Many years ago I doubted my salvation because of my thought life mostly. I reasoned, "how can I be saved and still have these thoughts?" Then the Lord showed me that my cleansing was an ongoing thing, as a new believer I was under attack of my own flesh and the devil, leaving me to think I might not be saved. I jumped for joy on the day the Lord told me that I was born again but I was in a battle against the flesh and the devil. I have had many victories over the years as I fought the battles in prayer. When I tried to fight the battles in my own mind with shear will power, I would lose every time. But when I prayed and told God I needed Him to remove the thoughts, then I had peace and victory in a very short time.
1 Corinthians 15:57 "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
The Bible does not say that our victory is through our hard work in the flesh, just the opposite. If we think we can effect change in ourselves we may make some progress but eventually we will lose that battle, we become tired of the struggle. God will only give us HIS strength, not our own empowered by Him. He is the strength we need.
One day the Lord said to me, "when you are ready to stop trying so hard to be good in your flesh, then I will begin working in you." The peace flooded me and those "rivers of living water" began to flow.
Ephesians 2:10 "10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
We must stop thinking that God empowers us, He does not, He is the power that lives in us, He will be all that we need. The more we submit to Him, the greater our growth strides. He ultimately gets all the glory, we become so in step with His Spirit that we hear His voice...a spiritual hearing. Sometimes we allow our flesh to drag us down another road, but if we are in tune with the Spirit of God in us, He will bring us back to where we should be.
2 Corinthians 3:1-6 "3 Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? 2 You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart."
The Spirit, Not the Letter
"4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit;[a] for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Do You Want To Be Cleansed?
We are already forgiven of our sins if we are born again! But in order to move forward in holiness we must confess them.
If we do not confess them, we miss blessings in heaven and have consequences on earth.
A person cannot forsake a sin or grow past the bondage of it until they admit the sin to God and if necessary, to others.
Confessing sin shows a willingness and desire to be changed by Christ Who lives in us. Confessing to a sibling in Christ shows them that we value their fellowship and companionship.
James 5:16
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."
1 John 1:9
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Proverbs 28:13
"Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy."
When we do not confess our sins, we are in danger of physical illness. There seems to be a built in mechanism, a connection between sin and the toll it takes on the physical body. Not everyone who has illness is in sin as we see from the story of Job, but sometimes our bitterness, anger and denial cause physical ailments. We think we feel fine in our sin but the stress on the body causes illness.
Psalm 32:2-5
"2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah "
When we do confess, God forgives us and begins cleaning our hearts to free us from the bondage of that sin, creating humility in our hearts and turning us from the sin from which we could not release ourselves.
No one has an excuse that they were in bondage to sin, God will not ignore the cries of the sinful heart to be cleansed by Him.
James 4:7-10
"7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."
If we do not confess them, we miss blessings in heaven and have consequences on earth.
A person cannot forsake a sin or grow past the bondage of it until they admit the sin to God and if necessary, to others.
Confessing sin shows a willingness and desire to be changed by Christ Who lives in us. Confessing to a sibling in Christ shows them that we value their fellowship and companionship.
James 5:16
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."
1 John 1:9
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Proverbs 28:13
"Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy."
When we do not confess our sins, we are in danger of physical illness. There seems to be a built in mechanism, a connection between sin and the toll it takes on the physical body. Not everyone who has illness is in sin as we see from the story of Job, but sometimes our bitterness, anger and denial cause physical ailments. We think we feel fine in our sin but the stress on the body causes illness.
Psalm 32:2-5
"2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah "
When we do confess, God forgives us and begins cleaning our hearts to free us from the bondage of that sin, creating humility in our hearts and turning us from the sin from which we could not release ourselves.
No one has an excuse that they were in bondage to sin, God will not ignore the cries of the sinful heart to be cleansed by Him.
James 4:7-10
"7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."
Monday, September 15, 2014
Our Eyes Are Bigger Than The OT Saints
We are much more blessed as believers than we realize, to live in a time such as this. We have been given insights and wisdom that the old testament saints never had. We watch today as prophesy unfolds.
Luke 10:23-24 "Turning to the disciples, He said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see, for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things you hear, and did not hear them."
