Category Archives: 2019

Merry Christmas

‘Tis the Season’

I would first like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas. I was debating on how to write my Christmas post this year. I remember as a child always looking forward to Christmas Eve spent at my grandparent’s house, and then opening gifts on Christmas morning. This is the time of year when many great memories are made with loved ones. This is also a time of year to look back on memories made with loved ones who are no longer here. For some people, this year’s Christmas might be difficult, because of a loved one no longer being here. Or you might be spending Christmas at work. Regardless of our circumstances for this Christmas, we must remember the main reason behind the season. 

Why We Celebrate Christmas

What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word Christmas? I want you to be honest with yourself on this question. Do you think about the gifts, family, work parties, family gatherings, church services, music, movies, decorations, or just the time off from work or school? I think far too often people think of Christmas incorrectly. We get so focused on the worldly stuff rather than the true meaning of Christmas. The true meaning of Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Conformed to the World

I know many people who seem to get distracted by the things of this world during this time of year. Romans 12:2 (NASB) reminds us “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”. I find it amazing that we as the Body of Christ will exhort so much time, energy, and money into making sure our Christmas traditions are perfect. While I like Christmas traditions, why are we not giving this much attention to our personal discipleship? Why are we not spending all this time we find to shop for gifts, meditating in the Word during the rest of the year? 

Continuous Joy

Many people seem to be in a more joyous mood this time of year. Why do we get so excited for one day of the year for our traditions? Why are we not excited every day that a Savior was born that saved us from eternal death? We should be excited about that every day! Psalm 95:1 (NASB) tells us, “O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD, let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.”. Additionally, in Acts 13:52 (NASB) “And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”. If the disciples were filled continually with joy, then we should be too! We should continually have joy because we are saved, healed, and delivered by the Blood of the Lamb. We celebrate His birth this time of year. We shouldn’t just be filled with joy during the Christmas season, we should be filled with joy all the time.

Distortion 

Just like Christmas gets distorted by the world, so does the Gospel. It is not just Christmas that gets distorted by secular things, it is also the Gospel that is distorted. There are far too many ministers who preach another Christ. If a sermon is titled ‘Nine Steps to Happiness’, I would suggest running from that church! The Gospel is not about how to fix a flat tire, it is about the Blood that was shed at the Cross. More people are following prosperity gospel preachers today than ever before. God is not going to give people the desires of their unregenerate hearts, no matter how much you waste your voice “speaking it into existence”. The Gospel is not about fulfilling our lust of the flesh, God isn’t going to tell you to go out and purchase a luxury item. God will tell you to be a good steward of your finances. It always seems that the average church has yet install discerning filters to filter out the garbage of this dark world. The American dream was never meant to be tied in with Scripture. Just like Christmas was not meant to be a time of year when millions of people go in debt awaiting their tax refunds. 

Conclusion 

The key takeaway is to keep our eyes always focus on what the Bible says about everything our lives. If we can keep our focus in line with the things of God, our lives will be much easier. The world always distorts the true meaning of Christmas, just like it does the true Gospel. I encourage you to make incorporating Christ into each part of your life as best as you can. I also encourage you to make your Christmas focused on Christ rather than how this world tells you to celebrate it. Maybe instead of saying Merry Christmas to people, we should say “A Savior is Born”. 

Who is the King of Your Heart?

You claim that Jesus is the King of Your Heart, but is He really?
You claim to be a Christian, but you have been on milk all your life.
Why haven’t you gotten to the meat, if He is truly the King of Your Heart?

If He is truly the King of Your heart you should have a burning desire to know Him on new levels each day.
He has a burning desire for fellowship with you, but you ignore the invitation!
He has eyes of fire for a reason, it is a type of fire you do not mess with.

Too many people are stuck on milk and are not even close to ready for the meat.
You have to make a choice to invest time for the King of Kings!
The reason you can’t put aside the time for Him is because you have not yet made him the King of your heart!

Your worldly things are still the king of your heart, but you won’t admit it.
You are too worried about your finances, possessions, entertainment, and self-image!
Its time for pew warmers to get out of the bedroom with the enemy and get on their knees and repent.

