Monthly Archives: January 2019

A Very Important Decision

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I have just finished my teachings on the Fruits of the Spirit. As I was seeking the Lord on what my next series should be on, he revealed to me to teach on decision making. So, my next few teachings are going to be on the topic of decision making as followers of Christ. I am not sure how long this series will last, I will let that up to the Lord. We live in a fast world, and often we must make decisions more quickly, than what we should be. We can make decisions from what we will wear to who we will marry, or what job offer we will take. As this is my first teaching on my series of decision making, I would first like to talk about the most important decisions someone can make in their life. That decision is to accept Christ as your savior and live your life according to the word of God.

You might be reading this, and you might be someone who recently made the choice to follow Christ, or you might be someone who has been following Christ for several years, or all their life. There might be someone reading this who has never made the decision to follow Christ. Regardless of where you are with your relationship with Christ, we must discuss the importance of this decision and the actions that should follow afterward.

So why do we decide to follow Christ? Everyone who is a true follower of Christ who has made the choice had something that brought them to Christ. There was something at that moment that they gave their life to Christ, that makes it unique for each person. For me, I was in elementary school. My parents were born again, and I remember seeing the joy they had within them since they made the choice to follow Christ. I got jealous and wanted the same thing, after understanding what Christ did for us, I accept Christ as my savior at a young age. One of my favorite scriptures on following Christ is John 3:16 (KJV) which tells us, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”. This is such a powerful verse, God cares and loves each one of us, that he gave His only son to save us from the Lake of Fire. 1 John 4:8 reminds us, “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”.

Following Christ does not just mean saying a prayer and you become a follower of Christ. When you become a follower of Christ, your sinful past becomes old, and new things are ahead. Everything of your past becomes forgiven by the blood of Christ, and you become a new creation in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) confirms this, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”. When you are in Christ you must not be worried about things of this sinful world but allow God to work in you. We need to be more worried about being successful in God’s eyes rather than in the eyes of the world. In high school, my class picked me as ‘Most Likely to Succeed’, let me just say that was an honor to have my classmates think highly of me, but my priority in life is to be as successful as possible in God’s eyes rather than in the eyes of the world. Why must we as followers of Christ spend more time trying to please the world, than to please God? Yes, we must work and pay the bills, but we cannot let that hinder us from bearing good fruit to please the Lord. The things of this world are only temporary, we as followers of Christ should be worried about our eternity rather than the temporary aspects of this world. Isaiah 65:17 (ESV) tells us, ““For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.”. We must look to God to transform our mind, by spending time in prayer and reading His word. Romans 12:2(NLT) instructs us: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”.

So, as I continue this teaching series of decision making, I want you to fully analyze your life. Ask yourself the following questions.

  • Are the decisions you are making reflecting Gods word on your life, or are they trying to please the people of the world?
  • Are you in any sinful behavior right now?
  • Are there any trials going on in your life?
  • Do people know you as a Christian by your actions, or by your Facebook page biography?

Ask yourself these questions and answer them honestly. In my upcoming teachings, I will touch on each of these individually and how they apply to decision making as a follower of Christ.

How is Your Goodness

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It is hard to believe this is the last fruit of the Spirit for me to cover in my current series. I am hoping that these teachings have blessed you and helped you grow in your relationship with God. The last fruit of the Spirit for me to cover is goodness. Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV) says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”. As I have said previously the fruits of the Spirit go hand in hand with each other. Applying them all in your life should result in goodness and will let you be of the Spirit and not of this world.

God expects us to walk in goodness, because of the goodness he provides to us. Psalms 31:19 (WEB) “Oh how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear you, which you have worked for those who take refuge in you, before the sons of men!”. As true followers of Christ, we must fear God. Proverbs 8:13 (KJV) tell us “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.”. As this scripture tells us to fear God, we must hate pride, arrogance, the evil way, and perverted speech. My question to you is do you truly hate those things I just listed? Many of those things I listed are deemed “okay” in our society. Or they are labeled as “the way to be”. We can all be guilty of these things at times, I will admit that I myself am not perfect either. But we must recognize our flaws so that we can apply as much goodness to our life so that we can walk in the Holy Spirit.

