Saturday, March 25, 2017
HOW TO WALK WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
How to walk with the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity. Three persons of the Godhead with different functions but they are One. 1 John 5:7 states, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one.”
Many Christians do not know much about the Holy Spirit because we usually hear about God the Father in heaven. Jesus Christ is mentioned many times but the Holy Spirit plays a crucial and vital role in our lives. We could never live a life for Jesus Christ without the help of the Holy Spirit because He is the one that guides and instructs us in our spirit.
The Apostles of the Lord were with Him and they were being taught from Jesus Christ Himself. They were still not equipped to go out into the world and teach the gospel until they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
The Holy Spirit is God just like the Father and Jesus Christ. Have you ever been at a church where the gospel was taught and yet the Holy Spirit was not present? This is just the opposite of what God desires for a body of believers who gather together because this is how they are joined in fellowship and love.
The role of the Holy Spirit is to interpret the Word of God and point us to Jesus Christ. If we pick up a Bible and read a portion of Scripture that we did not understand this may be reversed because it is not our comprehension but the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.
When we became a Christian we were sealed by the Holy Spirit. "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise." Ephesians 1:13.
Romans 8:5-9
(5) “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.”
(6) “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
(7) “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”
(8) “ So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”
(9) “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
We need to have a mindset because our life will either reflect flesh or Spirit. We need to set our hearts toward spiritual things as opposed to carnal things.
It is what we put in our minds and the choices we make that will infiltrate our spirit and permeate our being for the filling of the Holy Spirit or some sort of sin and darkness in our life.
This is something to think about because if we are prompted by the Holy Spirit to do something that would give glory to God the Father through Jesus Christ and don't listen we are committing a sin.
Hopefully if a Christian is doing this he or she will be convicted that it is a transgression against God. It would be a good idea if we all prayed that we would be more sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
Three things come to my mind on how we can walk in the Spirit. The first is total dependence on Him. We must live everyday depending on the Holy Spirit because He knows what is best for us.
The second is to walk with the Holy Spirit and be more sensitive to Him. We need to hear what He is telling us and follow Him so we can be more blessed in our heart and life.
The third is complete submission to Him because the Holy Spirit knows what is best for us even if the result is some sort of pain. If we do all three then abundant life in Jesus Christ will be our lifestyle but that does not necessarily mean earthly riches. It could but being rich in Jesus Christ has nothing to do with money.
The Holy Spirit has many spiritual gifts and He gives them to the people of God to carry out the work of Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 12 has a little something to say about this subject. The question we need to ask ourselves is are we using the gifts God has given us to help other people and point them to Jesus Christ?
(7) “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.”
(8) “For to one is given the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit.”
Verse 9, “To another faith by the same Spirit: to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit.”
(10) “To another prophency; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues.”
(11) “But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.”
Since we are still in the flesh and trying to walk in the Spirit the devil is going to do everything he can to discourage us and make us fall into sin. (16) “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh (17) For the flesh lusted against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye can not do the things that ye would. "Galatians 5:16-17.
There is a battle of spiritual warfare going on and it is very difficult to live the Christian life. It can be done with the help of the Holy Spirit. When He assists us He empowers us with His strength.
Sometimes we succumb to the flesh and forget that the Holy Spirit should be guiding our life. The Holy Spirit is our teacher. When we got the job we desired training took place to learn the business. When we went to school we were taught by a teacher. When it comes to spiritual matters our teacher is the Holy Spirit.
The difference between the Holy Spirit and a teacher in this world is God is never wrong. The Holy Spirit teaches us spiritual truths but He will guide us in the world.
We have to know our enemy before we do battle. Believers in Jesus Christ can become very distraught in life. We battle against the flesh, the world and the devil. These are our three enemies and we have to know how to fight them.
The flesh is pretty obvious and the devil is evil to the core. The world is an ungodly system for the most part but I am not saying dislike, harbor or hate people. I am saying if something contrary to the Bible comes into our life from the world system our spirit should be vexed. This is not our home. We should resist in a non violent way because we belong to Jesus Christ. Pray to God for discernment on all three issues.
If somebody approached us and expressed their concerns for our well being and desired us to have the best of everything we would at the very least be comforted. If we sensed they were earnest we might even feel more than that but this is what the Holy Spirit wants to do in our life. The real question is are we willing to pay the price through our faith and obedience in Him?
Most of us are afraid to surrender our lives to the Holy Spirit because we will have to give up some things very close to us. People tend to like self will but I have learned the hard way that our life has to be in the will of God. Do you feel God fighting all self will in your life? I do.
What we sometimes do not understand is God knows our needs and desires but we have to let the Holy Spirit open our spiritual eyes. There will be a change in our life but it is only through our submission to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
God has never been big on forcing a person's will but He sometimes throws a trial in our life to make us think about our choices. We can harden our heart or become soft to Jesus Christ.