Luke 10:23-24 "Turning to the disciples, He said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see, for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things you hear, and did not hear them."
God Looks At The Heart
It is not good to use our fleshly nature as an excuse for
sinful behavior or attitudes.
Even attitudes or sinful thoughts will evolve into behaviors
if they are not confessed and turned from while they are still thoughts.
James 5:16 "Therefore, confess your sins to one
another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective
prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."
What does this verse say we will be healed from? If we read
the first part of the sentence it seems to say that we will be healed from our
sins.
1 Samuel 16:7 "7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not
look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him.
For the Lord does not see as man sees;[a] for man looks at the outward
appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Friday, September 12, 2014
America A Christian Nation?
America was never a "Christian nation", there will only be one nation that comes to Christ entirely and that is Israel in the tribulation.
America has only had a "form of religion" but denied all along, the power of God and His Word. If America had been a Christian Nation we would never have had leaders who were "deists." Our founding fathers were not lovers of Christ, they were lovers of traditions and self effort.
Our thrust would not have been "freedom", but rather service to Christ. Our nation is based on the premise that all religions are equal. Everyone is allowed to express their religion, Christianity was just the preferred one for many people, but others were not discouraged.
The god of America is now and always has been "freedom", to do as we please, to prosper materially and to express ourselves as we desired. If a true believer had written the constitution of the United States it would have promoted love for the One God in three persons, it would have encouraged evangelism rather than personal independence.
Christianity never forces anyone, but lovingly and boldly proclaims Christ as the answer to all things. Without direction in the principles of Christ, personal freedom and humanistic morals are opposed to Christianity. As the culture changes so does the worldly Christianity of our nation. We see this happening right now. Things that were disdained, discouraged and socially condemned are now being legalized and embraced, even by those who would not commit the same sins themselves.
Accountability has been rejected as mean spirited while personal freedom has been lifted to new heights.
America has been blessed by God not because the entire nation was "Christian" but because there were many believers here, although far fewer than the entire population. Believing born again Christians have always been a remnant every where they reside. Our National Christianity has been one of superficiality and cultural more's, based on tradition rather than on the Bible.
The point to this matter is, that we need to stop looking to a nation to help us remain moral and focused and begin looking to Christ alone. The nation is so far off track now in terms of our moral compass that we cannot regain any ground that was lost, without complete repentance toward Christ, on the part of individuals.
A nation will not save us, but Christ saves individuals. Christ did not die for the sins of "nations", He died for the sins of people. When we realize that repentance is based on each individual response to the call of Christ, then we will see everything else fall into line as it should be.
The call for the believer was not to save nations, but to bring the gospel to individuals.
Mark 16:15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
15 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.
6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.
7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.
8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
America has only had a "form of religion" but denied all along, the power of God and His Word. If America had been a Christian Nation we would never have had leaders who were "deists." Our founding fathers were not lovers of Christ, they were lovers of traditions and self effort.
Our thrust would not have been "freedom", but rather service to Christ. Our nation is based on the premise that all religions are equal. Everyone is allowed to express their religion, Christianity was just the preferred one for many people, but others were not discouraged.
The god of America is now and always has been "freedom", to do as we please, to prosper materially and to express ourselves as we desired. If a true believer had written the constitution of the United States it would have promoted love for the One God in three persons, it would have encouraged evangelism rather than personal independence.
Christianity never forces anyone, but lovingly and boldly proclaims Christ as the answer to all things. Without direction in the principles of Christ, personal freedom and humanistic morals are opposed to Christianity. As the culture changes so does the worldly Christianity of our nation. We see this happening right now. Things that were disdained, discouraged and socially condemned are now being legalized and embraced, even by those who would not commit the same sins themselves.
Accountability has been rejected as mean spirited while personal freedom has been lifted to new heights.
America has been blessed by God not because the entire nation was "Christian" but because there were many believers here, although far fewer than the entire population. Believing born again Christians have always been a remnant every where they reside. Our National Christianity has been one of superficiality and cultural more's, based on tradition rather than on the Bible.
The point to this matter is, that we need to stop looking to a nation to help us remain moral and focused and begin looking to Christ alone. The nation is so far off track now in terms of our moral compass that we cannot regain any ground that was lost, without complete repentance toward Christ, on the part of individuals.
