Hate sin - it keeps people from knowing God!

Is it showing love to accept and approve of what others do because it is their right?
This question is asked of those who claim the name “Christian”, not those who reject Jesus.
Jesus paid for sin because He loved the world – PEOPLE included. He had to die because people are sinners (John 3:16/Romans 3:23 – all) and that was the only way to provide for Salvation. He who is God also became a man so that He could be the perfect sacrifice for sin.

“If we continue to teach about tolerance and intolerance instead of good and evil, we will end up with tolerance of evil.” - Dennis Prager
And may I add we will end up with people lost and condemned to spend eternity separated from God. “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

I know many who want what they call tolerance don’t show it to those who have a view different from them, but do we love others because they agree or “act right” or because we are commanded to care about the condition of a person and their relationship with God?

First, we should clean up the local churches, our homes and our own life? If you are a Christian you need to not be having sex with someone who is not your spouse, you need to not be living with someone who is not your spouse and you need to not be looking at pornography and you need to not be engaged in any type of sexual relationship outside of the one created by God – a man and a woman who are married. You need to repent of your own sin so that then you can help others realize they are sinners in need of saving and help them come to Jesus and get saved. This isn’t about any one behavior, but about loving people enough to let them know they need a Savior and showing them God’s love and Him saving them.

If you know Jesus, get your life in line with the Bible. Learn how to be who and what you are in Christ so that you can love and obey God. (2 Cor. 5:17/Romans 8:1/John 14:15)

Never forget that you are saved by Grace and not your own doing. You and I are no better apart from Jesus than anyone else, but that does not give you an excuse to keep on sinning. The fact that someone’s sin may be more visible than yours doesn’t make you better than them. Quit giving in to your sin; confess it, turn from it and accept the forgiveness that is already yours and get to obeying. Honor God in all your thoughts and actions and put your faith into deeds by “walking in the works God has for you” (Eph. 2:8-10).
Hate sin because it keeps people from knowing and walking with God!

Don’t accept sin and condemn people to hell and don’t self-righteously condemn others while you ignore your own need get rid of sin in your life and let God change your behavior.

Go and proclaim the gospel and make disciples, teaching them to obey all Jesus’ commands!

Winning souls, not arguments is our goal

Decide today, will you listen to your thoughts, worldly ideas, what is popular, or listen to God’s direction?
“But He turned and says to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's.” Matthew 16:23

All Peter wanted to do was help. He didn’t want Jesus to die and it seemed a good thing to him to set Jesus straight about being killed (v.21) and then raised up on the third day. I wonder if Peter ever heard the last part of that sentence after Jesus said “be killed”. Jesus said many times He would be raised up on the third day, but they never really heard it and understood until it had happened.

Jesus mind was on obeying the Father.
Aren’t you glad Jesus listened to the Father instead of Peter?
Without the cross and the resurrection, there would be no Salvation!

Jesus said in John 13:12-16 that by being a servant to His disciples He had “given you an example so that you also should do just as I have done to you”. We are to serve others, but too often we want to serve by doing what we think and many end up going against God’s plan when it doesn’t make sense to us, like dying didn’t to Peter. We need a total commitment to love and obey God.
William Sloan Coffin said, "We (mankind) have learned to soar through the air like birds, to swim through the seas like fish, to soar through space like comets. Now it is high time we learned to walk the earth as the children of our God."
Will you love God, obey Him and let Him work through you to give people a new heart and then disciple them and be a part of God changing behaviors rather than you? You can condemn and argue or you can let God love others through you and get to be a part of His work; “walk in the works that God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them”. Ephesians 2:10
People who are lost will be defensive if attacked, but if you show them God’s love, God can give them a new heart, a new birth and then that new person will have new behavior. Consider following Jesus example and serve by obeying God.
Yes, stand firmly on the Bible and never compromise on the Word and what is right, but do it motivated by love with the goal of redemption. Otherwise Jesus may have to say to you that “your mind is not on the interest of God”.
Not every argument needs to be won; the person does and only God can do that!

What is your goal?

You have moved so don't keep going back to the old address

Have you ever forgotten where you live?

“But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” 2 Peter 3:13

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;” Philippians 3:20

This earth is not our home, but sometime we get so used to it we go back to our old comfortable ways and old places. I remember a time when I moved and a few days later was preoccupied, tired and heading home from work and I suddenly realized I was going the wrong direction; I was  heading toward my old home. Too often we forget where we live, our real address, and head toward old habits and activities and even people what are part of the old address or lifestyle. Here on earth the place we call home is very temporary as the New Earth will one day be your real home.
The Christian life is about choices like choosing each day to not give in to our flesh and our old and natural way of doing things, but to instead choose to obey God.

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” 1 John 5:3-4

Don’t forget where you live! Your long term dwelling place is Heaven and your time on this fallen earth is so very short compared to forever! Chose to be who and what you are in Christ and if you don’t know what is yours already in Christ then dig into the Bible and find out; you might want to read the book of Ephesians to see things like your already being blessed in Chapter one and your being raised up with Christ in Chapter 2 and much more.