Part of the problem is that there is a lack of true training centers to equip mighty men and women of God to take the lead during this late hour.
There are too many social halls, rather than true churches today.
There are too many carnal worship services, rather than worship services that are in spirit and truth.
There are too many ministers obsessed with their own image, rather than submitting to the King of Kings!

The hour is late, just because you see people at church on Sunday does not mean you will see them in Heaven.
Just because you see someone standing behind a pulpit does not mean you will see them in Heaven.
Jesus warned us that not many people choose the one true path, because it is very narrow.

Get your heart right now! Stop procrastinating!
Wipe the dust off your Bible or sign into the Bible App for the first time.
Enroll in the classroom of the Holy Spirit, enrollment is always open. There are many empty seats!

We Are Called to Witness

In this blog post, I am going to talk in detail about how to witness to someone about Jesus Christ. We are going to look at a small passage from the Book of Acts, and then investigate key principles when witnessing to people. When you look at Acts 17 you will see that Paul and Silas traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, and they are now in Thessalonica.

In Thessalonica

The first thing to know about Thessalonica is that there is a synagogue of the Jews in this area. In Acts 17:2-3, we see Paul had a custom to reason with people in Jewish Synagogues when he traveled. The word custom is defined as a long-established practice considered as unwritten law or a repeated practice (Merriam-Webster, 2019).  So, it was an unwritten law for the Apostle Paul to have reasoned with the people in Jewish Synagogues as he traveled. Let’s dissect this a little bit more, Paul reason with these people in the synagogues. The word reason means to talk with another to influence actions or opinions (Merriam-Webster, 2019).

Paul is an Example for Us

So, when the Apostle Paul traveled to Jewish Synagogues it was an unwritten law to him to talk with the people to influence their beliefs on Jesus Christ. If a custom is an unwritten law by definition, and we see it recorded in the Bible, then shouldn’t we be doing it since it is written? I would believe so! Therefore, we ourselves should find opportunities to witness to unbelievers and reason with them about the Gospel, in hopes that they accept Jesus as their Savior.

People Accept Christ

Continuing to Acts 17:4 we will see that many people were persuaded by Paul and Silas. Now this passage of Scripture does not go into detail as to how Paul witnessed to them. However, if we know our Bible in context, we will find much guidance on how to witness to people.

People Also Reject Christ

Unfortunately, when we witness to people, they may not always accept what we say. In Acts 17:5-10 we see that there was a group of Jewish people who were not persuaded by Paul and they orchestrated an attack against them. We find out that Paul and Silas were staying with someone by the name of Jason. So, this group of Jewish people goes to Jason’s house to find Paul and Silas. However, they could not find them, so they bring Jason to the city officials for questioning.  Eventually, the city officials let Jason go, and Paul and Silas do depart from the area and head to Bera. Yet another great example of the Apostle Paul not letting opposition stop him from doing what God called him to do. This is an obvious pattern we see in the Book of Acts and should apply it to our lives!

The Power of Personal Testimony

Even the best ministers will face opposition when witnessing to unbelievers. As I was studying this short passage, I was led to a few Scriptures regarding witnessing to people. One of the first things we should do when witnessing to someone who is an unbeliever is to tell them our testimony. It is often our testimony that will make unbelievers want what we have that is only through Jesus Christ. 1 Chronicles 16:8 (NASB) says, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples.”.

Yield to the Holy Spirit

Additionally, in order to witness to people, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit. As you know the Apostle Paul had great boldness. This was because he was filled with the Holy Spirit and yielded to the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 (NASB) tells us, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”. The Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth and will tell us what to speak when we are ministering to others if we learn to yield to Him.

Sanctification

Lastly, we must be sanctified in Jesus Christ, and always be ready to witness to someone. 1 Peter 3:15 (NASB) tells us, “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence”. I could go on and on about sanctification, but I will leave that for another blog post. Additionally, when we witness to someone, we must be gentle and respectful to that person, while at the same time standing firm for truth. We will be able to do this if we truly yield to the Holy Spirit. This does not mean that the Word of God won’t offend someone, the Word of God is a sharp two-edged sword. The Word of God will not be politically correct, it will only ever be Biblically correct!