We have to be willing to take that first step and trust God for the outcome. This is hard and please don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The Holy Spirit desires to help us live for Jesus Christ. We will be rewarded for our obedience to Him. When we accepted Jesus Christ into our hearts the Holy Spirit started chipping away the garbage in our life and will continue to do so until we go home to heaven.
Look at the life of the Apostles and some of the other servants of Jesus Christ. It was hard but we are only here for a short time. I hear unbelievers say all the time, "Life is short" but I always chime in and say, "Life is short but eternity is long. You are forgetting the second part."
I usually don't get a response because their minds are so fixed on this world but if they thought about my chiming they would allow Jesus Christ to change their life. One of the things I want is for Jesus to say to me ... "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Matthew 25:21. This verse involves our life and eternity. Life is short but eternity is long.
If we want to know Jesus Christ then we have to depend on the Holy Spirit to teach us about Him. I know many Christians do not think the Holy Spirit has an important role in their life but without Him there is no guidance or teaching to point to the Person of Jesus Christ.
The following verses will give us an idea of His (the Holy Spirit) role in the Triune Godhead. If you are an unbeliever just allow the Holy Spirit to lead you to a saving knowledge in Jesus Christ. Your heart will be redeemed from the bondage of sin. If you made that decision let the Holy Spirit guide your life. This is an eternal decision you will never regret.
Romans 8:14-16.
14” For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”
15”For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
16 “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”
If you do not know Jesus Christ as your very own personal Savior and Lord now may be a good time to repent of all your sins and invite the Son of the Living God into your life. If you made that all important eternal decision remember the Holy Spirit wants to guide and comfort your mind and heart. Why go through life alone when the Bible clearly says a helper desires to be with your spirit?
God Bless you,
Bob D.
Saturday, March 18, 2017
HOW TO ABSTAIN FROM SIN
How to abstain from sin
Some of us think when we become Christians we will hardly sin because we gave our life to Christ and our Lord will keep us from sinning.
That is not true but Jesus does mysterious take some desires away from us so we won't want to commit some sins. On the other hand He will let us linger in other sins to test our character. There will be many struggles to stay away from transgressions because the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. In fact the whole verse says, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak." Matthew 26:4. Our job is to watch and pray.
We are in a spiritual warfare and our flesh is weak. If we are sitting in a chair an impure thought could come in our mind. What we do with it is up to us but the temptation in and of itself is not a sin. We can choose to entertain that thought but if we do we will transgress into sin.
This is easier said than done. When we became Christians the demons assigned to us are going to do everything in their power to keep us away from Jesus Christ. This is crucial because we have to know who our enemy is in order to fight the good fight for Jesus Christ.
Before we were Christians for the most part the minions of Satan did not have to worry about us because we were in sin and not children of God. When we came to know Jesus Christ in our hearts dark forces of hell lost you because we were taken out of their possession and into the salvation of Jesus Christ.
They will try and discourage us at every turn because that is their job. This is called spiritual warfare. This is the difficult part of the Christian life. The battle has just begun and they fight dirty. If humans know a good fight is never fair how much more the demons of hell?
Why does Satan want to throw roadblocks in our way as Christians? He does not want us to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. If we are always sinning our fellowship is hindered from truly knowing and loving Jesus Christ. God does not want this because He desires to use us for His glory. He has plans for His children who were saved through the shed blood of His Son Jesus Christ to do his work while we are in this life.
This can not happen if we failed the grace of God. If we are walking in the flesh it is enmity to God. “ 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.” 1 John 2:16.
The above verse gives us a threefold summary of all the sins we can commit before God. Remember, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2nd Corinthians 5:17.
Our attitudes and way of thinking have to change from what it was before we came to know the Lord. "(1) I BESEECH you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And be not confirmed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12:1-2.
We can overcome all temptations but only through the power of Jesus Christ. We already discovered that our flesh is weak. Another verse that we may want to take a close look at is, “Let all bitterness and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.” Ephesians 4:31.
Any thinking person is going to come to the conclusion that this list of sins is going to cause us to fall into a lifestyle of transgressions before God and our conscience will be seared so bad that Jesus Christ will have to intervene with chastisement. It takes discipline and conviction to stay away from this foolishness so the devil won't get any kind of a foothold in our life.
Pride is the worst sin but If you are bitter let it go because harboring anything in our spirit will lead to contamination of the soul. If we keep this inside us it will only harm our emotions. If you are bitter let it go. What good will it do for God, people or us except that it will make us sick in so many different ways. Why would we speak evil of other people? We are Christians.
The world is going to do this but because they don't know Jesus Christ in their hearts that is the only fruit they can produce. We are called to a higher standard. We need to let Jesus Christ work through our spirit and walk in love. I know this is hard but pray for your enemies.
One person counted 129 sins in the Bible. I have no way to verify this number but transgressions can range from sexual to even feeling sorry for ourselves as strange as that may sound. “Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.” Proverbs 4:15.
