Category Archives: Fruit of Spirit

2021, Christianity, Faith, Fruit of Spirit

Our Source of Joy and Peace

Today there are many methods that people of the world achieve joy and peace. We must ask ourselves are we turning to the Lord for our source of joy and peace or are we turning to the things of this world? While there are certain resources on earth that we can turn to we must be certain that our number one source is God first.

Romans 15:13 (ESV) tells us, “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.”. As believers, it is God who fills us with joy and peace. We must realize that our only source of hope is within God. So many people in the world right now are worried and caught up with all the current events taking place and are worried about how much worse things could get. We should rest assured that God’s plan will be carried out till the very end.

I personally believe that joy and peace will go hand in hand. If you are lacking in the fruit of joy, then you are likely lacking in the fruit of peace. Many people often wonder why they go through difficult seasons in their lives. Sadly, many pulpits teach that when you become a Christian that everything in life will be smooth sailing, however, this type of preaching contradicts Biblical and historic Christianity. While God will provide for us according to His Word, He also tells us that we will face trials and that we will even be hated by the world.

However, anything that the enemy has intended for evil, the Lord will use it for our good. James 1:2-3 (AMP) tells us, “Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace].”. As we go through trials, we are to fully put our faith in the Lord. We are to be fully submitted to His Word. When we are submitted, we will begin to see a growth in spiritual maturity. Meaning that our understanding of God’s Word will grow, our level of holiness and sanctification will grow, and the fruits of the Spirit will produce more in our lives. Furthermore, as we go through trials and fully rely on God, we will notice an increase in true Biblical peace within ourselves, and this, in turn, should also result in joy.

Romans 8:28 tells us, “And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.”. No matter what it is in life you are going through we must rely upon God and His Will for our lives. We must be believers as the Word of God calls us to be, this means studying and meditating on the Word of God, worship, and praying.

2020 Posts, Fruit of Spirit, Inspiration

Thankful for the Gospel that We Need

As we celebrate Thanksgiving today, I thought I would write a short post with a different approach. I could make a post about how I am thankful for finances, health, family, faith, and much more. This year we are celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas under very unusual circumstances. Our world has been turned upside down. Many countries have gone through shutdowns over this pandemic, and there has been much economic devastation. People have died because of this pandemic. There is much talk about a vaccine as the light to the end of this COVID-19 tunnel of darkness. I do not care how effective any vaccine or pill is, it will never surpass the power of the true Light of the World, who has the power to save lost sinners.

How Blessed We Really Are

Many of us take time to reflect on how we are thankful for our family, friends, health, finances, possessions, and much more. I believe these things have a place in our lives. So many people do not realize how blessed they are daily. I believe part of the issue for genuine Christians at least is we do not have a real sense of why we should be thankful and joyful each day.

Be Thankful Always

We can be thankful for the many earthly blessings in our lives. However, at any minute, a loved one could pass, we could lose our job, or we could receive a bad report from the doctor, and then our life gets flipped upside down. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV) tells us, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”. I believe what these verses instruct us to do is difficult for most of us, and even myself at times. This is because the church at large in America has dipped the American dream into the Gospel.

The Americanized Gospel

The American dream is all about prosperity and success, I have nothing wrong with that. However, it becomes a problem when our culture influences the core of our preaching. Much of today’s popular Christian preaching is all about self-improvement, it always focuses on what we can do to make us a better person. This is dangerous; in fact, might I say it is idolatry.

The Self-Improvement Gospel

Most preaching today has taught people that you can fix yourself, and then a burden is put on us to do all this work to maintain an image that we are a good person. Let me say something, you cannot by any means put yourself in right standing with God. Paul makes it clear in Romans 3:10 (NKJV), “As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one.”. No one is a good person, and there is nothing you can do in your power to change that. Romans 3:23 (ESV) tells us, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. If we have fallen to sin, then what is the result? Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages for sin are death. It is important to note that this is not talking about physical death, but rather spiritual death. We will all either die physically or be caught up at the return of Jesus Christ.

The Old Testament

There are many lost people in the world and in the church today who do not realize their spiritual state. Often people have been told to pray a prayer and everything will go alright, and that they will make it to Heaven. Yet they hear nothing at all about their true spiritual state. What does the Bible tell us to do about our spiritual state? What is the solution to us being spiritually dead? If you look at the Old Testament there was an establishment of sacrifices that had to be made each time for sin. Study the different sacrifices in the Old Testament, had to be done very carefully by the priests in the Old Testament.

There is No Good Person

But we are under the New Testament Church Age, what is our solution? Jesus makes this clear in Mark 1:15 (ESV), “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”. What does it mean to repent? Repentance is when one not only recognizes their sins and feels horrible about them but turns away from them. 2 Corinthians 7:10-11 (ESV) says, “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point, you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter.”. Godly sorrow is always a result of the Holy Spirits’ conviction (John 16:8).

