Faith based on KNOWLEDGE

What is the difference between a
fatalistic “what will be will be” philosophy &
trust in God’s sovereignty?
The first is hopeless resignation & wishing
The other is HOPE based on knowledge & relationship
with God who is in control!
The only rational way to trust God consistently is to know Him personally & experience His faithfulness as you experience trusting Him rather than look to someone or something else.

Get to KNOW God & you can Trust & Obey
You can REST in Him
“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;

my hope comes from Him.”
Psalm 62:5 (NIV)

If you share this you will go to Heaven (if you have put your fatih in Jesus)

A click, share or Like will have no effect on your relationship with God, your righteousness or right standing with Him or your eternal future!

We all have a sin problem that is insurmountable without Divine intervention - we all miss the mark of God's perfection. It matters not how good you act or that your parents or anyone else have a good relationship with God because your problem with sin is personal and "they" can never make you perfect.
Only Jesus can do that by applying His payment for sin to you!

Quit relying on wishing or thinking or believing in something you did like walking an isle or praying some prayer. Believe in Jesus for it is by Grace through Faith alone that you can be forgiven and brought into a right relationship with God. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
Jesus, who never sinned, was made by God the Father to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him; in Jesus we have God's righteousness or perfection. (2 Corinthians 5:21) 

Don't tell me what you have done good, because it only takes one time of not putting God first for you to be a sinner. All of us are! (Romans 3:23) Once you are no longer perfect, you become imperfect and in need of a Savior. The ONLY one who can do that is Jesus as He is THE way, THE truth and THE life! (John 14:15)

So, quit "wishing and hoping" and give your life to God and receive the life of Jesus; He will give you a new life (2 Corinthians 5:17) let you love Him and be used by Him to do good things and help people and obey Him as you go about growing Spiritually and helping others grow too. "Go therefore and make disciples..." (Matthew 28:19)

Doing any of these things good or bad has no affect on if Jesus loves you.
God loves you because of who He is.
God wants you to believe.
Believe and become a child of God who is forgiven.
Don't try to get better to come to God - come as you are!
He loves you, not what you have or have not done and He wants to forgive you.
Believe or Trust in Jesus and be forgiven; be saved...

THEN, cooperate with God as He changes you and lets you begin experiencing all you are and have in Jesus! "be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2)

 

Free to love & obey Jesus

We have all done or thought things we regret or are ashamed of, but on the cross Jesus paid for all sin.
As Christians it is time to quit trying to deal with what Jesus paid for and learn how to live in the "Promised Land"; the place where if you listen to God the work, the thing to do and the victory are all His. Only obedience is our responsibility.
If we have our Ai and try to do things on our own or rebel, we can confess it and get back to walking with God in VICTORY!

In the story of your life,
are there some pages you would not want read?
Give your life to Jesus & all of that will be
covered by the blood He shed in your place.
It is done with once you believe!
Forget it or use it to help others but
never again live under the guilt of “it”!

Don't worrry, be happy.. can you?

Are you happy?
If Heaven is a happy place & a perfect place, then why don't we spend more time & energy preparing eternity there & why aren't Christians happier now too?
4  But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5  even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6  and RAISED us up with Him, and SEATED us with Him in the heavenly places IN Christ Jesus,
7  so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8  For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:4-10 (NASB)

Verse 6 kinda thrills my soul & encourages me to love God and join in with Him in those works of His He wants to do through me in verse 10.
Walking in God's will is a happy place no matter how things look through my eyes if I trust Him & I truly believe my eternity is secure based on what Jesus did for me!
Appreciating Grace leads to loving obedience like Jesus said in John 14:15 & other places.

Live or work out your salvation the same way it started and the same way it is finished - by grace through faith!

Be Happy! God is at work in you both to will and to do His good pleasure!

"for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."
Philippians 2:13 (NASB)


 

Which are you?

Saved or lost?
How do you know?
Are you sure?

 

 

 

 

If you have questions or need more help with your Christian walk or having a personal relationship with Jesus, please write -
perhaps some previous post may help too.
 

Trust God & His Word

What God says is important!
I used to have an old bumper sticker that said:

God said it,
that settles it.
I believe it.

It started out that the "I believe it" was in the middle but a Pastor friend (Thanks Tommy) pointed out to me that my belief had no bearing on the statement so I corrected it to read as above.
 
