people are asking today, “What is truth?”  We have many different philosophies’ that speak on all kinds of subjects with a wide spectrum of thoughtsas to what may be right or wrong or may be true or false. With so much information readily available it is practically impossible to decipher truth from lies and what is accurate from misinformation. For this reason, we must filter everything through the grid of God’s word to see if it lines up with the truth of His word and His way. When we learn and understand the truths in God’s word we are better able to discern lies and false statements, which oftentimes ensnare and trap people into hate, pride and arrogance. 

John 8:31-32, 34-36 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

When God reveals a truth to us, we stand between two views and must make a choice to believe that truth or reject it. This is the first step in growing in the knowledge and understanding of God’s word. Just as it was in the garden and as it was with the Israelites as they were to enter into the land God had promised, they had to choose to believe and obey God’s word as truth or reject it. This is always the first step in growing in the wisdom and knowledge of God, when a truth is revealed to us, then we must decide to trust and accept it, or reject it in disbelief. 

Deuteronomy 11:26-28 “Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse:   the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known. 

Once we decide to receive this word from God as truth, then our spirit by faith, must decide to trust and commit to these truths, which God has revealed to us according to His word.

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with:

The New Testament Covenant

In the New Testament we have a new covenant, the Blood of Jesus, which paid the price for our sins in full. This covenant is based on faith, that is our belief in God as the Almighty God, our Lord and Savior. The Old Covenant was based on the performance of the people. If Israel had observed and did all that was written in the law they would have forgiveness. But in the New Testament we are saved by grace through faith, we must believe that God is who He says He is and His word is true. That was the same test in the garden. Where Satan came with his lies saying, they could be like God if they disobeyed Him. But all they had to do was to trust and believe God’s wordwhen He said they were created in His image.

Ephesians 2:7-9 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.   For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.  NKJ

Those who believe in the saving blood of Jesus through faith by the grace of God are saved. It is their faith in God’s word and the completed work of Christ that saves us because the wages of our sins have been atoned for, recompensed and repaid for all eternity by Jesus. God is a Righteous and Holy God and He must punish sin and the wages of sin is still death. Jesus came and died for all mankind, giving His lifegiving substance, His blood for all who will receive Him. For those who refuse the Blood of Jesus, this awesome gift from God, which is the new covenant of God’s grace, will stand before God on their own. 

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. NKJ

We all have sinned and have come short of God’s righteous and Holy standard which in judgement requires death. Now the question is, whose blood, who’s death will make the propitiation or payment that is required for our sins? Every person will make a choice, they will either choose to receive or reject God’s Grace. The loving kindness of God is full of His compassion and His tender in mercy and it is given as a covenant to all who believe in His Son, Jesus. It is only the atoning Blood of Christ that can recompence or compensate for our sins before a Holy and Just God. For all who refuse this priceless gift of God’s love will stand before Him in their own sinful merit and will receive the just judgement of a Righteous God according to their sins and iniquities. 

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;  and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Hebrew 10:29-31  Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?   For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”  says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. NKJ

God Himself is the lifegiving source and He has given His blood to be the atonement for sins. God is requiring what He Himself has given and provided, the lifegiving blood of Jesus is what He has given for all humanity. The blood of mankind has been tainted by sin but the love of God has sent Jesus to give us a new Blood Line, which is of God Our Heavenly Father. Jesus paid the wages of sin and died the death we deserved, so nowwe can receive His Atoning blood through faith that we may live life eternal in the family of God.   

The New Testament is a covenant of Love. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Jesus gave a new commandment, that we are to love one another as He has loved us. Jesus’ love is unconditional, looking to seek and to save the lost. We are no longer under the old covenant trying to perform to be accepted. We are already accepted as the beloved through faith in Christ, because of His love our actions will show and reflect our love for God and humanity. 

When the Righteous Judge reckons the account of our lives, whose blood will give justification or be required for our sins? God in His mercy has set before us life and death, blessing and cursing, but it is up to every individual to choose which life they will live and whom they will serve. 

There is no remission of sin without the shedding of blood. 

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;   that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

Joshua 24:15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

We no longer work to try to save our souls but we work to show the love of Christ because our souls are already saved by the blood of Christ.

