Category Archives: Christianity

Christianity, Fruit of Spirit, Inspiration, Salvation, Sin, Wisdom

The Fruit of Kindness

bible

In my last post, I talked about one of the nine fruits of the Spirit which was joy. In this post, I am going to discuss a different fruit of the Spirit, which is kindness. We are told in Galatians 5:22-23 “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 we know that kindness is one of the fruits of the Spirit. In order to walk in the Spirit, we must be kind to others, even when it can seem difficult. We must also be reminded of Galatians 5:16-17 which says, “ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”. God does not want us to pick and choose from the fruits of the Spirit, he wants us to apply all of them.

 

Being kind can be both easy and hard to do. If it means being kind to someone you love, then it should be easy. We often find it difficult to be kind to those who give us a hard time. 1 Peter 3:9 says, “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.”. We will have people in our lives who might annoy us or make our job difficult. When dealing with these people we must remind ourselves that God loves that person just as much as he loves us. The same Jesus that died for you died for them also. Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”.

 

The fruits of the Spirit are characteristics that followers of Christ should apply to their lives. The opposite of a kind person is a cruel person. Proverbs 11:17 says, “A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself.”. There are many ways that we can be kind to others, and there are many opportunities to accomplish this. Galatians 6:10 tells us, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”. Additionally Proverbs 19:17 tells us, “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.”. God will repay us for our good deeds and even our bad deeds. Galatians 6:7 tells us, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”.

 

As you go through your day try to take one opportunity to be kind to someone and act on it. It can be a simple gesture of kindness. By applying kindness and the other eight fruits of the Spirit, we avoid ourselves from walking in the flesh. I don’t know about you but I would rather walk in the Spirit with God, than of the flesh of this dark world. There will be times that we fall short of kindness and the other fruits of the Spirit.  When this happens we must turn to God who is our strength to help better us in our weakness. 1 Chronicles 16:11 says, “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!”. If you are struggling to be kind to others, seek God more every day, and try simple deeds of kindness each day.

Christianity, Fruit of Spirit, Healing, Inspiration, Salvation, Wisdom

Filled with Joy

Christmas ornament imprint the word joy

As Christmas approaches very quickly we often become to busy with shopping, cooking, parties, and family gatherings to realize the true joy within our lives. While spending time with loved ones important this season as it should be all the time, let’s take a deep look into the term joy. As you read this article of mine, list some of the struggles you are going through in life whether it be health, family, financial, or emotional, and see how you can apply joy to that particular situation.

 

Galatians chapter 5 discusses the nine fruits of the Spirit which help us walk in the Holy Spirit. The nine fruits of the Spirit are characteristics one should have that is a true follower of Christ. Galatians 5:22-23 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.”. Joy is happiness from the consistent promises of God within His word. We have joy when God gives us provisions according to His word. This can come from anything from a healing to a financial need that is supernaturally met. If you are a true born-again Christian then you already have one thing to be joyful for, and that is your salvation. Psalm 21:1 says, “O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults!”.

 

So why should we always be joyful? Since joy is one of the nine fruits of the Spirit we must apply joy to our character. When we apply the fruits of the Spirit to our character, we are walking within the Spirit and not the flesh. Galatians 5:16 says, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”. You might be weak in one of the nine fruits of the Spirit if so turn to God to help you with your weakness. We must remember our strength comes from the Lord. 1 Chronicles 16:11 says, “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!”.

 

So why must you apply joy even when going through a rough patch in life? First Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”. Notice the scriptures uses the word abound which has the following synonyms listed in the Webster’s dictionary: be plentiful, be abundant, be numerous, be full of, and overflow with. Also, Romans 12:12 says, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”. The more time we spend rejoicing and in prayer, the less stressed out we will be. Spending time worrying is just wasting time that you could be praying. We are to continue our joy even in trials, and our perseverance during our trials will be dependent upon our joy. James 1:2 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds”.

 

When we get distracted by things of the flesh we walk out of the Spirit. This can make our circumstances worse for us because when we walk by flesh and not Spirit it opens the door for the enemy to work. John 16:22 says, “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”. While we will have our trials here on Earth, we must remember that if our hearts are right and if we are walking in the Spirit we have eternal life. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”  The scripture of John 3:16 is one reason every believer should be filled with joy. Many secular views tell us that heaven will be a place of partying and a good time. This secular view is completely wrong and will hinder one from walking within the Spirit. Heaven will be a place of praise and worship to our creator. Romans 14:17 tells us, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”. I believe that God wants us to walk in the Spirit as much as possible when we are here on Earth so that we can rejoice in heaven.

