"And when much people were gathered together, and were come to Him out of every city, He spake a parable: A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when He had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And His disciples asked Him, saying, What might this parable be? And He said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the Word of God. Those by the wayside are those that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the Word out of their hearts, lest (for fear that) they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the Word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it, (believe) and bring forth fruit with patience." Luke 8: 4-15
This word (keep it) literally means, (to hold fast to, possess and retain, continue to believe in). I am going to show you something about this word believe that will change the way we you look at and define belief, forever.
To believe: To be fully persuaded; having your mind made up, convinced beyond question, without any doubt, past the point of turning back, trusting implicitly, that the object of your belief, (what you are believing for), will be accomplished.
Read this carefully
Can we just believe God for what He does with us?
Can we believe God for what He tells us?
If we believe - we can't help but to receive:
What are some things that we cannot help but receive if we believe? Salvation - the indwelling Holy Spirit - power to overcome - answered prayer - healing for our bodies emotional healing - many blessings - new creation
I want you to establish where you are in relation to God. Instead of saying where am I in time? Or where am I in God's overall plan for mankind, the question I want to ask is where are you in relation to God? The answer to this question lies within what you believe.
I want to reveal, that what a lot of people call belief is not belief at all, and what is true belief works just like Jesus says it does. What most people call belief about God, the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit, and other essential truths, is not belief. It really should be called guessing.
Here's the thing. Unless we are convinced, thoroughly convinced, like: Let's say we take a sponge and we squeeze the sponge and push it down into the water, and slowly release it so that the sponge is thoroughly saturated; Unless we are convinced of a truth, in the same way as the thoroughly saturated sponge, we have no authority with that truth. That truth has no efficacy in us.
Until you truly believe a truth, it stays the truth, but you cannot operate under the power of it. That truth remains stored for later use. It is stored in the Word of God, until, by faith, you believe it. Then and only then, is it released to you for use.
The principles that God established to be put into operation by His people can only be made available to His people when sponge-like belief is present. It is belief that ignites or activates a truth and takes it from its hidden or stored state and puts it into operation in its active use state.
Are you ready to believe God for more than the daily hum-drum of an uninspired life/lifestyle? God has made it easy to believe Him and with each new truth you believe God will activate it so that you can operate in the power of it. I hope you are as excited as I am to look for new truths from God.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Daily Devotional December 14 - God Has A Plan And You Are In It
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Jeremiah 29:11
Just because there are many ways offered by various religious groups doesn't mean that those ways are credible.
Just because there are many ways offered by various religious groups doesn't mean that those ways are credible.
- God is not in competition with anyone.
- God is not concerned that you or someone you know or some guru from Nepal is going to come up with a better plan or a better way than His plan.
- There is no book that God needs to be concerned about - One that might reveal something that God forgot to tell us in the scriptures.
- God is not at all moved with the thousands of varieties of religious beliefs and religions that add to or take away from God's inspired Word.
- God is not at all surprised when Islam or Hinduism or Taoism attempts to stake a claim as a viable authority into the heart of God.
- God is not concerned that the whole world seeks after something or someone other than His Son to fulfill their inner desire to know their creator.
- God is not a bit distraught that spiritist, crystal ball readers, palm readers and card readers make money off of the vulnerable and ignorant public at large.
- God is not moved by all the skeptics that think that the bible is just a history book and a not very accurate one at that.
- God is not worried that scientist will discover that we were once monkeys and that the earth did begin by two stars colliding 5 billion years ago, give or take a few billion years.
- God is not unsettled that politicians would refer to God as, an "opiate to the masses"
- God is not moved by the poets referring to Him as the one that isn't.
- God is not moved by the philosopher's final analysis that, "God is dead." We have come to learn that Notradamos is dead, not God.
- God is not worried when satan and all his demons make up some new potion for people to try - or when satan repackages imitations of God's Word and sells them as philosophy.
Daily Devotional December 13 - All In All
"And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life." 1 John 5:20
God has come to us in the person of Jesus Christ and given to us understanding. That way we can know Him that is true. And knowing Him that is true causes us to abide in Him and He in us throughout all eternity.