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, I would encourage you to read through this passage in the Book of Acts and try to apply these keys when you are witnessing to someone. Like I said before if it was an unwritten law written in our Bibles to witness to unbelievers, then we should take it as written law and make it a habit. As you learn to yield to the Holy Spirit you will know who you are to witness to, and who you are to hold off on witnessing to. Regardless we are to always show the love of God to people.

References

Merriam-Webster. (2019, December 10). Retrieved December 11, 2019, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/

Yielding to the Holy Spirit

If Only We Would Yield

In this blog post, I am going to discuss a great example of yielding to the Holy Spirit. If only the average church would take the time to yield to the Holy Spirit today, things would be so much better. Sadly, most of the churches today are so theologically brainwashed by man’s philosophy. In Acts chapter sixteen we will see several things that result from Paul and Silas yielding to the Holy Spirit.

Timothy is Introduced

In Acts 16:1-5 we are first introduced to Timothy who is of good report, and his mother is a Jew and his father is a Greek. So, he has an interesting family background. If you read my previous blog post from my series on the Book of Acts, you will see Paul dealt with some major conflict regarding circumcision. For the sake of cultural issues, he takes Timothy to be circumcised. We do see that the churches they do minister to get strengthened and more people become converted.

Holy Spirit Leads Paul to Macedonia

Going on to verses six to ten we see that Paul and Silas attempt traveling to Asia and Bithynia; however, the Holy Spirit prohibits them. This is something very important here with yielding to the Holy Spirit. You might have something that you think you should do, but God tells you to hold off. We may not see the reason right away, but we will eventually see why. I never question God’s reasoning, because His reasoning is certainly better than mine will ever be. We then see Paul has a dream of someone in Macedonia telling him to come and help them. Paul now feels strongly led that he is to go to Macedonia. Sometimes God will communicate to us through dreams at times, which is important for us to discern our dreams. 

First Fruit in Philippi

Continuing to Acts 16:11-15 we see that they do end up in Philippi which is a part of Macedonia. As the Sabbath day comes, they come across a woman named Lydia, and they minister to her and she gets saved, and so does her whole household. Paul could have gone to Asia and Bithynia instead, but if he did this woman would never have gotten ministered to. God might change your plans to bring an answered prayer to someone else!

Paul Deals with Demonic Spirit

Moving on to verses sixteen to twenty-four we see another fruit of Paul yielding to the Holy Spirit. He encounters a girl with a spirit of divination. She is a fortune-teller who brings much profit to her masters. The spirit of divination includes wizards, witches, spiritists, magicians, astrologers, and false prophets. Deuteronomy 18:10-12 (NKJV) tells us, “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,  or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.  For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you.”. Sadly today we see many Christians who partake in this garbage by being involved with tarot cards and much more.

Paul and Silas are in Prison

As Paul encounters this demon-possessed girl, she follows him for a few days saying that he is a man of God. Paul eventually gets annoyed with the spirit behind her and cast it out. If you read the scripture closely it says he spoke to the spirit. This is very important because our war is not flesh and blood but principalities and rulers in the heavenly places. After the girl is delivered her masters find out that their hope of profit from her is gone. They get very angry with Paul and go to the authorities. Paul and Silas end up in prison because of Paul delivering a girl from a demonic spirit. This is another example of persecution here in the Book of Acts. I am not sure how any minister could tell you that your best life is to be now on earth.

Praise God Through the Storm

Lastly in verses twenty-five through forty we see that while they were in prison, they still praised God and prayed. Isn’t that an example for us, they could have spent that time complaining about what took place, instead they praised God. Even when you are going through a difficult time, God is still worthy of all praises. Do not ever let the enemy knock you down to the point you stop worshiping God and praying. As they were praying and worshiping, a great earthquake happens, and the prison doors open, and their chains are loosed. We then see the prison guard comes to see what is going on and he gets saved along with his family!