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with:

The Old Testament Covenant

Some people make no distinction between the Old Testament and the New Testament as two different covenants, contracts or promises. Some people believe the Old Testament is just historical names and events. The Bible says it is for our example, for warnings and admonishments that we may know God and how He operates in the lives of people and how we are to live before Him. The New Testament is for us to know Jesus as our King, Messiah, Savior and Lord. In the four gospels we see the life of Jesus displayed as the Son of Man, The King of kings and the Lamb of God who took on the sins of the world. 

1 Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. NKJ

If people do not make a distinction between the Old and the New Testament they will tend to operate in the old ways of living, such as an eye for an eye, when God has given us a new way of living, which is the love of Christ.  That is what Jesus was referring to when He spoke of adding new wine to an old wine skin. The old wine skin would burst causing the loss of the new wine.  There is the same type of confusion when we try to mix or incorporate the old covenant laws of performance with the new covenant of God’s forgiveness and love in Christ by faith. 

Mark 2:22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

In the Old Testament we see a Holy and Just God dealing with mankind according to their sins and iniquities. God in the beginning covered mankind’s sin with the blood of the lamb in the garden, making an atonement, an amends and restitution for their sins at that moment. This was pointing to the time when Jesus the Lamb of God would come and not only cover their sins but to forgive sin and to make payment in full for forgiveness of all sin for all eternity. 

1 John 2:2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

1john 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

In the Old Testament we see a Holy and Just God pronouncing judgement and punishing sin. The wages of sin is death and death is the taking away of the lifegiving source, which is in the blood. When mankind sinned against God in the garden they deserved death but God in His mercy, His compassion and His grace toward mankind allowed the death of the lamb to become, at that moment, a substitution for mankind foretelling of the time when Christ the Sacrificial Lamb of God would shed His blood for all mankind. 

God accepted the blood of the lamb as a covering for sins and gave this practice as a

covenant between God and Israel, foreshadowing the time that Jesus the Lamb of God would shed His blood for the remission and the removal of sin. No longer would the sins of men be covered just for a season, but through the blood of Christ the payment was made in full.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Leviticus 17:11, 14 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.

for it is the life of all flesh. Its blood sustains its life. Therefore I said to the children of Israel, ‘You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.’

John1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 

The blood of all living creatures is important to God, it is their lifegiving substance which comes from God and He had commanded mankind not to drink the blood but it was to be poured out. It is God’s respect for the blood, which is the lifegiving source of all creatures, that He did not allow mankind to eat it. This caused some people to misunderstand, thinking God wanted a blood sacrifice.  God has a great respect for the blood, which is the source life and knowing it was required of all who sinned. God has now made a way for all sins to be paid completely by faith in the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. 

This is not a God who is seeking vengeance or the blood of His enemies, it is a Merciful God who allowed the blood of animals to be a substitute and a covering for mankind as He prepared a Body for Christ to come and redeem humanity back to Himself. What a merciful God, what a compassionate God, what a loving God, He is one who forgives the sins of those who by faith in Christ receive His Grace. He is also Just and Righteous and must punish the guilty, those who refuse His gift, the payment made by Christ on their behalf. 

Exodus 34:6-7 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” NKJ

As an Upright and Honorable God must judge sin and for those who choose to hate Him and refuse His Precious Gift of life through the Blood of Christ, their sins rest on them. Their death is not just for this natural time on earth but in refusing Christ they choose an eternal separation from God, The Lifegiving source of all creation and this is the second death. 

Revelation 20:13-14 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.  Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.  

In the Old Testament with the old covenant, we see God dealing with mankind in His Judgement in His Holiness and in His Mercy. When their sins could no longer be covered by the blood of animals, God’s righteous indignation and outrage pronounced judgement and they paid the price for their disobedience and iniquity against God. 

In the New Testament we have a better covenant and promises from God. Through Christ our sins are no longer covered but forgiven and we are adopted into the family of God, joint heirs with Christ.

Romans 8: 14-17 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. NKJ

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with:

Self-Pity and Self-Focus Are Wicked Schemes of The Enemy

Self-pity and selfishness are all cunning schemes used by Satan to ensnare humanity; those God created for His glory.  Self-pity and self-focus are the natural state of fallen mankind. They are woven into the very fabric of our conscience, through the constant bombardment of self-importance that people are fed while viewing and listening to in the media. People’s emotions are trained by what they have seen in advertisements andwitness through peer pressure. This  have cultivate a craving for things and creates a since of lack or failure when they do not have these possessions. But, God has told us to be thankful in all circumstances knowing this is God’s will for our lives. 

