Category Archives: decision making series 2019

Christianity, decision making series 2019, Gifts of the Spirit, Inspiration, Salvation, Testimony, Wisdom, Word from God

The Realness of God

light on path road.

If you haven’t read my previous blog post, I encourage you to do so (click here to read it).I gave a prophetic word that I received from God, I am trusting in God to continue to give me more to share in the future. I would like to teach you about the importance of realizing how real God is to you as an individual person. 

As many of you know from some of my previous posts, I have begun to answer the call that the Lord has placed on my life. I have had multiple confirmations from people about this calling on my life. Four years ago, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Since then, I have sought after God more than ever before in my life. You might ask why did you begin seeking the Lord more after this diagnosis? Many people would assume it would be for healing. While that is part of the reason, there is another reason that is more important to me than that. When I first saw my primary care doctor at that time, she misdiagnosed it as a virus. I took a day and rested. The next morning, I felt a little bit better and decided to go to work. About halfway through my shift, things took a turn for the worst. My mother ended up calling the doctor and the doctor told my mother that she would call an inhaler in for me to the pharmacy. As my parents were still at their work, I had one of my friends pick me up from work and take me to the pharmacy so I could pick up the inhaler. Something was telling me “no, you need to get to the hospital now”. I first ignored that feeling and proceeded to the counter. They told me that nothing was called in for me from my doctor. My friend then took me to urgent care that was right down the road. They did a urine test, which showed high amounts of ketones. This led them to check my blood sugar, which was too high for their meter to read. I ended up being taken to the hospital, they admitted me, got my blood sugar back in range, and showed me the basics of managing type 1 diabetes. Upon being discharged from the hospital, my mother went to the pharmacy to pick up all my insulin and diabetic supplies. She asked the pharmacist if they ever got that inhaler, and they told my mother they never saw that prescription come through. One of my doctors told me that if I would have gotten that inhaler, I would not have made it that night. From the beginning of this trial with Type 1 Diabetes, God has proved himself real to me. He was already at work from the beginning. He could have not intervened and could have let that prescription make it to the pharmacy, but He didn’t let that happen. God has bigger plans for me.

For God to start working in you, you need to realize how real God has been to you in your life. The story I have told you is what really showed me how God proved himself real in my life. Often in life, we become too busy to really realize what God has done for us individually. As Christian’s together we know God sent His only Son to save us and give us eternal life. Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) tells us, “But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”. We must have faith to be able to draw near to God. Building our faith can come from reading the Word to praising God, to hearing other people’s testimonies, and going through trials in life. Each trial you go through and seek God will build your faith. As God continues to provide for us and work in our lives in different ways, we have more testimonies to back up how real God is to us. In order to seek God, we must believe he is real. How real is God to you? It’s a question we all should really ask ourselves because unbelievers will question us also. We can quote scriptures to unbelievers, but more importantly, we should be able to tell unbelievers what God has done for us in our lives. We are reminded in Mark 5:19 (NKJV), “However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.””. Also 1 John 5:11 reminds us, “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.”. You are only for real with God, as He is real to you.

If you read my previous post, which was a prophetic word, you will notice the importance of intimacy with God. When getting real with God, we must realize how real he has been to us. When we get to the place when we realize how real God has been to us in our own unique life, we will begin to truly seek God from our heart. Jeremiah 29:13 tells us, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”. 

I would like to encourage you to take some time, and really look at how much God has done for you in your life. Once you realize that, give Him thanks and praise from the bottom of your heart. You can only seek God when you seek Him with all your heart. You can’t only just seek God when trouble comes, you need to be seeking God every day. As you do this you will build intimacy with Him, and you will become more equipped in your faith for when trouble comes knocking at your door.

Christianity, Colossians 1:21-23, decision making series 2019, Inspiration, Salvation, Sin, Wisdom

Who Am I in Christ?

person holding bible

The subject of who we are in Christ is a question that all Christians should know both individually and collectively. I would like to teach on this subject as I continue my series in decision making. You might ask what knowing who you are in Christ has to do with the decisions you make? The simple answer is truly knowing who you are in Christ helps you in your decision making in life. When Christians do not know who they truly are in Christ, they will begin to believe lies on who they are. These lies will either come from the enemy or the world.