If we practice and apply this verse the temptation will not be there for us to fall into sin. Remember we are a new man in Jesus Christ (PRAISE THE LORD) and these things are of Satan. “Neither give place to the devil.” Ephesians 4:27.
Sometimes we do very well living for Jesus Christ and get the victory over our sins but our bad habits and vices happen when we least expect it and we fall into sin. Why? Because the flesh is weak and we did not take 1 Peter 5:8 serious enough and apply this truth to our lives for the victory we could have had in Jesus Christ. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversity the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8.
It is difficult to live the Christian life in a sinful and evil world but we are commanded in Scripture to press on to the glory and praise of Jesus Christ. God is testing our character to see if we will stay obedient to him.
He has plans for us on this earth and eternity but if we can't even do the basics (small things) then why should Jesus Christ put us in charge of the bigger things in the kingdom of God? If you were a boss would you apply this principle for your business?
Some Christians get upset when they sin against God but all believers in Jesus Christ should feel guilty. God is holy and we are supposed to be bothered and stricken by our transgression/transgressions because the Holy Spirit is tugging on our conscience and we failed our Father.
We should be broken because we sinned. If our conscience is seared we can pray to God that he will make our sensitivity to sin more clear and please go to God and allow Him to reveal our unknown sins to us so His love can work through us in an unhindered way through His Son Jesus Christ. Otherwise we will be stumbling all over our sin.
God knows our weakness when it comes to sin and is not harsh with us but He can be if it gets out of hand. He is not keeping tabs on us; however, He does know what they are and is working on us daily. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. God will forgive us but if we keep committing the same sin over and over again then our confession becomes a lie and that is a transgression before God.
If we are devoted to Jesus Christ with passion our conviction against sin will be serious and we won't take it lightly. The sinful desires we had will go away through the Person of Jesus Christ.
Jesus loves us very much and He forgives us through our repentance to Him. He then forgets our sin/sins and remembers them no more. Psalm 103:12. He does not hold anything against us when we engage in the biblical process of true confession to God through His Son Jesus Christ. We do not serve that kind of Father. He is merciful and full of grace to His children.
What I like about Jesus Christ is we can tell Him all things because he already knows everything about us but we can not forget to ask God for direction in our life. What good is opening up our heart without council from the Holy Spirit?
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2nd Timothy 2:15.
Another way to abstain from sin is prayer. When we pray to God we are in direct communication with Him and he hears all our needs with our problems. Jesus will help us in our needs. Tell God that we desire the problem we are facing to be in the will of God for his glory.
We serve a good God. Let me just say that one more time. We serve such a good God. If you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord please come to Him today/tonight because He cares for you so much. Accept Him into your heart and live your life the way God wants you to walk on earth.
He has a purpose for your life and eternity but the world is void of direction. In fact we are not guaranteed one more day. As far as our needs are concerned, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ.” Philippians 4:19.
Many times we have heavy burdens that we can not bear and turn to sin for the short answer. We were never meant to take on such burdens because we were foolish to try in the first place. “Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.
Being obedient to Jesus Christ is the most important thing we can do while we are here on earth because that is what we are going to be doing in heaven. He paid a horrible price for our sins. His love is what drove Him to die on the cross for us so we can have salvation through Him.
When we indulge in sins after everything Jesus went through for us He will not and can not look the other way on our transgressions before Him. This is why our sins have to be taken care of through repentance so He can restore fellowship back to us and we can walk with Him in His love." Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8.
God Bless you,
Bob D.
Some of us think when we become Christians we will hardly sin because we gave our life to Christ and our Lord will keep us from sinning.
That is not true but Jesus does mysterious take some desires away from us so we won't want to commit some sins. On the other hand He will let us linger in other sins to test our character. There will be many struggles to stay away from transgressions because the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. In fact the whole verse says, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak." Matthew 26:4. Our job is to watch and pray.
We are in a spiritual warfare and our flesh is weak. If we are sitting in a chair an impure thought could come in our mind. What we do with it is up to us but the temptation in and of itself is not a sin. We can choose to entertain that thought but if we do we will transgress into sin.
This is easier said than done. When we became Christians the demons assigned to us are going to do everything in their power to keep us away from Jesus Christ. This is crucial because we have to know who our enemy is in order to fight the good fight for Jesus Christ.
Before we were Christians for the most part the minions of Satan did not have to worry about us because we were in sin and not children of God. When we came to know Jesus Christ in our hearts dark forces of hell lost you because we were taken out of their possession and into the salvation of Jesus Christ.
They will try and discourage us at every turn because that is their job. This is called spiritual warfare. This is the difficult part of the Christian life. The battle has just begun and they fight dirty. If humans know a good fight is never fair how much more the demons of hell?
Why does Satan want to throw roadblocks in our way as Christians? He does not want us to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. If we are always sinning our fellowship is hindered from truly knowing and loving Jesus Christ. God does not want this because He desires to use us for His glory. He has plans for His children who were saved through the shed blood of His Son Jesus Christ to do his work while we are in this life.
