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!

Jesus is of infinite importance!

"Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance, the only thing it cannot be is moderately important." ~ C. S. Lewis

"He who believes in Him (Jesus) 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 (NASB)

What you do with Jesus is the most important decision you will ever make!
God provided the way out of judgment and the way to eternal life with Him.

"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." John 3:16 (NASB)

This is the reason He came to earth... because He loves YOU.

"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him." John 3:17 (NASB)

Jesus came and provided the only way to come into a relationship with God.
What decision will you make?
If you say you are His then love and obey Him and walk in what He has for you!

"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)

If you are not obeying God, check and see if there is a relationship! If there is NOT a relationship then place your faith and trust in Jesus and let Him give you a new life. If there is, then work on it, let your love grow and keep away from sin. Spend time praying and reading your Bible and growing spiritually. Relationships take time spent with each other and if you love Jesus, you will get to know His will and want to obey it.

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

If you want to be in control of your life instead of God that is not loving Him, it is not obedience and it is time to change your mind and believe in Jesus; either for the first time or to get right with God; repent and begin to be who you really are in Christ.

 

Need protecting from Bible truths?

Have you ever felt you needed protection from the Bible and from Christian values?

Seems many in today’s society feel that they need protection from what God says. They try to drown it out or make it illegal in public. They say, “Keep it hidden away in your home or church, but your beliefs are not valid in public”; only their view is valid in public.

One example is abortion. Many today think that dismembering children is fine as long as all or part of them at least is still inside the mother. Then they want protection from the Bible and those awful things it says about God giving life. One of the sins of the people of Cana was sacrificing their babies to their god, but we are so clever we can do it before they are even born. My country has certainly changed in my lifetime! God said these people were to be wiped out, completely destroyed, so that they would not corrupt His people, but today they are accepted.

Look at the sexual perversion that is accepted today even in churches. There are so many living together who are not married that it is not even raising an eyebrow among many in the church. Yet these same people will rise up and denounce some sinner with a different sin. It is time to say “here is what God says” and believe it and obey it!

Both these groups and others are not only involved openly in sin, but are saying it is fine and condoning and even celebrating their sin.

Today, this verse from Isaiah is again very true!
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” Isaiah 5:20

The only way to make a difference that will last is to change human hearts and only God can do that. Pray for revival in your heart and that God will use you to bring those to Jesus who accept and applaud evil. Only God can give them a new heart and a new life.

Then they can repent and join in the fight against our true enemy – the god of this world.

The world needs protection from the lies of the devil, not the truth of God. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” and if we “know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Let Jesus use you to shed light in this dark world that is “exchanging the truth of God for a lie”! (Romans 1:25)

Has God made you new?

"God can't give us peace and happiness apart from Himself because there is no such thing." ~ C.S. Lewis

The question is not have you made peace with God, but has God made peace with you through Jesus?

Do you know for sure if you are a Christian?

 Is that belief based on "what you think" or
 Is it based on what you know for sure from reading it that the Bible says?
 God says,
 "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

 Are you new and different not because you changed some behaviors, but different because someone outside of time and space - God - changed you?

 Do you dislike or even hate sin rather than enjoy your sin, or do you want to keep doing it? If so, what is radically new about that?

 Some sins are fun, but you really as the new person don't want to have anything to do with it since God changed you.

If you want to be sure take a real look at what God says and if I can help any with finding things in the Bible, feel free to message me.

Model or Disciples Prayer

Model Prayer

Not the Lord’s Prayer for what did He need forgiveness?

