Holy Spirit

IN CHRIST

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“IN CHRIST”

When you see these words, what does it mean to you? There are 160 identity “in Christ” verses in the Bible. From the Book of Romans through Philemon it is identified in the New King James Version 83 times, in the King James Version it is mentioned 81 times and in the Book of Philemon it is mentioned in one chapter 3 times. In the Book of Ephesians, “in Christ” is mentioned at least 27 times. For God to mention this so many times, it must be very important.

I believe that God is showing us that there has to be a special relationship, a vital union through faith between Jesus Christ and you. In order for this to take place, Jesus in His own words tells us in John 3:3 – 8, you must be born again. When this takes place you enter into the spiritual realm. A new birth into the spiritual realm is an act of God. Without this new birth, you remain in the physical realm. You have to understand that God is Spirit. That is why when Jesus was taken into Heaven, He gave us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit communicates with humans in the spiritual realm. A human being is made up of a body, soul, and spirit.

When you live in the physical realm, self and pride rule your body and soul. You need to realize that the flesh is a destroyer. It is all temporary. As long as you continue to listen and follow your fleshly desires, you will continue to serve them. Satan controls the physical realm for now. He lies and convinces people that it is Ok to live this way.

If you study God’s Word you will know that dying to self is vital to living the Christian life. It is the reality of the new birth in the spiritual realm. No one can come to Jesus Christ unless they are willing to crucify the old life and begin to live “in Christ.” You must come to a determination not to live for oneself and live “in Christ.” It means that you need to have a mental check and be truthful with where your life is headed.

Satan receives his authority from those who are not under the blood of Jesus Christ. Satan works his power through people that give into his temptations and desires. Just look at the condition of our world today. When a person has not or does not put themselves “in Christ,” they are putting themselves in the devil’s hand.

I believe from my own personal experiences that God through Jesus Christ has given me authority over Satan and his demons, evil spirits and his followers. I will admit that I don’t use it as much as I should. One of my experiences is in an article that I wrote titled Faith vs. Cancer. You may be able to access with your browser.

According to Jesus in the Gospel of Mark 11:12 – 26 He said that what so ever you desire when you pray, “believe,” or in other words have faith in the promises of what God. Also in the Gospel of Mark 10:18 KJV it says; Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. The aforementioned verses are just two of the many promises that God has given to those who receive His Son, Jesus Christ as their Savior. You must be born again and enter into the spiritual realm. This where your spirit comes together with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit becomes an intercessor and presents your prayers to God. This is one of the steps to having prayers answered. Have you prayed and it seems that there is no answer to your prayer. You need to understand that God is in the spiritual realm. When you are “in Christ,” God has given you all that He has given Jesus. To some this may be hard to understand. God has given you the freedom to choose your destiny and the benefits that go with your choice.

Look closely at Ephesians 2: 8 KJV where it says for by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God. Vs 9, Not of works, lest any man should boast. God provides the grace and you must put action in faith. Many separate these two words. Beginning in Genesis through Revelation God is looking for those that have faith in Him, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit and God’s Holy Word. Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith requires action on our part. Could this be the reason so many prayers don’t see an answer.

There is so much more to this subject. I recommend that you read and study God’s Word so that you can come to know the truth and the truth will set you free. In our world today many terrible things are taking place and God is getting a lot of the blame. In defense of God and He doesn’t need it, God is a god who loves us so much that He gave His Son to die for our sins. I ask all those who blame God, would you sacrifice your son for other people’s sins and express your unconditional love? Love of God and others seems to be something we talk about but there is little action. Our faith in God requires action on our part. Maybe then we will come to be “in Christ.” Love to all.

THE SEVEN GIFTS OF CHRIST.

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THE SEVEN GIFTS OF CHRIST.

In addition to the gift of salvation that God provided through His Son Jesus Christ who suffered and died and shed His blood on the Cross of Calvary to cover our sins, God continues to show and give His love to us in many other ways. Salvation is a free gift through the “love” of God. Yes, there must be cooperation from you. The following verses spells it out in very simple language.

Ephesians 2: 8-9 – For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boost.

Romans 10: 9 -10 – That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Acts 4:12 – Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

John 3:3 – Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Dying to self is part of being born again; the old self dies and the new self comes to life (John 3:3–7). Not only are Christians born again when we come to salvation, but we also continue dying to self as part of the process of sanctification. Sanctification is setting you apart. As such, dying to self is both a one-time event and a lifelong process.