Keep your eternal home real in your daily life and you will love and obey God and He can use you to help give more people the home of Heaven and the new Earth. John said in Revelation, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away,…” Revelation 21:1
Don’t let old habits take you back to your old place of defeated thoughts and constant striving to obtain what is already yours, but instead let God renew your mind, guide and empower you, use you and prepare you for your eternal home. Living in your own strength and power and constantly trying to perform ‘good enough’ for God accomplishes no eternal good. Get excited about your new home to come on the new earth and share THE Way with others ~ share Jesus! Then love them and be a part of their being discipled and learning how to themselves disciple others.

And, if you make a wrong turn, remember you are not lost, just in need of turning around; your residence is still the same. So turn from sin and back to God and being all you are in Christ. You are adopted into God’s family, so grow up and let God get you ready for your new place on the New Earth by using you now!

Your destiny - wrath or love?

Is your idea of God one who sits in Heaven waiting for you to mess up so He can punish you?

“For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,” 1 Thessalonians 5:9 and “Therefore there is now no punishment for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1

God has poured out His wrath, His punishment on His Son Jesus. The cross is behind you and when you believe you are forgiven because the punishment you deserve was paid for by Jesus. God loves you enough that “God demonstrated His own love toward you, in that while you were still a lost sinner, Christ died for you” (Romans 5:8 paraphrased) You do not deserve it, but by Grace through faith you now have Jesus righteousness given to you. (Eph. 2: 8-10)

God’s love for His children is unconditional. Understand it, appreciate it and get to know God well enough you can trust Him and fall in love with Him. He is not waiting to ‘get’ you but to show His love to you and do what is necessary to bring you to the best place for you to be in your life and spiritual walk. He wants you to trust Him enough to “rejoice always” (1 Thess. 5:16) no matter the circumstance or if you like them or not. To you, some things may appear impossible and things in your life can hurt you or those you love, but He is in control. God knows before anything happens what ‘it’ is and if you obey and love Him then He can use the ‘it’ in ways you never imagined and may not know of until you get to be with Him in Heaven.

There is no punishment for you as an adopted child of God. There may be correction to get you back on track, but that is love discipling for your protection not wrath. The only ‘getting’ that God wants to do with you is to ‘get’ you ready for eternity and use you here and now as He does. Never be frightened that God is going to “do something to you”, but read 1 John 4 and wrap your mind around God’s love for you and ask Him to help you understand it and trust Him.

“The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was made known 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 (payment that satisfies God’s justice) for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1John 4:8-11

What is my responsibility in my walk with Christ?

You have believed and been saved, born again, made a new creation and been adopted into the family of God as His child; so what is your part as a believer?

“…many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12), John 3:16-18, Acts 16:31, 2 Cor.5:17 and many more.

As a Christian, a child of God, you need to join in many battles in this world, but look at the story of the battle of Jericho and see what part Joshua had. He didn’t choose the city, or decide on the battle plan and he didn’t make the walls come down where Israel could go up to go into the city and kill everyone as God instructed; Jesus did. Joshua 5:13-6:20 is the story. In 5:13, Joshua meets a man & in 14-15 he discovers this Angel of the Lord is the Lord Jesus when Jesus allows Himself to be worshiped and in 6:2, the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors”.

The fight is the Lord’s and the results and the power are all up to Him. Your job is to obey God and be in the battle with Him and enjoy the victory He gives. The only requirement God puts on the believer is obedience, not the results – those are God’s.

As Michael Minot, a Pastor and former atheist said, “You're called to obey, not orchestrate an outcome. Leave the results up to God”.  

Charles Stanley puts it, “Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him”.

On the surface this may sound easy but it is very difficult, especially at first as you get to know God and learn to trust Him. Many of you have not had a trustworthy Father figure in your life who gave you unconditional love, acceptance, protection and guidance in godly living. That learning to trust is why the soldiers were reminded not to be afraid or panic before the enemy because no matter what things looked like, the results were up to God. When you face your enemies, your problems, give your fear to God and learn to trust Him. Romans 8:28-29 is still in the Bible and God is on His throne and we do HAVE an eternal home.

The battle over sin is finished, Jesus paid the penalty for it in full, but we all have sins we are tempted to yield to daily. You are family now and your heavenly Father has provided the Holy Spirit to live in you forever and guide and empower you as you obey. Listen to God and in love change where He tells you; be willing to obey even when you don’t understand or see anything but problems. Let the problems and the trials strengthen you and your faith walk with God. The battle is the Lord’s and He has won!

Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments,” so if you are having a problem with obedience, work on loving God more, not on your behaviors. Let Him change those behaviors as God changes you to the image of Jesus. “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son,...” (Romans 8:29).

You have redemption and are an heir with Christ, so obey even if you don’t understand or things look hopeless, God will complete His part!