Back when Jesus came to start His ministry on earth there was a false belief that people had that John the Baptist was either greater than or equal to Jesus. Isaiah 40:3-5 (NKJV) tells us, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.””.  This is prophesying that there will be a forerunner of Jesus Christ. If we look into John 1:19-28 (NIV) “Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” Finally, they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”  “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know.  He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.” In this example John the Baptist knew who he was in Christ, he knew he was the forerunner of Christ.  He could have believed lies on who he was in Christ, but he did not he stood firm in who he truly was in Christ.

When one becomes born again in Christ their past is gone and new things have come. The process of old sinful habits going away is not an overnight fix, it is a process. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) reminds us, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”.  Once we are born again, we must put our best effort forth in living our life according to what God commands, and not to what the world says is the way to be. If you are struggling with an addiction to sin or are in a bad relationship you are in seek God on helping you with that. I would even encourage you to seek advice from another Christian. We as Christians should not be too quick to judge each other so critically, but we should help guide each other in our weaknesses. 1 John 2:29 (NKJV) reminds us, “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.”.

I would also like to touch upon the subject of the belief of ‘once saved, always saved’.  I have asked God to lead me to some scriptures in my studies to use on teaching on this matter. People can assume once saved always saved by how they interpret scriptures, and with how many scriptures they read. Jesus told us in John 10:28 (NKJV), “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”. Jesus did say no one can snatch us out of His hand, but can anyone put themselves outside of Jesus’ hand? I think we can answer that by looking at John 15:6 (NKJV) which Jesus said, “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”. So yes, someone can put themselves outside of Jesus’ hand. Therefore, we must know who we are in Christ. We must know the promises we have in the Word of God.  One of the most important things we have in Christ is everlasting life. John 3:16 (NKJV) tells us, “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.”.   So, what are you doing with your salvation, are you walking in your salvation with true faith, and making efforts to improve? Or are you abusing our salvation from the precious Blood of Jesus Christ? We all have a choice on this, God gave us a free-will. Jesus told us in John 15:5 (NKJV), “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”. I want you to really evaluate what fruit you are bearing. Are you only bearing good fruit on Sunday mornings, or are you bearing good fruit 24/7?

Colossians 1:21-23 (ERV) tells us, “At one time you were separated from God. You were his enemies in your minds, because the evil you did was against him.  But now he has made you his friends again. He did this by the death Christ suffered while he was in his body. He did it so that he could present you to himself as people who are holy, blameless, and without anything that would make you guilty before him.  And that is what will happen if you continue to believe in the Good News you heard. You must remain strong and sure in your faith. You must not let anything cause you to give up the hope that became yours when you heard the Good News. That same Good News has been told to everyone on earth, and that’s the work that I, Paul, was given to do.”. Let’s think about this scripture…  I would have to paraphrase this scripture myself as, “Before we each accepted Christ, we were in sin, which is evil and against what God wants in our lives. We have become Children of God, through what Jesus Christ did on the cross. Jesus did this for us so we could present ourselves to God as holy. This will happen IF you continue to believe in, walk in, have faith in, and not let anything get in your way with your relationship with Jesus Christ.”. Notice both the scripture and my paraphrasing of it have a conditional word on it, and that conditional word is “IF”. The condition is we must walk in faith and remain in our faith and not let anything get in the way of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Our relationship with Jesus Christ is what makes us branches on His vine, and we know what happens when we don’t abide in Christ from John 15:6, we are thrown into the fire and burned. I have an illustration I have made of the condition in Colossians 1:21-23.

If condition in Colossians 1:21-23 and John 15:6.

It is not only important to know who we are in Christ by knowing what the word of God says, but also by what fruit we are bearing. We must also know if we are truly abiding in Christ, or if we are letting something get in the way of our relationship with Jesus Christ. I challenge you to truly evaluate who you are in Christ based off what the Word of God says and determine if you are truly abiding in him. Also, examine your life for anything that could be hindering your relationship with Jesus Christ. It is so important to be sure and aware of how the decisions we make impact our identity in Christ.