I have to ask, is this so much to ask as to gamble with losing out on spending eternity with such a loving God? What the world offers is temporary as what God offers is “forever.” Just ask yourself, what would it be like if the Spirit of God’s love was removed from your life? The answer is simple, it would be Hell.

If you are a born again believer, God is a giver of many, many blessing and gifts. I don’t know anyone that does not enjoy receiving gifts, especially the kind that God gives. His Son, Jesus Christ is also a giver of gifts. I prefer to call them blessings. Here are a few listed in the Bible.

Matthew 11:28 (NIV). 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 16:19 (KJV) 19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Luke 10:19 (KJV) Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

John 4:14 (KJV) But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water.

John 6:51 (KJV) I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh.

John 10:28 (KJV) 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

John 14:27 (KJV) Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

The aforementioned verses are just a few of the blessings (gifts) that God gives to those that will give themselves to Him that created them. God has given you a free reign to your life. Everything you do is your own choice. God will in no way force His will upon you. I am sure that everyone that is reading this has made a choice in an area of their life that they regret because of the consequences they experienced. Maybe more than one. I know I have.

The Bible says that God hates pride. Is pride separating you from God and His blessings? Do you realize how much God loves you? He loves you more than you love yourself and with some that says a lot. If you do not have Jesus in your life, you cannot expect God to answer you or be with you. Also, His way is best way ever. I know because I have experienced His love, grace, mercy, and blessings in many ways during my life. I can only say I love you Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, and Holy Spirit and love to all.

 

DO YOU KNOW JESUS WITH YOUR MIND OR WITH YOUR HEART?

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DO YOU KNOW JESUS WITH YOUR MIND OR WITH YOUR HEART?

The first thing I have to say about this blog is that it is not about the vital organ that pumps blood through our bodies nor does it refer to romantic, philosophical, or literary definitions.

I must ask, who is this Jesus to you? When you hear the name Jesus, what does it mean to you? With today’s technology, almost everyone has heard His name. Sadly, it may have been used in vain.

Would you say you know Jesus in your mind or in your heart? Many people look towards God with a self-salvation through good works and moral behavior. If they were honest, they are miserable most of the time. They are never sure they are good enough or compare themselves to other people. I would have to say that they know Jesus with their mind. They need a transformation by the renewing of the mind.

Look at what the following verse says: Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding (mind). In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.

Have you ever thought about how much information you put into your brain (mind) each day? Some of it stays and some of it goes away. Some of what stays, we will apply to our heart. It can easily become a god and become very real to you. Whatever that something or someone is can take over our mind, emotions, and affections. A person needs to be aware of what the heart stays fixed upon.

“Jonathan Edwards from his sermon Divine and Supernatural Light has a great illustration to make this point using honey. He says, “your mind can know honey is sweet, people can tell you it’s sweet, you’ve read books about it, etc. but if you haven’t actually tasted it, you know with your head, but not with your heart. When you actually taste it, you experience it for yourself, you know it in a full way, and you can know it in your heart.”

God has given us His Word, the Bible, so that we can learn what we should or must do in order to receive His blessings. The following verse is another reference to the word “heart.”

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” – Psalm 139:23-24.

The human heart is mentioned about 300 times in the Bible. We need to understand that the heart is the spiritual part of us where our emotions and desires dwell. Because of the fall of Adam and Eve, every human being is born into sin. Our heart is naturally evil and deceitful above all things, who can understand it? As stated in Jeremiah 17:9. Although we may not understand, God does and He knows our every thoughts.

In order for you understand your heart, you must learn what God teaches in His Word. It is not enough just to hear teachings on the subject. The Bible teaches us that we must feed on the scriptures so they speak to us through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Then you must exercise your faith and believe for it to grow strong. Your faith will become stronger the more you feed it regarding any subject.

In order for you to receive the gift of salvation from God, your heart must be changed. This only happens by the power of God in response to faith. Romans 10:10 (NIV). 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and in Psalm 51:10 (NIV). 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God. Salvation is by the grace of God.