This can not happen if we failed the grace of God. If we are walking in the flesh it is enmity to God. “ 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.” 1 John 2:16.
The above verse gives us a threefold summary of all the sins we can commit before God. Remember, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2nd Corinthians 5:17.
Our attitudes and way of thinking have to change from what it was before we came to know the Lord. "(1) I BESEECH you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And be not confirmed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12:1-2.
We can overcome all temptations but only through the power of Jesus Christ. We already discovered that our flesh is weak. Another verse that we may want to take a close look at is, “Let all bitterness and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.” Ephesians 4:31.
Any thinking person is going to come to the conclusion that this list of sins is going to cause us to fall into a lifestyle of transgressions before God and our conscience will be seared so bad that Jesus Christ will have to intervene with chastisement. It takes discipline and conviction to stay away from this foolishness so the devil won't get any kind of a foothold in our life.
Pride is the worst sin but If you are bitter let it go because harboring anything in our spirit will lead to contamination of the soul. If we keep this inside us it will only harm our emotions. If you are bitter let it go. What good will it do for God, people or us except that it will make us sick in so many different ways. Why would we speak evil of other people? We are Christians.
The world is going to do this but because they don't know Jesus Christ in their hearts that is the only fruit they can produce. We are called to a higher standard. We need to let Jesus Christ work through our spirit and walk in love. I know this is hard but pray for your enemies.
One person counted 129 sins in the Bible. I have no way to verify this number but transgressions can range from sexual to even feeling sorry for ourselves as strange as that may sound. “Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.” Proverbs 4:15.
If we practice and apply this verse the temptation will not be there for us to fall into sin. Remember we are a new man in Jesus Christ (PRAISE THE LORD) and these things are of Satan. “Neither give place to the devil.” Ephesians 4:27.
Sometimes we do very well living for Jesus Christ and get the victory over our sins but our bad habits and vices happen when we least expect it and we fall into sin. Why? Because the flesh is weak and we did not take 1 Peter 5:8 serious enough and apply this truth to our lives for the victory we could have had in Jesus Christ. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversity the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8.
It is difficult to live the Christian life in a sinful and evil world but we are commanded in Scripture to press on to the glory and praise of Jesus Christ. God is testing our character to see if we will stay obedient to him.
He has plans for us on this earth and eternity but if we can't even do the basics (small things) then why should Jesus Christ put us in charge of the bigger things in the kingdom of God? If you were a boss would you apply this principle for your business?
Some Christians get upset when they sin against God but all believers in Jesus Christ should feel guilty. God is holy and we are supposed to be bothered and stricken by our transgression/transgressions because the Holy Spirit is tugging on our conscience and we failed our Father.
We should be broken because we sinned. If our conscience is seared we can pray to God that he will make our sensitivity to sin more clear and please go to God and allow Him to reveal our unknown sins to us so His love can work through us in an unhindered way through His Son Jesus Christ. Otherwise we will be stumbling all over our sin.
God knows our weakness when it comes to sin and is not harsh with us but He can be if it gets out of hand. He is not keeping tabs on us; however, He does know what they are and is working on us daily. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. God will forgive us but if we keep committing the same sin over and over again then our confession becomes a lie and that is a transgression before God.
If we are devoted to Jesus Christ with passion our conviction against sin will be serious and we won't take it lightly. The sinful desires we had will go away through the Person of Jesus Christ.
Jesus loves us very much and He forgives us through our repentance to Him. He then forgets our sin/sins and remembers them no more. Psalm 103:12. He does not hold anything against us when we engage in the biblical process of true confession to God through His Son Jesus Christ. We do not serve that kind of Father. He is merciful and full of grace to His children.
What I like about Jesus Christ is we can tell Him all things because he already knows everything about us but we can not forget to ask God for direction in our life. What good is opening up our heart without council from the Holy Spirit?
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2nd Timothy 2:15.
Another way to abstain from sin is prayer. When we pray to God we are in direct communication with Him and he hears all our needs with our problems. Jesus will help us in our needs. Tell God that we desire the problem we are facing to be in the will of God for his glory.
We serve a good God. Let me just say that one more time. We serve such a good God. If you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord please come to Him today/tonight because He cares for you so much. Accept Him into your heart and live your life the way God wants you to walk on earth.
He has a purpose for your life and eternity but the world is void of direction. In fact we are not guaranteed one more day. As far as our needs are concerned, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ.” Philippians 4:19.
Many times we have heavy burdens that we can not bear and turn to sin for the short answer. We were never meant to take on such burdens because we were foolish to try in the first place. “Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.
Being obedient to Jesus Christ is the most important thing we can do while we are here on earth because that is what we are going to be doing in heaven. He paid a horrible price for our sins. His love is what drove Him to die on the cross for us so we can have salvation through Him.
When we indulge in sins after everything Jesus went through for us He will not and can not look the other way on our transgressions before Him. This is why our sins have to be taken care of through repentance so He can restore fellowship back to us and we can walk with Him in His love." Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8.