A nation will not save us, but Christ saves individuals. Christ did not die for the sins of "nations", He died for the sins of people. When we realize that repentance is based on each individual response to the call of Christ, then we will see everything else fall into line as it should be.
The call for the believer was not to save nations, but to bring the gospel to individuals.
Mark 16:15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
15 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.
6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.
7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.
8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Christ is the Power
Christ does not empower us to live the Christian life, He IS the power within us. The difference between born again and those who are not born again but think they are, is that the pretender thinks he/she has the power imparted to them by God, it becomes their power, but the authentic believer knows that he/she has no power of his own not even imparted to him, but that any power he displays is the person of Christ working in him.
John 1:3 "All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being."
Colossians 1:17 "He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."
Hebrews 1:3 "And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,"
Hebrews 7:25 "Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."
John 5:21 ""For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes."
John 16:33 ""These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
The Holy Spirit becomes one with our spirit when we become born again. We no longer operate on our own power as we obey, but in His power. We can disobey the Lord when He prompts us, but we suffer the consequences of disobedience, God never removes our choice to obey or disobey after our spirit becomes a new creation, He merely redirects us through life experiences to return to a place of obedience.
1 John 2:1 "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;"
Hebrews 12:6 "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."
Becoming born again is somewhat like the marriage of a man and woman. The spirits of two people meld together to become one. A spouse can physically walk away from their marriage partner, but their spirits remain all mixed up together with their spouse. The physical body is gone, but the spirit is still entwined with the one who is gone.
Ephesians 5:31 "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh."
Mark 10:8 "8 and the two shall become one flesh’; [a] so then they are no longer two, but one flesh."
Matthew 19:4-6 ""Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh' ? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
So many people cannot figure out why they are so devastated when there is a divorce, even though a part of them wants to be free. The reason someone has a sense of failure and emotional turmoil over a divorce is because a part of us is missing when the other half of our spirit is no longer present. In the physical realm we might compare the spiritual tearing to the loss of an arm or leg. Something is missing when a marriage partner is removed but still alive. A part of us dwells somewhere else, our soul yearns for the return of that other half of us. When a spouse dies, there is a sense that we are released and can move on to whatever is next for us.
Even in terrible marriages, there is a sense of loss in a divorce. I have seen time and time again a woman who is abused by her husband, continually return to him or remain with him in spite of the abuse. Sometimes the woman is even criticized and looked down upon for remaining with an abusive partner. The reason she remains is because there is a strong connection and bond with the person who is the other half of her, even though things are very rough.
God can remove us for a time from an abusive spouse, because it is a violation of God's law and of the civil law. Until the partner realizes their need for repentance and a change of attitude and actions, they cannot be in contact with their spouse.
1 Corinthians 7:5 "Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control."
When we realize that our life as a believer is not completely in the physical realm but more in the spiritual, we can be more faithful to Christ in our commitments. Everything is for the glory of God rather than our own personal comfort and enjoyment. We have a purpose, an eternal purpose that drives us to love the ways of God.
Ephesians 3:11 "This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,"
When we go back and look into the context of the verses here, we realize that our physical life is only a training ground for the spiritual life and the eternal life to come. It is also a picture of our relationship with Christ, to help us to more fully understand salvation. God made an eternal commitment to us when we became born again. And, when we marry, God joins us together as a permanent union on earth until He releases us through death.
Romans 6
"6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:"
6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
6:10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace."
God did not impart grace that we can get away with sin, but instead He imparted grace to give us the ability to live above sin. Cheap grace is no grace at all! Grace with power to obey is what God gave to us.
John 1:3 "All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being."
Colossians 1:17 "He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."
Hebrews 1:3 "And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,"
Hebrews 7:25 "Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."
John 5:21 ""For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes."
John 16:33 ""These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
The Holy Spirit becomes one with our spirit when we become born again. We no longer operate on our own power as we obey, but in His power. We can disobey the Lord when He prompts us, but we suffer the consequences of disobedience, God never removes our choice to obey or disobey after our spirit becomes a new creation, He merely redirects us through life experiences to return to a place of obedience.
1 John 2:1 "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;"
Hebrews 12:6 "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."