I can say through my own experiences that God will test your heart in order to keep you on course. He will fill you with new ideas, new desires, new wisdom, and new hope if you follow Him with your heart and not with your mind. As you continue in your new life, God places a high importance on keeping our hearts pure. Everyone must work at keeping their heart from evil. I must say that God’s way is the best way. Love to all.

What Do You Know?

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WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

Most people are going to answer this question with their intellectual being. They live from the neck up, a life of the mind. They will evaluate things based on what they think they know. They will evaluate themselves and others on what they think they know.

One of the main problems we have is that we don’t know what we don’t know. This covers a large area in anyone’s life. This is especially true in the Christian realm. There is not one human being that knows everything especially things related to our Heavenly Father. There may be some that think they know it all.

Even though God gave us a Book of Instructions, the Bible, the majority know very little about God, less about Jesus Christ, and less about the Holy Spirit. Look at what the following verse says in the New International Version and the Living Bible Version.

1 CORINTHIANS 8:2 NIV 2 The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.

1 CORINTHIANS 8:2 LB 2 If anyone thinks he knows all the answers, he is just showing his ignorance.

As long as you are reading accurately what the Bible says (and that only comes through the leadership of the Holy Spirit) will you know the truth. One of the truths is that the Holy Spirit only resides in those who have received Jesus Christ as their Savior.

You must understand that the word “knowledge” in the Bible means to understand, recognize, and acknowledge something. In order to know something you need to perceive it and be aware of it. In the Scriptures, “knowledge” means to have a deeper appreciation of something or a relationship with someone. You cannot just know of God’s existence, you must learn how to appreciate Him and come to a personal relationship with Him. Have you ever thought about why God created you? He wants a family and He wants to be a Father to you. He wants that personal relationship with you just as you have with your earthly family.

I have questions for those reading this post. Do you know God or do you know about Him? Do you know Jesus or do you know about Him? Do you know the Holy Spirit or do you know about Him. To find the answer you must look deep inside yourself.

I know of Billy Graham, I know of George W. Bush, I know of Donald Trump but I do not know them because I do not have a personal relationship with them. So, I ask again, do you know God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son or the Holy Spirit. It is quite another thing to know them personally.

With a lot of people, they may attend Church, Sunday School, Youth Activities and Worship Services but their quest to know more about God ends there. Any further action requires a commitment to Him and that is where a major problem occurs.

People struggle with the aspects of the Christian life due to lack of knowledge, wrong information, laziness, apathy or anything that takes away from what they think is theirs. Perform a self-evaluation and ask yourself, do I know as much as I think I do? Are my evaluations correct? Am I using the right criteria? Do you see things as God sees them? Everyone has to make choices. We have to rely on what we know in making decisions or we can proceed with God helping us. You can trust God and know it is the truth or you can continue in the path of self-destruction. I still make mistakes when I rely on my own judgement as I’m not perfect. I do know without any doubt that when I trust God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit for their help, life is much better. Each day I draw closer to my Heavenly Father and someday I will join Him in His Kingdom. I hope to see many of you there.

One becomes wiser when we realize that we need God’s wisdom and guidance in all we do. Walk humbly before God and invite Him to guide you in all you do and enjoy His blessings. After all, He knows everything regardless of how small it may seem.

God loves you and He created you to know Him personally. We need to know that our faith is what continues our relationship with our Savior. Love to all.

POWER IN THE WORDS YOU SPEAK.

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POWER IN THE WORDS YOU SPEAK.

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Have you ever considered how the words you speak affects your life? I have come to learn that what I speak has a great bearing on how my life is going to turn out. It is going to be good or it is going to be bad depending on what words I speak.
According to the Bible, the words you speak are going to affect your life in way you cannot imagine. The most important factor we need to realize is how the enemy (Satan) can use the words you speak and cause you so much grief. On the other hand, how the Word of God can give you so much peace.
The devil cannot read your thoughts, but if you speak aloud, he knows what you say and he knows if you put any of your words into action. In other words he can hear what you say, read what you write, and observe what you do.

 There is nothing in the Bible to indicate that Satan is omniscient. There are no verses that say he knows everything or that he can read our thoughts. But he is very adept at predicting human behavior. That’s why you should Choose Your Words Carefully.

There are over a hundred verses in the Bible that caution you about the words you speak. With that information, you must admit that God is telling us to use our words carefully. Have you ever considered that the words you speak may be the reason you are in the circumstance you are in. Let us look at a few of the Bible verses that tell us about the words we use.