God Bless you,
Bob D.
Saturday, March 11, 2017
HOW TO MAKE DECISIONS AND THE WILL OF GOD
How to make decisions and the will of God
Making decisions are sometimes difficult in life and we all face the dread of making the wrong choices. There are low level decisions, medium and high level choices that effect us and everyone around our surroundings so I am very convinced that this is a topic that should be discussed and analyzed from the backdrop of what the Bible teaches and how we are to apply this principle in our lives.
Even though the Bible says, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." James 1:5. This verse is clear but that does not mean we will never make a wrong decision in life. It was once said that sixty thousand thoughts pass through our minds every day so I believe it would be hard to make the right decision every single time. I'm not sure if that number is correct but it is something to ponder and you can come to your own conclusion on the matter. Maybe we can even give other people a little slack if they make a couple of wrong choices in their path which may effect us in a bad way.
Decisions are like the domino effect because one bad judgment can lead into more erroneous choices and as a result our life can become ruined and in total shambles before God. The whole theme of the parable of the prodigal son is, "Dad I made horrible choices and went into this downward spiral of sin." The child repented and the Father forgave His wayward son with open arms but if no confession came out then this person would still be in the muck and mire of slime. He had a moment of common sense and that is what I am praying for through this article if you are in that situation.
If your life is relatively stable I want you to consider a few verses in the word of God that may assist you in this subject. The Bible does say, "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go; I will guide thee with mine eye." Psalm 32:8. If God is instructing us we have to be listening. If God is guiding us with His eye He is seeing everything and we have to rely on Jesus Christ to show us the way in our limited perspective. If we don't understand that we see very little and God sees everything then we don't even grasp the basics which is Christians serve an all seeing, all knowing, all powerful God that desires to help us in our decision making process.
I can hear some people say, "What is the big deal, so I make some bad choices?" Let's turn this whole thing around --- "Lord I want to make the right decisions so I might be pleasing to you and in your will." What is the better path? The first group of people do not care (red flag) and is half hearted in their approach toward life. The other group is making proactive decisions and want to honor God and help other people. There is a spirit that comes out of a person in the first example and in simple terms says, "I don't care." There is a spirit that comes out of a person in the second example that says, "I do care and I want to make the right choices."
The Bible teaches us that we are to have an eternal perspective all the time especially in our decisions as we travel through life. "For this God is our God for ever; He will be our guide even unto death." Psalm 48:14. This is a very special verse to me because the passage starts out with Jesus Christ being our God for eternity but then it comes down to our level and explains to us that the Holy Spirit guides us to the very day we die or are raptured into heaven before the judgment of God is poured on planet earth.
There is something about making a proactive CHOICE to serve the Lord and everything else will fall into place. I did not say we would not suffer in one way or another but God will set us up properly so we will be in a position to make right decisions. "Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established." Proverbs 16:3. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord; and he delighteth in his way." Psalm 37:3.
Who is our strength? Jesus Christ. I think our Lord will be more then glad to help us make any kind of decision because He desires us to make the right choices in life. "For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead, and guide me." Psalm 31:3. When the Bible says ... "For my name's sake" ... we need to remember that if we say we are Christians our representation is for Jesus Christ so our Lord has a vested interest in guiding us but we need to allow Him to be our rock and fortress.
We sometimes forget that we serve a good God but we hopefully remember this fact more than it slips our mind in some kind of oversight. I suppose it depends on our mindset in life. If we understand this reality about God we should never take this for granted. Do we know how special this is because we serve a good God? Every other god that I know of is evil in one way or another. Of course they are not really God but people get themselves to believe this and they would have to be under deception in one way or another.
The Bible says, "Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst." Nehemiah 9:20. The last part of the verse is talking about God meeting our needs because of His Goodness but the first section of this passage says that God has a good spirit and wants to impart this into us to instruct our decisions. Jesus Christ wants us to make the right choices but our devotion to Him must be first and foremost.
This subject is applicable to one of the most popular verses in the Bible in such a perfect way. (5) "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (6) In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5-6. Notice God wants our heart not our mind although our thoughts are to be pure but we are not to lean on our own understanding. This is just the opposite of what we are taught in life but we really don't see what God understands to be the way He desires our life to run from life into eternity. Think about this -- what if in everything we did our life just acknowledged Jesus Christ? This is a learning process but we also have to train our ways to do this so it becomes an everyday process to us. The result is He will direct our path and for the most part we will make the right decisions. If we don't God will work everything out for good to those who love Him and are called unto His purpose.
Of course the Bible plays a significant role in us making the right decisions and being in the will of God. In fact the verse that I am about to quote is applicable 24 hours a day. (22) "When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakes, it shall talk with thee. (23) For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life." I am talking to a variety of different types of people. Some have a lot of time to read the Bible and some do not. I am one that works much so I really have to budget my time. I am also talking to individuals in certain parts of the world that don't have access to the word of God like other areas on this planet. Whatever position you are in just talk to the Lord about your situation regarding the subject of the Bible and God will give you an answer as long as your heart is in the right place for Him.