My belief allows me to enjoy the blessings & benefits of what God has said and that God given to all who believe.
We are lost because we have not believed.
or
We are 'saved' because we have by the grace of God believed.
"He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." John 3:18

Look at the context, look at the verb tenses, look at the biblical meaning of words and judge all your experiences and ideas by what God says; don't bend it to make it fit your feelings or what some book or person said.
Put your thinking in the right order!
What God says is settled; it is truth!

Remember & appreciate what it took to save you!

REMEMBER -
Jesus did not come to earth as a man to start a religion, but so that you could have a personal relationship with Him. Holy God loves you that much and if that doesn’t at least bring a tear to your eye, I wonder if you have any concept of what that took and how much unconditional love was involved.

If you can think that the God who loves you so much doesn’t know and want the best for you and that not you or anything else can ever separate you from Him, then you may want to meditate on this love of God and be sure you believe in Jesus as your God and Savior.

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (NASB)

“He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NASB)

“By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.” 1 John 4:9-11, 18-20 (NASB)

If you love God, you will obey Him and part of that is forgiving and loving others. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments”, and that includes the ones on loving others, especially those who are your brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Church is not yours, it belongs to Jesus – the Church is the body of Christ and that includes all true believers. Is loving Jesus your motivation for obedience? Do you know you are His as a believer now and forever based totally on what He did? Do you know you are free to obey and love God because you want to and not to gain something? You can’t help it as His love in you flows out.

Do you really believe you are the worst sinner you know and that it is only the grace of God that allows you to have His righteousness and an eternal relationship with God? You and  I are not “pretty good” or “better than…” because we all need God’s grace to save us since we deserve punishment; God took that punishment for us though and it is ours if we believe.
Are you grateful enough for God’s grace that nothing is more important than His presence?
Why not?

Too often I have to ask myself that and humbly recall what it took for Jesus to come and save me and remember all that I received at that moment and then shed a tear of thanks and joy and get back busy being what I am in Christ.
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 (NASB)

REMEMBER and
BE WHO AND WHAT YOU ARE IN CHRIST because of what He did!

Love produces grateful obedience

Partial obedience is called DISOBEDIENCE!

Want to please God?
Do what Jesus did, He obeyed the Father:
"For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak." John 12:49

Don't say you love Jesus if you don't read the Bible, know it and listen to and obey what it says. Love produces the desire to be with, know and please someone -
Jesus says,
"He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me."
&  "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." John 14:24,15

If you have a relationship with Jesus, get to know Him & love Him. Christianity is not about walking an aisle, praying a prayer or keeping rules, but about believing in Jesus and that belief will produce a relationship.

If you spent the amount of time getting to know someone when you are or did date them that you do talking with & getting to know Jesus, would you have a relationship with them? For most that would be a NO. Try going on a date and spending the night playing on FB and never talking to the person or coming home to your spouse and never acknowledging they were even there unless you wanted something - how would those relationships grow? There would be no relationship.

If you don't spend time with Jesus, you might want to check to see if you really KNOW, really BELIEVE. Not that He existed or is who He says but that you have that believe in, trust in and rely-on belief that the Bible uses.

If you do know Him and don't have a great relationship, then chose to get to know Him better and improve it.
See yourself for the undeserving sinner you are
Be willing to change and be a part of God changing the things that need changing
Accept all that is yours in Christ (spend time finding out what you do have!)
Let Him love others through you
Forgive others

"If we truly appreciate what it took to forgive us (Jesus' death) and the fact we did and can do nothing to deserve it, how can we not forgive others?" - JimBrady

Don't think "I've got this covered" if your life is not changed and you are running your own life instead of God! You may just be fooling yourself and not find out until it is too late.
"it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment," Hebrews 9:27

You can give your life to Christ now and live “justified by His blood, …saved from the wrath of God through Him” (Romans 5:9) and accept the payment, the punishment He took for you or you can die and stand before God judged for your own actions, your own righteousness.
“and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds….and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. Revelation 20:12-14”
 

You can eagerly look forward to Jesus coming for you or hope for the best on your own and be judged by holy, perfect God according to His perfect standard.
"so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him." Hebrews 9:28

Are you a new creation or are you just improving your flesh?
"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." 2 Corinthians 5:17

Be sure! If you are sure, then learn to be the new person you are in Christ!

Cooperate with God!

Getting ready for ETERNITY!

One way to keep them close to God...