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Whenever the problem is centered around something concerning self, or if the explanation of the troubles are flooded with the words “me, my or I” , then the focus is on self andone’s self-importance which are character traits of Satan.  The deception is to get people to indulge in self-pity and to turn their focus from God while they elevate their importance in their own eyes. The enemy would rather have people focusing on their problems and not their God. The word tells us to show the love of God when we have been wronged because love is patient, kind and is not arrogant or puffed up.

Isaiah 14:12-15 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, Youwho weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregationOn the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Self-pity may sound as though it is directed toward one’s self but it is actually an emotion that is targeted toward others. Self-pity is when a person is feeling sorry for themselves, theirtroubles and they are preoccupied with themselves, but their goal is to attract attention or empathy from others for attention or some other benefit. Self-pity reveals itself in the form of questions as; why me, why did this happen to me, or why am I always so unlucky? It is natural fallen state to feel self-pity but the continued focus on self will only pull people down into more misery. We are called to transform our lives from this fallen world system to that of God’s ways and our new citizenship in the kingdom of God. We are to renew our mindsand to change the way we think. 

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Everyone in this fallen world was born with an ego, a sense of self-importance and with thoughts of their rights and how they should be treated.  When people are not treated as they believed they should be, then they tend to fall into self-pity, whichcauses them to focus on their hurts.  Some people want to decide how their lives should go and how they should be treated and they want to become rulers of the providence over their lives and others. In doing this they are refusing to acknowledge God and His sovereign reign over all creation.  This cultivates an ungrateful and thankless attitude towards God and His plans for their lives.   Followers of Christ are called to walk according to the Spirit of God and not in the ways of this world. 

Galatians 5:16-17  I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.  For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 

Many Christians, in their lack of understanding of God’s word, will feed into this pandemonium and uproar of self-pity and despair in others, thinking they are doing the right thing. Theytend to feed those who are in this pit of self-pity a continuous diet of validations, agreeing that these things should not have happened and also feeding their self-pity. Some will even add confusion by questioning, why did this happen, or why is life so unfair, while making a reference or implying that God seems to be unjust. Though it may not actually be verbalized, it is the unspoken consensus that somehow God allowed these injustices and cruelties to happen and somehow God was not fair. Rather than taking a stand on the word of God, the faithfulness of God and His love. 

Philippians 2:13-15 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 

We are told we would have tribulations in this world and people would persecute us, we are told to not be weary in well doing because God is faithful and a rewarder to those who diligently seek Him. We can refuse to indulge in our sinful, human nature of self-pity and choose to have a thankful and grateful heart, trusting in God and His love for us. We may never be able to see God’s providential way in our circumstances but true followers of Christ must hold fast to their faith in His word and the proof of His love that He displayed toward us in the life, death and resurrection of Christ. 

Romans 5:8-10 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.   For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.  

Changing our thoughts and actions to line up with God’s word is a challenge for all true followers of Christ and can only be done by the power of the Holy Spirit and faith in God’s word. We are told we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us and if we are suffering we are to pray to God and give Him thanks for who He is and what He is doing in our lives. 

Philippians 4:12-13 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.   I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,  knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.   But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 

James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

We are called to be dead to the things of this world and alive to those things that are important to God. Nothing is more precious to God than the souls of mankind. When the people offended Jesus, His disciples wanted to call fire from heaven on them, but Jesus told His disciples that they did not understand what manner of Spirit they were of. God’s wrath has been satisfied in the death of Jesus that His mercy and love can be extended to all humanity. As followers of Christ, we are to stand in the gap for those who are lost, love those that hate us and pray for those who misuse us. By showing the love themwill know we are of God.  

Luke 9:55 But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.   And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village.

The way to live this life with joy, peace and love is to die to self, self-centeredness, pride and self-importance. A dead man is not concerned with what you do or say to him or how you treat him because he is dead and will not respond to those evil and hurtful things. True followers of Christ are called to be crucified with Him, no longer living for self or for self-importance but by faith in the love God has for us and to pray for those who persecute us. 

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with:

Do Not Be Easily Offended!