Becoming born again is somewhat like the marriage of a man and woman. The spirits of two people meld together to become one. A spouse can physically walk away from their marriage partner, but their spirits remain all mixed up together with their spouse. The physical body is gone, but the spirit is still entwined with the one who is gone.
Ephesians 5:31 "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh."
Mark 10:8 "8 and the two shall become one flesh’; [a] so then they are no longer two, but one flesh."
Matthew 19:4-6 ""Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh' ? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
So many people cannot figure out why they are so devastated when there is a divorce, even though a part of them wants to be free. The reason someone has a sense of failure and emotional turmoil over a divorce is because a part of us is missing when the other half of our spirit is no longer present. In the physical realm we might compare the spiritual tearing to the loss of an arm or leg. Something is missing when a marriage partner is removed but still alive. A part of us dwells somewhere else, our soul yearns for the return of that other half of us. When a spouse dies, there is a sense that we are released and can move on to whatever is next for us.
Even in terrible marriages, there is a sense of loss in a divorce. I have seen time and time again a woman who is abused by her husband, continually return to him or remain with him in spite of the abuse. Sometimes the woman is even criticized and looked down upon for remaining with an abusive partner. The reason she remains is because there is a strong connection and bond with the person who is the other half of her, even though things are very rough.
God can remove us for a time from an abusive spouse, because it is a violation of God's law and of the civil law. Until the partner realizes their need for repentance and a change of attitude and actions, they cannot be in contact with their spouse.
1 Corinthians 7:5 "Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control."
When we realize that our life as a believer is not completely in the physical realm but more in the spiritual, we can be more faithful to Christ in our commitments. Everything is for the glory of God rather than our own personal comfort and enjoyment. We have a purpose, an eternal purpose that drives us to love the ways of God.
Ephesians 3:11 "This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,"
When we go back and look into the context of the verses here, we realize that our physical life is only a training ground for the spiritual life and the eternal life to come. It is also a picture of our relationship with Christ, to help us to more fully understand salvation. God made an eternal commitment to us when we became born again. And, when we marry, God joins us together as a permanent union on earth until He releases us through death.
Romans 6
"6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:"
6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
6:10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace."
God did not impart grace that we can get away with sin, but instead He imparted grace to give us the ability to live above sin. Cheap grace is no grace at all! Grace with power to obey is what God gave to us.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
We Must Ask If We Want To Know
Too many people today are basing their belief system on experiences rather than truth.
We cannot base anything we believe on our experiences. Feelings and experiences lie to us, they build up our emotions and cause us to have myopic vision.
We need to stand back, take a better look at things and compare them with the Words of God.
If the Words of God do not match up with the experience, then we throw away the experience and go with the Words!
Psalm 107:20 "He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions."
John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
Ephesians 5:26 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
Why would I trust my fleshly feelings when I could seek the Word (Christ) Who lives in me for the answers to all things. The more we do this, the greater discernment we have. We cannot develop discernment when we are starved of God's Word.
God will give wisdom to all who want it, but He will leave us to flounder and fail if we refuse to ask Him.
James 1:5 "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him."
James 4:3 "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures."
Do you want to be able to discern good from bad, righteousness from unrighteousness? If you do you must read the Word of God, ask the Lord to open your eyes to anything you believe that might not be truth and begin to teach you afresh. God will never deny someone who really wants to know.
We cannot base anything we believe on our experiences. Feelings and experiences lie to us, they build up our emotions and cause us to have myopic vision.
We need to stand back, take a better look at things and compare them with the Words of God.
If the Words of God do not match up with the experience, then we throw away the experience and go with the Words!
Psalm 107:20 "He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions."
John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
Ephesians 5:26 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
Why would I trust my fleshly feelings when I could seek the Word (Christ) Who lives in me for the answers to all things. The more we do this, the greater discernment we have. We cannot develop discernment when we are starved of God's Word.
God will give wisdom to all who want it, but He will leave us to flounder and fail if we refuse to ask Him.
James 1:5 "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him."
James 4:3 "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures."
Do you want to be able to discern good from bad, righteousness from unrighteousness? If you do you must read the Word of God, ask the Lord to open your eyes to anything you believe that might not be truth and begin to teach you afresh. God will never deny someone who really wants to know.
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