Some transformation helps

Are you really a new creation in Christ and if you are, what are some ways to renew your mind?(2 Cor. 5:17)

“I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And, don’t  be conformed to this world, but 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 12:1-2)

Here are a couple of things. First is a practical way of avoiding temptation.
As much as possible keep away from people and thing that pull you the wrong direction and instead follow Christ – become a disciple. You will have to go out into the world, but don’t become like them. Protect yourself with a good church family. Practice sharing what you know with others and help in discipling them. Find a mature believer or two that will help you and guide you in finding truth (like in a small group). Begin to daily train yourself to trust and rely on God by spending time with Him in Bible study and prayer. Doing these things is good and necessary for growth, but don’t forget that it is not what you do but why you do what you do. Keep your motivation love. Anytime you begin to operate on your feelings check yourself and see if you haven’t fallen into “doing what I should” because it is right rather than enjoying God and His love. Anytime you feel like you are failing remind yourself that the responsibility for victory belongs to God. Jesus has won the victory and your hope is a certain hope based on God and His Word. Remember Jesus last word on the cross, “it is finished” (tetelestai in Gr.).

A second is to recognize where and who the power over sin comes from.
Stay grateful and amazed that God loves you and provided for your Salvation; it is totally by grace through faith you were saved. You and I are not good people who needed a little help from God, but are sinners totally separated from holy God and deserving of eternal separation – death.

As John Claypool said, “The way of forgiveness is the way of gratitude and astonishment. It lets the past become our teacher rather than our judge.” Let your attitude be that, “I’m amazed that God forgave me and that He loves me and because of that I am so thankful that I cannot help but love Him and want to obey Him.

Keep your eyes on Jesus and get them on yourself; then you can daily take up your cross, not to carry, but to reckon your “self” dead to the power of sin over you. Then you can enjoy your forgiveness; enjoy the new life that is yours as a Christ follower! As Paul put it, “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Romans 6:11
Keep amazed and thankful and you will love and obey and when you do, God will transform you and use you!

Peace and Trust don't stop pain, but they do give hope & joy

Does knowing God is in control and that He is sovereign make the pain any less when you go through some heart breaking experience?
Part of our inheritance as an heir of Christ is to suffer with Him while in this world.

“and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” Romans 8:17 (NASB)

I saw this statement recently, “You are only as powerful as you are dependent on God's strength” and it is so true. All power is in God as it is really His power operating in my life and through me, not me helping God or God even helping me, but me obeying and God using me.

One way God prepares you to be dependent and used by Him is through the pain and trials of a world that is corrupted by sin. Not only our natures but the very earth itself is fallen and “We know that the whole creation groans and suffers…” (Romans 8:22). God can and will use ‘it’ (whatever you are going through), but also things sometime don’t work out while you are here on this earth, because of what sin has done to the world.

People are persecuted for their faith with no hope of ever escaping that persecution on this earth and people are taken in by the lies of the devil, dying without Jesus without hope ever for eternity. Good people have problems and suffer both emotionally and physically and continue trusting in God, but they still hurt. Life on this planet as a Christian can be difficult and painful, but we do have a certain future in Heaven; like Jesus said in John 14, He will come back for us.

There are days it is hard to believe as Tony Evans said, that “God will meet you where you are in order to take you where He wants you to go.” You and I have a hard time with daily dying to self, but in our lives are other people we love and care about. If you see people who say they love God, yet continually choose to do things that God hates it hurts; and there is nothing we can do to make them change. Also, it is not your job or mine to try to change people. We can pray, share, counsel, love and trust God to work in them as He does in us, but it still hurts.

Things like a Father who won’t be a part of his children’s life because he is inconvenienced or are mad at the mother or some other selfish ‘reason’. Women who leave their husband for another man or their ‘happiness’ when God says divorce, as well as the adultery, is wrong; And us, when we put “ME” at the center of life rather than God. These things may break our heart, but choose to trust God, to obey and love Him because you know He is sovereign even when you may not feel like He is and don’t understand what or why something is happening.

The pain is still there and real, but the peace is there too if you know Jesus and choose to believe that what He says is true and that He is trustworthy. Be sure your suffering is for Christ or a part of obedience and not the result of your sin. Then, let your suffering drive you to your knees and to love God and let the suffering of those you love drive you to your knees trusting in God.

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21 (NASB)

Thank you God that you are in control and that you are trustworthy and that you love us! Thank you for our glorification that we will one day get to experience!

Sin is expensive; you can pay for your own sin if you wish, but consider the cost.

What did paying for your sin cost God?
“the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

It cost Him the death of His only Son, Jesus (John 3:16) to purchase the gift God freely gives to all who believe/receive; “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,” John 1:12.

Sin is serious to God and it should be to us His children! He hates it! Sin cost Him dearly and if we love God we should feel the same way about our sin. When we choose to sin it should bother us and we should want to repent of it and claim our forgiveness we have right away. We should try as hard as possible to keep ourselves away from temptation and sin; keep loving and obeying God in His power as you walk by grace through the faith God gave you.

