Thu, Oct 27th - 10:09PM

Believing Is The Door

The most powerful word in the scriptures is "believe." John 20:31 says, "But these things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in His name." (NIV)

Just as only those who definitely receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior are saved, only those who reckon Christ's death as their own death actually experience crucifixion power over their old nature.

"For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He lives, He lives unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom. 6:10,11 KJV)

The term "reckon" means literally "to take into account." As Christians we must take into account the fact that we are dead to the power of sin in our life. We are under new management. The presence of sin is not removed, but it is rendered powerless, except by a deliberate act of choosing what we know is wrong. The enemy will resist our "reckoning," but in Christ we have the victory.

Through what God did in Christ on the cross, through the substitutionary, sacrificial, atoning death of Jesus Christ upon the cross, the world is crucified to me and I am crucified to the world.

The last words of Jesus on the cross were, "IT IS FINISHED!"

The Lord is asking us to take our position with Him in His death and resurrection now. "Now we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him." (Rom. 6:8 NAS)

It is a spiritual principle that we are transformed positively or negatively by what we focus on. It's time for the Church to focus on the cross. May we be transformed by focusing on, surveying, and glorying in the cross.

In Christ

Steven

Sun, Oct 23rd - 8:59AM

Blessing Prayer

May the songs of the angels sustain you,
May the praises of the saints inspire you,
May the silent music of the Unseen Trinity be in your heart.
And may the blessing of God,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
be upon you, and remain with you now and always.
Amen.

In Christ

Steven

Sat, Oct 22nd - 6:10AM

The Scriptures

The Scriptures Psalms  119: 97 - 104 The Scriptures The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation. (Baptist Faith & Message, 2000) Inerrancy of the Scripture means that the Bible is fully truthful in all of its teachings. 2nd Peter 1:16-21 “For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” Infallibility means that the Bible never fails to lead us into the truth. 2nd Tim 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” š “We should study the Word, not to prove our position, but to see what the word actually says.’” Elvis Gregory (1-10-33 to 2-16-81) Reasons to know Scripture – Salvation 2nd Tim 3:14-15 “. . . the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” How to live Psalm 119:105 “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” 2nd Tim 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable . . . . so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” Apologetic 1st Peter 3:15 “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you” š Apologetic means to defend by answering. The Greek word here for “defense” [answer – NIV & KJV] is [apologia] “apologia” – means: “a verbal defense, a speech in defense,” – also translated: “clearing” & “defense” in the KJV - (Vine’s Exp. Dict.). š This defending of one’s faith is accomplished by knowing God’s Word: Psalm 119:97-104 97 O how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. 98 Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever mine. 99 I have more insight than all my teachers, your testimonies are my meditation. 100 I understand more than the aged, because I have observed Your precepts. 101 I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your Word. 102 For I have not turned aside from Your ordinances, for You Yourself have taught me. 103 How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter that honey to my mouth! 104 From Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. In Christ Steven

Fri, Oct 21st - 8:00AM

The Patience of God

Thu, Oct 20th - 10:53PM

What's Stopping us?

I think we sometimes forget all the promises that God has for those who diligently serve Him and therefore we don't serve Him with a grateful heart.

There world continues to portray that it has something to offer. And frequently many who started out well to serve the Lord get distracted and side tracked.

We frequently hear that we all will reap what we sow. We often frequently think of sin in our lives and its consequences. We also can reap benefits of serving God faithfully, some of these promises are,

Thu, Oct 20th - 7:45AM

Is God's Will My Will?

Wed, Oct 19th - 5:16AM

As I approach Your throne of grace today, I am grateful that You care about the things that concern me and that You want me to offer them up to You.

Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me;
O Lord, be my helper.
You turned my mourning into dancing;
You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
That my heart may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever. (Psalm 30:10-12)

Tue, Oct 18th - 7:35AM

Practicing the Presence of God

Mon, Oct 17th - 8:00PM

What Does The Bible Say About Faith?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT FAITH?

By Betty Miller

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." Hebrews 11:1-3

The above verse states very plainly that faith is a reality, something that gives "substance" to things before they become visible to the natural eye. 2 Corinthians 5:7 declares that we walk by faith, not by sight. When we are "born again" we are given spiritual eyes to see things and understand things that otherwise we could not discern without the Holy Spirit. When we are submitted to the Lord, He then begins to guide and lead us by His Spirit; we follow Him in faith knowing He will not disappoint us or lead us astray. We must learn to obey Him even when we do not see or understand how He is leading.