 

I challenge you to be filled with joy during times of struggle and seek God for strength. By walking in the Spirit and not the flesh, we can expect to see more of God’s promises in our lives. Also by spending less time worrying, and more time in prayer, we will have more hope. As Christmas approaches quickly, be joyful for at least one thing, if not more, and that is the birth of our Savior.

 

Christianity, Salvation, Sin, Wisdom

Revelation 21:8 In-Depth

brown rock formation (hell)

In my previous post, I did an in-depth look at sin and what a sinful life leads to. One of the scriptures I used is Revelation 21:8. I promised at the end of my previous post that my next post would be an in-depth look at the scripture of Revelation 21:8.

 

Looking back on Revelation 21:8 it mentions the sins that lead to one going to the lake of fire. Many of the items listed in this scripture of items that we have adopted into our society and even Christians view some of these as okay. There are many churches and preachers who lack correcting sin and preaching on sin in churches today. If you ever go into the Christian section at Barnes and Noble you will see many good Christian books by great authors. However, we must be careful of what is true and what matches God’s word. There are many ‘feel good preachers’, who get you to listen to them by telling you what you want to hear rather than the entire word of God. These types of preachers and teachers are cowards for not giving the full message of God. We are warned of this in Matthew 7:15, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”.

 

In Revelation 21:8, it also mentions the faithless will be in hell. We are warned of this in Romans 14:23, “But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.”. We also have mentioned the murderers, idolaters, and liars, you simply just need to look at the ten commandments for these and know they are wrong. 

 

The scripture also mentions sexual immorality, we have such a culture war over this one in our world today with what is now acceptable. We have many books and movies coming out that are sexually immoral. I will blast one that got a good bit of popularity very recently and that is Fifty Shades of Grey. This book was so popular in bookstores everywhere, and the movie was even more popular. I was a senior in high school when this book came out, I saw many people, glued to this book. Many were talking with each other about this book. I was even surprised to see middle school students reading the book, I was shocked that any parent in their right mind would allow their child to read that book.  The enemy is setting up camp in the entertainment world to make immoral content appear interesting to people of all ages. There is a video clip from Paul Harvey regarding this that was recorded many years ago and I encourage you to listen to it. I will link the recording at the end of this post. Imagine how much of a better world we would live in if people would have got excited about the Bible and talking about that Bible, instead of Fifty Shades of Grey. Aside from a current event perspective, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 says, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God”. Additionally, 1 Corinthians 7:2 says, “But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.”.

 

One last item that was mentioned in Revelation 21:8 that I would like to discuss is the term sorcerer. It is defined as ‘a person who claims or is believed to have magic powers’. Some of the synonyms for sorcerer are a wizard, witch, magician, warlock, enchanter, enchantress, magus, and several more. I believe I could count four occasions during my K-12 experience when a magician was brought into school. Many people might look into tarot card readings or horoscopes or see a witch to tell them their future. We are warned that people that practice sorcerer is false and are of the devil. Though they might not seem evil we must be so careful. 2 Corinthians 11:44 says, “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”. Additionally, Leviticus 19:31 says, ““Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God.”. Our children are also exposed to learning witchcraft everytime they go to the library or bookstore. You will often see the very popular Harry Potter series. There is an excellent video of a former witch who gave her life to Christ, she discusses how the Harry Potter series teachers and exposes children to witchcraft. I will also link that video below.

 

There is so much more of how the devil works around us in this dark world that we are exposed to every day. As followers of Christ we must be careful of what we do, think, read, watch, and listen to. I would like to challenge you to assess what you expose yourself to daily in this dangerous world. Do any of the things I listed in this article apply? As followers of Christ we must not become devoted to things of this world, but the Word of God and serving God with our unique purpose. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”.