If you have sin, no matter how socially acceptable, that you are holding on to, not repenting of or denying that it is sin then you are not walking with God. Don’t say you love Jesus and live with someone you are not married to or engage in any other sexual behavior outside of God ordained marriage. Don’t say you love Jesus and yet have nothing to do with other Christians or fail to be active in a local gathering of the Church and love other believers. This is not to say if you are saved or not, but you are not practicing truth and walking submitted to Jesus and denying self. “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;” 1 John 1:6. It is not me judging, but the Scripture saying you are not practicing the truth. Repent now and re-establish fellowship with God and walk in obedience.

As Adrian Rogers put it, “Sin is not just breaking God’s laws; it is breaking His heart.” How can you love someone and intentionally break their heart and think it is alright?

You and I deserve eternal separation from God and the earnings of your sin is that spiritual death, but God in His mercy and by grace has saved you if you are His child. Believe it, flee from sin, love God and obey Him. Learn to feel the way God does about sin by learning to truly love Him and appreciate His love for you and what it cost. It was purchased while you were His enemy. Be grateful and love and obey because by grace He has saved you and given you the freedom to love and obey Him. After all, “God demonstrated His own love toward you, in that while you were still a sinner, Christ died for you. (Romans 5:8 paraphrased)

Love God and you get to freely obey Him as a loving, grateful heir of God! (Romans 8:17)

Are you or someone close hurting & having spiritual problems?

Are you going through something right now that scares you and has taken the peace from your life or are you perhaps being tempted to give in to worry and fear?

Jesus said, “My PEACE I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives, so don’t let your hearts be troubled and don’t be afraid.” (John 14:27)
It may be that what someone you love has done hurts you because it was done to you, or maybe you see them hurting themselves and their walk with God. Many times our pain comes from seeing those we love in pain too. If they will allow you, you can share godly wisdom and counsel with them and pray. If they won’t listen, then your only option is prayer and to enlist others to pray for them also. Remember if people are not directly involved they don’t need details; God already knows them, just ask others to pray.

If it is you hurting pray and spend time with God and also get some godly counsel and prayer from others. Spend time with God in His Word and let it speak to you and comfort you!

My peace is not based on what others do or don’t do, but on my relationship with Jesus and what He has done.

“My soul weeps because of sorrow and grief; Strengthen and encourage me according to Your word.” (Psalm 119:28)

Claim the peace that is yours if you are trusting God. If you are trying to hold on to some sin or ‘fix’ yourself, quit and trust God with control of your life; He is both able and trustworthy. Accept God’s unconditional love and love Him back and you will obey Him and learn to experience the peace and encouragement that are yours in Christ. Then you can help others that are hurting too so that they can experience God’s peace and grow in their faith.

(This is certainly not comprehensive, but I pray that if you are hurting or if you are hurting for someone who you love that is having problems following God, it will get you started in the right direction)

Are you relying on something you have done or totally on Jesus for your eternal future??

If you would die right now, where would you be a split second later?
Are you 100% sure and if so what do you base that assurance on?

Assurance based on who Jesus is and what He has done to make you a part of the Church, the Bride of Christ is the only 100 % assurance. In Jesus, you have a firm knowledge and certainty of your future now and forever in Him that, since you are a Christ follower, makes you secure!

“For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.” 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10  God’s wrath for sin was poured out on Jesus.

Now, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 

Neither our initial getting saved from the penalty of our sin or our day to day life saved from sin’s power or our eventual eternity in Heaven with God and being saved then from sin’s presence is based on our performance or accomplishments or our failures; it is based on Jesus and our receiving of His completed work. (Eph. 2:8-10)

Our job is to love and that love will lead to obedience (Jn 14:15) and if we make the right choice to obey, God will do the performing and the outcome is up to Him and the strength to do what He directs us is given by Him. Quit looking to God as the one to help do something we can't quite do because apart from Him we can do nothing good; let God work through you.

Saved by Grace and walking by Grace all through the faith God gives us. Get to know and love Him so you will obey Him.

Let God be the one that fights the battles!

You do the obeying by the getting up and going where He directs and in His strength you can be used and have no fear of the outcome!

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart.. and he will direct your path..” (Proverbs 3:5-6) because He has saved you and given you a certain eternity with Him; look forward to Heaven, but enjoy obeying and growing and being used now too.

When is Jesus going to return?

Where is He?
Jesus said He would come back, but that was about 1985 or so years ago and people have been saying Jesus would return for all this time; many expecting it during their lifetime.

God is not bound by our timetables and we, His children, His followers should all be ready and expecting Jesus return and looking forward to it. “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day or the hour” (Matthew 25:13) is what Jesus said. I don’t know when, but I do know that you and I are to be ready. Trusting in Him and telling others about Jesus. The time is short and there is less time than there was before you read this; don’t put off sharing Jesus with those you know and love!

He has a place just for you and He is coming back for you. Trust Him, trust His love for you and learn to love God and enjoy showing your love in grateful obedience! Jesus said He would return in John 14: 1-3 where He says,
“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

Jesus cannot lie and he promises that He will return for His followers. Get ready by loving and obeying God now and by sharing Jesus with others now. Again, the time is shorter now than when you started reading this blog/post.