Jesus Suffered the Wrath of God

Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins. We all deserve nothing but the wrath of God. However, because of God’s love, He sent His only Son, fully God and fully man, to this earth. Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins; He suffered the wrath of God on the Cross. The Cross not only shows us God’s love but His wrath. Should it not move us all that it took the death of God’s own Son to pay the price for our unrighteousness. Yet many people do not take this seriously, God will by no means leave the guilty go unpunished (Exodus 34:7). Hell is your destination if you have never truly repented and put your faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Romans 5:8-9 (ESV) tells us, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.”.

No Greasy Grace

Earlier in this post, I stated that we cannot make ourselves a good person. Let me be clear, being a Christian does not give you a free pass to sin. True Salvation will have fruit. Jesus said in Mathew 7:17 (ESV), “So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.”. If someone claims to be a Christian yet is sleeping with the devil every Friday and Saturday night, then they are not truly a Christian. The label Christian has become so loosely used in today’s culture, which is why I often like to put the words true or genuine in front of it.

The Greatest Miracle

Salvation is the greatest miracle that can take place in one’s life because we are spiritually healed when we are truly saved. The heart of man totally changes upon Salvation. Titus 2:11-12 (ESV) says, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age”. Even better, God has sent His Holy Spirit to dwell inside of every single believer to empower us to do the work that we are all called to do for the Glory of God.

The Finished Work

So, what are we to be thankful for? We should be thankful for the finished work of Jesus Christ every single day. The finished work that saves us wretched sinners, the finished work that puts us in right standing with God. The resurrection of Jesus Christ conquered the grave. You might die of a disease, an accident, or just naturally by age, but that will not have the last word because for us true Christians, death has been defeated by Jesus Christ.  

Jesus is Enough

I challenge you to meditate on the Word of God daily. We need to settle in our hearts that Jesus Christ is truly enough. Colossians 2:9-10 (NASB) says, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him, you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority.”. We have been made complete because of the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Meditate His Word Daily

I encourage you to spend some time to meditate on the Word of God and settle in your heart why we should be joyful and thankful at all times as believers. Philippians 1:6 (ESV) tells us, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”. Yield to the Spirit of God, and He will complete His work in you. We are to grow as Christians in our walk with God daily. We need to seek greater manifestations of His power in our lives.

Fear of God

Proverbs 8:13 (ESV) instructs us, “The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.”. We have to talk about this walk seriously. God is love, but it is a holy love. We need to have reverence towards God. We need to be filled with the fear of God. Philippians 2:12 (ESV) tells us, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”. Our Salvation should not be taken lightly, the blood of Jesus Christ is so precious.

Rock Solid Faith

If we do not settle in our hearts that Jesus is enough, then when a cancer diagnosis, job loss, death of a loved one, or national crisis comes knocking on our door we will become unstable. We have to have a solid foundation on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and not the self-improvement gospel. A house that does not have a solid foundation will not stand the storm.

2020 Posts, Book of Acts Series 2019, Christianity, Fruit of Spirit, Inspiration

A Study on Acts Chapter 24

In this blog post I am going to pick up from where I left off in my series on the Book of Acts. Looking back at the previous chapter. The people conform a conspiracy that they will not eat until Paul is put to death and Paul is taken to Caesarea, and he is placed in Herods Praetorium while they wait for his accusers to arrive. We see that Paul is constantly facing persecution, yet through it all he finds his strength in Jesus Christ. Finding strength in Jesus Christ is not so we can live an abundant lifestyle, it is to simply bring glory to God.

The Case is Made Against Paul

In the first portion of Acts 24 we see five days after Paul arrives his accusers come. We see Ananias along with the other Jewish elders arrive to bring evidence to the governor against Paul. The lawyer bringing forth the case, Tertullus, first gives complements to the governor Felix for bringing peace to their land. In Acts 24:5-8 (ESV) we see the accusations against Paul , “For we have found this man a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.  He even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him. By examining him yourself you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him.”. The accusations are that Paul is a plague, the Greek word for this is loimos which means a pest. Some translations write it as ‘a troublemaker’. They also accuse Paul of being a creator of conflict, a ringleader for the cult of the Nazarenes, and attempting to desecrate the temple.

Paul Pleads His Case

Paul defends himself from the accusations. Unlike Tertullus, Paul does not complement Felix, he simply pleads his case. Paul mentions how what they call a sect or cult, Paul refers to it as the Way. Paul also makes mention of the resurrection of the dead, which is something that is very controversial between different groups of the Jews. The resurrection of the dead is not only mentioned in the New Testament, but also in the Old Testament, Daniel 12:2 (ESV) says, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”.