Offense is a tool of the enemy to get people ensnared with pride and unforgiveness. True followers of Christ should strive to change their world view and personal perspective from being easily offended to being dead to insults and offenses through the power of the Holy Spirit. We live in a time when people respond to difficulties and troubles in a manner that could show offence, resentment or a perceived self-importance, which they may consider the norm. Being easily offended is now not only considered as the rule in which people should react, but it is being cultivated as a preferred way to react to problems and struggles. 

Offense is just a snare, a trap and a tool that the enemy uses against humanity to get them to react to situations out of hate and anger rather than according to God’s way of forgiveness, love and mercy. Those who walk according to this fallen world system not only operate in offense but some people will cultivate it as a means of bringing division and disunity for their own personal gain or agenda. They organize and encourage a spirit of fear, anger and hate as merchandize and market it for their ill-gotten or corrupt gain, be it money, status or fame. 

Romans 16:17-18 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.  For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.

Matthew 18:7 Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!

Two words that are commonly translated to the word offense in the Bible are, Skandalizo: to entrap, trip up, stumble or entice to sin, and mikshowl: a stumbling block, obstacle, enticement, to cause to fall or ruin. Both of these terms speak of the harm and injury it causes to those who operate in offense. They areentrapped or enticed to sin and these are pitfalls that lead to devastation or a spiral downfall into ruin of one’s self. Offense is not something that harms the offender but enslaves the person who is offended into a continuous cycle of a feeling of resentment where that person believes that they have beeninsulted, attacked or assaulted by others. 

Offense is driven by emotion that has its roots in self-importance, pride and unforgiveness. True followers of Christ should operate in faith according to the word of God and the example Jesus our Lord has set for us. Jesus speaks of those who are offended as those who have no root in God’s word within themselves. Many people are offended by the word of God when they lack an understanding of God’s kingdom ways or when things do not happen the way they want or in a way they do not understand.  

The Bible teaches that we will see persecution and that there will be a constant test of our faith in God’s word. Those who have faith in God and know His word will believe He is faithful and will persevere to see the challenge to the end, where they will stand in victory. Those who do not know God or His kingdom ways lack an understanding of His word and when He speaks a hard saying they are offended because they choose to trust in their emotions and their experiences rather than in the love and faithfulness of God. 

Mark 4: 16-17 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble

John 6:60-61 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? 

Not only are people of the world easily offended but those who know and love Christ are subject to offense also, when the pressure and onslaught of this world come and they find themselves in the crucible of life crushing trials.  John the Baptist was the person that preached the coming of Christ and introduced Jesus to the world as the Messiah. Yet John questioned Jesus when he was facing death. John did not understand fully, God’s plan for his situations and hiscircumstances were not going the way he felt they should. This caused in him a moment of offense. John asked Jesus if He was really the One or will there be another?  When people are in difficult situations it will sometimes cause them to question God’s love and His faithfulness to His word.  

Jesus’ response to John’s question was to point to the word of God and the work of God being done for the salvation of men. Jesus did not try to justify Himself or to prove He was the Son of God but He pointed to the work of God and the word of God being revealed in the lives of the lost. Jesus told them to go tell John, the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, in other words God’s divine purpose and plan are being performed and lived out. 

Jesus said, blessed are those who are not offended because of Me. Even though Jesus may not respond the way we want Him to or we may not understand the way God has chosen for ourparticular situation, we still trust God’s love.  

Luke 7:20-23 When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ ”  And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” NKJ

Jesus gave His disciples directions as how not to be offended, He spoke to them the word of God and told them the things that were going to happen. Jesus said these things were told them sothat they would not be offended when they happened and causethem to stumble. 

The word of God is precious to true followers of Christ but to the world and those who are disobedient to God, the word of God becomes a stumbling stone a rock of offence. Some people will allow their offense to take precedence and rise above the word of God and will lead them into destruction. Some peoplewould rather live with their pride and indignation rather than to forgive and live-in love and harmony with their family or friends. 

John 16:1-4 These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.  They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.  But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.

1 Peter 2:7-8 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

Many people are living in anxiety and stress because they have allowed offense of this world to be their steady diet and their daily sustenance which feeds them and keeps them in a constant cycle of distrust and hate.  They are stumbling because they refuse to operate in forgiveness, love and according to His truth. 

Great is the peace of them that love the word of God and live according to His kingdom principles and ways because they will not allow the offenses of this world to take root in their hearts or cause them to live in resentment and bitterness. 

