Trusting the Word Of God

When the word says all things work together for good to those who love God to those who are the called according to His purpose, do we truly believe that this is true?  Sometimes it is easy to proclaim that we love and trust God when we have our health and everything is going well, but what about when things start to unravel and we are knocked for a loop, maybe our health starts to fail or a loved one’s health?  What about if a major problem takes place and we don’t know what to do?  

Think about Job, he faced a devastating problem and a test that he endured, after losing almost everything he still praised the Lord.  When it was all said and done, he complained some, but then repented and went on praising the Lord.  I could talk about Daniel and Shadrack, Meshack, Abednego and others that faced testing and trials.  We should all think about this; could we do what Job did, or would we just continue to complain and question God and play the blame game?  Just think about it.  I guess we wouldn’t know how we would react unless we experienced it.

How many times are we told that God loves us, and He wouldn’t allow anything bad to happen to us?  My Bible says that God is the same yesterday, today and forever, he is not a man that he should lie, and He doesn’t change by turning.  Too many times we are taught that the Christian life is the abundant life and more, or less, carefree, but the truth is, Jesus said in this world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.  Paul said, if you live a godly life you will be persecuted.  And, in the book of Hebrews it says, God chastises those He loves.  Jesus said if the world hated me, it will hate you.  This doesn’t sound like a carefree life to me.  If we want to live a godly life, we have a great responsibility.

Let’s start with the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom.  A healthy fear of God is, to me, good medicine and will help us to resist sin and temptation!!  I hope this has been a help and a blessing to all that read it. Have a super, super day and may the good Lord bless you all today and every day!!

Living in God’s Favor

I think the key to living in God’s favor is to love one another because love covers over a multitude of sins and we also need to strive for perfection. I’m writing some suggestions that would help us to live in God’s favor.  It would help us to not conform to the world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we may prove what is the good and perfect and acceptable will of God.  It would help if we resist sin and humbly live before God and before man and have the right attitude when doing our good deeds before God and man. It would also help everyone involved in this to stop bragging about their own accomplishments, I am guilty of this to my shame, and keep their focus on the Lord and His accomplishments while using us and the gifts that He has given us to fulfill His works in our life.  

Remember this, unless the Lord build the house ye labor in vain that build it, and I think this is true in everything we do; in our marriages, our relationships, in our ministries or whatever we try to accomplish as believers, we need to include the Lord in them all.  Plus, we need to hate all sin, but love the sinner.  We should also seek the truth by studying to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth, 2 Timothy 2:15.  We also should be proclaiming the truth and witnessing when the opportunity presents itself.  

We should try to spend time praying every day and thanking and praising the Lord for who He is and what He is and what He’s done and what He is going to do in our lives!!  We also need a strong faith and take to heart what God’s word says, regardless of the situation or the state of affairs we find ourselves in.  And, when we sin, we need to truly repent and turn from it and confess it to God and ask Him to forgive us and cleanse us from all sin and unrighteousness, by the precious blood of Jesus!!  

These are things that I think would be beneficial to all believers to help us to stay in favor with the Lord and probably you could come up with things that I haven’t listed here.  The important thing is that we honor him in all things and try our best to do His will in our lives.

I hope these have been a help and an encouragement and a blessing.  May the good Lord bless you and yours and may you have a super day!! 

Overcoming Evil

There is only one way to overcome evil, and that is with genuine love and the truth.  Evil is fueled many times by false statements or partial or twisted lies that are being listened to as truth.  Or, how many times has something been taken out of context that we have heard, and people have gotten angry or hurt for no apparent reason.  

Let me give you an example; quite a while ago someone mistook something I said, and the person related what they thought I said to the other party and the people were extremely hurt about it when they heard it.  The person in this story was dying and was having a very hard time forgiving me for something I never said to the party that related it.  Eventually I got a chance to explain myself for what I had said and what I had meant by it. The problem is this, I never knew if the person had ever really forgiven me, which has brought tears to my eyes when I have thought about it.  

Now think of this, how many times do we or other people have to retract things that we say for one reason or another?  Now think of what Jesus said in Matthew 5:38-42, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.”

Now think about what Jesus said, “I didn’t come to do away with the law but to fulfil the law.”  Think of this, how many people have heard this statement or verse before, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” and when provoked applied it in their life, in our lifetime?  I believe many have without ever hearing about what else Jesus said about this subject.  This is a perfect example of not taking time to know the real truth which would truly have set some of these people free.  The reason I said, some people free, is there are people that are just looking for an excuse to vent their wrath on someone. 

Now please read verses 43-48 in that same chapter, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Now think of this, if you only knew the half truths about these verses you may react very differently than if you knew the whole truth.  Jesus said, “if you know the truth, the truth will set you free,” which is a very profound statement.  Let me say something here, unless you have love in your heart you will never fulfill what is being expressed here because it would be impossible to carry out what Jesus was commanding here without true love, which only comes through a personal relationship with the Lord and not a bunch of religion because God is love and only acts from that bases.   Think about this, how could you possibly love your neighbor and your enemies and truly pray for them and truly bless them without a miraculous work done in your life.  

Now think of this; love, joy and peace and excitement seem to be contagious in a person’s life and seem to attract others to them.  Please read Proverbs 17:22, “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.”  Plus, being excited and cheerful and having the joy of the Lord is good medicine compared to a crushed spirit that does no one any good.  

If you are wondering how anyone can love the way God’s word says that we should, and you feel the draw of the Lord in your life, and the conviction of the Holy Spirit over the sin in your life, don’t ignore it or put it off.  Let the tears flow and confess your sins and turn away from your sins and turn to God and His Son Jesus Christ who was willing to lay down His life so that you might have life and have it more abundantly.  His purpose was to give His life a ransom for all who would believe and put their trust in Him.  

Please read John 3:17, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”    

If you truly repent and ask Jesus to come into your heart and life and to be your Lord and Savior, I believe you will be a changed man, a new creation in Christ, like 2 Corinthians 5:17 talks about, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”  When this miraculous transformation takes place in your life then you can do what Jesus was talking about in these verses.  Then you can overcome evil with good!!  

I pray that this has been an encouragement and a blessing to you.  I pray that the good Lord will bless you and yours and that all of you may have a beautiful day!!  P.S. Don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord for He is so worthy!!