In America’s society today, we are dealing with a culture war, it has been going on for years. However, this culture war has gotten stronger with evilness. In my lifetime so far, I have seen so many perverted movies and entertainment come out, and yet people that call themselves Christian indulge in this type of content. There are many people who indulge in the evil way, one of the parts of the evil way is witchcraft. In the early 2000s, a woman by the name of J.K. Rowling started releasing the Harry Potter book series. These books are easy for anyone, especially children to access at the bookstore or the school library. These books make their way home with children. Little do people know these books teach witchcraft but appear in the form of entertainment to make it look innocent. There are many Christian parents who permit this content to enter their homes. I am going to say something very bold here, these books have an evil Spirit about them, bringing this book into your home opens the door for the enemy to work in your life. Leviticus 19:31 (KJV) tells us, “Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.” If we want to walk in the fruit of goodness, we must be careful of what we watch, listen to, read, speak, and think. Even the best Christians can fall short of this (even I myself fall short at times), but we must constantly analyze what we bring into our lives. If we tolerate evil, it will dominate our life! I don’t know about you, but I want the promises of God to dominate my life and not the evilness of this world.

Walking in goodness does not only apply to what we allow into our lives but how we treat others. Matthew 12:35 tells us, “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.”. As followers of Christ, we want to bring forth good things, at times because we are never perfect, we can sometimes fail at this. When we fail at this, we must recognize our error and improve upon it. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (WEB) reminds us, “He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.”. I would like you to take some time and reflect on the following questions:

  1. Am I lacking in goodness? If so, where?
  2. Am I allowing the evilness of the world to come into my life by any means (literature, music, entertainment, words, thoughts)?
  3. Does my goodness reflect all the time?

Once you ask yourself these questions, work on improving. That might involve giving up the music you always listen to, instead listen to Christian music, or have the bible read to you from your phone. Have you participated in any evilness in your life? f so that means you must remove that evil activity and spend more time in prayer and in the Word of God. You may also want to revisit my previous teachings on the fruits of the Spirit and determine if you are weak in any of those. Remember that God is your strength, and nothing is impossible.

What About Self-Control?

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As I continue my teaching of the nine fruits of the Spirit, I have two more fruits that I have not talked about yet. I would like to discuss the term self-control. The scripture listing of the nine fruits of the Spirit is in Galatians 5:22-23(ASV) which says: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such, there is no law.”.  Self-control is simply how someone controls themselves both in their thoughts, words, and actions. Someone’s ability of self-control can be reflected in how they handle difficult situations.  So how are we as followers of Christ to control ourselves? And how does being born again in Christ change our self-control?

When you have accepted Christ as your savior the old in you is gone, and the new in you has started. You might feel you won’t ever have self-control from poor habits of sin, but when you accept Christ as your savior the past is the past, and you have a new beginning ahead by staying in His word. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) tells us, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”. We are saved or born again through our faith in what Jesus Christ did on the cross for us. Like the scripture tells us that old things are gone and everything following our salvation becomes new. This is not as simple as just saying the sinner prayer, you must believe the Word of God with faith, and read the word of God, and live according to the Word of God. Ephesians 2:8-9 (WEB) tells us “for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast.”.  Acting in faith and believing go hand in hand, therefore we must believe in Jesus to have eternal life as it is written in John 3:16 (WEB), “For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”.

Like the scripture tells us through our faith when we become saved, all things of the past remain old, and everything following our salvation is new. You might ask how this is possible? Can a criminal become saved and be made new in Christ? Absolutely! Of course, any criminal will have to face a punishment for their wrongdoing according to the law of the land in which they live in. You might ask how someone’s sinful past can just go away, especially if their sin was a bad habit. Of course, there will be memories of actions done and words said in the natural world, but in the spiritual world after proclaiming your life for Christ you start a clean slate as it says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that I quoted earlier. Romans 12:2 (ESV) tells us, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”. When we live according to the nature of the world which is full of sin and darkness that starts to overrule our life in the natural world, which in turn will overrule our life in the spiritual sense. But when we live according to what the will of God is, by knowing his word we renew our mind and know what is right and wrong. This change first happens in the spirit realm, then this can overrule the natural realm. Colossians 3:2 (KJV) tells us: “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”. The things of this earth are only temporary. We won’t have the things of this earth when we pass away. So why worry so much on the stress of this world if our focus should be on the word of God, which is eternal? This all comes down to self-control.