Psalm 119:165 Great peace have those who love Your law,And nothing causes them to stumble.

Matthew 11:6 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

Jesus called those blessed, who are not offended because of Him. Those who are blessed of God have His favor, are called fortunate and well off. This is not to say they are without trouble but they know how to persevere through difficulties to see the salvation and the abundance of God.

We can choose to not be offended when we feel we are wronged by operating in God’s word. He speaks of our persecution but tells us to forgive.

Forgiveness is at the heart of the gospel and is the foundation and bedrock of how we are to live without being easily offended. When offense comes we can overcome it with the love and forgiveness of God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with:

Abundant Life In Jesus


It is God who breathes into us His life-giving Spirit when we receive Jesus as our Master and Lord.  Some people want Jesus to be the One who saves them from their sin, rebellion and from themselves, but Jesus must be Lord and Master also.  Because of His life, death and resurrection, Jesus is the One who has the right and authority to direct, lead and tell us how to live this lifethat we have received through Him. 

John 13:13-15  Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.  If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.  For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.  KJV 

Some people have received God’s life-giving Holy Spirit but have not obtained a good understanding of what it is to live the abundant life Jesus came to give. Many believers in Christ still struggle with living an abundant life, because the soul of their mind is still rooted in the consciousness of this fallen worldsystem. This world cultivates a spirit of greed, materialism, jealousy and envy that has people in covetousness, which causes division, distrust and hatred among themselves. 

Many believers’ minds have not been renewed by the word of God or to His perspective and way of living. Followers of Christ are asked, pleaded with and begged to renew their minds to God’s way and His perspective. To be transformed to Hisways of thinking and to perceive life, happiness and success according to God’s kingdom ways on earth. We are to be an example to the fallen world around us and show them what it means to live an abundant life in Christ.  This does not mean we will live a life without troubles but we are to have a mindset of peace believing God will bring us out of every trouble and situation in a way that will bring glory to God.

Romans 12: 1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. NKJ

Our concept of life, happiness and success are built on how we perceive, view and value the things around us. Jesus is our example and His word is our guide that we should use to rethink the way we experience life and its purpose. Somepeople think that their lives are for them to live and experience the finer things and if they fail to obtain the level of wealth and fame they desire, they believe God has failed or forsaken them. But sometimes the problem is how they view their situations and circumstances and what they are experiencing. 

If we see our lives as tools for God’s purpose and to be used sothat He may display His love, mercy and compassion to the lost, then when the troubles of life come we will not loose heart.  In the Bible we see the people of God experiencing tribulations and persecution all for God’s purpose and to display who He is to the lost so that they may acknowledge and receive Him as their God.  

Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery but he saved his family and nations from starvation and famine. David washunted by Saul, who sought to kill him, but David became a great king in Israel. Paul was whipped, stoned and left for dead by his people but became the apostle to the non-Jews, gentiles and now the word of God is open to all humanity. Jesus was crucified that He may bring many sons to the Father.  Weshould change the way we view our challenges and troubles so that we may live a life of expectancy, looking forward to see the mysteries of God and how He will work out our challenges for our good and His glory.  We should know and believe that God is working all these things together for our good and that thelikeness of Christ is being revealed in our inner soul and spiritfor His glory. 

Romans 8:28-30 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.   For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.   Moreoverwhom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. NKJ

We are to live in hope and in anticipation to see how God will take these difficulties and dilemmas that we are facing and use them to display His glory on the earth. If we live in fear, regret and disappointment we will lose sight of God and His purpose for us on earth. We as followers of Christ must choose to cast down every thought and imagination that sets itself against the word of God. We must choose to walk in faith that God is faithful and choose to believe in His compassion and love for us, which gives us hope to persevere in tribulations. In this we can show the love of God to the wounded, hurt and those living in hate because the love of God is poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit toward them.   

Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.   And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance,character; and character, hope.   Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. NKJ

When our minds have been transformed and our perspectivesand views are changed to line up with the word of God, then we will understand that God has made every person nation on earth and He has determined their times and where they are to live.  The followers of Christ should seek the Lord and show His love to others. It is by God and the Holy Spirit in us that we can live, move and have our purpose of life as children of the Most-High God. We are to take on the Divine nature of God, which is to show love, forgiveness, mercy, compassion and grace to the undeserving and lost. 