 

9  "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
10  'Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
11  'Give us this day our daily bread.
12  'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13  'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.'] Matthew 6:9-13 (NASB)

Pray this way, not pray this.
This prayer is short & to the point – 3 to God & 3 to human needs

OUR – not just Jesus’ Father but He is now our – mine and yours who are in Christ

Father – one of the big problems today with people knowing and trusting God is the lack of godly fathers being an example of the unconditional love of God to their children.
in Heaven – The dwelling place of God

Hallowed or kept holy or honored as holy (3^rd commandment), Set apart – may our words and behavior honor His name

Kingdom come – His Kingdom coming with Him ruling & reigning on Earth
Luke 1:32-33 – Gabriel’s promise to Mary, Rev 19:11-16, Acts 1:11 – 2^nd Coming
Not the snatching out of the Church in 1 Thess. 4:16 & I Cor. 15

Will be done here on Earth as in Heaven – let His will be done in our life and cooperate with Him in being used by God.

The three things toward God we just looked at & now 3 toward human needs –

1. Daily bread – He promise us food, shelter & clothing and that we have been given everything we need for life and godliness. (2Pet 1:3) Anything else is ‘extra’. Don’t worry about tomorrow.

2. Forgive (spiritual debts – sins) if we are saved, we have judicial forgiveness
            “in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:14, so not taking about being totally forgiven or Justified but sin causing a break in fellowship or walk with God.

Here was where there was some question so I’m putting in this commentary:
Matt. 6:5-15 (Luke 11:2-4). Jesus then spoke about the practice of prayer, which the Pharisees loved to perform publicly. Rather than making prayer a matter between an individual and God, the Pharisees had turned it into an act to be seen by men—again, to demonstrate their supposed righteousness. Their prayers were directed not to God but to other men, and consisted of long, repetitive phrases (Matt. 6:7).

Jesus condemned such practices. Prayer should be addressed to your Father, who is unseen (cf. John 1:18; 1 Tim. 1:17) and who knows what you need (Matt. 6:8); it is not "to be seen by men." But Jesus also presented a model prayer for His disciples to follow. This prayer is commonly called "the Lord's Prayer," but it is actually "the disciples' prayer." This prayer, which is repeated by many Christians, contains elements that are important for all praying: (1) Prayer is to begin with worship. God is addressed as Our Father in heaven. Worship is the essence of all prayer. (In vv. 1-18 Jesus used the word "Father" 10 times! Only those who have true inner righteousness can address God in that way in worship.) (2) Reverence is a second element of prayer, for God's name is to be hallowed, that is, revered (hagiasthētō). (3) The desire for God's kingdom —Your kingdom come—is based on the assurance that God will fulfill all His covenant promises to His people. (4) Prayer is to include the request that His will be accomplished today on earth as it is being accomplished in heaven, that is, fully and willingly. (5) Petition for personal needs such as daily food is also to be a part of prayer. "Daily" (epiousion, used only here in the NT) means "sufficient for today." (6) Requests regarding spiritual needs, such as forgiveness, are included too. This implies that the petitioner has already forgiven those who had offended him. Sins (cf. Luke 11:4), as moral debts, reveal one's shortcomings before God. (7) Believers recognize their spiritual weakness as they pray for deliverance from temptation to evil (cf. James 1:13-14).

Jesus' words in Matthew 6:14-15 explain His statement about forgiveness in verse 12. Though God's forgiveness of sin is not based on one's forgiving others, a Christian's forgiveness is based on realizing he has been forgiven (cf. Eph. 4:32). Personal fellowship with God is in view in these verses (not salvation from sin). One cannot walk in fellowship with God if he refuses to forgive others. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.

I shared all that in case others might have confusion with being forgiven for sin but still having the need to confess sins to keep a close walk and fellowship with God!

We have been shown grace and we should show it to others; forgive because we are forgiven not because others deserve it – they may not, but neither do we deserve any forgiveness from God.
Our sanctification process as we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord.

3. Don’t lead- this one is negative. Don’t lead us into temptation.
Strongly worded to implore God to keep temptation, hence sin, away from us. We also have the responsibility to flee sin. We are to not put ourselves in places and positions we know we may be tempted to give in to some thought or behavior we know we have a problem with.

I know this was long, but I hope you have enjoyed this look at the Disciples or Model Prayer.