When we become saved through Christ, all things are new for us in our Spirit. When we become saved what does God give us in our Spirit? The answer is in 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV), which says “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”.  A sound mind sounds a lot like what I talked about in my teaching of God is Our Peace just recently. However, let’s look at the Amplified Bible on this scripture. 2 Timothy 1:7 (AMP) “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control] .”. Notice in the Amplified Bible it uses the term self-discipline which means self-control.  2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT) says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”. Once we are saved, we must know the Word of God by our minds and heart, so we can apply it both to the spirit realm and the natural realm. Psalm 119:10-11 (WEB) tells us “With my whole heart, I have sought you. Don’t let me wander from your commandments. I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”.  We must also apply an important scripture in the book of James that will help us with self-control. James 1:19 (KJV) tells us, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:”.

To have self-control as a new creation in Christ we must first know the word of God, apply it to our lives both in the spiritual realm and the natural realm, and we must also act according to the Word of the God. When you are born again and acting in your faith according to God’s word, people will notice a positive change in you. People will often notice something that is different within you, this can often open the door to you bringing someone to Christ. I challenge you as a follower in Christ to assess the areas in your life in which you are lacking self-control? Once you identify those areas seek God to help you grow in your weakness. You can also look up specific scriptures to help you with what you are lacking, it is very easy to find scriptures today with modern technology. Also, you can seek help from other believers, as believers we must stick together and help build each other up. Hebrews 10:25 (ESV) tells us, “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”.  Once you identify areas in self-control in which you are weak, identify areas where you are weak in the other eight fruits of the Spirit. In my next teaching, I will talk about the fruit of goodness and putting all the nine fruits of the Spirit together.

Wait Times

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As I continue my teaching on walking in the Holy Spirit by applying the nine fruits of the Spirit to our lives as true Christians, let’s take some time to reflect on the ones that I have already covered. I have recently talked about peace, which as Christians our peace comes from God. Next, I have also talked about kindness, love, and gentleness, which all have their similarities in how we can apply them to our lives, even though we can struggle with them. I have also talked about faith, which sometimes we lack during times of trouble. The first fruit I talked about was joy, which likewise with faith it can be hindered from us during times of trouble if we let something steal our joy.

There is one fruit of the Spirit I think everyone can say they are not perfect at applying, and that is patience or also called longsuffering in the King James Version. Galatians 5:22-23 (AMP) says, “But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love , joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things, there is no law.”. Note what the Amplified Bible says about patience and that is ‘how we act while waiting’. So how do you act while you are waiting for something? Are you quick to anger? Do you give up too quickly?  What do you say under your breath while you are waiting? Is what you say or do while waiting pleasing to the Lord? This is something I am sure all of us can improve on one way or another.

By walking in the Spirit with the fruit of patience, God expects us to act a certain way while waiting. Exodus 34:6 (ESV) says, “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,”. This verse right here explains how God expects us to act when we need to wait. You might be waiting to be seen by the doctor, you might already be angry because you aren’t feeling good or the doctor is running late. God wants us to be slow to anger and be gracious.

You might ask, why does God want me to be patient? God has shown us patience during the time he waited for us to repent and accept His only Son as our savior. Romans 2:4(ESV) says, “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”. This is also confirmed in 2 Peter 3:9 (CSB) which says, “The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.”.

Since God has been patient with all of us, we should be patient to others as true followers of Christ. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (ESV) tells us “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. 5 Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it.”. You should remember this scripture from my teaching on the fruit of love, love, and patience go hand in hand. During the times of your sinful repetitive cycle, God has been patient with you for you to repent and correct your sinful nature. You may not realize how patient God has been towards you through His love, but just think how far you were for Him before you repented and accepted Christ. List every sin that was between you and God before you got saved, then imagine yourself at church right in front of the altar, for each sin take a step back. God waited during your sinful times for you to repent become saved, so that distance between you and God could be removed. He desires each person so much to have eternal life. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”. 