Prison Guard Gets Saved

Continuing on, Paul and Silas are released from the prison and depart from the area. Even though they suffered they were still able to bear fruit. A prison guard and his family got saved through this situation. It is always amazing how God works when we yield to His Spirit. If Paul would have not yielded to the Holy Spirit and would have gone to areas that he should not have gone to, these great things would not have taken place. This is an example that shows us the importance of yielding to the Holy Spirit in every aspect of our life.

Final Thoughts

To yield to the Holy Spirit, we must put away the works of the flesh, because of the conflict with the walk of the spirit. Galatians 5:16-18 (TPT) tells us, “As you yield freely and fully to the dynamic life and power of the Holy Spirit, you will abandon the cravings of your self-life. For your self-life craves the things that offend the Holy Spirit and hinder him from living free within you! And the Holy Spirit’s intense cravings hinder your old self – life from dominating you! So then, the two incompatible and conflicting forces within you are your self-life of the flesh and the new creation life of the Spirit. But when you are brought into the full freedom of the Spirit of grace, you will no longer be living under the domination of the law but soaring above it!”. I don’t usually use The Passion Translation, but I like how this scripture is translated here. I encourage you this week to take time and diligently seek God and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in whatever is going on in your life right now!

Always Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving

With today being Thanksgiving I had to just have to write a short blog post! I would first like to wish you and your family a safe and Happy Thanksgiving! I myself find Thanksgiving to be my favorite holiday. In this post, I want to talk about what the Bible says about giving thanks. It seems to be always a tradition for people to reflect on what they are most thankful for during this time of the year. Then the day after today, people will go out and do some shopping. It seems like our society just wants us to be Thankful one day of the year, and the next day go out and splurge all our money.

What Does the Bible Say?

So, what does the Bible say about giving thanks? Are we only to be thankful just one day out of the full year? Paul told us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (AMP), “in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”. So, are you always thankful in every situation? Are you always thankful no matter your circumstances? Are you still thankful when you are faced with a sickness? Are you still thankful during the death of a loved one? Are you thankful when things get stressful at work? I am sure we can all find areas of our lives where we need to be more thankful.

Focus on God

Psalms 107:1 (NKJV) tells us, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”.  No matter what circumstances we are in, we will always have one thing to be consistently thankful for, and that is our salvation through Jesus Christ. When a trial comes your way, the devil wants to see you get knocked down and depressed. The devil wants you to lose your focus as a believer and focus all your attention and energy into the circumstances, rather than taking the time to go to your Heavenly Father in prayer. The more time you spend worrying and being depressed over your circumstances is more time you give to the enemy and your flesh.

The Flesh vs. The Spirit

When most people lose their focus on God, they always tend to blame it on an attack from the enemy. While certainly, this can happen, we must remember that the problem is often ourselves. Sometimes our flesh can get in the way of things, you know that thing we inherited from the fallen nature. When we are born again, we are to walk in the spirit. Galatians 5:16 (NKJV) tells us, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”. This is all a part of putting on the new creation we are in Christ Jesus! A person who is born again should be giving less and less attention to their desires of the flesh and should be giving more attention to their spirit man inside of them.

Walk in the Spirit

So, if you are struggling with always being thankful and joyful, then I encourage you to take some time and begin to put on the spirit man that is inside of you more than ever before. The best way to do this is to get into the Word of God daily and let it transform your mind. God does not just want us to be thankful one day a year, He wants us to be thankful every day and worship Him always!

Challenge

I would like to leave you with a challenge, instead of reflecting on what you are thankful during this time of the year, I want you to journal one thing each day that you are thankful for. I would even encourage you to find something specific to each day as you do this for a whole year. I think this is a great habit for every Christian to get into. Walking in the spirit involves us changing our mindset, which means developing new habits, so why not start adopting one today!

What About Circumcision?

What the Old Testament Says

In this post, I am going to talk about a key topic concerning the Law that is addressed in the Book of Acts. We see the Law of Circumcision brought into effect in Genesis 17:10-14 (NKJV), “This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised, and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”. As we get into the fifteenth chapter of Acts, we will see that the Jews and Gentiles are going to debate whether this is still necessary or not. Keep in mind the Gentiles do not participate in the Law of Circumcision.