                             How to stop the flood of young people leaving the Church

Why do young people leave the church? Truth is, unfortunately many do and fewer seem to return later in life. I saw a scenario not long ago and they had all sorts of statistics and programs to try to stop them from leaving, but I believe they are overcomplicating it.

Most don’t lose or deny their faith, they just decide it isn’t important now in their life or is something for when they get old or something they will do when they have time, etc.

Teaching them why they believe what they believe and some of the arguments that people may use against them can help, but what about something much simpler, but much more difficult to do?

Teach them to have a love relationship with Jesus!

If I know someone and love them and have a relationship with them, nothing is going to be able to convince me they are not important or that they don’t exist. I love my wife and nothing you can do will ever make me believe she doesn’t exist or is not important. Same goes for God!

We teach morals, rules and a few teach some doctrine, but we don’t teach them how to fall in love with Jesus and how to have a solid relationship based on trust, knowledge and experience. We don’t teach them to live by grace and appreciate the grace we have.

How do we get them to understand the difference between the joyful obedience of an attitude of “I get to love on and obey God” rather than an attitude of “I should”? Programs try to modify their behavior, but instead we need to show them how to love and let their love for God change their behaviors!

I have come to realize that we can’t make them understand or change and it isn’t our job; that is the job of the Holy Spirit. We can teach and show them the truth of God’s love, their sinfulness and His grace for now as well as eternity rather than rules by our love, our actions as well as our words.

We can teach them to obey out of a grateful love, a love based in grace and freedom by sharing the truth and freedom of the Gospel, and also by letting them see what it is like in practice. Show them God’s love by example. And, while you are doing all this it is very important to pray for God to guide you and to enlighten them so they can see what they are apart from Christ, and see who they are in Christ and come to love God and crave time with Him! Then leave the results up to God! Be available, stay an example & watch God work. Pray they will respond to His love!

God says, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Deuteronomy 6:5
And Jesus said, “"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15 (NASB)

Learn to love and you will spend time with God and grow to trust Him and to love Him and to obey Him!
 

Be who you are IN CHRIST!

If you have believed and are a child of God then you are no longer what you used to be. Yes, you have that old nature, but it is dead and powerless unless you give it power. Learn to be what you are!

 

Live in the identity you have NOW in Christ!

Don't believe what you 'hear' - trust in God & His Word

Jesus came to save all who would believe.
"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.
For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." John 3:16-18 (NASB)

 

Hit bottom? Look up & PRAY

He is the potter, we are the clay He created

Want joy in this life and good in eternity?
Say YES to Jesus and be the new you in Christ He will make you.

Do you really trust?

Trust God - He is reliable!

Trust God - He is both able and reliable to perform what He promises.

 

 

 

Love everyone enough to share the Gospel with them

 

Because God loves you, YOU MATTER

Because you matter to God, YOU matter to me

Thank you God for your grace & mercy!

Jesus didn't just take our place on the cross -

He gave us a new life of VICTORY.

He died in your place and He rose and lives forever for you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't forget to thank Him!!

 

 

 

 

Sin or Righteousness?

How do you feel about sin?

Psalm 97:10 says, “Hate evil, you who love the LORD” and Paul says in Romans 12:9, “Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good”.
Disciples of Jesus should detest sin and do our best to keep away from sin by staying close to God who is good. Paul wrote to Timothy, “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” Since Jesus has paid the penalty for sin, we don’t have to fear eternal punishment, but we do know that sin ruins our fellowship with God and others and that it keeps us from being an effective disciple. Sin requires payment and Jesus paid the price. Believe in Him if you haven’t before and appreciate that price He paid for you. If you don’t place your faith in Jesus there will come a time you will receive the wages you earned of eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23). If you are a Christ follower, keep yourself close to Him and away from sin and evil.

How can we come to hate sin?
There is not a “how to” formula, but the closer we grow to God and the more we love Him and the more we understand and see what sin does to people’s lives, the more we will hate it. I would like to hate it enough that there was never any attraction, but sin is fun. Much of it very pleasurable, it is natural to the old flesh and it is easy. If it wasn’t, we would not be so easily drawn to sin against God.