Jesus is in Heaven right now, but soon He will return to take out His disciples, His followers – the Church. Be ready and watchful and be being used by God to witness and disciple others!

Is being thrown to the lions your idea of a reward for good behavior?

Does doing good always produce happy results right away?
“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” Galatians 6:9 (NASB)

Daniel in Daniel 6 is faced with a choice to obey the law of Persia or to obey the Law of God. He was about 83 at this time and had seen kings come and go and seen the mighty Babylonian empire fall to the Persians and had remained faithful to God through it all as was his habit. One of the benefits of time walking with God is developing good habits so that when a trial or test comes you respond in faith. Daniel was such a faithful witness to his God that his enemies were able to know he would not worship another god even for 30 days. When he didn’t obey the new Persian law he was thrown into the Lion’s Den and most of you are familiar with the story of how God sent His angel to shut the mouth of the lions.

Daniel did good, he was faithful to God and to his testimony but the result was a Lion’s Den. Sometime when you obey it results in good things happening to you and sometime it results in things that look like they are going to be terrible.

Fortunately we serve the same God as Daniel and we even have advantages because we have God dwelling inside us and the entire Bible. It isn’t easy to believe and trust God when we know the result will be something that can lead to death, but most of us don’t have to make that decision. We do have to choose to obey things we don’t feel like obeying. No matter what you are headed into God is in you and will go with you through it. He will comfort you in any painful results and your eternity in Heaven is certain as God’s child.

God was with Daniel and He shut the mouth of the lions and He is able to take you through your “lion’s den” and use it as a witness to others who watch you walk with God through it. Learn to build up trust time and a correct response reflex so you will respond to God correctly and obey. No matter how things look or the outcome, your future as His child is a certain one; most trials are temporary but sometime they are not.

In Christ you are a new creature and can choose to love and obey God so practice and study. God loves you enough to die in your place and He has a ‘done deal’ future for you in Heaven. Be the new creation with, a new heart and love, trust and obey and you will be a faithful witness wherever you are; on a dream trip or in a lion’s den circumstance. No matter how scary, God is able and He will do what He promises; “what God had promised, He was able also to perform” (Romans 4:21). He is God and has saved you if you are His child. He loves you enough to come to earth and live as a man and pay for your sin, and is working things according to His purpose and conforming you to the image of His Son & He can easily accomplish it.

Change your thinking and choose to trust God and believe that Romans 8:28 is true for those who love God; “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose”. Be in love with God now, because persecution is coming. You see it often in this country and it is time to choose to trust and obey God now even if it may lead to your own personal ‘lion’s den’. Since God is in you, He is always with you to protect you and work things to the outcome He wants. Obey Him and leave the outcome up to Him and perhaps you will see a ‘mouth shutting’ miracle. If not, you know that whatever happens is the right thing if you are one who loves God, so don’t grow weary.

May you grow in your love for God and by grace walk in obedience to Him!

 

Obey & Burn? or In the fire with Jesus...

If you trust God, what do you believe should be the results or the next event in your life?
Could be a blessing from God, but perhaps it could be a learning opportunity or a chance to refine your faith and make it even stronger, or maybe there could come a chance to bring glory to God by your obedience. Many people seem to believe God will only give good things to make them happy or blessings, but Scripture and experience teach us different.

Last night at Adult VBS Bible Study (a great thing for the parents to do while their young ones are in VBS) we were discussing the story of Shadrack, Mishech and Abednego and their trust in God when faced with a difficult decision.
They said, “our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand O king, but even if He doesn’t, let us make it clear to you O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we ever worship the gold image which you have set up.” Daniel 3:17-18

They decided to obey God and did what is right, but the King didn’t tell them they were free to go and follow their God. No, he got madder and they found themselves thrown into a furnace to die. Some preachers today preach, ‘trust God and get wealthy’ or ‘claim your healing’ or some variation of these ideas. God however, let these three young men be thrown into the furnace and they went willingly because they really did trust God.

If you decide to trust God He may bless you with things you consider good or He may bless you with your own version of a ‘fiery furnace’ to show His glory and to strengthen your faith. The results of your obedience are up to God and may not be the ones you would choose, but always remember that “He is God and you are NOT”. He knows His purposes and what to us is the future and He knows what you really need to prepare you for your now and your eternity. (Rom. 8:28)

Remember this same God who asks you to trust and obey Him is the one who came to earth and paid for your sin; something you could never do. If you follow Him, love Him and obey Him then no matter what happens you can “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus”. (1Thessalonians 5:18) You can also as it says in v.16, “Rejoice always!”

The next event, the result of your obedience is in God’s hand so get to know Him well enough through His Word and through prayer that your first reaction will become one of TRUST!

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. Instead, in all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will direct or make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Obey what you know and leave those results and consequences of your obedience in God’s hands and watch Him work in your life bringing growth and serving others through you as you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and help others grow too as you disciple them. Trust & Obey!