Conflict Arises in the Book of Acts

In Acts 15:1 we see that men from Judea came with a desire to modify Paul’s approach of the Gentiles (non-Jews) salvation. In the following verse, we see after they have a discussion with Paul and Barnabas no agreement is made, and they decide to go to the church in Jerusalem to see what the leaders say. On their way to the church in Jerusalem, we see that Paul and Barnabas tell them about the conversion of the Gentiles and they are joyful to hear it. This is a reminder of how important our own personal testimonies are.

Free Indeed

In Acts 15:4-5 they are received by the church in Jerusalem; however, we see the Pharisees rise and argue that circumcision is necessary and should be mandated to the Gentiles. Even though some of these people are believers in Jesus Christ, they still believe in circumcision. This is because they do not fully grasp what freedom we have attained from Jesus Christ dying on the Cross and conquering the grave. Jesus told us in John 8:36 (NKJV), “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”. If we are made free through Jesus Christ, then we are free indeed!

Don’t Question God’s True Work

While there is much debating going on between the leaders of the church, we see in Acts 15:6-12 that Peter rises and reminds them that God told them to preach the Gospel to Gentiles. He also reminds them that when the Gospel was preached to the Gentiles that it was accepted. We also know that they received the Holy Spirit also, and the Holy Spirit is the person who does the work in our lives the moment we believe as a new creation. Since the Jews and Gentiles receive the same Holy Spirit, the conversion pattern is the same! Paul tells us in Galatians 3:26-29 (KNJV), “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”. If God is truly working behind something or through someone, then we should not challenge it. Peter also reminds them that salvation is through the grace of Christ by faith in Him. We need this because whether one is a Jew or Gentile, we cannot satisfy the requirements of the law.

What do the OT Prophets Say?

In Acts 15:13-21 we see James begins to speak and reminds them Amos 9:11-12 (NKJV), “On that day I will raise up The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old; That they may possess the remnant of Edom, And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,” Says the Lord who does this thing.””. After James reminds them of this, we see that this becomes accepted by the church that there is no more need for circumcision. However, if we are born again our circumcision is of the heart.

News for Antioch

In Acts 15:22-29, we see two leading men of Jerusalem get sent back to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. These two men are Judas and Silas. They go with Paul and Barnabas to back up the results of what the church in Jerusalem decided. A letter also gets sent with them stating there is no need for circumcision as some had previously debated. However, they do write a few moral conduct rules, which include abstaining from sexual immorality, idol worship, and the blood of animals. The people of Antioch are encouraged by this letter that was read to them.

Dealing with Conflict

Lastly in Acts 15:36-41, we see after Paul and Barnabas stay and teach in Antioch. Then they decide to revisit the areas they preached in before to see how they are doing. Paul and Barnabas do have a disagreement about who they want to bring with them, they do not settle on an agreement but go their own ways. They could have let their disagreement hinder them from continuing, but they did not. We as a church should neither let small disagreements stop us from being the church! Paul and Barnabas do split up on good terms and go separately to Syria and Cilicia.

Final Thoughts

You have just seen a transition take place in the Book of Acts, which is when the law of circumcision is no longer in effect as agreed upon by the church in Jerusalem. Romans 2:28-29 (ESV) tells us, “For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.”. Circumcision takes place in the heart when we are born again, it is now a spiritual thing and no longer a thing made by hands. The circumcision in the Old Testament had a purpose to point to Jesus. When you go through the New Testament you will often see footnotes to Old Testament Scriptures. I would highly encourage you to study those as often as you can. When you do you will begin to see how everything in the Old Testament points us to Jesus Christ!

Why Church Why?

Introduction

I was spending time with the Lord today and He put on my heart a strong word of wisdom. I have gotten word of wisdom and knowledge, but never one as strong as this. Please share this with others, many need to hear this.

A Word of Wisdom

What happened to the church?
Why did you leave your first love?
Why did you become so powerless and submissive to the world?

Why church why?!?!
What are you doing?
Why are you still sleeping with the devil?
Wasn’t His blood good enough for you on Calvary?