The Word of God states that "whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Romans 14:23b). Some people refer to the expression "blind faith," but our faith is not a blind faith; it is faith in a very real person, Jesus Christ. We were blind before our eyes were opened to His love and forgiveness, but now we see Him and a new life and world belong to us.

Romans 12:3b says, "God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." We are then to allow the Holy Spirit to move in our lives so that our faith might grow in Him. For faith to grow and for God to honor our faith there are several principles we must follow in the Word of God since faith alone cannot produce our prayer answers.

Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." We must know the Word of God for our faith to increase. Many times, we take only a portion of His Word and quote it and expect answers, when we must learn other portions that work along with the portion we are quoting. An example would be if we do pray a prayer of faith, yet do not obey God, our faith would be in vain.

Let's look at Hebrews 11:4 for an example of this: "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of His gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh." Why was God pleased with Abel and not with Cain? Cain's heart was not right before God, thus his works were evil therefore his offering was rejected. "Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous" (I John 3:12). Today, many people are doing the same thing, yet expecting God to honor their faith.

God wants you and me to be faith men and women, so that we can have good success in all that we do. Joshua 1:8 says, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."

Hebrews 11:6 says, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." We can see by this verse that we cannot please God unless we walk by faith. The dictionary defines faith as (1) unquestioning belief, especially in God (2) complete trust or confidence (3) loyalty.

In looking at these definitions, we can take a test and see if we really are trusting God with our lives. Test question number one: Do we rebelliously question what God is doing in our lives? Do we ask God such questions as, "Lord, when are you going to do this thing in my life? How much longer am I going to have to wait for my answer? Why haven't you answered my prayers, God?" All of these questions, if posed rebelliously, are just the opposite of faith as they gender doubt and are questioning what God is doing in our lives. Also, we are referring to people in this test who have made a total commitment to God and are trying to walk in His will. If we have not surrendered to God, there are things that happen to us that are not His fault because we are in the devil's territory. The Lord does not mind us asking any question as long as we are asking it with a submissive attitude and not questioning His goodness.

Test question number two: Do we completely trust God and have our confidence in Him to the degree that when we don't see our answer right away, we wait patiently instead of taking the matter into our own hands and doing it our own way? Do we have confidence in the Lord that He has everything under control, or do we worry and fret and let anxiety rob us of our day? If we trusted Him, we would believe His Word and not doubt His promises.

Test question number three: What about loyalty? Are we loyal to Him? We act sometimes as if God were against us instead of for us. For instance, when we have prayed and asked God for an answer to our prayers but have not received that answer yet, do we begin listening to the devil as he whispers these words to us, "God hasn't answered your prayers; He doesn't really care for you. You know God has all power in heaven and earth so why doesn't He answer your prayers?" Instead of our being loyal and defending the Father, we end up many times agreeing with the devil by turning to God and saying, "Yes, God, why haven't You answered my prayers?" Our devotion to the Lord should be one of defending the heavenly Father with a statement to the enemy like this, "Satan, I don't know why God hasn't answered my prayers yet, but I do know one thing; He loves me and my answers are on the way. If anybody is hindering my answers, it's you, not my precious Father."

Real faith has all the above qualities of total confidence in God, and complete trust and unquestioning loyalty. Do we really have faith in God? In discussing faith we need to point out that it is not the quantity of faith that will accomplish the overcoming in our lives, but rather the quality. "...for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you" (Matthew 17:20). It is not the amount of faith we have but who our faith is centered in. Jesus is faith.

If we feel we do not have sufficient faith to remove our "mountain of difficulty," we can always ask the Lord for the "gift of faith." This gift is one of the provisions for those who are baptized with the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 12:9). The Lord did not leave us without the tools to overcome our lack of faith. We can simply ask God to give us the gift of faith we need for whatever problem we might have. As we are faithful to exercise our "measure of faith" that has been given to each of us, our faith will grow. Then we can believe God for greater things even without the gift of faith. However, if we need the gift, we can ask and the Lord will supply if our hearts are right.

Faith is not only a gift, but also a fruit of the Holy Spirit plus a part of our Christian armour; so we see the importance of it in our Christian walk (Galatians 5:22). May we be spoken of as were the Christians at Thessalonica, "We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure" (II Thessalonians 1:3-4). Faith will carry us through every trial and tribulation. Faith is really not that difficult. God made it easy. In essence, faith is just taking one more step with Jesus; it's believing God for one more hour, and because we do not give up on God, He comes through with our answers when we trust Him.


Have a blessed day!
Steven

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