If we should be going in a certain direction God wants us to make the right choice but it is a learning process and Jesus Christ has to teach us this skill. We can not be passive in the decision making process for the glory of God. If we make the wrong decision this is not necessarily a sin although in some contexts it is a transgression against God. "Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go." Isaiah 48:17.
I noticed that a lot of people make the wrong decisions in life because they feel all dried up on the inside. In being a Christian for many years I realize that in my dry spells God wants to give me water for my soul and renew me in Him. Let us face the facts because we make decisions all the time. I have already made up my mind on this matter because I want to make the right choices in life even in my valleys. I realize that God not only desires that from me but He commands this in my life. The Bible says, "And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not." Isaiah 58:11.
In the subject of decision making and the will of God we can not forget the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Spirit of truth guides us Christians into all truth. Are you tired of half truths and half lies? I am because it makes my stomach sick because God has given me a spirit of discernment to recognize this deception. Isn't it refreshing to know that the Bible says, "Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come." John 1:13. When we accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord by repenting of all our sins the Holy Spirit came to live inside us and guide us into all truth. We just have to be receptive to His prodding in our walk with Jesus Christ.
If you don't feel you truly invited the Lord into your heart then by all means please do so by sincerely repenting of every one of your sins and allowing Jesus Christ to be Lord of your life. We can not be truly prosperous and make the right decisions with good success without Jesus Christ in our life. With the Bible as our guide we do our best to observe and obey what is written in the word of God. Wherever we are in life the Holy Spirit will help us make the right decisions and be in the will of God.
God bless you,
Bob D.
Making decisions are sometimes difficult in life and we all face the dread of making the wrong choices. There are low level decisions, medium and high level choices that effect us and everyone around our surroundings so I am very convinced that this is a topic that should be discussed and analyzed from the backdrop of what the Bible teaches and how we are to apply this principle in our lives.
Even though the Bible says, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." James 1:5. This verse is clear but that does not mean we will never make a wrong decision in life. It was once said that sixty thousand thoughts pass through our minds every day so I believe it would be hard to make the right decision every single time. I'm not sure if that number is correct but it is something to ponder and you can come to your own conclusion on the matter. Maybe we can even give other people a little slack if they make a couple of wrong choices in their path which may effect us in a bad way.
Decisions are like the domino effect because one bad judgment can lead into more erroneous choices and as a result our life can become ruined and in total shambles before God. The whole theme of the parable of the prodigal son is, "Dad I made horrible choices and went into this downward spiral of sin." The child repented and the Father forgave His wayward son with open arms but if no confession came out then this person would still be in the muck and mire of slime. He had a moment of common sense and that is what I am praying for through this article if you are in that situation.
If your life is relatively stable I want you to consider a few verses in the word of God that may assist you in this subject. The Bible does say, "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go; I will guide thee with mine eye." Psalm 32:8. If God is instructing us we have to be listening. If God is guiding us with His eye He is seeing everything and we have to rely on Jesus Christ to show us the way in our limited perspective. If we don't understand that we see very little and God sees everything then we don't even grasp the basics which is Christians serve an all seeing, all knowing, all powerful God that desires to help us in our decision making process.
I can hear some people say, "What is the big deal, so I make some bad choices?" Let's turn this whole thing around --- "Lord I want to make the right decisions so I might be pleasing to you and in your will." What is the better path? The first group of people do not care (red flag) and is half hearted in their approach toward life. The other group is making proactive decisions and want to honor God and help other people. There is a spirit that comes out of a person in the first example and in simple terms says, "I don't care." There is a spirit that comes out of a person in the second example that says, "I do care and I want to make the right choices."
The Bible teaches us that we are to have an eternal perspective all the time especially in our decisions as we travel through life. "For this God is our God for ever; He will be our guide even unto death." Psalm 48:14. This is a very special verse to me because the passage starts out with Jesus Christ being our God for eternity but then it comes down to our level and explains to us that the Holy Spirit guides us to the very day we die or are raptured into heaven before the judgment of God is poured on planet earth.
There is something about making a proactive CHOICE to serve the Lord and everything else will fall into place. I did not say we would not suffer in one way or another but God will set us up properly so we will be in a position to make right decisions. "Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established." Proverbs 16:3. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord; and he delighteth in his way." Psalm 37:3.
Who is our strength? Jesus Christ. I think our Lord will be more then glad to help us make any kind of decision because He desires us to make the right choices in life. "For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead, and guide me." Psalm 31:3. When the Bible says ... "For my name's sake" ... we need to remember that if we say we are Christians our representation is for Jesus Christ so our Lord has a vested interest in guiding us but we need to allow Him to be our rock and fortress.
We sometimes forget that we serve a good God but we hopefully remember this fact more than it slips our mind in some kind of oversight. I suppose it depends on our mindset in life. If we understand this reality about God we should never take this for granted. Do we know how special this is because we serve a good God? Every other god that I know of is evil in one way or another. Of course they are not really God but people get themselves to believe this and they would have to be under deception in one way or another.