You are so carnal with your mindset and programs.
Why are you letting the darkness of the world in?
Why do you resemble the bars and night clubs?
A true House of God should be a bright light to the dark world!

Are you just coming Sundays for a social gathering or for a feel-good feeling?
The House of God is not a social hall, it is a place to equip and correct His remnant of faithful people.
We need to be the mighty men and women of God that we are all called to be.
Why hasn’t the church today opened its doors to let the King of Kings in?

Judgment has begun in the church and it will continue until it is cleaned up.
Don’t wait for revival to happen. We are His people; it starts with us!
We need to be saturated in anguish first, and continually be soaked with it.

If the rapture were to happen today there would not be many people in the church missing.
The majority of ‘Christians’ are not even close to ready.
The time is almost out, get your heart’s ready and spread the Gospel.

The church needs to be put on a new diet and it is a grease-free diet of Grace and Mercy.
The greasy grace diet has and will continue to lead people to hell.
You should be taking fewer repentance pills every night.

The King of Kings loves you so much.
He put this word on my heart so strongly. 
This is a message ordained by the King of Kings.
It would be wise of you to take this word seriously and make your heart right.
It would be very wise for the church to take a wrecking ball it’s denominational theology and takes His Word for what it truly is.

Your Thought Life

I felt lead to do a blog post regarding what Scripture tells us about our thought life. I want you to ask yourself what do you spend most of your time thinking about? Also, how many of your thoughts are positive, and how many are negative? How many of your thoughts lead to fear or even sin? The thought life is a very important key to the Christian life. It is something that all of us struggle with, even me included. When you think about it, we have so much that goes on in our life, it is no wonder our thought life can become a mess!

Our Mind

So, what does the Bible say about our mind and thought life? Look at what Paul told us in Romans 12:2 (NKJV), “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.”. How do we renew our minds? Well, get the Word into you! The Word of God is the main ingredient we need so that we can become complete. Most people cannot control their thought-life because they do not get into the Word enough. If people would get into the Word as they should, then they would be able to control their thought life and renew their mindset. You don’t need psychology to renew your mind, you need the Word of God. 2 Timothy 3:17 tells us that the Word of God makes us equipped and completed.

Why Renew Our Mind

So why do you want to renew your mind? Many people just look at Romans 12:2, rather than Romans 12:1-2.  Let’s rather look at Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV), “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.”. So, the reason we want to renew our mind is that our bodies are a living sacrifice to God. Not only should we be free from sin in our actions, but our mindset must be renewed into the likeness of Christ. When you are thinking something sinful or negative, ask yourself what Jesus would think about it. When your mind starts going off in fear, ask what Jesus would think about it.

Get the Word Into You

It is time that we stop putting our-self in subjection to the worldly thought system and begin to subject our-self to a mindset that is renewed by the Word of the Living God! If you cannot keep your thoughts under control, then get into the Word of God more. The reason people have trouble controlling their mindset is that they don’t know what God’s Word says about the new nature they have in Christ Jesus.

Put Every Thought Captive to Jesus Christ

2 Corinthians 10:5 (NKJV) tells us, “We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ,”. Many sophisticated arguments come against us every single day. If we are true sons and daughters of God, then why on earth would we subject ourselves to an ugly thought life that is nothing but disobedient to our Lord and Savior? I’m not trying to beat you down; I am trying to push you to clean up your thought life. I know what it is like personally to have negative thoughts, it is challenging. But the only way to push through it is by renewing your mind by getting into the Word, and then put your thoughts into captivity and obedience to Jesus Christ.

You Are a New Creation

When the sophisticated arguments that are against the obedience of Christ come into your mind, get into the Word. You can even play an audio Bible. The more time you can spend in the Word and absorb what it says, the more effectively you will be able to get a handle on your thought life. I can tell you personally that my thought life has significantly improved since getting into the Word more. Don’t get me wrong, I still have a long way to go. But every bit of progress made is so worth it. Keep in mind that it is not us who renews our mind, it is the new nature that is in us from the moment we accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. That is why we must get rid of the old man and put on the new man. That means we need to erase the thought life of the old man and reprogram our thought life with the new nature.