Trust is a choice based on relationship

When should you choose to trust and obey God?
“… (God) did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly” 2 Peter 2:5

Noah, that man his neighbors most likely called a “crazy preacher” who spent over 100 years building a barge in his driveway,  all the time preaching righteousness to people who only wanted to follow their own desires and ignore God. When did Noah decide to trust and obey God? Certainly when he started to built the ark. Imagine building a boat with no water nearby and most likely no such thing yet as rain or floods. But Noah heard from God and when He did, he began to build.
Or what about a prostitute named Rahab who protected the spies and saved her family from death by trusting a God who revealed himself to her only in stories she had heard about Him. She said, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us… For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites…whom you utterly destroyed. And when we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath”. Joshua 2:9-11
Rahab trusted God to protect her and hid the spies at the risk of her life. When the walls fell down, her home in the wall was unharmed because she obeyed. Her obedience also led to her being in the line of Jesus as she became the mother of Boaz who married Ruth. (Matthew 1:5-6)
Noah, a preacher of righteousness got to know God growing up evidently, but when God gave him a job to go with his message, He started building. Likely he had questions but he listened to God’s warning of coming destruction, obeyed and was protected through the flood. Rahab heard about God from travelers who stopped and stayed with her most likely, but once she heard she put her trust in Him. She put out the sign of the scarlet thread and she was protected through the battle of Jericho.
No matter your growth spiritually now, the time for you to put your trust in God is as soon as you realize who He is and your need for Him; now is the right time if you haven’t already.

Don’t wait for a flood or a battle and hope for the best, trust God now. If you are a child of God having problems trusting, look closer at God your Father and His unconditional love. Study your Bible and get to know Him as you read and pray. It is difficult at times to trust someone you do know and really difficult to trust someone you don’t know, so get to know Him. Know Him more intimately and understand His character, His mercy and grace. See His holiness so you can see how unholy you are, how sinful apart from the righteousness of Jesus, and you can appreciate what it took for God to forgive you. Then trusting the God that did forgive you by His grace becomes easier.
As you appreciate the grace shown you, the love you have for God can grow and be a driving force that puts you where God can and will use you. Jesus promised that if we love Him we will obey Him (John 14:15 “if you love Me, you will keep my commandments”) so get to know and love Him more. Then the trust and obedience will follow.

When is the best time? If you haven’t already, trust Him for salvation now. If you have trusted Him for salvation, then trust Him to guide you day to day as you grow in your love for Him and trust and obedience of Him. Make that commitment today; choose to step out in faithful obedience and trust God in the place you are in your relationship with Him!

Work less & see God work more -

Do you trust God enough to let Him do His part and you work less?
Steve Childers said, “Some of us need to show our faith in God not by working harder but by working less.”

As I said in yesterday’s blog, “God is not only able, but trustworthy to perform what He says He will do”.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. If He says that rest is found in Him, then be sure you are “IN CHRIST”. Be sure you are a Christ follower, a Christian who is in love with God and who obeys Him because if you are in control, you can’t rest in Him. Jesus goes on to say in verse 29, “Take My yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and I will give you rest”.

Put yourself in a yoke with Jesus, share the same harness and with His strength the journey will be easy. It may not always be pleasant as sometime it may be rainy or rocky but joined in Christ in His power you can rest in Him. He is really the one providing the strength to accomplish or perform the work. He is the one that will decide where you go and who will make sure you get there if you harness yourself to Him.

Do you believe and trust God enough to quit working so hard in your own strength and give up control to Him? He is faithful and He is the one who saved you and who is in the process of sanctifying you and who will one day allow you to experience your glorification. That is, when you believed, you got His righteousness so you are right before God, He is training you and knocking off the rough edges now to make you useable here and also, He has already got a place for you in Heaven that He is going come get you and take you there when the time is right. “And so shall you ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

Trust in Him, rest in Him and join in with Him in being discipled and in making disciples. Do it in His strength and under His guidance and not your own and you will find that you are working less and seeing God work more through you. That is when the miracles can come because the results are in His hands!

 

Will you step out in faith and let God do His part?

Who is it that provides the power and produces the results from your obedience?

“being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;” Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)

It is not my job or your job to generate the power or produce the results of our actions. If you love God, you will obey Him and once you obey by stepping out in faith, then He can work through you. Jesus is “the author and finisher of our faith”. He obeyed the Father and “for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

Obey God and let Him control the way, the performing and the results of that obedience. Trust Him enough to step out in that first step of obedience and then “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

You trusted Him for your Salvation; trust Him for your daily walk with Him. Jesus will complete what He starts, He will finish this race here on earth and eternity with you. Obey the will of God you know and watch God work in your life and through your life. The power and the results are His responsibility and when you rest in this knowledge all the pressure to “perform” is taken off your shoulders and left on Jesus where it belongs.
As Charles Stanley often says, “Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.”

God is not only able, but trustworthy to perform what He says He will do.