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Christianity, decision making series 2019, Inspiration, Salvation, Sin, Wisdom

Christ or the World

cross

I hope you read my previous teaching on the most important decision one can make in their life, and that is to accept Christ as their savior. If you have not read that teaching, please CLICK HERE to read it! As I continue my series on decision making as a Christian, I would like to discuss what our decisions in life truly reflect. Are you making decisions in your life that reflect God’s words and commandments? Are you walking in God’s plan or your plan in life? Are you deciding off sinful desires or what God desires for you? I really want you to evaluate yourself with those questions, being a follower of Christ does not mean you are 100 percent perfect all the time, but you should constantly be seeking the Lord to improve in your weakness.

Are you living your life to benefit yourself, or are you living your life to give glory to God? Are you only giving time to God for two hours on Sunday or are you spending time with the Lord daily? We live in challenging times when some people might have to work more than forty hours a week to pay their bills and put food on the table. You might be working long hours, raising children, or have a spouse. You might be a college student and working a job at the same time. Finding time for God can be a challenge at times. When I was in college, I was taking a full-time load of classes while working full-time in fast food. Later, I got an internship and managed to work at my internship during the week, and in fast food on the weekend, while still taking classes online and at night. It was not easy balancing that, along with making time for God. I probably could have made more time for God back then. But to anyone who is struggling to make time with God, assess how much time you spend on everything each day. Maybe there is something you can cut back on, or maybe you are oversleeping and can wake up earlier to read the Bible, read a devotion, pray, or worship.

Matthew 6:33 (WEB) tells us, “But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.”. Are you seeking God first, or are you seeking your own desires first?  I don’t know about you, but I would rather seek God first, than my own desires. Once we are born again, we are new in the Spirit.  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.”. Additionally, Ezekiel 36:26 (KJV) tells us, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”. when we are born again, we should be living in the Spirit, and not of the flesh. The desires and works of the flesh lead to sin. Galatians 5:19-21 (NKJV) reminds us, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,  idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,  envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”. Many of these items listed are things this world deems as okay or the way to be. Are there any of these items from Galatians 5:19-21 that you are tolerating in your life? If you are allowing sin to run any part of your life, how can you expect the blessings of God to overflow in your life? God wants no one to be in sin, but because of Adam and Eve, we have free will. If you are falling short to an item listed in Galatians 5:19-21, seek the Lord and repent. Also get out of the habit of that sin, it might not be easy, it may involve having to get guidance from another Christian. As Christians, we must stick together and build each other up.

It might be difficult to get out of a sinful habit, maybe because the world views it as okay. As true followers of Christ, we should not be concerned about what the world thinks, we should be concerned about what the word of God says. 1 John 2:15(KJV) tells us, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”. Additionally, Romans 12:2 (ESV) reminds 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 you become less worldly and more like Christ, it is normal to expect the people of the world to turn against you because of your beliefs. Often this is when we can become tempted. With the culture war going on in not only America but the world, Christians are constantly having an agenda of sin pushed on them constantly. Christians in America are even being personally attacked for their beliefs. Some Christians are just accepting it as the way of the world. While yes, we are still to love one another, even the sinners, but why are people in the body of Christ, adapting to the sinful way of the world? I am about to say something extremely bold, but my Spirit is telling me it must be said, if the Body of Christ continues tolerating the world, the world will begin to dominate the body of Christ. As the saying goes, what we tolerate will dominate. Let’s start being more true followers of Christ in this year of 2019. The world might be against us, just like it was when Christ lived on earth. John 15:19(ESV) says, “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”. We should not be jealous of what the sinful people of the world have, they should be jealous of what we have in Christ.

As followers of Christ, we are to lead by example in all we do. While yes it can be hard. There is a spiritual battle between evil and the body of Christ, that has been brewing for far too long. The body of Christ is having stronger opposition from evil. We don’t have to fight back physically, we must fight back individually and together in prayer and with the word of God. Hebrews 4:12 (KJV) reminds us, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”. Also, Matthews 24:14 (KJV) instructs us, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”. You might not be able to travel the world and teach the Gospel to everyone, but why not the people in your neighborhood or surrounding communities, or other parts of your own country? With the many advancements in technology, it is now more possible than ever before to reach more people with the Gospel. I challenge you to not only lead by example as a follower of Christ but spread the Gospel in as many ways as you can. Also, pray for our leadership in our country, and also for an end to the wickedness in our country and world.

Christianity, decision making series 2019, Inspiration, Salvation

A Very Important Decision

cross in sunset.

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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.