Know your enemy but keep your focus on God!

Part 3 of 3 – Trust by Knowing your enemy and keeping your focus on God.

We have looked at several contrast between God and Satan and seen that God is the creator while Satan is a created being with limited power. Also, that God cannot lie but that Satan is the father of lies who wants to destroy you, while God love you enough to send His Son to provide the only way for you to be saved from the penalty of sin and made a part of the family of God.

Jesus is your advocate or attorney whose shed blood and death and resurrection covers your sin that Satan accuses you of. “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night".’” Revelation 12:10

Knowing all this about God, people still refuse to return His love and accept the forgiveness He provides because they believe the lies of the devil not only for salvation, but for their daily walk with God and spiritual growth.

For example, Do you believe lies of the devil that try to make you feel guilty for sin you have confessed (1Jn 1:9), or do you claim the promises of God such as “there is now no condemnation or judgment for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1)?

Look at the character of God and that of Satan and decide who you will follow. Trying to follow God in some areas but not others will not work and God calls it disobedience.

There will be a judgment one day, a final one where God will judge Satan and his followers. Satan has lost and he knows it. but he wants to keep people from Heaven and from being obedient loving Christians. He wants to take as many as he can with him to judgment. You can be with Jesus as Satan is judged or with Satan being judged. You can accept the payment Jesus made for your sin and live in freedom and know that one day you will spend eternity with God in Heaven or pay for your own sin. You can live in freedom as a Christian or listen to the lies of Satan and try to live a rules based life and miss out on the inner peace and joy of walking in what God has for you.

The fate of the devil and his followers is real; “And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever… And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:10-15

Give your life to Jesus and let Him live His life through you. Teach others how to do the same and enjoy your now and your eternity with Him! Trust in Him and love and obey Him. Don’t be fooled by the enemy who really does want to steal your joy now and to kill you eternally; all he has to offer is some very short term pleasure and an eternity of suffering separated from God and all that is good.

If you have believed in Jesus, keep your focus on God. Know that in Christ you have victory over the power of sin now as well as having been forgiven and given the righteousness of Jesus. Keep your eyes on your eternal future and enjoy preparing for it and telling others and training them how to prepare too!

Changing your perspective & knowing your enemy

Part B from yesterday’s post – could your fear be from not knowing the goodness of God enough and not knowing enough about your enemy?

We need to change our perspective from scared to TRUST. After all, "doesn't the world getting darker mean there is actually a greater opportunity for light to stand out?" ~ Perry Noble

B)  Here is a look at who God is and who Satan is and their attributes – what they are really like and the power each has.

1. God is Creator – “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” John 1:1-3 & “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1
Satan was created by God – “Now the serpent (satan) was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made….” Genesis 3:1 Rather than create his aim is “to steal and kill and destroy;” John 10:10a, Also, “his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon (which mean destroyer).” Revelation 9:11

Would you trust God who creates or one who seeks to destroy not only your joy, but your soul?

2.  God is Almighty – He is all powerful, all knowing, everywhere present and is love, BUT
Satan is limited in his power to what God allows. See passages like here in Job 1:12 where he gets limited permission from God; “Then the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him." So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.”

3.  God is truth and cannot lie – “in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,” Titus 1:2 and Jesus said in John 14:6 that He is the TRUTH, “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” BUT,
Satan is the Father of lies and has been a liar since his fall; Talking about Satan, Jesus says, “…(Satan) does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44

Would you trust God who can’t lie or the one who is the originator of lies?

4.  God is LOVE – True love originates with God. That type of love in 1 Corinthians 13 that is selfless and seeks the good of others is impossible apart from God. In 1 John 4:7-10 John tells us that, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 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 (die in our place, our substitute) for our sins.” God loves you enough to die in your place. Satan on the other hand is a murderer. Jesus said in the same verse where He called him a liar that, “…he was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him…”John 8:44

Can you trust someone who would die in your place and love you when you were a sinner and against Him and who provided for you to live with Him in a place better than anything you can imagine (Heaven on a New Earth) or the one who made Jesus death necessary by murdering Adam and Eve by getting them to sin?