More Discussion Between Paul and Felix

We see Paul also mentions about striving spiritually in verse 16. (AMP) “In view of this, I also do my best and strive always to have a clear conscience before God and before men.”. In the ESV this is written as “So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.”. We need to be striving spiritually. We need to be striving in our personal discipleship, we need to be striving towards a holy and sanctified lifestyle. John Piper says it best “the world does not need cool Christians who are culturally saturated. It needs exiles with the scent of heaven and the aroma of Christ.”. I would like to challenge every Christian to the question, are you culturally saturated right now, or do you have the aroma of Christ? With all that is going on in 2020, it is easy for us Christians to become culturally saturated. We have a particularly important election coming up in just a matter of weeks. Everyone of us has our own opinions that we are vocal about regarding what is going on. Christians should vote according to our Biblical convictions. However, what should our message be this time of year? Are we supposed to be trying to shove a particular candidate down people’s throats? Or are we to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and make disciples? No politician will save this country! Yes, God can appoint people to carry out certain tasks, but no politician is this nations savior. One day every President in this nation whether genuinely saved or not will have to bow down to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

We see that while Felix waits for Lysias to come and testify that he becomes troubled when Paul discusses self-control righteousness, and the Last Judgement.  Felix sends Paul away but continually calls him back to have conversation with him. He does this to have favor with the Jews. We see that Festus takes over after and Paul will now have to testify for him. Self-control is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. If we lack any of the fruits of the Spirit, then we need to spend time in prayer and lean on Christ in our weakness. We must fight the good fight of faith and fight against all the lusts of the flesh!

Sinful Desires

Romans 6:12, “Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.”. With the sexual immorality that is in our ‘entertainment’ system it can become so easy for us to fall into the many traps of sin. When temptation comes our way, we must acknowledge it and respond Biblically. We need to be well-grounded in the Word of God. Jesus responded to the devil when tempted with Scripture. If you are being tempted realize it right away, pick up your Bible, begin to pray, put some worship music on. We need to make war when it comes to temptation. Not every sinful habit immediately falls off when we are born again, that is why we need to develop a good lifestyle of discipleship.

Temple of Holy Spirit

1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us our physical body is the temple of the Holy Spirit indwelling in us. When we are genuinely born again, the Holy Spirit enters us. We need to treat our bodies as temples. Imagine if you owned a million-dollar mansion, you would not let it turn into a dump, you would properly maintain it. We are to treat our bodies with care. That includes what we allow ourselves to see and hear, be incredibly careful of what you entertain yourself with. We also must take good care of our bodies in a physical sense. We must eat healthy and not let ourselves live an unhealthy lifestyle.

Righteousness

Paul also talked about righteousness. Romans 3:21-26 tells us how by using the Law we see how unrighteous and guilty we were. However, because of God loved us so much He laid our punishment out on Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. Blood was shed for our sins; the wrath of God was poured out on Jesus Christ to pay the price for our sins. We must all repent of our sins and put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone. We are unable to be righteous by our own strength, it is not possible. Righteousness is only achievable through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. You will not be more righteous because of doing good works or saying the Rosary. Genuine Salvation will of course bring forth good works as a result, Jesus tells us that they will know us by our fruits.

There are many important points in Acts 24, I encourage you to study and meditate on this chapter in your own private time with the Lord. With all that is going on in the world right now, we must realize how important it is for us to be students of Gods Word. We must take time with it each and every single day. Before you read it each day, pray that God grants your spiritual knowledge and revelation, and also keep your mind clear and focused as your read His Word.

2020 Posts, Christianity, Fruit of Spirit, Inspiration, love, Old Testament, Prophetic Flow Teaching, Salvation, Sin, Wisdom, Word's of Wisdom

White as Snow

Two Phrases

As I was spending time with the Lord today the Holy Spirit put two phrases on my heart which were, ‘white as snow’ and ‘whiter than snow’. Both phrases are found in Scripture in Isaiah 1:18 and Psalm 51:7. I encourage you to read those passages when you get the opportunity. However, the Holy Spirit drew my attention to Psalm 51:7, and the context of this passage is talking about being cleansed of sin and being renewed with a steadfast spirit.

Jesus Cleanses Us

When one gets truly born again, they are cleansed of all sin and iniquity. 1 John 1:9 (NKJV) tells us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”. There is so much power in the Blood of Jesus that it is often underappreciated in the church today.

Purification

Going back to Psalm 51:7 it tells us, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”. Hyssop was a plant used by the ancient Hebrews for purification. In terms of the New Covenant, the Blood of Jesus is used for our purification. Even after we are truly born again, we will fall short from time to time. We may even have some habitual sins that might take some time to fully flee from. But may I raise a question to you, are you ‘as white as snow’ or ‘whiter than snow’?

White as Snow?