It was God who brought the walls of Jericho down, not Joshua, it was God who parted the Jordan when the priest stood in it, it was God who saved the three thousand at Pentecost when Peter preached and it will be God who will one day come and take you to “ever be with the Lord” so read, study and spend time with God in prayer and Bible study and get to know and love Him more. The miracles you see as you obey may not be anything like these above, but Him using you to disciple and love others is a miracle and when you get to be there when God saves someone that is certainly a huge miracle!

God still does miracles - take that first step & obey and be part of what He is doing.

"In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:6
"being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;" Philippians 1:6

Take that first step and enjoy the walk & being IN CHRIST!




  

  

If you love Jesus, you will obey Him

 

There is no should obey, there is WILL OBEY -

Get to know Jesus, fall in love with Him and you will obey Him.
A great place to start is His love letter to you - The Bible.

"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." John 14:15 (NASB)

When should faithfulness start?

When should you choose to be faithful to your spouse?“For a man to remain faithful to God, He must stay faithful to his wife, even if he doesn’t know who she will be yet” and the same can be said for the wife being faithful.

God says that, “Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4).

Being faithful does not start after marriage, but long before you know the one you will marry!

If you are single pray for your wife even though you don't know her and if you are a parent, pray for the spouse of your child. Pray for God to bring a godly spouse to your child and for your child to be the type of godly person that this person would want to marry. As Andy Stanley says, “Your present will be your past which will be present in your future”

If you are single, pray for your spouse because though you may not know yet who they are, God does. I heard a story of a man who thought no one had ever prayed for him before he got saved because he came from an agnostic background, but later after he was married he found out that his wife had prayed for him for years that God would make the man she would marry a godly man.

If you are married and have children and are a Christian, you can pray for the man or woman they will marry. First pray that they will not get involved with anyone not a Christian. Then that the Lord would guide them to the right person and that the person would be a godly growing Christian who would compliment them spiritually and in all other ways. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 6:14, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness”?

It is never too soon to pray for your spouse or the spouse of your child! Many good habits and character traits are learned at an early age and your prayers, like those of the lady in the story above, may be a part of developing the person into the type of godly person you would want to marry or have your child marry so that they can serve the Lord together and have a home centered in Christ.

And, if you are single, be faithful to your spouse now and don’t engage in any behavior you would not want them to witness or know about. God knows and as His child, He is in and with you always; keep in mind too if your godly spouse to come will approve of your actions. Strive to please God now because you love Him and strive to please your spouse now because you will love them.

Be faithful now to your Lord and to your spouse both!

Is today a good day for Jesus to come for His own?

Is today a good day for you to have Jesus come for His Bride, the Church?
Are you ready today for that “catching away” of the Saints sometime called the Rapture?

I Corinthians 15:51-52 & 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 - “the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then shall we ever be with the Lord.”

Many of us pray that Jesus waits until friends and family we are praying for come to Jesus, but I’m talking about are YOU ready yourself?

Your life here on earth is the longest thing you will ever do in time, but not the longest thing you will experience. Be sure that you get it right while you are here and give your life to Jesus, because like He said in John 14:6, He is THE way. Jesus is the one and only way to come into a relationship with perfect holy God.

If you Reject Him, you spend eternity separated from Him in hell.
Receive Him and you spend eternity with Him in Heaven.
That choice will determine where you do spend your eternity, so ask yourself are you ready?

If you have received Him are you looking forward and excited to see Jesus come for you or do you know you are running parts of your life and rebelling against loving Him?

If so, it is easy to claim your forgiveness and experience it emotionally too; exercise 1 John 1:9, and agree with God concerning your sins (confess) them by name, because “He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. Turn from your sin, give it to God and begin to live as the new creation you are in Christ.

It is not easy, but it is simple to do and then you will be ready to go to be with the Lord forever emotionally and fellowship wise as well as spiritually. Jesus paid the price for your sin, believe it and love Him and obey Him and let Him control you.

Jesus will return; He said, “I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also”. (John 14:2-3)

Today is part 3 of 3 of Walkking by Grace

Where does your faith come from? (Walking by grace part 3 of 3)

The grace and faith to both believe and to live or walk daily in the Christian life come from Jesus! “Looking unto Jesus the author, or founder and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2). Faith is a perfect gift that is incorruptible and that allows us to believe unto righteousness. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). What is “it”? ‘It’ is faith that is given to us by the grace of God so that when God draws us we can believe. “No man can come to me, except the Father who has sent me draws him: and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44)

When we believed unto righteousness, “For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10),  we receive the benefit of Jesus completed work. Jesus took our sin on Himself on the cross and paid for it in full and when we believe we are given His righteousness. “For what says the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3). You are now perfect, not in your behavior, but in your relationship to God and your eternal condition is sealed at that moment. You are raised up with Christ, being in Him, and already seated in Him in Heaven. “And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6).

We have His righteousness; His perfection and will one day at death or the rapture enter fully into glorification and Heaven. If we were not already made perfect as far as sin is concerned, we could not enter Heaven. “and nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life” (Revelation 21:27).