Ephesians 4:29 (ESV) Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Matthew 12:37 (ESV) for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Proverbs 18:21 (ESV) Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Colossians 3:8 (ESV) But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

James 1:26 (ESV) If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.

James 1:19-20 (ESV) Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

DEUTERONOMY 30:19 (NLT) “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!

The last verse above says that you choose between blessings and curses. Let me point out some illustrations that the devil uses against you. Remember what I said about the devil using our words against us. Somebody says they have a cold or the flu and a person responds with “Oh, I’m sure I’ll catch it”. That person just opened the door for Satan to go to God and demand the right to infest them and then it happens. God has done His part by warning you through His word, the Bible. Satan is roaming about like a lion seeking to devour people like that. It could be more serious than something like a cold.

Let’s look at some other examples. Have you ever said something like, “How could I have been so stupid,” or “I’ll never amount to anything,” or “I am so confused?” I cannot imagine what the devil is going to do with those statements. Here are just a few more words that we hear that can cause our lives to be in turmoil: “I’m afraid not,” “I’ll be damned,” “Dam you,” “That scared the life out of me,” “I’m so sick of hearing that,” “I laughed till I thought I would die,” “This heat is killing me,” “My arthritis is killing me.” “I am heavily in debt and don’t know how I’m going to get out,”   I’m sure you get my point regarding the words we use in describing a situation in our lives.

There are going to be people that will believe that I may be stretching the subject. I used to think the same way until I began to understand some of what God is trying to tell us in His Word. Oh, I don’t know everything and I don’t pretend I do. There is not a human being alive that knows everything. God wants us to know as much as we can learn about Him while here on earth.

Because of the sin of Adam and Eve, this world we live in is infested with the influence of Satan. He has conditioned us to speak and act with doubt, fear, and death. If the devil gets you to speak negative words, you give him an opening to bring destruction into your life. Any negative attitude is giving the devil an opportunity to attack you.

Is it common for you to put yourself or others down? Do you have a chip on your shoulder? Do you have a negative comment or bash every imperfection in the world around you? If so, you have opened the door for Satan and his demons to attack you. Satan and his demons are relentless in their efforts to bring you down and influence you in what you say. They watch and consider everything you say and do.

Satan and his demons are in a supernatural realm. We are not able to combat him on our own. If you try, you are sure to fail. We need to partner with God. This a decision you have to make or you can continue on the pathway of destruction. This is the case with most spiritual issues. We must act first and then God will do His part that only He can do. We have to equip ourselves with “Sword of the Spirit and the Word of God.” In any war we have to study and know the capabilities of the enemy. Yes, we are at war with the devil and those that are his soldiers.

When Jesus died on the cross, He not only provided the gift of salvation but gave us everything He inherited from God. Jesus defeated the devil and stripped him of all his authority by the power of His blood.

PROVERBS 4:20-22 (NKJ) 20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; 22 for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.

The above promise is just one of thousands that are found in God’s Holy Word. Each person is responsible for learning what God has given us. He isn’t going to force you to accept His gifts. He wants you to come to Him willingly. When you speak, you are expressing a choice, life and blessings or what the devil offers…destruction. Personally, I will take the written guarantee that Holy Father has given to us in his Word. If you agree, you must learn to speak words of love, kindness, life, blessings, faith, praise, thanksgiving. These are words of life in its fullness. Jesus spoke words of life and when we speak in agreement with His Word, we are speaking words of life, health, and happiness. Follow His example. Love to all.

WHAT IS THE GOOD NEWS?

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WHAT IS THE GOOD NEWS?

In our world today, I’m sure most people are looking for some form of good news. Most of the news on the media, for the most part, is bad news. Even in our personal lives most of us are searching for some good news. It appears that we are all suffering from some sort of trial(s) in our life. Trials appear in all aspect of our lives: marriage, family, financial, jobs, friendship, health, and the list goes on. It seems that on rare occasions, we have a brief encounter with some good news. No one has a perfect life although some appear too.