The Bible says, "Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst." Nehemiah 9:20. The last part of the verse is talking about God meeting our needs because of His Goodness but the first section of this passage says that God has a good spirit and wants to impart this into us to instruct our decisions. Jesus Christ wants us to make the right choices but our devotion to Him must be first and foremost.
This subject is applicable to one of the most popular verses in the Bible in such a perfect way. (5) "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (6) In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5-6. Notice God wants our heart not our mind although our thoughts are to be pure but we are not to lean on our own understanding. This is just the opposite of what we are taught in life but we really don't see what God understands to be the way He desires our life to run from life into eternity. Think about this -- what if in everything we did our life just acknowledged Jesus Christ? This is a learning process but we also have to train our ways to do this so it becomes an everyday process to us. The result is He will direct our path and for the most part we will make the right decisions. If we don't God will work everything out for good to those who love Him and are called unto His purpose.
Of course the Bible plays a significant role in us making the right decisions and being in the will of God. In fact the verse that I am about to quote is applicable 24 hours a day. (22) "When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakes, it shall talk with thee. (23) For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life." I am talking to a variety of different types of people. Some have a lot of time to read the Bible and some do not. I am one that works much so I really have to budget my time. I am also talking to individuals in certain parts of the world that don't have access to the word of God like other areas on this planet. Whatever position you are in just talk to the Lord about your situation regarding the subject of the Bible and God will give you an answer as long as your heart is in the right place for Him.
If we should be going in a certain direction God wants us to make the right choice but it is a learning process and Jesus Christ has to teach us this skill. We can not be passive in the decision making process for the glory of God. If we make the wrong decision this is not necessarily a sin although in some contexts it is a transgression against God. "Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go." Isaiah 48:17.
I noticed that a lot of people make the wrong decisions in life because they feel all dried up on the inside. In being a Christian for many years I realize that in my dry spells God wants to give me water for my soul and renew me in Him. Let us face the facts because we make decisions all the time. I have already made up my mind on this matter because I want to make the right choices in life even in my valleys. I realize that God not only desires that from me but He commands this in my life. The Bible says, "And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not." Isaiah 58:11.
In the subject of decision making and the will of God we can not forget the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Spirit of truth guides us Christians into all truth. Are you tired of half truths and half lies? I am because it makes my stomach sick because God has given me a spirit of discernment to recognize this deception. Isn't it refreshing to know that the Bible says, "Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come." John 1:13. When we accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord by repenting of all our sins the Holy Spirit came to live inside us and guide us into all truth. We just have to be receptive to His prodding in our walk with Jesus Christ.
If you don't feel you truly invited the Lord into your heart then by all means please do so by sincerely repenting of every one of your sins and allowing Jesus Christ to be Lord of your life. We can not be truly prosperous and make the right decisions with good success without Jesus Christ in our life. With the Bible as our guide we do our best to observe and obey what is written in the word of God. Wherever we are in life the Holy Spirit will help us make the right decisions and be in the will of God.
God bless you,
Bob D.
Sunday, March 05, 2017
HOW TO DEAL WITH OUR ENEMIES THE bIBLICAL WAY.
How to deal with our enemies the biblical way
God sees everything and one of the realities He observes is people that are angry without a cause to us. More often than not this offense ends up becoming a persecution. Jesus said, "Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh." Matthew 18:7.
If a person or group is after us we have an obligation to try and set things right even if we were not wrong. The problem comes when the individual or group won't listen and they decide to make our life miserable which is a certain type of trial that many people just can not bear in their life. Perhaps they came from a warm home and what they are facing is so foreign to them that the burden is to heavy to bear.
Usually there are seasons of persecution because even a contaminated soul gets tired of his or her own foolishness but this varies depending on how much of a controlling spirit he or she possesses inside of them. I remember I was going through a suffering and tried talking to the person but realized it is pretty hard to speak to someone that has several demons in him.
The Bible has some precepts for us to understand about this subject but perhaps I should start with the most positive verse so we all can start off this article with a positive tone before I go over some of the more heavy duty verses. "When a man's ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him." Proverbs 16:7. That is a calming verse but this may take some time. "And shall not God avenge His very elect, which cry day and night unto him, though He bear long with them." Luke 18:7.
Did you ever notice that when a group of unbelievers who hate God come together to persecute Christians they always fall in the end? We like to focus on the persecution and just shake our heads but the Bible says, "Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake." Isaiah 54:15. God is bigger and stronger than they are but what really gets me is they think their team is smarter than God. How foolish.
There is an end to a new beginning when we are put through a suffering. God would never even allow it in the first place if He did not have something in mind for our life and eternity. "That He would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve Him without fear." Luke 1:74. The hand of our enemies is a test but it is for the purpose of serving God in this world and in heaven for all eternity without fear. When we personally witness being delivered by God in His way and timing the fear dissipates and our focus is on Jesus Christ and we want to obey His plan for our life.