 

Paul Harvey Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Brmpv2D-xk

Ex-Witch Video Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZccQTMdqQ10

Christianity, Inspiration, Salvation, Sin

Are You a Slave to Sin?

chains

As Christians, we must live according to what God commands us to do in His word. Even after becoming saved, we will still have imperfections on this earth. But what happens when you are living in sin every day? Are you seeking God to help you break that bad habit? Are you going to church every Sunday to just go through the motions? Do you want to go by your desires or God’s will for your life? We often make decisions quicker than we should and this often leads us to troubled times.

 

Maybe you know you are in sin, but it almost seems like it is just a part of your normal routine. John 8:34 says, “ Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.”. Notice this verse says ‘a slave of sin’. Jesus is not referring to a physical slavery, but one who practices sin habitually. Sinning inhabit is a spiritual bondage to sin, and we know that sin is of evil, not righteousness.

 

We have a choice to make, we can either be children of God, or children of the devil. You cannot be both at the same time. 1 John  3:8-10 says, “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.”

 

How do we become children of God? First, you need to be born again, if you want to go to heaven after your time on earth. Jesus said in John 3:5-6, ““Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”. Notice Jesus mentions being born of both water and Spirit. He is not referring to actual water but the need for cleansing, renewal, or spiritual cleansing. This cleansing is also mentioned in Ezekiel 36:25-27, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.  And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

 

John 3:15 says, “that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”. What happens if you aren’t born again and don’t believe in the one and only Son of God Jesus Christ?  Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”. If you are living in sin and are not born again, then your paycheck will be spiritual death. However, if you believe in the Son of God, then you receive everlasting life. We might be undeserving of everlasting life but God loves us, and He sent His only son to die for our sins. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”. The opposite of everlasting eternity in hell, which is the paycheck for living a sinful life and for not believing in Jesus Christ. Matthew 10:28 says, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”. Furthermore Revelation 21:8 says, “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”. Also Jude 1:7 says, “Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.”.

 

I could go much more on with the topic of sin. However, the key lesson to take away is to make your heart right. Ask Jesus into your heart today and to forgive you of your sins. Claim that you will give him your best. Make him your Lord, the King of your Heart today. Once you do this read the Word of God every day. Live as much of a sin-free life as possible, and when you make a mistake admit it to God in prayer and seek forgiveness and guidance on improving. By reading the Word of God daily you can transform your mind. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”.

 

My next blog post will be an in-depth look of Revelation 21:8.

Christianity, Inspiration

Always Thankful

thanksgiving harvest food

Since today is Thanksgiving, we all have a lot to be thankful for. Whether it be friends, family, health, financials, and many more. One of the most important things to be thankful for is our salvation through Jesus and Gods great love. Psalm 118:14 says, “The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.”.  Furthermore Colossians 3:16-17 tells us, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”.

Thanksgiving is a time of year when we give thanks for what we have. Many people focus on giving thanks during this period when we should be giving thanks for all we have every day of our lives. This is true when giving thanks to the Lord.  We must be thankful every day for what Christ did for us. As the scripture tells us we must let His Word dwell in us.  His Word provides us wisdom, 1 Corinthians 1:24 tells us “but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”.  One of my previous blog posts was on seeking God for wisdom, it is so important to seek Him for wisdom every day with the many decisions we make. When He gives us wisdom on what to do or say, we are to give Him thanks.

His Word also provides us hymns and spiritual songs, which we are to be thankful for.  We have many traditional and modern songs to worship with today, many new songs come out regularly. While being careful of which songs are genuine spiritual songs, we should praise the Lord and give thanks to Him by singing songs of joy. Psalm 71:23 says, “My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed.”. Praising God and praying to God can go hand in hand. When you are praying to God for a healing or provision start worshiping him, Psalm 95:2 says “Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!”.

In times of trouble, we must remember Gods promises and give thanks for those promises, even before breakthrough occurs. I am thankful for Isaiah 53:5 for His will on healing, “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds, we are healed.”. He also promised that He would never leave us, there are many times we feel alone when the things of this world crush in on us. I am thankful for His promise in Hebrews 13:5, “Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”.