So what is the answer? In order to understand why we have all this bad news, we have to understand what caused the problem. It all started back with a couple called Adam and Eve. They were disobedient in regards to God’s commands. This was a sin against God and His instructions. God hates sin because He is a Holy God. Everyone needs to understand this. When you come to understand what your Creator expects from you, then your life will be transformed into His love and peace and understanding. That is why He provided you with a Book of Instructions called the Bible. This is where you will find the truth for your life.

The translation of “Good News” comes from “What is the Gospel?” The problem is no one deserves to go to heaven. Christians, Muslims, Jews, Agnostics, and Atheists are not worthy to go to heaven. Worthy means to be deserving. Do you think you deserve to go to heaven when you die? Do you deserve an eternity of peace and good in return for the life you’ve lived? Everyone was born into a world of sin. That makes everyone a sinner and according to God, we all sin. God’s Word tells us if we break one of God’s commandments, we break them all. Look at what 1 John 1: 8 (NIV) says: If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

In Romans 3:23 (NIV) it states: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

God is “holy, holy, holy”. He is set apart from all that we know. What we do know is that He is revealed in the Bible as just and very loving. He created each one of us in order to love us and for us to love Him. He wants everyone to enjoy His presence for eternity. That is why He provided a salvation solution through His son, Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ is the core of the Gospel or the Good News. This provision is by the grace and mercy of God Almighty.

God provided a sacrificial Lamb for our sins. His name is above all names. It is Jesus Christ. Jesus took everyone’s sins upon Him when He was crucified on the Cross of Calvary. This gift of salvation is a free gift. According to the Bible, we must receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. According to John 3:3 (NIV): Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again,” he cannot see the kingdom of God.” This birth is a spiritual rebirth where the Holy Spirit joins together with your spirit and guides you into the truth. You repent (turn away) of your sinful life and join Jesus as a new person fully cleansed of your sins by the blood of Jesus Christ and now have your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life where you will spend eternity (forever) with a Heavenly Father who loves you very much. This is the Good News. No more bad news forever (eternity). Love to all.

Growing in Christ

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 I am going to assume that the majority of people reading this post are adults or soon to be. Everyone started out in this physical realm as a new born child. As you continued to grow physically, you are now an adult. Depending on your age, it has taken time for you to become an adult. As a child you continued to grow as you were fed physical food. I only bring this up because it helps us to gain understanding of spiritual growth.

There are many similarities between physical growth and spiritual growth. In order for you to enter into a spiritual growth, you must be born again. John 3:3 Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” It comes down to this, flesh gives birth to flesh and Spirit gives birth to spirit. Born again literally means born from above. Also, it can mean becoming children of God through your trust in Jesus Christ.

God created you in three parts, body, soul, and spirit. Our body is our outer part containing our five senses with which we contact all the things of the physical, material realm. Our soul is our inner part containing our mind, emotion and will with which we contact all the things of the psychological realm. Our spirit is our innermost part with which we contact God and substantiate all the things of the spiritual realm.

You may ask, why does a person have to be born again? The Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:1 (NKJ), and you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins. In Romans 3:23, Paul said sinners are spiritually dead when they receive spiritual life through faith in Jesus Christ. This is related to a rebirth. Only those who are born again have their sins forgiven and begin their relationship with God.

Let us look at additional verses from God’ Word that follow your rebirth in receiving Jesus Christ as your Savior.

2 PETER 3:18 (NKJ) 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen

MATTHEW 4:4 (NKJ) 4 but He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'”

EPHESIANS 4:15 (NKJ) 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ –

1 PETER 2:2 (NKJ) 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.

1 TIMOTHY 4:15 (NKJ) 15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.

James 1:22 (NKJ) 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

The Holy Bible is your spiritual food. You must feed your spirit on the Word of God and act on what you learn just as you have done in your physical life. When you were a toddler, you learned to walk after falling down many times. Even as you got older you attempted many things and failed. You only mastered something after many attempts. You will fall many times or fail to understand what God has said to do or don’t do as a new born Christian. You don’t become an adult Christian overnight. When you fall, get up and try again.

There are several versions of the Bible that are easy to read. My suggestions are that you begin to read Books of the Bible that are easy to understand such as 1, 2, 3, John, the letters to the Galatians, Ephesians Philippians, and Colossians. Before you begin to read any Scripture, ask for the leadership of the Holy Spirit as He is the one that will guide you into all truths. Meditate on what you read and pray for God’s revelation on what you read.