Trust in God to keep His promises and watch Him be faithful; look at Him, His character and trusting in Him will get easier as you grow in your faith. Don’t trust the devil or your sin nature, but instead trust God!

(Tomorrow we will look at a couple more comparisons and the conclusions each provides)

Scared of what might happen?

Are you afraid? Does the news scare you as you see the evil of this world?

“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.” 1 John 4:18 (NASB)

There is a good fear that protects us and a respectful fear that we should have of God, but I’m talking about the type that steals your joy; fear of what might happen or what we imagine. If fear is stealing your joy, consider why and what that says about your trust in God.

God is good and God is sovereign and He loves you enough to remove all fear of punishment, so if you have fear issues, here are a couple of causes.

A)  You might not be sure of your eternal future.

This is where we all need to start and know for sure if we are Saved and a Child of God. Your salvation is based on the finished work of Jesus on the cross and what you have done with the payment Jesus made that day. As John wrote in 1 John 5:11-13, “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who BELIEVE in the name of the Son of God, so that you may KNOW that you have eternal life.

Jesus said in John 3:16-18 that anyone who has not believed is already judged for not believing in Him, but that God sent Jesus to save the world by believing in Him. "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.” If you have believed you need have no fear of punishment and you know for sure that you have a certain future with God in Heaven based on the trustworthiness of God Himself and His Word.

Perhaps you know that you are saved, but you don’t always feel like it. If so, that is the result of listening to the devil or one of those that speak his lies. Tomorrow we will look at what God is like and what Satan is like and see if that won’t help choosing to walk by faith rather than feelings. Your salvation is affirmed by the Word of God and confirmed by the changes God makes in you and the thing He does through you. Believe what God says, not your feelings or fears.

As a Christ follower you have certainty because of the relationship you have with God through Jesus Christ. You can be confident God is in control rather than fear what might be. You know He can be trusted.

(Tomorrow we will look at God & Satan and some things about them)

Let the Word strengthen you & your relationships

Can you have a discussion without it becoming an argument when talking with someone you disagree with?

“If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is. Remind everyone about these things, and command them in God’s presence to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them. Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior.” 2 Timothy 2:13-16 (NLT)

Timothy was to remind his church, but we can also remind ourselves that no matter what God is faithful and if we sin, we need to immediately confess it, which includes repentance from it, and getting busy obeying God again, because if we are not walking loving and obeying we may find ourselves trying to prove ourselves rather than living godly and being used by God to draw people to Him.

Some things to help are:

1. Have a good personal relationship with Jesus where you know for sure you are saved and where God is either first in your life or being allowed to sanctify you in that direction.

2. Keep the things of this world in the proper perspective. The foolish worthless talk and other things of the world are not of central importance to you. You know that sound doctrine and an obedient heart will lead to right thinking and actions. Because your life is centered on Jesus, He will bring love and unity.

3. Be working in the ministry God has for you. All of us are called so share the Gospel and minister and disciple others. This does not mean you have to have to be a preacher but that you are obediently actively allowing God to use you to serve Him where you are. Also, as part of it, spend time in the Word with an open mind to God and accuracy of teaching, not "proving" your opinion or caught up in every new thing that comes along.

So, if you are being obedient and in a strong relationship with God, have the proper perspective on the things of this world and the things of the Spirit, and are being used by God in ministry then it will lead to more closeness, more unity, more sharing and more helping in other’s personal growth and ministry; you will find yourself daily being and becoming a great wife, husband, parent, child or whatever place God has you in.

Are you slowly fleeing time with God?

Do circumstances, hurt feelings or the busyness of life drive you to God or do you let them drive you from the presence of the Lord?