Acts 17:26-30 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,   so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;   for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’   Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. NKJ 

Jesus said He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. The might in this statement is showing that the power and the capacity of an abundant life is ours to have. The possibility of this abundance is offered to all who believe, but once again the choice is left up to each individual to choose whether they will view life according to the world or the word of God. 

John 10:10 he thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. KJV

Abundant life is not how much we have in the way of gold, silver or the riches of this world, but it is our perspective and how we view God our Father and others. We are here to fulfill our created purpose, to replenish the earth and to glorify God in our relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ whom He sent.

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with:

Real Life!

There are many ways to live this life on earth that we have been given to live. We see it in the various avenues, paths and possibilities, as well as in the many different nations, cultures and societies that we encounter. Every place and community have its own set of rules for life that are accepted as the norm or pattern for life in their society.

Life of the body is the time from birth to death that we live on this earth. Mankind was created with what has been defined as having three distinct parts, body, soul and spirit. There are many different definitions for the soul and spirit and for the purpose of clarifying the meaning of life we will go with the biblical distinctions for these three terms. 

Death of the body is the absence or the loss of the soul from the body. Death is the separation of the life-giving essences of the being or creature and this happens when it is no longer attached to its life source. Plants as an example, are in the state of dying when they are no longer attached to the lifegiving soil.  The body is considered dead when it is no longer attached to the living soul.  

The soul is an eternal part of mankind that distinguishes it from other living creature. It is the soul that gives meaning and value and helps to create a mindset which allow us to determine if we are living purposefully. It is the soul that produces in us the feeling that our life has merit and worth. It is sometimes called or referred to as the psyche part of mankind, which includes the intellect, emotions, fears, passions and ego. This is sometimes called the lower nature of mankind’s psyche.

The spirit is sometimes considered the higher nature of mankind’s psyche, it connects the body and soul to the divine nature of God, which includes understanding, insight, reasoning, judgement and enlightenment. According to the Bible, mankind was created as a living Spirit when God’s breath was breathed into him. The spirit is the celestial or divine part of mankind that connects and communes with God as their Creator. It was the spirit of man that died in the fall. 

Genesis 2:15-17  

Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.   And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” KNJ

There was no death or destruction on earth originally, as God created it, but sin caused humanity and this world to fall into devastation and decay. The eternal life Spirit of God that was living in mankind died and was no longer a part of the being, which God had created. This was the beginning of Satan’s reign on the earth which caused death and annihilation to enter into the world. Jesus came as a quickening or life-giving Spirit to give humanity an opportunity to be born again with God’s life-giving Spirit for His kingdom. 

1 Corinthians 15:45-49 

And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.   The first man was of the earth, madeof dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.  As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.  And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. NKJ

Mankind is born in sin which is their natural earthly state, they are born without Christ, and therefore could be considered just dead men walking. While their bodies and souls are functioning, their God given Spirit is dead. It was the spiritual death that Jesus was speaking of when He said, let the dead bury the dead. Spiritual death is the absence or loss of mankind’s God like spirit.  This loss or spiritual death is whathappened to mankind at the fall. Mankind’s spirit is dead whenit is no longer attached to the life-giving Spirit of God who isthe Creator and Sustainer of all humanity. 

Luke 9:60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” NKJ

Because of Christ mankind can be born again in the Spirit of God and can worship Him in Spirit and truth. In The Old Testament they had to come and worship God according to the law in certain ways and at certain times. Jesus told the lady at the well that a time was coming and now is, that those whoworship God must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. Now with the resurrection of Christ we can have God Spirit in us and we can be in a constant state of worship as we worship Him in spirit and truth.  

John3:23-24  But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”NKJ

Jesus came and breathed His breath on His disciples and theyreceived the Holy Spirit. Now we are to worship God in the Spirit through faith and belief in His Son. It is the Holy Spirit of God that connects us once again to God and gives us the ability to understand and discern God’s truth from lies, which may have the appearance of truth but can lead to death and destruction. 

John 20:21-22 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”  And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. NKJ      

This world only knows what it has seen and have been taught about this life. That is why people put so much effort in piling up wealth, riches and adding more things for the temporary time that will be spent on the earth. They do not understand nor have been taught that this life span of the natural body, be it 60, 80 or even 100 years, on earth will eventually end in death. Not realizing the everlasting life for the soul and spirit will spend eternity somewhere. The greater question many people fail to answer is, where will their eternal soul spend it time in the next phase of their being.  