I talk to many people that claim to be a Christian. And there's nothing wrong with claiming to be a Christian. Many people tell me about their relationship with Jesus as if Jesus was in a distant land, not participating in our daily lives; a figure head, but not a living spirit actively participating in the daily affairs of mankind. Many people tell me that they are a Christian, but no mention of personal relationship; speaking to and hearing from God, co-creating with God so that the purposes of God will come to pass, not just in spite of us, but through us and by us, in cooperation with the express will and active participation of Christ in our daily lives.
Jesus isn't a figure head at all. Jesus is our All in All. And if yo are one of those people that have a cursory understanding of who Jesus is, what Jesus has done for you and what Jesus is doing for you right now, today, then you are not abiding in and by the teaching of Christ in the scripture. Even if you want a distant relationship that only acknowledges the once existent Christ, you have to do so by denying the truth of the same scriptures that teach a different philosophy. In other words, if you are satisfied with a understanding that Jesus once lived and He was the Son of God, you are in perfect agreement with the Muslims and demons. But the scriptures teach about a Jesus that not only once lived and was the Son of God, but a Jesus that lives and is the Son of God and more. Jesus offers continuing education in spiritual matters by being personally involved in the whole of our life. There is nothing you do that Jesus does not know aforehand. Doesn't it make sense to make an attempt to have a better relationship with Jesus than a simple knowledge that He once existed?
Jesus gives you understanding in equal proportion to you receiving it. Jesus will not give you information that is not wanted, nor will Jesus hold personal seminars with those who can't even find the time to thank Him for all that He has done and all that they already have. Knowing Jesus in the way that the scriptures portray Him and learning about how Jesus interacts with us today, through the scriptures, is a goal that everyone that names the name of Jesus should strive for and encounter. Jesus doesn't make it hard and Jesus doesn't charge for His services, but you have got to ask to get answers, seek to find and knock to have the door opened. Jesus gives us understanding that we may know Him, now, today. Christianity was made for use for the living, not the dead.
God has come to us in the person of Jesus Christ and given to us understanding. That way we can know Him that is true. And knowing Him that is true causes us to abide in Him and He in us throughout all eternity.
I talk to many people that claim to be a Christian. And there's nothing wrong with claiming to be a Christian. Many people tell me about their relationship with Jesus as if Jesus was in a distant land, not participating in our daily lives; a figure head, but not a living spirit actively participating in the daily affairs of mankind. Many people tell me that they are a Christian, but no mention of personal relationship; speaking to and hearing from God, co-creating with God so that the purposes of God will come to pass, not just in spite of us, but through us and by us, in cooperation with the express will and active participation of Christ in our daily lives.
Jesus isn't a figure head at all. Jesus is our All in All. And if yo are one of those people that have a cursory understanding of who Jesus is, what Jesus has done for you and what Jesus is doing for you right now, today, then you are not abiding in and by the teaching of Christ in the scripture. Even if you want a distant relationship that only acknowledges the once existent Christ, you have to do so by denying the truth of the same scriptures that teach a different philosophy. In other words, if you are satisfied with a understanding that Jesus once lived and He was the Son of God, you are in perfect agreement with the Muslims and demons. But the scriptures teach about a Jesus that not only once lived and was the Son of God, but a Jesus that lives and is the Son of God and more. Jesus offers continuing education in spiritual matters by being personally involved in the whole of our life. There is nothing you do that Jesus does not know aforehand. Doesn't it make sense to make an attempt to have a better relationship with Jesus than a simple knowledge that He once existed?
Jesus gives you understanding in equal proportion to you receiving it. Jesus will not give you information that is not wanted, nor will Jesus hold personal seminars with those who can't even find the time to thank Him for all that He has done and all that they already have. Knowing Jesus in the way that the scriptures portray Him and learning about how Jesus interacts with us today, through the scriptures, is a goal that everyone that names the name of Jesus should strive for and encounter. Jesus doesn't make it hard and Jesus doesn't charge for His services, but you have got to ask to get answers, seek to find and knock to have the door opened. Jesus gives us understanding that we may know Him, now, today. Christianity was made for use for the living, not the dead.