I challenge you to take some time and think back to when you were dealing with a situation that you had a wait time for, how did you act? Was it pleasing to the Lord? How can you improve for your next wait time? Take some time and reflect these questions. Ephesians 4:31-32(ESV) says, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”. If you are struggling with patience, which I know I can at times, remember to always seek the Lord to help you in your weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9 tells us “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”. God is our strength in our weakness, God can help you show His love during your time of waiting.

God is the Source of Our Peace

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As I continue with my discussion on walking in the Spirit, I would like to talk about another fruit of the Spirit which is peace. The listing of the fruits of the Spirit can be found in Galatians 5:22-23 which says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law.”. So how do you apply peace to your life when walking within the Holy Spirit?

Peace is defined as having “harmony and accord brought about by cordial relationships. It has its source in God through Christ and the Holy Spirit” (Barbour’s Bible Dictionary & Concordance.). In John 14:27 (ESV), Jesus said “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”. When you face a troubled time in your life do you turn to something to give you peace or do you turn to the Lord? If Jesus is offering us peace through Him, I would want that than something of this world. We all know this world is full of darkness. Often times we consume ourselves with things of this world that influence a negative culture on us that can hinder our peace that comes from the Lord. In John 16:33 (ESV) Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”. This world will give us trouble, it is unavoidable, but with what Jesus did on the cross and through rising from the dead he overcame the world for us. How does one benefit from this peace within Christ? You must believe in Him and have accepted Him as your savior.  Titus 2:11-12 (NIV) says, “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,”.

By having salvation through the grace of God through His son, Jesus Christ, we can have and walk in peace. This does not guarantee that we will live a trouble-free life. Romans 8:28 (NKJV) tells us, “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.”. As true Christians, we are to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord. When we love our God and serve Him with all our heart, all things will work for good when we are in troubled times. During prayer in troubled times speak the scripture Romans 8:28 and say that it is written. When the Lord works through in a situation give thanks to Him and remember what he did for you in that situation. In the book of Deuteronomy chapter 8, it talks about remember what God has done for you, in the context of chapter 8 it refers to when God lead the people out of Egypt. Deuteronomy 8:15-16 (NKJV) says, “who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock;  who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end”. I would like to challenge you to keep a small journal and jot down all the provisions God has provided for you through troubled times. As you continue listing more items, refer back to them periodically and give thanks for those items. Also refer back to the blessings the Lord has given you when you are going through troubled times.

During troubled times when we might be lacking peace, it might be due to fear, worry or anxiety. This world can definitely tear us down from the stresses of work, finances, and our health. When you are dealing with fear and worry take your circumstances to the Lord in prayer both as a request and thanking Him in advance for what He will do in the situation. Philippians 4:6 (AMP) says, “Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.”. When talking about having peace through the Lord by walking in the Holy Spirit, we know we have reassurance in our hearts through our savior Jesus who has overcome the world. Philippians 4:7 (ESV) says, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”.  We have the reassurance of peace because God is the source of our peace. Philippians 4:9 (ESV) says, “What you have learned[a] and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”.

In troubled times we also must apply our faith, which is through God’s promises within His word. Hebrews 11:1 (CSB) reminds us, “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.”. In troubled times worry often finds us and hinders our peace because we cannot see what is ahead of us, but God sees what is ahead and He has the final say. I am sure there is one spot in your life where you could be lacking peace in whether it is with your job, health, or finances, seek the Lord for peace because he is the source of peace. As you apply the nine fruits of the Spirit to your life, I challenge you to find one area in your life where you are lacking peace. Once you identify that area in your life, seek God to give you peace for it and to provide provisions according to His will. As the Lord provides peace for you along with His other provisions keep a journal of how He has been moving in your life, revisit it often and reflect upon it. Also, use this as encouragement for yourself and others.