Those who have faith in Jesus Christ will spend eternity with God. For those who refuse and reject God’s saving atonementthat is offered through faith in Christ will spend their eternity in agony and torment separated for God’s life-giving source. 

John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

1 John 5:11-12  And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.   He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. NKJ

It is Jesus who has given humanity the ability to live a spirit filled life on this earth and eternity with God the Father and Creator of all. The word of God is living and powerful and it can give us the ability to discern some of the thoughts and intent of people and circumstances that are happening around us. There appears to be many good things and ways to live this life but it is the Holy Spirit that gives us the ability to discern the best according to God’s kingdom plans. It is the Holy Spirit that gives us the ability also, to discern God’s best from what may appear to be good or beneficial according to the world. 

Hebrews 4:12 

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. NKJ

Some people may have the Spirit of the living God in them, but they are without the knowledge of God’s word so they may lack in their understanding and their ability to discern or rightly divide the thoughts and intents of the heart. Many people are passionate about what they believe and yet their passions and their beliefs are rooted in lies and deception. 

Ephesians 4:1-3   I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace NKJ

This life on earth is just a trial-run or the qualifying heat that will determine our eternal destination. Our time on earth is the time given to each of us to use our God given will and authorityto choose how we will live now, which will determine where we will be for eternity

It is the living Spirit of God and His word that gives us the ability to see through the smoke and mirrors of the world’s lies and deception as well as its hate and disunity. It gives us the ability to make the best judgements according to God’s kingdom way. God’s kingdom way is the love of Christ toward all mankind in unity of the Spirit, in peace, in humbleness and in truth.  

John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with:

The Truth!

The reason Jesus came was so that we might know the truth and the truth that we accept and receive as our own can set us free from the lies of this world. As it was said, that we “might”know the truth, because the choice is still ours to make. Jesus never forces His way on anyone, He states the truth and leavesthe decision up to the individual. That is our God given inheritance as being created in God’s likeness and His image, He gave us the authority to choose our own destiny.

John 18:37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?”

Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

John 8:31-32   Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” NKJ 

Jesus always spoke the truth to those who came to Him and leftthem with the choice to believe Him or not, saying “if you believe, all things are possible.”  The same goes for us today, Jesus’ truth is speaking and we each will determine if we will believe Him and the power of His word, or to believe the lies of this world that are entrenched in its systems. 

Mark 9:23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

1 John 5:9- 13  If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son.   He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.   

And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.   He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.   These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

People in this day and age are going after knowledge of many different things. They call it a thirst for knowledge and the Bible calls it itching ears. They are forever learning but never able to come to the “knowledge of the truth,” which is Jesus the Son of God. Jesus was made flesh and lived among us to show us His way. This is a spiritual principle that we must take hold and exalt it above all the knowledge and teaching we have received from the world that comes against the truth of God’s word. 

2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 

Some teaching we receive is honorable and trustworthy as it relates to teaching us how to live a life of respect for family and others but no teaching should negate, contradict or raise itself above the truth of God’s word.   There are those who portray a religious form but are lovers of themselves trying to deceive gullible people and to lead them away from truth for their own benefit and pleasures. Some people would rather live the lie of supremacy, entitlement and privilege so that they may control and dominate others for their selfish need to feel important. They will practice the lie of oppression and manipulation to try and lift themselves above their fellowman, who also are created in God’s image.  

2 Timothy 3:1-7 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:  For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,

traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!   For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.   

We are seeing these last days where men are lovers of themselves, money and proud boasters of all they do and all they have. Though what they have, may have been obtained deceitfully, they are more in love with their sinful pleasures.  They are willing to forfeit the love of God and deny His truth and the power that is in His word.   

In every spiritual battle the enemy comes with his deceivinglies, fear or hate to try and turn the hearts of mankind againstthe word of God. We are told to cast down these vain thoughts and imaginings from our minds. The enemy will bring evil, deceitful and dishonest thoughts before every person to try and lure them to think on, consider and ponder those illicit thoughtsso that they may put them into action. But God has told us that we are not to entertain those corrupt thoughts that will try andrise above the word of God. We are to take those thoughtscaptive through prayer and lay them before Christ. 