Today as I was writing this, we got about six inches of snow. When snow falls there is either a very small dusting or enough accumulation to cover the ground completely. Often many believers are not as ‘white as snow’ as they should be. Far too often we might have a small dusting of snow. Having a dusting of snow reveals the grass, and I would like to think of the grass as our sinful habits we are struggling to get rid of or even one’s secret sin. To be mighty men and women of God we must flee from the lust of the flesh and walk in our new nature. When we truly do this, we will begin to have more of an accumulation of snow, rather than just a dusting. We should strive each day to be purer. Remember He is coming back very soon for a pure bride, the hour is very late!

2020, 2020 Posts, Book of Acts Series 2019, Fruit of Spirit, Wisdom

An Example of Walking in The Spirit During Conflict

Introduction

In this blog post, we are going to look at the remaining portion of Acts chapter 17. We are going to see several great examples that are set by the Apostle Paul. We will first see the importance of checking doctrine with Scripture, and the importance of us being defenders of the Truth. We will also see how to address sin as a minister or witness.

Search the Scriptures

In Acts 17:11-15 we see that Paul and Silas go to an area called Berea. In this area, the people were very reasonable and received the Gospel. In verse 11 we see it emphasized that the people who received the Gospel searched the Scriptures daily. Why did they do this? “to find out whether these things were so”. As a result of them diligently searching the Scriptures ‘many of them believed’. I would like to point out that these people who received the Gospel did not just search the Scriptures once a week, they searched them daily. Sadly, many people who dare to call themselves Christians only read their Bible when they are in church. Come on people, we have such easy access to the Bible. If you don’t have the time to sit down and read it, then pull up an audio Bible on your phone!

Know the Truth – It is NOT About You

Part of the reason that there is a pandemic level of distortion in Christianity today is that people don’t properly read the Word of God, or don’t read it at all. Many people like to hear preaching where it is based on the notion that it is all about you, all about how they are a David facing a Goliath. I have news for you, that is not the Full and True Gospel. The Bible is not about you! The Bible is about a God who is able and willing! We must study the Scriptures daily in order to know Truth from heresy. 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 full Word of God makes us complete and equipped for every good work. Why settle for anything less?

Conflict Arises

As usual, there is a conflict with the Jews on what Paul and Silas were doing. There is a group of Jews that come and stir up the crowd. In verse 14 we see that Paul gets sent by the brethren to Athens, while Timothy and Silas stay in Berea. Paul had such an anointing on him because he became the focal point of Jewish opposition. One of the ways to know you are a true disciple of Christ is that you face opposition. If there is no opposition, then I would greatly question your source.

Idol Worship in Athens

While Paul is in Athens, he notices that much of the area is given to idol worship. As a bit of background, Athens is an area with many great buildings and monuments. It is also known as a central hub for philosophical, intellectual, and religious discussion. The idol worship taking place troubled Paul’s spirit as mentioned in verse 16. I like how verse 16 says the idol worship provoked his spirit. As we should know it is our spirit man who is recreated the moment we truly get born again. Our soul and flesh are not saved. We must renew our minds as Scripture tells us. Paul did not let his flesh surface with this issue of idolatry. This is how we are to handle unbelievers. We should not let it provoke anger in our flesh, we should only let it provoke our spirit man. If we let our flesh run how we minister to people, then we will not bear much fruit at all. It is our spirit man that should be on display while ministering to people.

Paul Continues His Custom

As in the previous chapter, Paul continues his custom of reasoning with people in the synagogues. He does not get in their face and confront them; he reasons with them. This was Paul’s custom that was shown in the previous chapter. In verse 17 we see that he additionally went to the marketplace daily and reasoned with people there as well. We are called to always be ready to minister and/or witness to someone at any given time as the Holy Spirit leads us. It might be while you are at church, work, school, the grocery store, the doctor’s office, or anywhere. We must always be ready!

More Conflict

The Epicurean and Stoic philosophers then come to question Paul. These people came from the best-known schools for philosophy. Regardless, Paul was ready to deal with their questioning. Paul not only studying Scripture diligently, but he was also filled with the Holy Ghost. When we are questioned by people, we should not rely only on our intellect, but also lean on the Holy Spirit to give us the words to speak. The philosophers take Paul to the Areopagus which is a place that hosted gatherings of philosophical and religious debate.

Paul’s Address to Athens – ‘You are religious’

In verses 22-31 we see Paul’s third and final missionary address in the Book of Acts. There are a few key items from his address I would like to point out. In verse 22 he refers to the people as being ‘very religious’. Many unbelievers love to label Christians as religious, while true Christians are not slaves to a religious system. I would label myself as a disciple of Jesus Christ, which is what we are all called to be at the very least, and we are called to go and make disciples. Jesus said in Matthew 23:27 (NKJV), “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”. Religious people like to cover themselves on the outside, so they do not look so bad. While the truth is that true Christians know and admit that before we came to Christ, we were broken and in need of a Savior.

Paul’s Address to Athens – Idol Worship

Paul then addresses the issue of idolatry. The people of Athens were guilty of worshiping objects made by hands. Paul addresses this while in the Areopagus. Look at Psalm 115:4-8 (NKJV) which tells us, “Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see; They have ears, but they do not hear; Noses they have, but they do not smell; They have hands, but they do not handle; Feet they have, but they do not walk; Nor do they mutter through their throat. Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them.”. Additionally, Paul mentions an altar they have which states ‘To the Unknown God’. Paul tells them that there is only One True God. He stresses that God is evident through creation, this is something that is explained in further detail in Romans chapter 1. Paul also tells them about the day of judgment that is to come and about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Final Thoughts

While there were people who disagreed with Paul’s reasoning ‘some men joined him and believed’. There will come times when we may not get every single person to believe, we may only get a small handful. Regardless it is always the work of the Holy Spirit that brings people to Christ. There were many important points I mentioned throughout this blog post. I encourage you to go back and read through the Scriptures yourself. I also encourage you as we are starting a new year to spend more time than ever before to diligently get to know Gods Word.

2019, Christianity, Fruit of Spirit, Inspiration, love

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!

2019, Christianity, Fruit of Spirit, Inspiration, Salvation

Having It All In Life…

beach view

I felt led to give a teaching on the common phrase ‘having it all in life’. Often, we get so distracted at the circumstances in our life, we often forget what is truly important. While spending time with loved ones, living a healthy lifestyle, having a roof over your head, and being financially stable are all important, there is something that is way more important than any of that. The most important decision one can make in life is to believe in and accept Jesus Christ the Son of God into your life as your savior. In this blog post, I am going to discuss why we need to focus more on the things of God rather than the things of this world.

Everlasting Life

A Bible verse everyone should know, John 3:16 (NKJV) says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”. If you really think about it, what more could you want other than the everlasting life that is only through Jesus Christ? Some synonyms for the word everlasting life that I would like you to think about are:

  • Eternal life
  • Never-ending life
  • Boundless life
  • Timeless life
  • Sustained life
  • Unbroken life

The Distraction of Social Media

Too often the enterprise system of this world wants us to invest so much of our time, energy, and money into things that are unnecessary and will not even benefit us in eternity. One of the traps that many of us can fall into is the trap of social media. You might think you are going to check Facebook for five minutes, and it turns into a full twenty minutes. When we are on social media, we will often see pictures of what other people are doing in their lives, and this can often make us jealous and compare what we have to others. Maybe you see a picture of someone getting a new car, and you think to yourself ‘I wish I had that. Or maybe you are still single and see all your friends getting engaged and married. Regardless, social media can make us focus our attention on comparing ourselves to others rather than focusing ourselves on how God sees us. Romans 12:2 (NKJV) reminds us, “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.”. While social media can be beneficial in its own ways, it does have its drawbacks.

Invest More in the Word

Recent studies suggest that on average Americans spend more than 11 hours per day interacting with the media. This includes everything from watching, reading, and listening. My question to challenge all of us is if we can spend this much time a day invested in the media, why don’t we cut back a bit and invest it in God? Whether that is in prayer, reading the Word, or worship, we can all find areas where we can invest more time with the Lord. Maybe instead of listening to that secular music at the gym while working out maybe you can plug some headphones in and listen to the Bible. There are many areas in our life where we can find more time to spend in God’s Word, and in both prayer and worship. We spend so much time invested in the things of this world that will eventually be gone one day, rather than the Word of God. The Word of God will always be around. Isaiah 40:8 (NKJV) tells us, “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”.

Salvation and Good Works

One thing the world system will push on us is leaving behind a good legacy. While it is important to leave a good impression on others in life, good works will not get you into Heaven. We know our salvation comes through grace and not works. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV) tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”. Additionally, true salvation should result in good works that we do for the glory of God, Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV) says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”. I encourage you to find new ways in your life to serve God and do if for the glory of God. 1 Peter 4:10 (NKJV) reminds us, “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”.

Dealing with Trials

One last thing I would like to address is when we deal with problems during our short time on Earth. While we will certainly have trials, we can trust in the Lord to provide for us and get us through our trials. Romans 8:28 (NKJV) tells us, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”. If you are concerned about a situation in your life, trust in God and don’t let the circumstances steal your faith and joy in the Lord. When you are concerned about a circumstance in your life, remember what is the worst thing that can happen in your life on Earth, if you have everlasting life through your salvation in Jesus Christ? This is something that we often overlook in life, and need to be reminded of, everything on Earth is only temporary.

Give God All Your Life!

One last scripture I would like to leave with you for this teaching is Psalm 16:-5-11 (NKJV), “O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance. I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”.  As you go throughout life remember the following, and reflect on these items:

  • Focus on the everlasting life you have through salvation in Jesus.
  • Don’t invest any unnecessary resources in worldly things.
  • Spend more time in the Word than what you currently do.
  • Remember that we are not saved by works, but by grace.
  • Salvation should cause good works, what can you do to bring glory to God?
  • Reflect on Psalms 16:5-11à Have you truly let God all the way into your life?

I encourage you to take some time this week and reflect on these items I shared with you, and seek God to reveal any areas in your life you need to improve on so that you can be more of a light that shines for Him.

2019, Book of Acts Series 2019, Christianity, Fruit of Spirit, Inspiration, love, Wisdom

Back to the Basics: An Example of Generosity

bowl of tomatoes being handed to a person with gloves on.

As I continue in my series on the Book of Acts, I would like to teach from the last few verses of chapter four. Even though these are a small number of scriptures out of chapter four, they provide us an example of how the church should function with helping people in need. There are many people today who might be going through a difficult time, whether that be financially, emotionally, or physically. Regardless of what one’s circumstances might be, nothing is impossible with God. I would like to raise a question to you before I go into this teaching, what is your church doing to reach out to those in your community or even inside your church who are in need? This is something we all need to ask whether we are involved in church leadership or not.

Acts 4:32-33: Sharing and Like Minded

Let’s begin with Acts 4:32-33 (NKJV) which says, “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.”.  The group of believers in the church of Acts were a group of people who were like-minded with the same beliefs in Jesus Christ through the Apostles were teaching them. Romans 15:5-6 (NKJV) tells us, “Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus,  that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”. Additionally, Philippians 2:2 (NKJV) tells us, “fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”.  Aside from being like-minded, the people in the church of Acts shared what they had individually with each other, only because of the great grace through Jesus Christ that they had.

Acts 4:34-37: Examples of Generosity

Acts 4:34-35 (NKJV) continues and tells us, “Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.”. The early Christians shared their possessions to others who were in need, they are leading by example with their generosity. This generosity was not of their own works but a work of God through them because of grace. Continuing on Acts 4:36-37 (NKJV) tells us, “And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus,  having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”. Joses led by example by selling his land and donating all the profits from the sale to the church.  Joses act of generosity should inspire us Christians to strive to be as generous as we possibly can.

What Else Does the Bible Say About Generosity?

So aside from the Book of Acts, what do other verses in the Bible tell us about generosity? Proverbs 19:17 (NKJV), says “He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, And He will pay back what he has given.”. God will repay those who help the needy out. We shouldn’t give to expect something back; we should give because it is the right thing to do and it is instructed to us by God. Deuteronomy 15:7-8 (NKJV)  tells us “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother,  but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs.”. Too often in today’s world, people want to live a self-centered life where they are more concerned about their bank account than the needs of others around them. If you are more concerned about your bank account and investments than having a giving heart, then you’re taking pride in yourself and in your finances. 1 John 2:16 (NKJV) says “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”. God doesn’t want us to be prideful He wants us to be humble, James 4:10 (ESV) tells us, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”. 

The Gospel of Prosperity?

Many people don’t like to talk about this but there are many ministers who live in mansions and proclaim the Word of God. Some people will only follow their teachings because they will teach you prosperity on Sundays or in their books. I understand ministers need to make a living to support themselves and their families, but if you are living in a mansion, I feel your megachurch needs to do more to serve the people of the community. It’s not about living our ‘Best Life Now’, it is about being sure that we are 100 percent ready for eternity. 1 John 3:17 (NKJV) reminds us, “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?”.

Final Thoughts

So now that we have an example of generosity from the Book of Acts, could your church be doing more outreach to others? I am sure we could all pull together as the Body of Christ and find ways to show our generosity to people in our churches who are in need, along with unbelievers who are in need. Outreaching to unbelievers who are in need is a great way to minister to them. So, I challenge you to take some time and reflect on how you can better show generosity as God’s Word instructs us to. I would like to end with giving you a list of the nine fruits of the Spirit that should show through in all believers, I recently wrote a devotional on this so please be sure to order that! The nine fruits of the Spirit are listed in Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV) which says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”. There will come times when we might be lacking in one of these nine fruits if that is the case for you then seek God to help you in your weakness. In my next teaching, I will continue to chapter five in the Book of Acts.

Christianity, Fruit of Spirit, Inspiration, Sin, Wisdom

Too Many Distractions?

busy and crowded airport

If you have been following my teachings lately you will see recently I had a teaching titled ‘Conformed to this World’. I would like to expand upon this based off some items that were revealed to me by God. The main scripture in my previous teaching was Romans 12:2 (NKJV), which says, “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.”. We are in a period, where there is too much of the world not only in the church but also in many Christians lives. It is also sad to note, that we are so distracted to even realize these things, these distractions lead us to not fully accepting Christ in our life, and in our trials. So, my question to you is, are there too many distractions in the church and in your walk with God? Before I begin, I would like to point out that this teaching should be looked at as how we can improve as the Body of Christ and as individuals in our walk of faith. I myself am never 100 percent perfect, but there come times when we all need correction for our own growth.