Daily Devotional December 12 - Just Be Real. It Is A God Thing.
"Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds without rain." Proverbs 25:14
Solomon was the wisest man to have ever lived. I believe it would benefit us to look at what he tells us in Proverbs with a sort of intrigue. He received His wisdom from God and then he put the wisdom he received from God to practical use. Solomon was a very hard worker and certainly a man of many exploits. He knew about kings and queens, protocol, cultures and societal differences. He was acquainted with complex national treatise as well as mining and construction. He was intelligent and full of wisdom. Solomon knew people.
In the Proverbs Solomon exhorts, rebukes and enlightens his readers. Again, Solomon knows people. In Solomons time in order to be accepted as an architect or a lumberjack, a statesman, a nurse, a prophet or a thief, you had to possess proven attributes of your talents or skills. They were tested by actions and results. Solomon had met many a fake in his time. There were those who claimed they were someone they weren't and they claimed to have skills they didn't have. They were examined, observed and scrutinized for honesty, integrity and substance. Those possessing their claim were given positions of authority and excellence and those who made false claims were dishonored and cast out to live a life of wandering and poverty.
Today people make all kinds of claims without consequence. Especially concerning spiritual gifting and prophesy. All of us have encountered the false prophet, the false Christian, the false minister and false healers. There's even another level of those who dabble in spiritism and make claims of talking to the dead, seeing into the future, reading tarot cards, reading palms, and making claims that they have certain powers. It is out of hand. The unlearned Christian has a great deal to overcome just to sift out truth from all the false teaching and false spiritual guides.
There really is no need to make a false claim about who you are or what you do. God made you and God has endowed you with certain gifts and skills and talents, personal to you. You were created with unique qualities and characteristics, propensities and proclivities. You are all that you need to be to enhance the world by your presence, just being yourself, doing what you do best. No one likes it when someone says one thing and does another, acts like they are something they are not or tries to act like they are an expert when they have little or no experience. Our society has allowed this to happen. But as mature Christians we need to take a serious look at ourselves and make sure that we are representing who we are, our skills and talents accurately and without exaggeration, amplification or over-embellishment.
Side note: What we like most about people is when they are down to earth. None of us like arrogance, egotism, pompousness or pretentiousness. Just be real. It is a God thing.
Solomon was the wisest man to have ever lived. I believe it would benefit us to look at what he tells us in Proverbs with a sort of intrigue. He received His wisdom from God and then he put the wisdom he received from God to practical use. Solomon was a very hard worker and certainly a man of many exploits. He knew about kings and queens, protocol, cultures and societal differences. He was acquainted with complex national treatise as well as mining and construction. He was intelligent and full of wisdom. Solomon knew people.
In the Proverbs Solomon exhorts, rebukes and enlightens his readers. Again, Solomon knows people. In Solomons time in order to be accepted as an architect or a lumberjack, a statesman, a nurse, a prophet or a thief, you had to possess proven attributes of your talents or skills. They were tested by actions and results. Solomon had met many a fake in his time. There were those who claimed they were someone they weren't and they claimed to have skills they didn't have. They were examined, observed and scrutinized for honesty, integrity and substance. Those possessing their claim were given positions of authority and excellence and those who made false claims were dishonored and cast out to live a life of wandering and poverty.
Today people make all kinds of claims without consequence. Especially concerning spiritual gifting and prophesy. All of us have encountered the false prophet, the false Christian, the false minister and false healers. There's even another level of those who dabble in spiritism and make claims of talking to the dead, seeing into the future, reading tarot cards, reading palms, and making claims that they have certain powers. It is out of hand. The unlearned Christian has a great deal to overcome just to sift out truth from all the false teaching and false spiritual guides.