God told Jonah to get up, obey Him and go to a people he didn’t like. These people were the “enemy” so why should he want to tell them to repent? They might do it and be forgiven and he wanted them punished. {Assyria’s capital Nineveh was NE of him (in present day Iraq near Mosul) so he went SW to the seaport city of Joppa to catch a boat going way west to Tarshish (most likely this was a city in what is now Spain) so he was trying to get as far from where God wanted him as possible.}

“The word of the LORD came to Jonah…Arise, go to Nineveh…,But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD…”(Jonah 1:1-4)

Most of us don’t run from God this dramatically but instead slowly “flee from His presence”. We quit reading our Bible regularly and then perhaps almost never. We go from praying all the time to maybe on Sunday, to maybe at a meal with a group, and then to only when some big trouble comes and we want some “extra” help.

We start skipping a chance to gather with our local fellowship of believers and end up seldom if ever going to church services. Normally this is a slow process as ‘church’ and the things of God become something we do rather than who we are and a time of closeness with God and His people. We get busy and begin to neglect Him and to love other things more than being in God’s presence. (Yes I know God is everywhere and we can never escape His being there, but by presence here I’m referring to that closeness and fellowship that we may need to restore.1Jn 1:9)

Sadly for too many it is a short trip for them because they never had a close time of prayer, Bible study and involvement in the lives of other discipling and teaching them. Being a Christ follower is about a relationship of love and fellowship with God that also involves others in whom God dwells – fellow believers. That love also spills over into other’s lives too as you share your relationship with God with others; and He uses you to bring others to know Him and be used to train them to walk with God and to become disciple makers themselves.

When a love relationship loses the excitement one or both people are not working at it. Since we know God is always there doing His part, then it must be ME who needs to see where I have left His presence. If you are not as close to God as you want to be, then turn around and go where He wants you to be – in His presence, His will, His grace. For a time cut back or put away FB, roping or whatever it is that is becoming your “First Love” and put your eyes back on Jesus. It is many times good things that pile up on us and keep us from time alone with God, loving Him and acknowledging Him being first in our life; being our life.

Don’t let your dislike of something as in Jonah’s case drive you from God. Don’t let your liking of something too much keep you from time in God’s presence and missing out on Him using you to help change other’s lives.

Don’t let “life” drive you from the presence of the One who is your life, instead spend time in God’s presence and allow Him to restore the joy of that fellowship in your life!

How do we keep the flesh a slave rather than be its slave?

The flesh needs to be kept under subjection to God because its power over us is broken. We can now as a Christ follower chose to give in to the flesh, make it a slave or reckon it dead.

Do you find this easy?

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:26-27
“…I do not box like one beating the air but [like a boxer] I buffet my body [discipline it by hardships] and subdue it or make it my slave, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit or disqualified.
Romans 6:11 “consider or reckon yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus
Luke 9:23 – “he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me (Jesus).

This is our daily battle (the process of sanctification) that is the hardest part of facing the world, the flesh & the devil – our own flesh!
Too often we start here fighting against our flesh and fail here because we try to do it on our own (not in His power & strength). The ‘do your best for Jesus’ idea where I do my part and then God comes along and fills in what I couldn’t quite manage. Christianity is “by grace through faith, not works” (Eph.2:8-10). We need to learn and really believe who we are in Christ – that new creation of 2Cor 5:17.

The start? Be sure you have been born again, been made a new creature, been given a new heart, been adopted into the family or God or become a child of God – whichever you call it.
We are lost sinners heading to hell apart from the grace & mercy of God. (Eph 2:8-10)

The heart of mankind – you and I is “more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick or wicked; Who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9   So,
We need a new heart. Too many try to repair, refurbish, re-paint or in some way fix up the old heart and the old flesh and make it look like and act like a “child of God” (John 1:12).
David said in Psalm 51:10-12,
“Create (ba-ra – Same as Genesis 1:1) in me a clean, or a pure, heart, O God,
And renew, rebuild or repair, a steadfast, firmly established or right, spirit within me.”
then David said,
“Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me {now spirit dwells in (Rom 8:9) believers & seals us (Eph 4:30)}. Restore to me the joy of (whose?) Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit.”