If we are being attacked by a person or a group of people the worst thing we can do is retaliate back even in our minds and hearts. If we want to make the situation worse just do that and see how far we get in our endeavor of solving the problem. Now we have pie all over our face. By the way they are laughing even harder if we approach the problem that way so we might even be labeled as an informal comedian but the humor could become hostile. People can be very mean.
I actually know two people who had a gun pointed at them and they both quoted the same Old Testament passage. "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord." Isaiah 54:17. The same scenario happened identically with both individuals. A gun was pointed right at them, shots were fired at the person and the bullets went all over the place and missed the Christians by a mile so to speak. They claimed the promise but God is in control. It still amazes me when people want to hurt other people they think there is power in that whole thing. The one thing they want is control but that is the exact reality they will never get because evil would eventually overthrow God and that is just silly in light of what the Bible teaches.
God helps His children and if a person comes up beside us to assist our plight then understand that Jesus Christ will help them so we should never focus on those that have distain for us as we travel through life." The Lord taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I keep my desire upon them that hate me." Psalm 118:7. The Bible is very specific on giving us instructions on people that treat us bad or are chasing us in an evil way. The person being persecuted is not called to hurt anybody. We are to be very specific in our response and understand the role God plays in our suffering.
If we are being persecuted by our enemies just let God hid us in His secret place. "For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hid me, He shall set me up upon a rock." Psalm 27:5. I remember in some of my more unwise moments I would take matters in my own hands and show them whose boss but I made my situation at least five times worse. My motive was anger, it was uncontrolled and there is something about evil that understands they just won a victory. Never underestimate your enemies because they are strong in ways you could never even imagine. Never overestimate your enemies because we are not trusting God if we take that response.
When I write about this subject understand that an individual or group is set against us but we are innocent and tried to do everything we could to reconcile the problem. There is nothing more we can do so now our response is at the next step of a satanic circumstance. If we don't deal with this hodgepodge of ungodly emotions and sins properly we will not get to the next verse which is the result of our obedience to God because our enemies are not letting go of something that should have been thrown out in the beginning stages of the situation.
"And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing praises unto the Lord." Psalm 27:6. It was the plan of God all along for us to rise above the persecution and be lifted up in His tabernacle with joy. Wow that sounds like the opposite of what we were going through so all I can say is what a wonderful God we serve. We are singing praises unto the Lord. This would have to be an obvious point but does it look like God is persecuting us when we are in His tabernacle? No we are expressing our love for Him and Jesus Christ is loving us in return because He first loved us.
If this is happening to us we have to go to battle but we don't do the fighting. "For the Lord your God is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you." Deuteronomy 20:4. "Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies." Psalm 60:12.
In Psalm 27:6 I showed that we as the children of God actually go in the tabernacle of the Lord but there is a verse that explains there is actually a dwelling place that the wicked go to and they are clothed with shame as opposed to the glory of God. "They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought."Job 8:22. I think if we were given spiritual eyeglasses the things that would be seen would intrigue us at the very least.
Of course I have to go over the entirety of this subject because that would not be fair to any of us trying to apply the biblical principles of responding to our enemies. Regarding this subject the Bible says we have three responsibilities before God that we are to put into practice everyday.
The first is we are to trust God. This simple means that we are to have belief in Jesus Christ that He will do His part in His timing. "And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him. "Psalm 37:40.
The next two responsibilities we have before God regarding our response to our enemies is (1) loving the Lord and (2) hating evil. "Ye that love the Lord, hate evil: He preserveth the souls of His saints; He delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. "Psalm 97:10. When we are going through a persecution our souls need to be preserved by God (protected) but the next part of the verse is so comforting because it says ... "He delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked." We are under the property of Jesus Christ not the devil.
God knows we are human and can become very fearful. I know I have been in that place. The Holy Spirit gives some very comforting words to us Christians. "But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the Lord: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid." Jeremiah 39:17. The real truth of the matter is God wants us fearing Him in the proper way because the Bible says, "But the Lord your God ye shall fear; and He shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies." 2 Kings 17:39.
We need to be grounded in the word of God and let Jesus Christ rule our life because sudden fear could come upon our lives." (25) Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. (26) For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken." Proverbs 3:25-26. We don't know what is going to happen in our lives but we can determine to be strong in our Savior and Lord. We don't want to live our life on sinking sand because if a storm comes then we will have no root and we could be sweep away so prepare now in the Person of Jesus Christ.
If you don't know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord you really do not have any real protection in life from your enemies. I hope you do not want to be on the side where you are persecuting good people because the Bible says God is against you if that is the case. A wise man or women will repent of all their sins and invite Jesus Christ into his or her heart and live for Him. I certainly hope you made that all important eternal decision today/tonight wherever you are because God wants to show you His love and protection not only on earth but for all eternity.
God Bless,
Bob D.
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