Our spiritual weapons are prayer, praise and the worship of God. We are to ask the Holy Spirit to give us discernment to know what is true and the strength to be obedient to the word of God.  We are to praise Him for what He has done for us already in the past and we thank God in advance for answering our prayer. Then we worship Him for who He is, the Almighty God, One full of compassion, for His tender in mercy, and forHis loving kindness. He is so worthy to be praised, respected and reverenced for being the Awesome God who is able to deliver us from evil. 

2 Corinthians 10: 4-6  or the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,  casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,   and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Satan would rather have mankind, who were created to be the light of God on the earth, to stay in the darkness he has established at the fall. The enemy has cultivated a system of hate and pride, of anger and grudges and that of fear and vengeance to keep humanity in obscurity, blinded to the truth of Jesus’s way of love and forgiveness.  

If you live in hate and dislike or despise those who are created in God’s image, no matter their race, culture or status, you are living in darkness, without the love of God or the truth of His word. It is the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from hate that we may live in fellowship with one another. 

1 John 1:6-7 if we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.   But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

We are to choose to think on the things that are true, pure, lovely and admirable. This is how we turn from the evil that the enemy puts before us and turn to God’s way of thinking and doing. 

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Proverbs 4:14-15, 17-19 Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on…


For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence. But the path of the just is like the shining sun,That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble. NKJ

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with:

Jesus Came to Show The Way


 

Jesus came to reveal the way of God the Father and His Kingdom on earth to fallen mankind. There are many ways to be morally good, successful and famous in life, but there is only one way back to the Father and His Kingdom on earth and that is through Jesus Christ His Son.  

Matthew 11:25, 27 At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. 

All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

1 Corinthians 8:5-6  For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords),  yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.  NKJ

There are many ways to live this life and the Bible says, there is a way that seems right to a man, but it only ends in death. We have been taught many different ways to live in this world’s system where societies are built on this wisdom of fallen mankind.  When this was all we knew, it sounded and appearedto be right to us, but Christ came and showed us the true way of life in the knowledge of God the Father through His Son Jesus. 

Proverb 14:12 

here is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.

John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. NKJ

There are so many things being taught as to how to live a prosperous and meaningful life and all them promising to be a better way of living in this life and some in the next life to come. Living in various cultures, lifestyles and societies it is hard to decipher which way is truly right. Some of these ways are good and can assist in living a seemingly balanced and amicable life but will not be able to stand in the light of God’s truth and eternal salvation. 

Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven upon the earth, which is the spiritual realm where God reigns as King to fulfill God’s will on earth.  God’s way is revealed to us by His Son who is the express image of God and has spoken to us the word of God. The spiritual kingdom of God was within mankind when he was created, the Holy Spirit, but the Spirit left and man as He was created died the day mankind rebelled against their God and King. Then a corrupted, lying deceiver was given rule over the kingdom which God had created for mankind. It was man himself who chose to be led by Satan and relinquished his God ruled kingdom.

Hebrews 1:1-3 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Jesus gave a parable, that the kingdom of God was like a man who sowed good seed in his field but while he slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat.  Many people have asked why did God create evil people and why does He allow these vile things to happen.  God created mankind good and the enemy came and perverted good into evil, because they handed over their authority to Satan by believing his lie. God will never force or trick a person into choosing Him, but He sent Christ to show us the way that we may be redeemed, but the choice is always ours to make. 

Matthew 13:24-30 ​Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.  So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’  He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’  But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”  NKJ

Satan ruled as the prince of this world, until in the fullness of time Jesus came as a man to redeem humanity, to bring God’s kingdom on earth and the way back to the Father. The kingdom of God is spiritual and it cannot be observed or seen with the natural eye where people can go and see it, but it is a placed and where we are to live according to God’s principles in our hearts. The Holy Spirit is given to live in the heart of those who believe Jesus is the Son of God and receive Him as their Lordand their Savior. 

Mark 1:14-15 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Luke 17:20-21  Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” NKJ

The way to God the Father and the Kingdom of God has come. God has made known His way of life through His Son that we may live a life of joy in His presence. We each must choose to repent; to change the way we think and renew our minds to God’s kingdom ways. 

Act 2:28, 38-39   You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” NKJ

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with: