Victory

I want you to realize that there is victory in Jesus.  Jesus came to set the captive free from the clutches of the evil one and the domination of the sin that controlled each one of us.  

When we were born, we were born with a strong desire to sin which is called by some a ‘sin nature.’  As time went on we became a slave to sin and it was the driving force in our lives.  Sin became our master and we bowed down to it and became overpowered by it.  We were a slave to sin.  Think about a person that’s a slave; when a man owned a slave, the slave was compelled to do his bidding regardless of what it was.  The slave was his property bought and paid for and had no say in his or her own affairs.  

It says in Ephesians 2:1-2, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.”  This is talking about spiritual death, a separation from the Lord.  That is the condition of every person that has sinned which covers every one of us because the Bible says, “all have sinned and fell short of the glory of God.”  

If people continue to walk in unbelief, the result for them will be the second death.  You can make the choice to be separated from the Lord now and also for eternity by continuing to reject Him.  In verse 3 it says, “Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”  When we choose to sin we are deserving of God’s wrath but God being rich in mercy and grace provided a way that we could be set free of sin and be in right standing with Him.

God loves us so much that He provided a way when there seemed to be no way.  In verses 4-7 it says, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Even when we were dead in our transgressions we were made alive together with Christ, verse 8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God not as a result of works that no one should boast.”  This is good news we are saved because of God’s plan for us and His grace, love and mercy.

We receive the victory, and we don’t even deserve it, or could we under any other circumstances, obtain it.  Don’t ever let this message get stale; it is a message of hope leading to eternal life for all who will receive it through faith.  John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”  If you haven’t heard this message, or received this message, and repented of your sin I hope that you will.  Don’t put it off, it is the most important decision you will ever make.  God bless you and have a great day.       

Spiritual Wisdom

Everybody has knowledge because they hear many different things, but until you acquire wisdom you will have a hard time doing anything with what you have heard.  Wisdom is necessary for the application of the knowledge you have heard.  Did Jesus say in John 8:32 if you hear the truth and the truth will set you free, no, He said, “And you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free,” hearing and knowing are two different things.

Someone may explain to you how to build a house so you may have that knowledge, but still not be able to build a house.  Like I said, I think it takes wisdom to apply the knowledge you have.  Take church people for instance, let’s say they hear a sermon on not bearing false witness but they walk away and don’t really change, why does that happen?  They have heard the message so they have that knowledge, but they lack the wisdom to apply what they know to their lives.

This reminds me of when Jesus was speaking to the churches in Revelations chapters 2 and 3 when He said, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  The problem wasn’t that people didn’t have ears; I think He was saying pay close attention and allow these things to go from the ear to the heart and apply them to your life.  I don’t think He wanted them just to hear what He said, He wanted them to act on what they heard which takes more than just knowledge but wisdom also.

There are two kinds of wisdom; there is worldly wisdom and there is spiritual wisdom, which is far more important.  The wisdom of the world has no bearing on the things of God, in fact Paul said this to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 1:20-25, “Where is the wise?  Where is the scribe?  Where is the disputer of this age?  Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?  For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.  For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

Paul was making a strong statement here that the worldly wisdom the Corinthians prized so highly was the very opposite of the wisdom of God. This is why many non-believers pick up the Word and start reading but they can’t understand it because the Word is spiritually discerned.  They may have a lot of worldly wisdom but without the Spirit of God they lack spiritual wisdom.  A spirit filled Christian has no excuse for not understanding the Word of God, if they spend time in it and seek wisdom from the Lord.  If they ask Him He will be happy to give it to them.  

So if you are struggling, as a Christian, understanding the Word of God then make it a priority in your life.  Spend time in it, pray that the Lord will allow His Holy Spirit to teach you and to bring the truths back to you when you need them and never stop reading it because it will transform your life as you put it into practice.  Always seek godly wisdom then pass it on and be a blessing to those around you.  God bless you and yours and have a great day.  And praise the Lord often, He loves it when we praise Him with a pure heart!   

Truth

I have a question, are you seeking man’s praise or God’s Truth?  Many times it is not what you want to hear that’s important, it is what you need to hear and hide in your heart: they are the things that will change your lives.  Sadness lies ahead for those who chase after the crowd’s praise rather than God’s truth.

There are so many today that teach and preach what people want to hear because they are afraid to offend someone or just because they want to be popular.  Jesus spoke about His true children in John 8:31-32 He said, “If ye continue in my word then are ye my disciples indeed; and you know the truth and the truth will make you free.”  Many times we hear things that make us feel good but do nothing to change our lives.  

This reminds me of the inspirational speakers, they inspire you and get you all excited but do very little to change one’s life.  There is only one thing that will change your life and that is when you hear the Truth and then act on what you hear.  Inspiration can get you all emotional, give you goose bumps and even bring tears to your eyes while you are listening, but it is like a shot in the arm that you need to get week after week just to keep you going.  This reminds me of the alcoholic that needs another drink to function or the drug addict that needs another hit.  I am not saying that these people don’t give you some Truth but many times they leave out the most important Truths that you need to hear.  The problem with just being inspired is that it may emotionally move you to tears but it will be worldly sorrow, and not godly sorrow which you need to be changed.  

Paul spoke on this subject in 2 Corinthians 7:8–11, “Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.”

When the Truth is heard it opens the door, so to speak, for the Holy Spirit’s conviction in our lives.  The conviction of the Holy Spirit is so important, without it we will never repent and get right with the Lord.  Worldly sorrow is just being sorry that we got caught in the act instead of being sorry for what we did.  Worldly sorrow only brings pain misery and, in the end, death.   

I realize that we need to hear encouraging messages at times with all that is going on in our lives and all around us, but they need to be the Truth.  Personally, I can’t stand it when teachers and preachers water down sermons and try to make people laugh while they are preaching or teaching.  If you feel that you need to entertain and make people laugh do it before or after your message.  I realize that the joy of the Lord is our strength, but we need to set time aside for godly sorrow also.  If all we do is laugh and carry on we may miss completely what the Lord wants to accomplish in our lives.  

I’ve written on this before but I think it is one of those lessons we need to hear over and over again.  This is something we all need to think about and pray about and not take lightly.  God bless and have a great day.              

Listen

Jesus taught many things and the Beatitudes were some of what He taught, these were declarations of blessings.  Jesus sat down on a mountain and taught His disciples and the crowd of people that were there.  The custom in those days was for the Rabbi to sit when they taught.  When Jesus taught He wanted the people to listen and pay close attention to what He had to say.  It says this in Revelation 1:3, “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”  This includes any word that Jesus taught, not just the book of Revelation. 

In Isaiah 61:1 it says, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.”  Jesus applied these verses to himself in Luke 4:16-21.

Jesus started His teaching, saying in Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”   What does this mean?  ‘Blessed’ here means more than just being happy, which is an emotion we feel at times depending on the circumstances we experience.  This blessedness was an inner joy and well-being that a born-again believer enjoys by being united with Christ.  ‘Poor in spirit’ speaks of the person that is not proud and puffed up but the one that is dependent on the Lord for their sustenance, the one with the humble and contrite heart.  

Verse 4 says, “Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.”  Isaiah 61:2-3 says this about why Jesus came, “to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.  They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.”  I know when these things were written they were written to the Jews mainly, but when we are born-again we also become God‘s children and so I think these things pertain to us also.  When it speaks of the year of the Lord’s favor it is corresponding to the day of salvation and the year of redemption.  I thank the Lord that He cares for the poor in spirit and those who mourn.  

In a world of many people that seem to only care about themselves, it is comforting to know that the Lord cares about each and every person and His care doesn’t depend on our merit and what we can do for Him but on His unconditional love, praise the Lord.  People that are poor in spirit and those who mourn are the kind of people the Lord desires to bless and comfort, so if this tidbit it talking about you, rejoice and let the Comforter comfort you and bless you.  Have a great day and like I said, rejoice in the Lord.  God bless you and yours!!               

Nations

I want to start this out by saying I would have liked to have been a worship and praise leader.  I think it is so important to live a life of gratitude, worship and praise.  If you are born-again, God our Father, Jesus our Savior and the Holy Spirit our Comforter are worthy to be thanked, praised and worshiped.

If you believe the Word of God you know that the trinity is truly worthy of our praise and thanksgiving. They are totally awesome and the only ones, or things, that the word awesome should be attributed to.  The meaning of awesome is – inspiring, awe, admiration or wonder.  Many times this word is used for common ordinary things, the only ones that fall under this category as far as I am concerned is the Trinity, the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The Lord is worthy of our praise, adoration and thanksgiving even if He never does another thing for any of us.  He is worthy of these things just because of who He is and what He is.  As far as I am concerned He has done far more for me and my family than I deserve or could have even expected, praise the Lord!!  I believe there isn’t one person on earth that doesn’t have a reason to praise Him.  

In Psalms 67:1-7 it says, “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, Selah, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.  May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.  May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth.  Selah!  May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.  Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us.  God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.”

From what I understand this was a prayer that may have been used after the priestly benediction or the conclusion of their worship.  This prayer wasn’t intended to be a selfish prayer but it was to bring glory to God. They wanted God’s blessings and His saving works, not just for their benefit but they wanted the nations around them to see God’s blessings on them so that they would praise Him also.  They wanted the other nations to see what a gracious God He was.  They knew God was the one who rules the nations and guides the people and wanted all the people to know that, so they would also thank and praise God for it.  They knew what the effects of praise and thanksgiving would be for them.  Their promised land would yield in abundance and the nations would fear their God.  

Thanking and praising God should come very easy for Christians.  Just like the Israelites wanted to see the Lord receive the praise from the people that lived around them, we should have the same mindset.  When we have the opportunity we should want to share how the Lord is blessing us in the hopes that they will thank and praise the Lord for what He is doing in our lives.  

Another thing we can do is let others see our good works that the Lord has prepared for us to do. The Bible says this in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  If you want to see your heavenly Father receive praise from the people of this world go and do your part to bring it about.  Then God will be pleased and you will continually be blessed and non-believers will be saved and God will get the glory, praise God!!  Have a great day and God bless you and yours.             

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