There really is no need to make a false claim about who you are or what you do. God made you and God has endowed you with certain gifts and skills and talents, personal to you. You were created with unique qualities and characteristics, propensities and proclivities. You are all that you need to be to enhance the world by your presence, just being yourself, doing what you do best. No one likes it when someone says one thing and does another, acts like they are something they are not or tries to act like they are an expert when they have little or no experience. Our society has allowed this to happen. But as mature Christians we need to take a serious look at ourselves and make sure that we are representing who we are, our skills and talents accurately and without exaggeration, amplification or over-embellishment.
Side note: What we like most about people is when they are down to earth. None of us like arrogance, egotism, pompousness or pretentiousness. Just be real. It is a God thing.
Daily Devotional December 11 - What Part Of What Jesus Has said Do You Believe?
"Thomas saith unto Him (Jesus) Lord, we know not whither Thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto Him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me. If ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him. Philip saith unto Him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me, hath seen the Father; and how sayest then, shew me the Father? John 14:5-9
Depending on your religious background, I am sure that some of you might have a real hard time with these verses. I have resigned myself to believe what Jesus says. Jesus said many profound and troubling or questionable things.
He tells us that that He did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it. Matthew 5:17
He tells us "resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." Matthew 5:39
He tells us "if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also." Matthew 5:40
He tells us to "give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away." Matthew 5:42
He tells us to "love your enemies." Matthew 5:44
He tell us to "bless them that curse you." Matthew 5:44
He tells us to "pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you." Mathew 5:44
He tell us that "Not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;" Matthew 7:21a
He tell us "Follow Me; and let the dead bury the dead." Matthew 8:22b
He tells us that "whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." Mark 8:34
He tells us "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it." Mark 8:35
He tells us "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar, and to God the things that are God's." Mark 12:17
He tells us "But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judea flee to the mountains." Mark 13:14
He tell us "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:26
He tells us "Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein." Luke 18:17
He tells us "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you." John 16:7
He tells us "My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence." John 18:36
He tells us "Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find." John 21:6
Now He tells us "If ye had known Me, ye should have know My Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him. "Have I been so long time with you, and yet thou hast not known Me, Philip. He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, shew us the Father?"
What part of what Jesus has said do you believe?
I can say this: Whatever you believe of what Jesus has said, Jesus will unveil the depths of it for you. There is power in trusting in Jesus. It requires faith, simple faith. Don't make the gospel so complicated. Trust what Jesus says and the truths of God will be opened unto you.
Depending on your religious background, I am sure that some of you might have a real hard time with these verses. I have resigned myself to believe what Jesus says. Jesus said many profound and troubling or questionable things.
He tells us that that He did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it. Matthew 5:17
He tells us "resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." Matthew 5:39
He tells us "if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also." Matthew 5:40
He tells us to "give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away." Matthew 5:42
He tells us to "love your enemies." Matthew 5:44
He tell us to "bless them that curse you." Matthew 5:44
He tells us to "pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you." Mathew 5:44
He tell us that "Not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;" Matthew 7:21a
He tell us "Follow Me; and let the dead bury the dead." Matthew 8:22b
He tells us that "whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." Mark 8:34
He tells us "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it." Mark 8:35
He tells us "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar, and to God the things that are God's." Mark 12:17
He tells us "But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judea flee to the mountains." Mark 13:14
He tell us "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:26
He tells us "Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein." Luke 18:17
He tells us "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you." John 16:7
He tells us "My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence." John 18:36
He tells us "Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find." John 21:6
Now He tells us "If ye had known Me, ye should have know My Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him. "Have I been so long time with you, and yet thou hast not known Me, Philip. He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, shew us the Father?"
What part of what Jesus has said do you believe?
I can say this: Whatever you believe of what Jesus has said, Jesus will unveil the depths of it for you. There is power in trusting in Jesus. It requires faith, simple faith. Don't make the gospel so complicated. Trust what Jesus says and the truths of God will be opened unto you.
Daily Devotional December 10 - Are You Living With God Right Now?
"Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21 "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." Revelation 2:7 "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne." Revelation 3:21 "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" 1 John 5:4-5
I'm wondering if you have been taught that to overcome the world you have to become a member of this or that church or that you have to speak in tongues or be baptized in the Holy Ghost or maybe that you have to tithe or do good works until you die. If we (pastors) were to tell the truth, we would simply point people to Jesus and then tell them, that, after they gave their heart to Jesus Christ, by faith in the work of Jesus on the cross, they have already overcome the world.