With as busy as we are in life, it should be no surprise that we will face distractions. Yet some of these distractions can hinder our walk of faith. So many people are busy with the many aspects of their everyday lives and they become blind to these distractions. 1 Corinthians 7:35 (NKJV) tells us, “And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction.”. There are six common distractions I feel that many of us can fall short of in our own lives. The first distraction is not having any true joy in Jesus. Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV) tells us, “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”. If our joy and happiness does not originate from having Jesus in our life, then we really need to work somethings out. The second distraction is being married to or even dating an unbeliever. When you enter a relationship whether that be in dating or in marriage, and you know the other person is an unbeliever or their beliefs conflict yours and you continue in that relationship without addressing it, you are welcoming in a distraction. I myself was with someone who was an unbeliever, I thought I could change her. The relationship lasted four years too long before the Lord intervened and ended it. I am glad He intervened in the way He did, because this relationship was blocking me from receiving what God truly had for me.  To all the people out their looking for a spouse, please take your time and look for someone who has the same beliefs as you do, don’t try wasting years to convert them. 2 Corinthians 6:14 (NKJV) tells us, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?”. There are also some people who let themselves spend so much time finding joy in their relationship with their spouse first, rather than with God first. Both you and your spouse should find your joy in the Lord first and let that be a foundation to your marriage or relationship if you are dating.

A third distraction we can all lack at times, is a lack of discernment. We must discern what is truly of God, and what is not. Remember wolfs can appear in sheep’s clothing. 1 John 4:1 (NKJV) tells us, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”. Another distraction we might have personally is holding grudges. I have witnessed many families be torn apart over grudges. Ephesians 4:32 (NKJV) tells us, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”.  Along with forgiveness of others we must forgive ourselves too and not let our past mistakes haunt us. Proverbs 4:25 (NKJV) instructs us, “Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you.”. One last reason we can become distracted as individuals is not properly managing our time. Ephesians 5:15-16 (NKJV) instructs us, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” You might not be spending as much time with the Lord as you should be and claim you don’t have enough time. Maybe it is time to cut back on the TV or video games and spend more time in the Word and in prayer.

So, if we can be distracted personally, can the church be distracted? The answer is absolutely, and many are already distracted. One thing I would like to point out is the era of technology we are in. I realize that many people use a Bible app on their smartphone to follow along with the sermon. Whether we want to realize it or not, our phones can be a distraction. What if a notification pops up on your screen during the sermon while you are following along in your Bible app? Do you ignore the notification, or do you open it up, and end up looking through your news feed? I believe that technology can be useful in the church, if it is used correctly. But if it is not used correctly, it can lead to many people not actively listening to a sermon. A sermon is like a meal to our Spirit, if you aren’t fully paying attention you won’t absorb everything. Just like if you don’t eat your whole meal, you might miss out on some key nutrients.

These distractions in our church and in our own lives can prevent us from fully and truly receiving Christ. We need to spend more of our time focused on Jesus, rather than the world. Colossians 3:1-2 (NKJV) tells us, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”.  God wants all of us, not just part of us. You cannot become born again and have one foot in the world and the other foot in the Kingdom of God. James 4:7 (NKJV) tells us, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”.  I would really like to encourage you to take some time and really think about these distractions I mentioned, do any of these apply to you or the church you are in? If so then you need to seek God and ask Him for guidance on how to deal with these distractions appropriately so you can be in a more serious walk of faith.

Book of Acts Series 2019, Christianity, Fruit of Spirit, Gifts of the Spirit, Inspiration, Sin, Wisdom

Lessons from the Upper Room

bible opened on table with a notepad next to it and pencil.

As I continue my series in the Book of Acts, I would like to pick back up at Acts 1:9 and go all the way to the end of the first chapter. You can click here to read this section in the Bible online.  There are some lessons that can be learned from the disciples in the upper room but first, I would like to touch upon the ascension of Jesus Christ and His second coming. Acts 1:9 begins to tell us about the ascension of Jesus Christ. The scripture tells us, “Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.”. The ascension of Jesus was already promised to the disciples in John 7:33-34 (NKJV) which says, “Then Jesus said to them, “I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come.””. We know that God was the one who sent Jesus to Earth, and as scripture says He will return to who sent Him, which is God. The Book of Acts tells us Jesus was received by a cloud, the cloud was the presence of God in this case. We also have examples in the Old Testament when God appeared as a cloud. Moses wrote in Exodus 13:21-22 (NKJV) “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.  He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.”.  We also know from the Book of Acts, that Jesus will one day return to us, Acts 1:11 (NKJV) tells us, “who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.””. I believe today that we are in the last hours before the rapture. I do promise you that I will do a teaching series on the end times after my current series on the Book of Acts. It is also confirmed that Jesus will return in a cloud in Luke 21:27 (NIV), “At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”.