One thing we can’t do with sin is to be neutral.
J.B. Phillips said, “The refusal to be committed and the attitude of indifference can in fact never be neutral.” Either we trust God and are obeying Him or we are sinning because “whatever is not from faith is sin”. (Romans 14:23)

Look at what it took to pay for sin; it took the death of Jesus on the cross and Him becoming sin and giving us who believe His righteousness. Perhaps if we remind ourselves daily of the Gospel and the mercy and grace of God that allows us to fellowship with Him as His children we can have a heart that is grateful and in love with God. Then we can come to love what God loves and love Him enough to keep away from sin and close to Him.

"There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death."
Proverbs 14:12 (NASB)
"Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.
But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the  outcome, eternal life.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 Romans 6:21-23 (NASB)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Putting feet to your love...

What have you been up to? - FB ask this question wanting you to post something on your page & it is a good one...

What have and are you up to as far as "making disciples and teaching them
to observe all that I (Jesus) commanded you;"
(Matthew 28:20)

You know a true story - tell it!

Do you enjoy a true story?
Here is a true story about a Jewish man who God used to help change the world and to reach out to the non-Jews like most of us. We best know him as Paul.

Here is part of Paul’s story in his own words:
“I used to live as a Jew. I was cruel to God's church and even tried to destroy it. But even before I was born, God had chosen me. He was kind and had decided to show me His Son, so that I would announce His message to the Gentiles. I used to say terrible and insulting things about Him, and I was cruel. But He had mercy on me because I didn't know what I was doing, and I had not yet put my faith in Him. (After I met His Son) I went at once to Arabia, (& there spent time alone with God having Him reveal to me the message He had for me to share) and afterwards I returned to Damascus. Three years later I went to visit Peter in Jerusalem and stayed with him for fifteen days. They had only heard that the one who had been cruel to them was now preaching the message that he had once tried to destroy. And because of me, they praised God.
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord. He has given me the strength for my work because He knew that He could trust me. Christ Jesus our Lord was very kind to me. He has greatly blessed my life with faith and love just like His own. This saying is true, and it can be trusted. "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." I was the worst sinner of all! But since I was worse than anyone else, God had mercy on me and let me be an example of the endless patience of Christ Jesus. He did this so that others would put their faith in Christ and have eternal life. I pray that honor and glory will always be given to the only God, who lives forever and is the invisible and eternal King! Amen.” Galatians 1:13-24 & 1Timothy 1:12-17 (CEV)

Each of us that have met Jesus has a story about that meeting and the change that has happened and is happening in our life. And, like Paul we are called to preach or tell that story in our world where we are.

It may be hard for you to admit that you are worst sinner you know, but when you look honestly at your heart compared to the perfect righteousness of God you can see how evil your thoughts and actions can be. Your only goodness is from God. In Christ we are NEW and the same God that saved Paul saves us and the same Holy Spirit that empowered him for his mission in life empowers us to share our story where we are. You might be called to Pastor, but more than likely your sharing will be as a mother, a father, a student or whatever you are in life.

Each of us God chose and called and like Paul, He has a purpose for you and for me. Your place to share may be on Facebook, behind the chutes, working as a welder, at school, from home or wherever you find yourself when God opens the door for you to say, “let me tell you a story that happened to me”. “I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind, but now I see”.

People enjoy true stories and there is no way to argue with you sharing what happened to YOU! Love people enough to share the story of Jesus in you and what He did in saving you and what He is doing now in your life. Make a connection with people, show them God loving them through you and if they come to faith let God use you to disciple them/ to mentor them in the Faith.

Ever been asked what your 'sign' is?

What is my sign?
I’m glad you asked!

My sign is a crossV
where my perfect Savior, Jesus, paid for all my sin so I could have a perfect eternal life with Him the moment I believed or put my faith, faith that He gave me by His grace, in Him alone.

Also, I have a second sign. A large round stone
˜
that was rolled away from the empty tomb so all could see that Jesus had risen from the dead and is alive; that proves in Jesus I have victory over sin in my life and that one day I will be given a new resurrected body and be with Jesus forever.
So, what is your sign?
Many today look to signs forbidden in the Bible, signs from our fallen creation or that they themselves have made; following planets or some statue or other image of their god. All these and all leaders of religions (mans attempts to reach God) are DEAD and have no power to save you or forgive your sin. If God is drawing you to Himself, tugging at your gut, the give your life to God now and let Him give you a new life in Christ! Jesus paid the penalty owed for your sin and is live right now and is able and willing to forgive you and give you a new eternal life. (John 3:16-18, Ephesians 2:8-10)
If you need to know more or need help as you begin this journey of the life of a Christ follower please message me.