It was just yesterday that I asked this really nice older guy about his faith. I said to him, after we had dug his car out of the snow, "how's your relationship with God?" He said to me, "I'll find out when it's all over." I remarked. I already know and I don't agree that you have to wait until you die to find out if you had faith in Jesus enough to get to heaven." He then went on to tell me a long story about how God intervened in his life many times through his wife and his children. He admitted that God had been working with him all along, but he still didn't understand that he could have peace in his heart about the end of it all.
That's the way it is for many people who have been taught in their denomination that they have to work and worry all through this life in hopes that at the end they will somehow slip in under the wire, in hopes that they will have asked forgiveness for the last of their sins prior to dying or they will not get in; as if to get to heaven was based on all kinds of things except the vicarious work of Jesus Christ on the cross. If you are counting on you to get to heaven, you might very well be disappointed. The entire Bible points to Jesus as the Saviour, not you. You can't save yourself, nor can you do anything that will make up for your sin. You are lost until you accept Jesus Christ as Saviour and nothing you did or will do can earn you a place in heaven. Give it up if that is your philosophy. God does the work of saving you from yourself by calling you out into His kingdom. You come by simple faith in Jesus. Nothing else will do and nothing else works.
Why does it matter whether we believe that we get to heaven by being good or by believing in Jesus? The reason is that you can be good on your own. You were born with enough godlikeness to do good things to other people, but salvation is not found in doing good things. God sent His Son to die in your place because you have sinned against God. In essence you forfeited any rights that you thought you had the first time you sinned against God and prior to that you were born into the race of Adam, which has already fallen. You were born into a fallen race and of your own volition you have sinned against God. The only way that God could save you so that you could overcome the world was to impute into you the righteousness of God by faith in His Son. God designed every soul with the answer to the sin problem. It was to come and die for you. Faith is the connector and the Resurrection from death unto life. Faith in what Jesus did for you outweighs anything you could ever do, even in ten thousand lifetimes of working hard to be good.
You get saved by believing that Jesus is the Son of God, by faith.
You overcome evil with that same faith.
You live out your life with that same faith.
You come to the end of life with that same faith.
In between while you are living out your life, faith is what draws you closer to God to find out more about your purpose and to get to know God better; to learn His ways and to follow them; to receive from God all that is rightfully yours by faith as heir to the kingdom, now, today, not just when you die.
Doesn't it make sense that if you overcome by faith, that you would want to find out everything you could about your faith?
Isn't it likely that you will enjoy life more and have better success in life if you trust Jesus for more than just getting you a ticket into heaven?
Isn't it likely that the same Jesus that saved you from you sins has a plan for you for this life?
Isn't it likely that if you were to discuss this with Jesus that He would fill in the blanks and open your eyes to all that He is doing on your behalf.
Isn't it also likely that if Jesus saved you it was for a purpose greater than to know where you are going when you die?
Please seek His face today and get things on track. You were saved to co-create with God while on the journey. Give up this idea of holding on to your ticket to heaven with clinched fists, hoping all will end well and enter into His rest right now. That's what salvation is really about. Living with God right now.
I'm wondering if you have been taught that to overcome the world you have to become a member of this or that church or that you have to speak in tongues or be baptized in the Holy Ghost or maybe that you have to tithe or do good works until you die. If we (pastors) were to tell the truth, we would simply point people to Jesus and then tell them, that, after they gave their heart to Jesus Christ, by faith in the work of Jesus on the cross, they have already overcome the world.
It was just yesterday that I asked this really nice older guy about his faith. I said to him, after we had dug his car out of the snow, "how's your relationship with God?" He said to me, "I'll find out when it's all over." I remarked. I already know and I don't agree that you have to wait until you die to find out if you had faith in Jesus enough to get to heaven." He then went on to tell me a long story about how God intervened in his life many times through his wife and his children. He admitted that God had been working with him all along, but he still didn't understand that he could have peace in his heart about the end of it all.