If you want your church to have revival then focus on yourself; getting yourself completely right with God so that revival can start in “me”. I’m the only one I can join God in changing.

Nancy Leigh DeMoss said, “Proud people focus on the failures of others, but broken people are overwhelmed with a sense of their own spiritual need. Proud people are self-righteous. They have a critical, fault-finding spirit. They look at everyone else's faults with a microscope but their own with a telescope, and they look down on others. But broken people are compassionate. They can forgive much because they know how much they have been forgiven. They think the best of others, and they esteem all others better than themselves.
… broken people have a dependent spirit and recognize their need for others. Proud people have to prove that they're right, but broken people are willing to yield the right to be right. Proud people claim rights and have a demanding spirit, but broken people yield their rights and have a meek spirit. Proud people are self-protective of their time, their rights, and their reputation, but broken people are self-denying. Proud people desire to be served, but broken people are motivated to serve others. … broken people are motivated to be faithful and to make others a success.”

The other day my blog was on worship and the words the Bible uses that are translated ‘worship’
Heb. ābad – to work or to serve
Heb. shāha – to prostate oneself
Heb. - kāra – to bend the knee, bow down, to work, to serve
Gr. – Proskyneō – it means to pay homage or reverence, to prostate oneself, to kiss the hand or to lick the hand as in a dog licking the hand of his master - carries the idea of humble devotion.
Gr.- latreia – means service

Worship is in real humility submitting or bowing down to God and serving Him according to the meaning of the words the Bible uses for the word WORSHIP. Broken, not proud!

It is time to get on our knees or face before him, literally if you can, and pray for Him to change what He wants to change in you – Lord bring revival in my life!
Recognize Him for who He is, bow or bend the knee before Him, serve Him, submit totally to Him and let Him use you and work through you, let Him change you and mold and make you into the image of Christ. This is worship in truth; in Jesus.

Getting right with God isn’t being busy doing things, but getting quiet and listening to God.
If enough of us will repent and let God work on us, He can change our church, our communities and even our Nation and world system. Jesus said if we love Him we will obey  & God says we were saved to ‘walk in the works God prepared for us to walk in’ – Jn 14:15, Eph 2:10
Otherwise the judgment of God on this nation will continue and we should get ready for persecution and for Jesus return.

Recognize who you are in Christ and that you do have victory over sin; that you can reckon yourself dead to its power over you. Trust that you have a new heart and are what God says you are, and see God work in your life and through it!

Thoughts on Worship

What is WORSHIP?
Years ago a worship service was one where Hymns of praise were sung, a message preached and an invitation given. Today worship is grouped with a song service and praise and independent of the preaching. It seems to me either type service or parts of either type can be a part of worship but that singing, praise, preaching and even an invitation can be done with no worship involved. Also, worship can be done with none of these present.
What does the Bible have to say about worship?
Here are some words the Bible uses that are translated ‘worship’.
“… you shall worship God at this mountain." Exodus 3:12 – Heb. ābad – to work or to serve

“….then they bowed low and worshiped.” Exodus 4:31 – Heb. shāha – to prostate oneself, to bow down and doing homage

“Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in holy array. Psalm 29:2 Heb. – shāha again; perhaps doing homage by recognizing His glory in “the splendor of His holiness” is another translation of the “holy array” (in either case it is not speaking of your dress)

“Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.” Psalm 95:6 Heb. - kāra – to bend the knee, bow down, to work, to serve

What about the New Testament and the Greek words?
(Jesus talking to the woman at the well in Samaria) “…an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:21-24  - Gr. – Proskyneō or a variation of it in all these instances – it means to pay homage or reverence, to prostate oneself, to kiss the hand or to lick the hand as in a dog licking the hand and carries the idea of humility. (This is the most used word for worship in the NT)

“Therefore 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 worship. …”Romans 12:1-2 Gr.- latreia – means service which is why some translations say, “your spiritual service of worship”. Primarily hired service or divine service as in Hebrews 9:1, “…divine worship and the earthly sanctuary.”