“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. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18 (NASB)

“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, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10 (NASB)
“And they answered, Believe in [that is give yourself up to Him, trust Him to save you and rely on Him for life day by day and for eternity] the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved,” Acts 16:31

Show your faith by your love, discipleship & your deeds ...

Salvation is by GRACE through FAITH alone, but it leads to love of God which leads to obedience from a loving grateful heart!
Put feet to your faith and show your faith by your love, your discipleship of them and your deeds ...

By grace alone, through faith alone

Once you add anything to faith, it becomes 'works' and the works of the law cannot save you. Only believing in Jesus can do that. Jesus took care of sin once and for all on the cross.
Believe and then you can obey by the power of the Holy Spirit that lives in you.

(Sunday we will look at what saving faith produces)

Be known as one who TRUST GOD!

What character traits do people think of when they hear your name?
Do you recognize these names?
Shammua, Shaphat, Igal, Palti, Gaddiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, Geuel are names most will not recognize and when I remind you who they are your thoughts will most likely be negative.

These 10 men looked at obstacles and giants as problems and sources of fear, but two other men were with them and they saw the same things, but through eyes and with a heart that trusted in God. Caleb and Joshua and those above were the 12 spies sent out into Canaan to see what this land looked like, how fertile it was, what the strengths of their enemies were and to bring back a sample of the fruit.

All 12 of these men were leaders in their tribe and all saw the same thing. They brought back a cluster of grapes so big it had to be carried on a pole between two men (Numbers 13), and all were impressed with the land.

Ten whose names we don’t remember saw it and said that “We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit; Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak (giants) there.” Numbers 13:27-28

Joshua and Caleb saw the giants, the fortified cities and the numbers of the enemy, but they kept their focus on God and they trusted Him. Have this same character that loves and trust God. If your eyes become fixed on your problems then you will be defeated or not even get into the battle. If you believe the promise you can see victory. Caleb said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.” Numbers 13:30

God had PROMISED this land to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) and their descendants with an unconditional promise over and over and Joshua and Caleb believed the promise. They believed God is able and that He would provide the victory.
Jesus, by the cross and resurrection, brought us victory and freedom. Freedom to love and obey Him and to go in and possess the blessings He says we have.

“…His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” 2 Peter 1:3

In Christ there is victory with obedience just as once Joshua took the people into the land of Cana. There are battles and it wasn’t easy and there were failures when they sinned, but there was the possession of the promise when they listened to God and obeyed Him. You can have a life of freedom and victory if you will love, trust, listen and obey God now. Jesus said that if we love Him we WILL obey Him (John 14:15), so if you have a problem with your problems, find out where you are not loving and trusting and obeying God. Get to know and love Him and watch what He does in and through you as you walk in what He has for you (Eph. 2:10).

Let your name be known as a man or woman of God who knows Him and whose character reflects the God that lives in you!

Improve communication with God & spouse

Want to improve your communication with your wife or husband?

Be sure your communication with God is not being disrupted.

 “You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.” 1 Peter 3:7

The message here is not that men are stronger than women, but that husbands are to treat their wives with understanding, with respect and be thoughtful; treat your wife with honor as your equal partner in God’s gift of your new life in Christ. If you don’t, it will stand in the way of your prayers. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,” (Ephesians 5:25).

Men, next to the gift of Jesus, God’s gift to you of a wife is the most wonderful gift there is; she is one with you! “He who finds a wife finds a good thing And obtains favor from the LORD.” (Proverbs 18:22)

“For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” Genesis 2:24
Jesus & Paul both quote this in Matthew 19:5, Mark 10:8 and Ephesians 5:31

Want to have a good prayer life?
Want to have a good marriage?

Want to obey God?
Then love and honor your wife and treat her with respect, protection and as more important than yourself.

Women, want that type of husband, then learn to respect your husband.

“Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.” (Ephesians 5:33)

 

Know what is yours in Christ & by faith put it to use

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” Ephesians 1:3

If we are IN CHRIST, then what keeps us from exercising and enjoying our spiritual blessings that we get the moment we believe?

The language of this portion of this long sentence (v3-14 is one long sentence) indicates that we are to bless God and that everything we need to live spiritually was provided for us as part of God’s plan and creation.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty points out that “Since these benefits have already been bestowed on believers, they should not ask for them but rather appropriate them by faith. Similarly Joshua was not to ask for land since God had already promised it to him (Josh. 1:3-4). But he was to enter into the enjoyment of that provision.”