However, we are definitely not perfect in our day to day behavior and that is where the Sanctification part, the day to day growing and being set apart into God and the daily changing and growth spiritually happens as long as we are alive on this planet. We are daily being perfected by Jesus the “author and finisher” of our faith as we learn to walk in the Spirit, to walk by grace. We are filled and overflowing with the Holy Spirit; “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled (under the influence and control of) with the Spirit,” (Ephesians 5:18).

This is grace, not keeping rules, not ignoring the Law, not trying to do your best, but in freedom seeing how truly disgusting a sinner incapable of keeping even a part of the Law you are; realizing you are not capable of doing anything to get God to love you more or any less than He does. So, in love with a grateful heart, you obey Him because you now can; then He can and will use you and work in and through you. You join with Him in doing the works He has prepared already for you to walk in (Eph 2:10). God did not give you a dead faith but a living faith that produces good deeds. Learn to trust Him no matter what the circumstances because you know Him and have and are experiencing His love. True grace does not lead to more sin but the freedom to obey. You can after your “wanter” is changed “do anything I want” because your “anything” is now God’s will being done in and through your life. It is “no longer I, but Christ who lives in me” and the life that you live now in Grace, “you live by faith in the Son of God who loved you and gave Himself for you” instead of burying yourself under rules.

Live by faith, experiencing God working in your life, changing you and through you serving others; all with no pressure to produce or perform since it is God’s power and since the results are up to Him. God is in control! You are by faith obeying in love and serving with joy as a true disciple of Jesus and can disciple others.

Jesus has taken care of sin, secured your here and now, and secured your future so you are free to obey with no concern for the results. If you ‘die to self’ and allow Him to live through you that puts the responsibility for getting up and obeying on you, but all the responsibility for the results is on God. This understanding frees you from the exhaustion, fretting, trying to control things and people, and other things that cause burn out in the Christians who hold on to the performance state of mind – the “do it for God”. Learn and practice walking full of joy and peace in the works that God has prepared for you. It takes a choice and practice and help from others and study, but the result is worth the effort. Remember Paul comparing it to an athlete being in training so choose to let God ‘train’ you.

“Serve the Lord with Gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing.” Psalm 100:2
Enjoy your time now with God and prepare for our time with Him in the New Heaven & the New Earth as God lives with us forever. (2 Peter 3:13)
Quit living exhausted, but instead learn to live in loving obedience!
Quit fretting about the results and trust God to do His part!
Love Jesus and you will obey (your part) and leave the rest up to God and trust Him no matter the circumstances or results. Trust Him enough to “in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Walk the same way you were saved – by Grace thru Faith; “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Colossians 2:6).

Do you feel FREE? - free to obey

Do you feel FREE? (Part 2 of 3 today)
You are free by grace through faith to obey. Like Paul see that you are chief among sinners and want to serve Him, not to get or keep anything (it is all ours at the moment of salvation), but from a loving heart, grateful for your undeserved forgiveness you obey (Jn 14:15). How you feel does not matter as far as what is true. God’s truth is what counts and true saving faith is a persevering faith that is a gift from God. You do nothing to earn it and as a perfect gift of God, it is a persevering faith that can’t be undone by any created thing, including you. Don’t give in to going by feelings; instead put your faith in God’s Word and the feelings will begin to change.

Saving faith is secure because it is secured by God and not our behavior. A great example is Job whose story shows how God “proved” to satan that saving faith would persevere no matter the trial or lack of understanding. Remember Job had no idea what went on in Heaven until after this was all over and most likely not until he got to Heaven. (Job 2:4-10)

James and Paul teach that saving faith perseveres. “For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end;” Hebrews 3:14. Also, it will produce deeds, “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself” (James 2:17), but that a Christian can ‘backslide’ or drift into carnality or fleshly living. “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:1) God also tells us that He will correct the one He loves. He says, “For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives” (Hebrews 12:6). God uses discipline to bring them back to walking with Him. In some cases, if they don’t respond, all their works will be burned up and they will still be saved but they will be taken out of the world and enter Heaven with no rewards. “If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:15)

Your faith to believe is given to you (Eph 2:8) and it is a perfect gift from God and it took the death of Jesus to purchase that gift and it should not be treated lightly. In Exodus the blood had to be applied to the door before it did them any good. Once we believe, exercise the faith, the blood of Jesus is applied; Jesus sacrificial death in our place is applied to us and we receive His righteousness.

Other religions are all performance based, but Christianity is grace based - they say 'do', Jesus said "It is finished" - DONE. When you were still sinners Christ died for you. Jesus said in Luke 18:19, “there is none good but God”; you are a sinner deserving of hell, but forgiven by GRACE, through no good of your own. The normal reaction is gratefulness and faithful obedience, not rebellion. Why? Because you are now in Christ free to obey.

(Part 3 of 3 tomorrow – walking by Grace or “so walk in Him” Colossians 2:6)