So yes, “speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and make melody with your heart to the Lord;” (Ephesians 5:19) and definitely “sing praise to Your name, O Most High” (Psalm 9:2) and “let us sing for joy to the LORD, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation” (Psalm 95:1), and do it to praise God and to worship, but remember that worship is mainly humbling submitting or bowing down to God and serving Him according to the meaning of the words the Bible uses for the word WORSHIP.

Recognize Him for who He is, bow or bend the knee before Him, serve Him, submit totally to Him and let Him use you and work through you, let Him change you and mold and make you into the image of Christ. This is worship in truth; in Jesus.

True freedom & independence!

JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.....

 

 

FREEDOM!
All of these beautiful creatures I photographed in my back yard have freedom to some extent...
But it is only in the cross that true freedom is obtained.
Freedom from spiritual death, from the constraints of this world, from the power of sin and one day from the presence of sin as we spend eternity with God.
Please don't trade freedom from some circumstance or a search for some pleasure to keep you from giving your life to God and finding true freedom.
Real Christianity is not about rules but about a relationship with holy God!
He saves us from the penalty of sin by taking our sin upon Himself and giving us His righteousness and a new eternal life in Jesus. (Rom. 5:8, John 3:16-18, Eph 2:8-10)

Each of the creatures has their own limited view of their world - the fish his little pond, the squirrel his little part of the forest, the horses their pastures, the deer perhaps several square miles, the birds and the dragonfly a wider view. However, at the cross when Jesus gives you a new life He will give you an eternal view and an overall understanding and purpose and unconditional love from Him.

He will, if you let Him, teach you that unconditional love for others so that you can go out and share the gospel, the good news, of Jesus with others and disciple them in how to be all they are in Christ! (2Cor. 5:17)

"and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." John 8:32
"So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36
"For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." Galatians 5:13
"It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1

There is true freedom in Jesus alone and only by giving up your life and receiving the new life He offers as a Child of God!
"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 (all NASB)

Did you put Jesus on the cross?

Are you responsible for Jesus death on the cross?“He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.” Romans 4:25

“Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us, we have to see it as something done by us.” ~ John Stott

YOU put Jesus on the cross, I put Jesus on the cross – all of us needed a Savior because we are all sinners. (Romans 3:23, 6:23) If we are now in Christ a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17) then we need to allow Him to make changes in our lives and flee from sin, not make excuses or try to say our sin is OK because society has changed or for some reason accept our sin. There are plenty of attacks on the Church from outside, but it is those from inside that do the most damage.

God says we are to be holy for He is holy and we need to in love obey God and keep ourselves from sin; pray not to be led into temptation even!

"If sin is in your hand, put it far away, And do not let wickedness remain in your dwelling” Job 11:14
“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God”. Romans 6:12-13

As Christians we have a choice to not sin. You and I did not and still do not deserve anything from God but punishment, but by Grace, Jesus paid for sin and when you believed you received:
 “He made Him 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 – given Jesus’ purity and right standing with God.
“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 – became adopted with full rights of a child of God.
“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 – have been blessed (already) with everything you need for a spiritual life in Christ.

Keep yourself from sin, love and obey God and cooperate with Him in being used by Him to reach and love others. It is difficult and a battle, but the strength and victory are provided by God and your eternal outcome is secure! By God’s grace “there is now no punishment for those who are in Christ” (Romans 8:1)!

Don’t ever get fooled into thinking you are “pretty good” or “OK” on your own – preach the good news of Jesus to yourself daily. Keep thankful for the grace it took to pay for your sin and make you a child of God so you can love and obey God!