Always remember that God is your Heavenly Father and He will watch over you and protect you as any good parent would do. Don’t ever be afraid of Him as He loves you very much and so do I. Love to all.

WORSHIPPING GOD

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WORSHIPPING GOD

This topic follows my experience of going to church with my granddaughter and her husband. I have to say that it was a delightful and rewarding time. Also, I have to say that it is a church of the 21st century. Although it seemed strange at first, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. Most of my experience of going to church during my almost 80 years has been of the old traditional style of church services. Even when I preached, it was the old traditional services. Don’t misunderstand, I love the old time religion, but I believe that we must learn what true worship is regardless of where you are.

The church services are held in the local High School auditorium since it is a new church on the rise. It is a “come as you are” church which I have to say pleased my heart. My past experiences have witnessed churches that had and some still have policies that prevent a certain class of people from attending services. All I can say regarding churches that set standards that make it difficult for people to worship God, “ ask yourselves, is your way the way of God?”

According to Webster’s Dictionary, 1828, it defines worship as to honor with extravagant love and extreme submission. Worship is not songs we sing, nor the amount of money that you put in the offering, nor how much you volunteer. Yes, these and other acts you may perform are important but do not define true worship. The Book of Psalms has many references regarding worship. Look at what (Psalm 96:9 (NKJV) says: Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.

If you believe in God, then you must worship God because He is God. Period. True worship is defined by the priority you and I place on where God is in our lives and where God is on our list of priorities. Do we submit to what God wants or what self wants? I must say that I sought after my selfish desires for part of my life. I know that I missed out on a lot of God’s blessings all because I wanted to satisfy my worldly desires.

So, what is true worship? According to the Apostle Paul. He described true worship in Romans 12:1-2, “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable, or well pleasing and perfect.”

The above passage contains all the elements of true worship, motivation, the mercies of God, the Holy Spirit, everlasting peace, eternal joy, saving faith, comfort, strength, wisdom, hope, patience, kindness, honor, glory, righteousness, security, eternal life, forgiveness, reconciliation, justification, sanctification, freedom, intercession and much more.

When we worship God, I am referring to true worship, God will begin to inspect our hearts. True worship is asking God to inspect our hearts for anything that is not according to His will. This is the promise of true worship as He will begin to reveal His truth about what the condition of our heart is in, then upon surrender of self He will begin to be transform us into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

I would ask you to stop for a moment and reflect on God’s love for you. He has given all he has in order for you to have eternal life with Him in His Kingdom. He will come to you in all His glory and commune with you if you will worship Him as He deserves to be worshiped. The promise is that He will come to you. John 4:23-24 NIV 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

Have you ever thought about what it would be like if you lived in a world that God’ Spirit was not present. I’m sure that many will worship their evil desires since this world is under the influence of Satan as many are now enjoying. Yes, there is a day coming that God will withdraw His presence and let those remaining to come under the rule of the devil. The good news is that Jesus Christ will return again and set up His Kingdom.

If you ask the question, how do I know if I’m properly worshipping God? Here are a few simple rules to follow. Jesus stated in Matthew 22: 36 NIV: the greatest commandment is that you Love your Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This does not say we are to divide our attention between God and worldly things. We must give to God the glory He deserves. Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, giving all to God totally. That includes our hearts, mind, thoughts, attitudes and our hands to help. This is done by the renewing of our minds through the reading and studying God’s Holy Word. This will help develop wisdom and prayer. We must not depend on emotions as emotions will not lead you into God’s truth. Where the mind goes, the will follows. 1 Corinthians 2:16 tells us to have the mind of Christ. You can only renew the mind through the knowledge of the Word of God, the Holy Bible. That is followed up with prayer or communicating with our Heavenly Father. True worship is God-centered worship.

Worship is only reserved for God. We are not to worship His servants (Revelation 19:10), saints, prophets, statues, angels, false gods, or anything of this world such as careers, material possessions, money, health or anything that absorbs our time including families. Again, it is important to realize that worship is reserved for God. Also don’t get caught up in the false worship in hopes for something in return. We must not mock God. God knows our every thought, Psalm 94:11.

True worship comes from the redeemed heart of a man or woman who has been justified before God by faith and who has trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior for forgiveness of their sins. Sin must be dealt with by the washing of the blood of the sacrificial Lamb, Jesus Christ. John 3:3-7 says that a person must be born again.