When we are waiting for a breakthrough, we must have faith. God never promised that we would be healed instantly, or that provisions would happen instantly. A healing from God could happen instantly or gradually. The important thing to do is have a steadfast faith, be consistent in your faith. We get too focused on what the enemy has done or is doing, instead, we need to focus in on God word. You might have a sickness you have been battling for years that is incurable by man. The doctors might tell you that you will have this disease all your life, and you will have to take medication all your life to live. While what the doctors are telling you is true in the natural part of life, we must remember that God is in the supernatural or spiritual. By holding onto His promises in a steadfast faith the spiritual can overturn the natural by God’s will. Matthew 19:26 says, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”. So, seek God with thanksgiving in advance for what man says is impossible or that there is no way and be steadfast about receiving it according to His will. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”.

Christianity, Inspiration

Seeking Wisdom

old fashioned book library

As Christians, we must realize the importance of seeking God for wisdom in our everyday lives. There are many aspects of our lives where we need wisdom. Wisdom is defined by Webster’s as the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment. We need the wisdom to have a good life balance, to make good decisions both for the long term and short term. If you want things to go well for your career, financials, and family, seek and ask God for wisdom. Proverbs 4:6 says, “Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you.”.

I encourage you to read Proverbs 3 and 4. God appeared to Solomon and gave him the opportunity to ask for anything he desired. Solomon could have asked for wealth, material things, or long life. But he simply asked God for wisdom. He gave a good reason for asking for wisdom, which is written in Proverbs 3: 15: “Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.”.

Knowing the importance of seeking God for wisdom is one thing, but applying it is another. To seek God, we must turn away from our sinful ways. Romans 8:7 says, “For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.”. We often let ourselves become prideful before fully submitting ourselves fully to God. When we take pride in ourselves, and often become occupied with things of this world more than the Word of God. People often have a hard time getting serious with God because they are too busy being involved with the sinfulness of the world. Often people feel submitting to God means people of the world will think less of them. They are often afraid of losing their pride for something greater God has in store for their life. Newsflash you need to pop your bubble of pride before submitting to God. If the people of the world think less of you remember what Jesus said in John 15:18-19, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”. This world is full of darkness because of sin, therefore we must submit ourselves to God and not the world. James 4:7 says, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”.  Furthermore, Proverbs 11:12 says, “Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”.

Once you fully surrender yourself to God by being born again and stay in His Word daily, you just need to ask God for wisdom.  James 1:5 says, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.”. If it is God’s will, then you must ask to receive it. Wisdom is part of God’s will for us who believe in Him. Matthew 7:7-8 says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Sometimes when you ask God for something such as wisdom or a healing, it might not be given right away. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”, we must base our faith on divine assurance from God’s Word.

In summary, we must first know why we need wisdom from God. Secondly, we need to surrender to God to receive His promises. Once we surrender and are born again, we need to seek and ask Him for the wisdom we need. James 3:17 says, “But the wisdom from above is first pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.”.  Seek God today for the wisdom you need for moving forward in your life in His will.

Christianity, Inspiration, Testimony

Why Fear?

fall path with light

It is human nature to experience fear at many points in your life. The experience of fear can be very short, or it can be very long. The word fear is defined as to be afraid of someone or something as to be dangerous, painful or threatening.  According to a survey done by Chapman University, some of the top fears in 2018 include corrupt government officials, not having enough money for the future, loved ones becoming seriously ill, loved ones dying, high medical bills, and many more. These are all common things to fear, and I am sure you can brainstorm a long list of many more.

But too often we let our fear get the best of us, and we often forget God’s Word in times of fear. Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”.  We must remember that God has a plan for us. You might be worrying about your future with your job, house, insurance, or retirement, but God has a plan at work for you for your future. We must trust in him and seek him. Jesus tells us in Matthews 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”.

As I said previously we must trust in the Lord. We know he has plans for us not against us. It might seem impossible right now, but God knows the result and will have the final say in the situation. We must trust and seek the Lord in all we do in our daily lives. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”.  Additionally, Psalm 34:4 says, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”. The word sought also means to seek like I said before we must seek the Lord along with trusting in Him.

Some people might have issues with anxiety and may have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. When I was in fourth grade I had terrible anxiety issues, I was even put on medication for it. Without the medication, I would not be able to sleep at night. One night I was prayed for at my church, and I went home that evening. My family got home later than usual, and I forgot to take my medication before bed. I slept great that night and didn’t take the medication the next several nights and had no issues. By the body and blood of Christ, I was delivered of that anxiety issue. Now there are times I might still get nervous about something here and there. That is normal for really anyone. So, whether you are dealing with a chronic anxiety disorder or just regular anxiety remember what God’s word tells us. Also remember Psalm 94:19, “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.”.