Final Thoughts

If it is written in Scripture that the Word of God makes us complete and fully equipped, then we need to take that home with us! If the Word of God is what fully equips us, then that should be our go-to with every single problem and thought in our life. We need to get to a place where first pray to God and get in His Word, rather than jumping instantly into an earthly exit. So, for the next month, I want you to spend at least 30 minutes in the Word a day. Then increase it gradually as your schedule allows you to and meditate on the Scripture by keeping a journal. It is time you make an investment in something that is guaranteed to work, rather than something that is imperfectly made in this World. Investing time in the Word of God is one of the smartest investments one can make in their life.

Acts 14:8-28: Standing Firm

In this post, we are going to look at an issue that the Apostles encounter in the Book of Acts. There are many important takeaways from this problem they encountered, along with an example of how to deal with problems as they arise in the church today. No matter what, no church is going to be totally perfect. We need to look to the Word of God and look at the best examples to help us deal with issues when they arise. The most important aspect of being a Spirit-Filled believer is being filled with the wisdom and revelation that is within the Word of God.

Lame Man Healed

If you followed my previous teaching in my series on the Book of Acts, you will see that the Apostles went to Lystra. We see in Acts 14:8-10, while they were in Lystra they saw a man, who was lame since birth. Paul perceived that this man had faith to be healed and told him to stand up and walk, and the man was made well through the power of Jesus Christ. Now one thing to keep in mind is that many of the signs done in the New Testament are to be a sign to unbelievers and show us the sovereignty of God.

Idolatry in Lystra

Continuing in Acts 14:11-13 we see something strange taking place. We see the people in this area who noticed the miracle take place begin to praise false gods. The people in this area mistaken Barnabas for the false god Zeus, and Paul as Hermes. This was a cultural issue in the area from local folklore roots. There are many articles written about this, but I am not going to get into the extra details. As the people started praising their false gods, the Priest of Zeus lead the people in worship. I could not imagine being the Apostles during this ordeal! One similarity I see with the church today in this manner is with the healing ministries that go on. Sadly, many people only go to healing ministries and don’t even have a home church.  Too many people only focus on the signs and forget to get to know Him! Don’t get me wrong when healings happen it is a great thing, but we cannot get carried away and only seek God just for healing or breakthrough. We need to be seeking Him because without Him we would be going to hell!  Many people who do get genuinely healed might say ‘that Pastor healed me’. Well, that is incorrect, when people are genuinely healed it is through the power of Jesus Christ. God certainly will use certain people as vessels. But we must keep in mind that no pastor or minister is above God, and we should not view them in that way.

Stand Firm

We see that Paul and Barnabas do not tolerate this form of idolatry at all in Acts 14:14-18. We see that they speak up about it. They tell the people to turn away from what they are doing because it is vanity and useless. These people in this area of Lystra were unrighteous people, who participated in wickedness. They did not worship the true living God. In Romans 1:17-32 we are told that the realness of God is revealed through creation. Just think to yourself how everything in the world we live in is formed. Our bodies are so well designed and programmed, you would have to be a fool to say we evolved from apes or all of this is an accident. God gives people who fail to realize His realness and live in unrighteousness over to reprobate minds. People with reprobate minds are unprincipled people. Some synonyms for the word reprobate are good-for-nothing, villain, wrongdoer, and evildoer.  I don’t know about you, but I would not want to be any of those!  However, we must be mindful that we will encounter people like this when we witness the Gospel to others.

Facing Tribulation

As we continue, we will see in Acts 14:19-20 that some unbelieving Jews come from Antioch to stone Paul. They then convinced the people of Lystra that Paul is dead. However, we find out that Paul was not dead, and he does recover. Regardless of the persecution that took place, they moved on to Derbe. The Apostles could have easily given up, but they did not. When we are faced with temptation or persecution, we should not give up either we should continue! Psalm 119:28 (KJV) tells us, “My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.”. The Lord is our strength and we need to put our full trust in him when difficulties come our way!