Charles Stanley said about this, “unfortunately we, like the Ephesians, sometimes live as spiritual paupers because we focus on the mechanics of Christianity instead of a relationship with the Lord”.

Walking with God is about relationship, the relationship you entered the moment you believed in Jesus and He forgave your sin and gave you a new life as a child of God. As a Believer, a Christ Follower, you were adopted as a child of God with all rights of a family member (John 1:12, Eph. 1:11). Jesus is your Savior, your Lord and friend (John 15:15) and “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” 2 Peter 1:3

It is up to you to learn to use or exercise your gifts, blessing and rights. Learn, not by trying or doing things, but learn truth so you can by faith trust and BE. Be who and what you are in Christ. Believe you are what God says you are and that you have what He says you have; then trust Him enough to obey and let Him work in and through you.

All this takes time, time with God in prayer and Bible study to get to know Him better so that you can trust and love God. Then you can learn to allow God to use you and work through you. Like a perfect little baby that is born with all that he needs to one day run a race, you have to learn who and what you are as that new creation, and grow. First it may be learning to roll over, to crawl, to stand, to take a step or two, then to walk and then to run. After that it takes continual training to run faster and farther and build endurance. Your strength to run comes from the food you eat for energy; first the breast, then soft food and one day solid meat. The child gets his strength from outside himself just as we rely on our strength that comes provided by God and not self effort. It is God at work in you (Phil. 2:13) both to will and to do.

Apply yourself, train and trust and obey so that you can live a life of freedom from the position of victory and so that you can as walk in His power, will and love as “His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10”.

Cooperate with God in what He wants to do with you and through you. All your spiritual blessings are secured in Heaven by God and are yours because of what Jesus did for you. It isn’t you or your doing that allows you to see God use you, but by faith obeying God and claiming that which is already yours in Christ!

No need to find goats to kill...

Why do we want to keep killing the goat?
In Leviticus 16, Aaron, the high priest, had to make sacrifice for his own sin before he could offer a sacrifice for the people and every year on the Day of Atonement it had to be done over every year. “Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins;…”v21

Jesus being both man and God and living a perfect life was able to offer himself once and for all as the perfect sacrifice. He had no sin of His own to pay for, but God “made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21and His death was one time for all. Those who believe in Him receive the pardon He purchased when He died on that cross; then He rose from the grave in victory over sin and death for us too.

“For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.” Romans 6:10 (NASB)
“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;” 1 Peter 3:18 (NASB)

No more works are necessary to pay for sin! There is no need for you and I to keep trying to make up for, do penance or in any way atone for our own sin. We do not have to deal with the penalty of sin because Jesus took care of it perfectly! We do live in a sinful world and in a body that has a sin nature, our flesh, so we do need to deal with what the Bible calls our Sanctification; our day to day being conformed to the image of Jesus.

Just as we were saved by GRACE, we need to live moment by moment by Grace too! We are alive spiritually as a new creation in Christ but we can choose to live by sight and in the flesh rather than by faith. When we do, we are as useless spiritually as a light touch on a green broke horse. Just as he has to learn what you want in order to respond to soft subtle cues, we have to study the Word and spend time with God growing so we can listen to that “still small voice” and so that we will have a habit of obedience.

Don’t spend time trying to overcome sins, but instead accept the finished work of Jesus on the cross as being complete and resist temptation with the Word and with the knowledge you are righteous in Christ. If you do choose to sin, then right away confess it and begin to get back to living as the forgiven child of the most high God that you are! We have victory in Christ and we need to act like it. The more you understand that the victory is yours already because of what Jesus did, the easier it becomes. Too often we are fooled by our flesh into looking at sin rather than our Savior.

If I sin it can break my fellowship with God, but it has no effect on what Jesus did and my relationship by grace through faith that I have being in Christ; THAT is based on what He did and the grace of God.

“so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.” Hebrews 9:28

As one who has a certain future and hope based on Jesus’ work and not mine, I can live eager, never fearful to see Him return. I can be thankful and not fret and my thankful heart will lead me to love and obey.

The “goat is dead” and the perfect sacrifice is made. Believe and live by faith. Faith will produce works and they will be the works that Jesus has for you to do and wants to do through you. (Eph. 2:8-10, 2 Cor.5:17) Be the new creation you are in Christ!