By seeking the Lord daily and trusting in him, you can overcome your fears.  Don’t sit back and let your fear consume your mind, you must conquer your fear with God’s Word, otherwise, your fear will conquer you.

 

Christianity, Inspiration, Salvation

Staying in the Word

Bible opened up to Psalm, with cup of coffee

So where do you stand right now with the Lord?  If you have already accepted Jesus as your savior that is great. But there is so much more to your walk with the Lord, other than saying the sinner’s prayer sincerely. We have been given a very great tool to help us in our walk with the Lord, and that is the Bible. With the great advancement of technology, you can literally carry the Bible in your pocket anywhere you go!

 

The Bible is a large book to read, it can seem overwhelming to anyone to read. The Bible has been translated into many different languages. In English, we have many options available to us. We have a word for word translations, such as the King James Version or the English Standard Version. Additionally, we have a sentence for sentence translations, such as the New International Version. So there are many different options in the English language you can pick from for what is right for you.

 

Why must we read the Word of God daily? Psalm 119:9 (NKJV) says, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.” The NIV version translates this as, “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.”. The word pure means: genuine, real, true, incorrupt, unadulterated, from guilt, guiltless innocent, and chaste. James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”. Living your life according to the Word of God, will bring you success in your life in the eyes of the Lord. Of course, you will have obstacles in life, and when troubled times come you must know what His Word says, and accept His promises. It is one thing to hear and read God’s word, but we must also act on it, including his promises to us. Matthew 7:24 says, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”.

 

The Bible is about 2,700 years old, you might question why you should apply something to your life if its thousands of years old. This is also answered in scripture several times. Matthew 24:35 says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”. No matter what, God’s word is still alive today, if it was true yesterday then it will be true today and forever. Furthermore, in Hebrews 4:12  it says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”. As we live in a dark and fallen world, we need something to guide us, and that is the Bible. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”. By having a personal relationship with Him and putting his Word to practice he will keep us protect and provide for us. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 says “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”

 

Only by the Word of God and His grace, by Him sending His only son to die for our sins,  can you be saved, James 1:21 says, “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”. I challenge you if you haven’t already to do the following to get closer to God (along with regular church attendance):

  1. Accept Jesus as your personal savior. Read John 3, regarding The New Birth.
  2. Find out which translation works best for your daily reading.
  3. Read the Bible Daily, there are many great tools to develop a reading plan the works best for you. Here are several good resources to help…
    https://www.ligonier.org/blog/bible-reading-plans/https://www.biblegateway.com/reading-plans/?version=NIV

    https://www.mybibleplans.com/

  4. As you read the Bible, live your life accordingly and accept God’s promises (healing, provisions, strength, etc.).
  5. After you read it entirely read it again and study deeper into it.

 

Christianity, Healing, Inspiration, Salvation, Sin, Wisdom

What You Tolerate, Will Dominate

chain links

What is it that you tolerate in your life? Do you tolerate bondage, depression, sickness, pain, or even poor circumstances? These are all things that are of our world, but are they of God? No, they are not of God. God made this world for us to enjoy our time on, to have a purpose and mission, however, this is a dark world full of sin. If we continue living lives by our flesh, we will be dominated. If we live our lives by Spirit we will have eternal life.

 

In John 3:3 Jesus said: “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”. Further, in this same chapter, Jesus explains what born again means, along with differentiating flesh and Spirit. In reading verse six, Jesus said: “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”. If you jump down to verse sixteen, Jesus said, “ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”. So by being born again which makes us new of Spirit we have eternal life, through the one and only Son of God.

 

So in being born again, how are we to live our lives? Are we to live according to our flesh?  No, Paul said in Romans 8:12, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.”. Okay, you cannot live by flesh, so how must you live? If you read the next verse it says, “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”.So we are to live by our Spirit, our Spirit brings us closer to God in our personal relationship with him by being born again. By living in Spirit, God protects us because we are his children. This is supported in the next verse Paul wrote (Romans 8:14), “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.”.