True worship is not confined to what we do in church or open praise although these are good and we are told to do them. True worship is our acknowledgement of God and all His power and glory in everything we do. It includes being obedient to Him and His Word.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus discusses the subject of worship with the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus said “you Samaritans worship what you do not know.” They worshipped God in a half-heartedly way because they were not totally committed to God. Today, even true believers can fall into this error.

True worship is a sincere desire to increase your knowledge of God by daily reading and study of the Bible. We need to continue to fill our mind with the things of God. Everything should be done with reference to Him. The Greek word for worship also means “service”. Every day we should offer ourselves first and foremost as a living sacrifice to God. Sacrifice means giving to the Lord whatever He requires of our time, our earthly possessions, and our energies to further His work. The Lord commanded, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Our willingness to sacrifice is an indication of our devotion to God. People have always been tried and tested to see if they will put the things of God first in their lives.

Today, purify your heart and renew your mind so that you may worship God in spirit and in truth. Remember God is holy and someday we will all stand before Him in judgement. Also, He loves you more than you love yourself. My love to all.

Do You Understand The Covenants?

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Do You Understand The Covenants?

There are two covenants in the Bible, one in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament. What is important is that you understand that the Old Testament is not exactly the same as the Old Covenant. The same is true in that the New Testament is not exactly the same as the New Covenant.

In the Old Testament it is recorded that the Old Covenant was an agreement between God and the people of Israel. In the New Testament it is recorded that the New Covenant is an agreement between God and Jesus Christ.  This means that in order for you and me to have salvation, we must be united with Jesus Christ. As the Book of Ephesians says many times: “all those who are in Christ have salvation.”

Hebrews 8:13 NKJ 13 In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

The New Testament reveals and explains the New Covenant very well. The New Covenant did not begin until after the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross. The New Covenant was not sealed until the precious blood of Jesus Christ was shed and He paid the price for the remission of sins for all who confess and believe in Him. Jesus said that the New Covenant involved His blood being shed on the Cross of Calvary.

MATTHEW 26:28 NKJ 28 “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

HEBREWS 9:14-17 NASB 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, in order that since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. 16 For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. 17 For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives.

You may ask why this is so important.  Because the Bible says that we need to rightly divide the Word of God. 2 Timothy 2:15 NIV 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

How can you have a clear understanding of the New Covenant and what the New Covenant is about if it is confusing to you? One of the main problems is that many teach different things regarding what is in good standing with God. One of the trends today is to preach and teach a feel good way of life. In these types of messages, the message of Jesus Christ is seldom emphasized. I must ask why the core of our salvation is taken away from the truth.

I believe that one of the best explanations of the New Covenant is found in the Book of Ephesians. The phrase “in Christ” is found 28 times. You must ask, why the Apostle Paul brought this to our attention so many times. A person must realize that Jesus is the Truth.

Let us look in Matthew 19:16 the rich young ruler asked Jesus what to do so he could have eternal life. Jesus’ answer in Matthew 19:17 to “keep the commandments” is much different than the answer in Acts 16:31 which says simply to “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved,” or 1 John 5:13 which says those who believe in the Son of God may know they have eternal life. In Matthew Jesus is speaking under the Old Covenant. In Acts and 1 John Jesus is speaking under the New Covenant. Although we must not ignore what Jesus said under the Old Covenant, we must realize that we live under Grace and not under the Law.

Under the Old Covenant, keeping the commandments was required as the way to have good standing with God. Under the New Covenant, good standing with God is a gift which comes with believing in Jesus Christ  (Romans 5:17-18, 2 Corinthians 5:21).

In Hebrews 8:6 it says that the New Covenant was established on better promises through Jesus. ROMANS 6:23 NKJ 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If a person is not careful, they can misunderstand the true message of Jesus Christ. We need to realize that there was a dramatic change due to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His teaching changed between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.

After Jesus ascended into Heaven, He continued to speak to us through His apostles by the leadership of the Holy Spirit, mainly by the recordings of the letters to the church, Romans through Revelation in the New Testament. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are about the life of Jesus. Acts is the history of the beginning of the Church.