Not ‘Your Best Life Now’

In Acts 14:21-23 we will see that the Apostles were in Debre and then returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. I find it inspiring that they returned to areas where there was persecution. The Apostles set for us a high standard in terms of persecution, temptation, and tribulation. We also see that more disciples were added and that they ordained elders of the churches. Also, we see that the Apostles told these new disciples that they “must go through much tribulation to enter into the Kingdom of God”. So, this Christian walk is not easy. This lifestyle is not meant to be ‘Your Best Life Now’.

Share Your Testimony

Lastly in Acts 14:24-28 we see that the Apostles continue to travel as they were led by God. Every place they traveled to; they shared their testimony as to how God was faithful to them. When we minister to others, we need to share our personal testimony. It is often our testimony that will be a sign to the unbeliever.

Final Thoughts

I would like to encourage you to reflect on how you deal with persecution, tribulation, and temptation. Where are you weak at? Where are you strong at? Where can you improve? This Christian walk is not easy in this dark world. But by leaning on God, all things are possible because He is our strength and salvation. I encourage you to go back through Acts chapter fourteen and look at how the Apostles set an example for us in dealing with persecution, temptation, and tribulation. In my next post, I will continue in Acts chapter fifteen and we will see a bit of a transitional period within the Book of Acts, so be sure to subscribe to this blog!

A Word on Anxiety

What is Anxiety?

I decided to make a blog post on something that everyone can relate to. No matter what everyone has dealt with some form of anxiety in their life. Anxiety is defined as a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. We all deal with bouts of worry from time to time. Maybe you are worried about things at work, your health, family, or financial issues. Or maybe you had some major life-changing events that had a negative impact on your mindset, and this resulted in a chronic type of anxiety. In this post, I want to talk about anxiety and how to deal with it according to the Word of the Living God.

What is Your Go-To?

So, what do you do when you are stuck worrying about something and cannot get it off your mind? Many people both believers and unbelievers will often find themselves doing some sort of stress-relieving activity. It could be reading, going for a walk, listening to music, talking to someone, the list goes on and on. Is there anything wrong with the activities I just listed? Absolutely not! But I would like to pose a better solution, that is Biblical.

Your Mind-Set

So, thoughts of worry, anxiety, and depression all come from our mind, right? So instead of bandaging the problem, why don’t we tackle the cause? Why don’t we begin to tackle our mindset? If you are struggling with anxiety, depression, and worry, then you probably need to work on your mindset! Romans 12:2 (AMP) tells us, “And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].”. So, we are all to transform our minds as believers by focusing in on the things of God and learning who He is and who you are in Him.

The Word of God Transforms

So how do you begin to know who God is and who you are in Him? Well, get into the Word! Psalm 119:105 (NKJV) says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”. When you truly know who God is, and who you are in Him, along with knowing His Word you will be well equipped! So many people often jump too quickly to all the earthly exits for their situations in life, rather than taking the time to seek God in prayer. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes you might have to talk to someone else for advice or go to a doctor. But we cannot let our earthly exits be valued more than God! I myself often pray every time before I go to the doctor, that God would give the doctor wisdom and knowledge, and God has been faithful to me with that.

The Word Makes Us Complete

The people of this world will go to self-help books on how to deal with their problems. Often, they will need several self-help books for all their problems! We as believers are lucky! We only need one book, and that is the Word of God! 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV) tells us, “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.”. The Word of God is our ultimate source of wisdom, knowledge, doctrine, correction, and instruction.

Know Who You Are

So how does reading the Word of God help you with anxiety? Well once you begin to read the Word of God, you will begin to learn who you truly are in Him. You will know that God did not give us a spirit of fear, but one of power and of love and of a sound mind, as written in 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV).  I could have given you many scriptures about anxiety, but I didn’t. Because we all need to know who we are in God, and what God’s Word says about the things we deal with in our life. Once you get the Word into you and let the Holy Spirit teach you, you will see transformation take place in your mindset.

Final Thoughts

So, if you have been struggling with anxiety or depression, I want to encourage you to take some time and get into the Word like you never had before. Make yourself some good notebooks! Each time you start reading, ask for the Holy Spirit to teach you. Start getting into the habit of getting in the Word and praying when storms come your way in life, rather than jumping to an earthly exit right away.