 

So how about if you are already born again and have a strong relationship with God, and down the road, you get struck by a horrible disease for which there is no cure, and you can only manage the symptoms for the rest of your life, what do you do? You might begin to question God, become depressed, and turn away from God. Sickness is not what God intended for anyone. There is no sickness or pain in heaven. But we live in a world of darkness, so we will encounter times of trouble in our lives. This is when we have to put our faith in God’s Word into action. If God’s Word promised us something, then we need to be steadfast, ask for it and believe we will receive it according to his will.

 

If you are dealing with an illness remember Isaiah 53:5, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes, we are healed.”. Notice it uses ‘we are healed’. Not we might be, but we are healed. Having faith for healing is like planting a seed, you plant it and water it and make sure it can get sunlight where you plant it. Do you take your seed out of the ground and check on it? No, no farmer would do that. It is the same thing with faith, we often are led by how the flesh feels with our natural five senses, we forget we need to act in Spirit with our faith. James 2:17 says, “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”.

 

We will encounter many challenges on earth even if we are born again. Remember Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”. Isaiah 54:17 says, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper,”. So we will encounter weapons, but according to God’s will, they will not prosper. We might go through a hard time, such as a disease, job loss, or bad circumstance but, we must remember God’s will for us in His Word and live our life to it. We must pray to expect with faith according to His Word. By going through trials in life, if we act in faith according to His will we will come out stronger in the end.

 

2 Corinthians 11:20 says, “You put up with it when someone enslaves you, takes everything you have, takes advantage of you, takes control of everything, and slaps you in the face.”. This talks about when one is the slave of another, but if you put this into perspective this is the same when you are a slave unto your sickness or poor circumstances. Should you tolerate your sickness? No, it is God’s will to heal you. Should you tolerate your poor circumstances? No, God has plans for you, not against you. This is a concept other preach on and is true, what you tolerate, dominates you. If you tolerate a sickness, instead of applying the healing scriptures of the Word to your life, it will dominate you. If you tolerate poor circumstances, instead of applying God’s Word regarding his plans for you, your poor circumstances will dominate you. We might have to change course at times to get on track with God during these times, but we should not tolerate times of trouble, we should turn to God and overtake the situation with our faith.  Even in the darkness of the world, remember Deuteronomy 31:6, “ Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”.

 

Christianity, Inspiration, Salvation, Sin

Forgiving Others

flowers

As followers of Christ, we must know and apply the word forgiveness every day of our lives. We all should know that our sins are forgiven by our savior Jesus Christ. By knowing him as your personal savior your sins become forgiven and you are made new in Spirit, as written in John 3. We all can be forgiven by the blood of Jesus, Ephesians 1:7 says, “In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”. This is confirmed in Colossians 1:14, “in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”. God loves everyone even the sinner, this is why he sent his only son to die for us, John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”. If you read further to the next two verses, “ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”. By God sending his son to Earth to die for our sins and to heal us of our infirmities this confirms God’s love for us. Looking at 1 John 4:9 it says, “In this, the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him.”.

So we know that God’s Word says Jesus was sent to die for our sins so that we can be forgiven. But what about when others do us wrong? What about when someone cheats you, lies to you, or just plain out hurts you? Whether this is done intentionally to us or not, God’s Word provides us with very clear instructions on handling this. Luke 6:37 says, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”. Further, Matthews 6:14-15 says, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins might find it difficult to forgive others when they wrong us.”. God commands us that we forgive others who do us wrong.

If we cannot forgive others then how can God forgive us? Holding a grudge against someone else doesn’t accomplish anything, it is not what God wants us to do either. Job 5:2 says, “For anger slays the foolish man, And jealousy kills the simple.”. Also, Proverbs 20:22 says “Do not say, “I will repay evil”; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you.”. We must remember that God will deal with those who do us harm for it is written. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”. Additionally Romans 12:17-21 says, “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.”.

By looking at God’s Word we know that he commands us to forgive others and not to seek revenge. When you are dealing with someone that is giving you a hard time or just being annoying to you it can be difficult to forgive them. But by forgiving them and treating them kindly you show them God’s love by example. We must remember that God didn’t just send his son Jesus to die for your sins, but the sins of those who have harmed you and annoy you. By living your life as an example you can show them God’s love and will give an opportunity for them to know Jesus as their savior.