That's the way it is for many people who have been taught in their denomination that they have to work and worry all through this life in hopes that at the end they will somehow slip in under the wire, in hopes that they will have asked forgiveness for the last of their sins prior to dying or they will not get in; as if to get to heaven was based on all kinds of things except the vicarious work of Jesus Christ on the cross. If you are counting on you to get to heaven, you might very well be disappointed. The entire Bible points to Jesus as the Saviour, not you. You can't save yourself, nor can you do anything that will make up for your sin. You are lost until you accept Jesus Christ as Saviour and nothing you did or will do can earn you a place in heaven. Give it up if that is your philosophy. God does the work of saving you from yourself by calling you out into His kingdom. You come by simple faith in Jesus. Nothing else will do and nothing else works.
Why does it matter whether we believe that we get to heaven by being good or by believing in Jesus? The reason is that you can be good on your own. You were born with enough godlikeness to do good things to other people, but salvation is not found in doing good things. God sent His Son to die in your place because you have sinned against God. In essence you forfeited any rights that you thought you had the first time you sinned against God and prior to that you were born into the race of Adam, which has already fallen. You were born into a fallen race and of your own volition you have sinned against God. The only way that God could save you so that you could overcome the world was to impute into you the righteousness of God by faith in His Son. God designed every soul with the answer to the sin problem. It was to come and die for you. Faith is the connector and the Resurrection from death unto life. Faith in what Jesus did for you outweighs anything you could ever do, even in ten thousand lifetimes of working hard to be good.
You get saved by believing that Jesus is the Son of God, by faith.
You overcome evil with that same faith.
You live out your life with that same faith.
You come to the end of life with that same faith.
In between while you are living out your life, faith is what draws you closer to God to find out more about your purpose and to get to know God better; to learn His ways and to follow them; to receive from God all that is rightfully yours by faith as heir to the kingdom, now, today, not just when you die.
Doesn't it make sense that if you overcome by faith, that you would want to find out everything you could about your faith?
Isn't it likely that you will enjoy life more and have better success in life if you trust Jesus for more than just getting you a ticket into heaven?
Isn't it likely that the same Jesus that saved you from you sins has a plan for you for this life?
Isn't it likely that if you were to discuss this with Jesus that He would fill in the blanks and open your eyes to all that He is doing on your behalf.
Isn't it also likely that if Jesus saved you it was for a purpose greater than to know where you are going when you die?
Please seek His face today and get things on track. You were saved to co-create with God while on the journey. Give up this idea of holding on to your ticket to heaven with clinched fists, hoping all will end well and enter into His rest right now. That's what salvation is really about. Living with God right now.
Friday, December 9, 2016
Daily Devotional December 9 - Being Like Christ Is The Goal
"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." Matthew 6:7
First of all Jesus says "when ye pray." Jesus doesn't say if ye pray. Praying is part of the connection between God and man that God grants. It's not just that your prayer is heard, but if you are born again, inside of you - you have the indwelling Holy Spirit to assist you with what to pray for and how to pray. Now you can see that God says that the heathen, (those who do not have Christ) think that if they pray they will be heard because they pray often and sometimes loudly. The heathen pray out of duty and religious upbringing. It's true, those without Christ pray and many of them pray fervently, some five times a day, some more. The non-Christian world prays and they have religious ceremonies. Entire nations are built upon this premise.
Jesus is instructing believers that when they pray, God does not need to be reminded that He is God, nor does God need to be reminded of anything. Don't use vain repetitions. Why is that important? Because anybody can use vain repetitions and appear to be in touch with God because they pray or they say something religious over and over again. That's not prayer at all. That's religious rhetoric filling the minds of the people with false hope and false belief.
Jesus is instructing you to be real with God. In the presence of no one, speak to God your mind. Ask for wisdom. Seek His face to know Him, not just so that you can get things from God, but to know God personally. When you pray, talk to God. Let God know your frustrations. Talk about your battles, your losses, your pain or your successes. Come boldly before the throne, not cocky as if you knew it all, but boldly, in that God wants to hear from you and it is your turn to speak. Praying is communication with God, not whining and complaining about so and so. Praying is about finding the heart of God on the matter so you can believe it in your heart and go and do God's will.