Acts 1:12 (NKJV) tells us, “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey.”. The disciples have just returned to Jerusalem and if you read the first part of the next verse it mentioned they went to the upper room of the place they were staying at. I would like you to notice in verse 12 where it uses the term Sabbaths Day, which is the distance that Jews could walk on the Sabbath, which is roughly less than a mile. Verse 13 also provides a listing of all the current disciples in the upper room. In the next verse, there is an important lesson that we can learn from the disciples, and that is as Christians to come together with the same purpose, to seek God, and pray in the name of Jesus. Acts 1:14 (NKJV) says, “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.”. The disciples prayed together in the Name of Jesus, whatever your need is ask for it in the name of Jesus. Jesus told us in John 14:13 (NKJV), “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”.  Some synonyms for the word disciple are a follower, believer, and admirer. If you think about it every true Christian is a disciple, we need to come together and pray as one. I have been in several churches in my years of being a Christian, I recall one that had a prayer service every Sunday evening were people that came prayed together as a group. There were not many people that came, and sadly the attendance for that service dwindled down so much, that it got discontinued. Let me first say I understand that some people must work certain hours, and children have school activities that they participate in, but what about the Christians who do have the time to go to a church service, other than Sunday morning. I feel every church, regardless of denomination could benefit from having a prayer night throughout the week along with its Sunday and mid-week Bible Study service. Does Sunday football rank higher than God? Does your favorite TV Show rank higher than God? Do you put God first, or do you put entertainment from the world first? Did we not forget Romans 12:2 (KJV) which says, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”. God should and must be our priority in our life, and everything else can follow and He will provide for us. Matthew 6:33 (GNT) reminds us, “Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things.”.

Continuing through Acts 1:15-26, the disciples had a decision to make, they had to find another person to join them and take the spot of Judas Iscariot. As many of you know Judas was the disciple who betrayed Jesus. Acts 1:17 (NKJV) tells us, “for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.”. Because he betrayed Jesus, he was just a ‘member’ of the disciples, but he was not truly saved. We should really drill down on Judas as Christians. There are many people in the church who are ‘members’, but they are just going through the motions. There are many Christians who get saved and do not have the desire to discontinue their sinful life. They go up to the altar say the sinner’s prayer and go back to their sin, but they still attend church every week, and they might read their devotion sometimes, but they never get serious with God. I’m not saying that when you become born again that you will never sin again, but you should have a strong desire not to sin and should correct yourself when you do fall short and seek God continually. When you become born again as a follower (synonym for disciple) of Jesus Christ, and you go back to your sinful life you are betraying Jesus Christ as your savior. I say that boldly after taking some time to study the word betray. Some synonyms for the word betray are break faith, break a promise, and break trust. When you proclaim Jesus as Lord of your life that is a promise to Him, that is putting your faith in Him. When you go back to your sinful nature you are betraying him by breaking that faith you proclaimed when you gave your life to Jesus Christ. If you read Acts 1:18 you can see that Judas died a shameful death in which he hung himself. In this part of Acts, it talks about the disciples having to appoint to someone to take the spot of Judas. If you read verses 21 and 22 you will see whoever they pick must be a man who was with the disciples during Jesus’s earthly ministry. In verse 23 they proposed two men, Justus and Matthias. Another important lesson we can learn from the disciples is to turn to God for guidance in decision making. I have taught on several times before on the topic of making decisions, as Christians, we must turn to God in all the decisions that we make. Acts 1:24-26 (NKJV) tells us, “And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen  to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.” And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”. The disciples knew that they had a decision to make, they looked to God and prayed and asked Him to reveal who was the one to pick to be among them as a disciple. If you notice in verse 26, it mentions that while they prayed, they cast lots. Casting lots was a custom of the Jews to put names on stones and place them in a container and shake it until one fell out, this was an acceptable method used to decide with prayer before the Holy Spirit came to them. Isn’t it great that we don’t need to cast lots like they had to?  We can pray in the Spirit and seek God on what the best decision is for us, and He will reveal His answer to us in a unique way for our own individual situation.

I would like to encourage you to follow these examples I have outlined from the disciples which are one to pray together as the church, and second to seek God in every decision you make by praying in the Holy Spirit. We must also keep in mind once we turn to Jesus Christ, and fully surrender our lives to Him, we must not go back to our old sinful nature. I would like to encourage you to click the subscribe button on this page so you can receive email alerts for when a new blog post is made available. My next teaching will be on the Day of Pentecost, please stay tuned for more!