The truth of understanding only comes through the leadership of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit only comes to those who have confessed their sins and received and believed in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior according to John 3:3 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Don’t be misled by thinking that Jesus is done speaking. If that were so then there would be no need for the Holy Spirit who speaks to those who have come to know Jesus as their Savior. What a promise God has given to them who know Jesus as their Savior in Hebrews 10:16-17 16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” 17 then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

Praise the Lord for the New Covenant. Love to all.

Are You Willing To Change?

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ARE YOU WILLING TO CHANGE?

Before I begin my post, I want to say that I am not out to condemn anyone regardless of your position regarding your beliefs on God, Jesus, or Christianity. You are free to believe whatever you want. You will stand before God on judgment day just as I will and answer for what you did with your life here on earth.

I am a sinner that God has shown His mercy upon. He has been with me even when I was not with Him. I have failed Him many, many times with my worldly and fleshly desires. Although I walked in my desires, I knew that there was something missing because of a nagging feeling that keep speaking to me. What is amazing is that God never stopped loving me nor did He ever leave me.

I was raised in a Christian environment. I went to Sunday School, Church, Youth Group meetings. I was baptized when I was 12 years old. I received Jesus Christ as my Savior when I was 19. Now, if you look at this picture, you will realize that something is not in order according to the Scriptures. Just out of High School, I started to follow my dreams. My life seemed to be going well. I meet my wife and we eloped to New York State as she was not of the legal age of 21 in Pennsylvania. We eventually had four daughters and life seemed to going well. By the way, we will be celebrating our 58th wedding anniversary this year.

I had become a journeyman carpenter and then life seemed to start having problems. It seemed that I was unemployed more than I was employed. I left Pennsylvania and traveled to New Mexico in search of work. I returned to PA and returned to NM within a 5 year time frame. While living in New Mexico I received a job offer to become a police officer in PA. I accepted and moved back to PA. I missed NM and decided I wanted to move back so I applied to the New Mexico State Police and was accepted to enter their Academy. I graduated and I thought life was going to get better. It did for a while and then it seemed that my life was falling apart.

I have to say that during all this time that God was with me and trying to persuade me to come back to Him. Because of my selfish ambitions I continued to ignore Him but not totally as I would go to Church occasionally. I guess that my little interest in God and Jesus that He stayed with me. I have to say that there was a lot more in my life of ups and downs that I will not go into at this time. 

Well, God let me have my way until I came to the conclusion that I needed to get right with my Savior Jesus Christ. One day I was home alone and God really spoke to me and convinced me that I needed to change my way of living. I got down on my knees and prayed and poured out my heart to Him asking that He forgive me of my sinful ways and for not following Him. I wept like a baby. At this time God took over my life and I found a Bible teaching Church and rededicated my life to Christ my Savior. I was baptized again and entered His service. I graduated from Bible College and became His servant..

Before I went into His service, I had another moving experience. I was listening to a cassette tape on brokenness while traveling in my car. At the end of the message the speaker ask if there was anyone who would consider the invitation to be broken. I asked God to break me. Well, He did and I began to cry out loud, asking God to take my life and do as He wished. I had to pull over to the side of the road as I did not have control of myself. This experience lasted about 45 minutes. This was a life changing time that I will forever cherish. Finally, I was back on the right road where God was and still is guiding my direction.

I want everyone to know that I still fall and stumble as I walk with my Lord and Savior. The joy I have now is that I know Jesus is with me in everything even though it may not be according to His way. He will correct the wrong way through His love for me and for you. I know that He took all my bad and took it to the cross so I may be made clean. What is so great, He will continue to do so until I join Him in His Kingdom. Because of sin in this world there will always be ups and downs. With Jesus in your life, let Him take care of it.

You see, I had to change and come to realize that there was no hope in the road of life that I choose to travel. The only hope anyone has lies with Jesus Christ. No one can enter God’s Kingdom except through the salvation of Jesus Christ. It is a free gift if you are willing to accept Him as your Savior and change your thinking and life to coincide with His. Don’t take my word for it, all you need to do is read the Bible and it is explained in great detail.

Are you willing to make a change in your life that is guaranteed to bring you peace and joy? I hope everyone does so that they will join me in Jesus’ Kingdom for eternity. Don’t let pride or misguided information cause you to miss the greatest opportunity to rest in God’s presence. Jesus loves you and so do I.