But what about all the weirdos out there that claim God told them to do this or that? And what about all the people that claim God told them to take or steal or kill or maim in the name of God? Don't be fooled by the tricks of the devil. You, nor anyone else will ever be told to do anything against the Word of God, against mankind or against disrupting or destroying God's creation. Those who are hearing that voice are not hearing the voice of God. They are the heathen. They are the ones that claim God on one hand while slaying innocent children with the other. That is a trick of the devil.
Pray because Jesus says to. I find that time in prayer just confessing my shortcomings and asking for wisdom takes a great deal of time. I find that God enjoys when I come to Him just to come to Him, no agenda, no questions, no preconceived ideas about the moment, just mindfully wandering into the throne of grace and thanking God and praising God and worshiping God.
Another reason that Jesus says "when thou prayest," is because God already knows about your situation. God has already gone before you and made a way. God has already intervened to bring about His will. But you and I, we don't see very far and we need to go to prayer so that we can see with the mind of Christ. Otherwise we could not handle the injustice and the improprieties that come our way. Pray to be filled with understanding about how God wants you to be like Christ. The scriptures make more sense when being like Christ is the goal and not just finding religion.
First of all Jesus says "when ye pray." Jesus doesn't say if ye pray. Praying is part of the connection between God and man that God grants. It's not just that your prayer is heard, but if you are born again, inside of you - you have the indwelling Holy Spirit to assist you with what to pray for and how to pray. Now you can see that God says that the heathen, (those who do not have Christ) think that if they pray they will be heard because they pray often and sometimes loudly. The heathen pray out of duty and religious upbringing. It's true, those without Christ pray and many of them pray fervently, some five times a day, some more. The non-Christian world prays and they have religious ceremonies. Entire nations are built upon this premise.
Jesus is instructing believers that when they pray, God does not need to be reminded that He is God, nor does God need to be reminded of anything. Don't use vain repetitions. Why is that important? Because anybody can use vain repetitions and appear to be in touch with God because they pray or they say something religious over and over again. That's not prayer at all. That's religious rhetoric filling the minds of the people with false hope and false belief.
Jesus is instructing you to be real with God. In the presence of no one, speak to God your mind. Ask for wisdom. Seek His face to know Him, not just so that you can get things from God, but to know God personally. When you pray, talk to God. Let God know your frustrations. Talk about your battles, your losses, your pain or your successes. Come boldly before the throne, not cocky as if you knew it all, but boldly, in that God wants to hear from you and it is your turn to speak. Praying is communication with God, not whining and complaining about so and so. Praying is about finding the heart of God on the matter so you can believe it in your heart and go and do God's will.
But what about all the weirdos out there that claim God told them to do this or that? And what about all the people that claim God told them to take or steal or kill or maim in the name of God? Don't be fooled by the tricks of the devil. You, nor anyone else will ever be told to do anything against the Word of God, against mankind or against disrupting or destroying God's creation. Those who are hearing that voice are not hearing the voice of God. They are the heathen. They are the ones that claim God on one hand while slaying innocent children with the other. That is a trick of the devil.
Pray because Jesus says to. I find that time in prayer just confessing my shortcomings and asking for wisdom takes a great deal of time. I find that God enjoys when I come to Him just to come to Him, no agenda, no questions, no preconceived ideas about the moment, just mindfully wandering into the throne of grace and thanking God and praising God and worshiping God.
Another reason that Jesus says "when thou prayest," is because God already knows about your situation. God has already gone before you and made a way. God has already intervened to bring about His will. But you and I, we don't see very far and we need to go to prayer so that we can see with the mind of Christ. Otherwise we could not handle the injustice and the improprieties that come our way. Pray to be filled with understanding about how God wants you to be like Christ. The scriptures make more sense when being like Christ is the goal and not just finding religion.
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