In three days is the anniversary of a terrible attack on our nation by the Muslims. My prayer for us is that those who are believers will be an example of Christlikeness and steadfastness during this time and that many unsaved people will become born again because of what they have to experience.
Maybe nothing will happen, but the signs are all there that something will. In any case I pray for the believers to be safe and for non-believers to come to know Christ. None of us really know how serious any of this is, until we have to face it, but in Christ we have all we need for whatever comes.
Psalm 28:7 "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him."
Psalm 18:2 "The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."
Deuteronomy 31:6 "6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
Monday, September 8, 2014
It's All About The Holy Spirit
Too many people are "having a form of religion but
denying the power thereof."
We have a set of rules, "do's" and
"don't's", that we peddle to the world as a form of Christianity. When
we do this we are missing the point.
The Point.....is not about the do's and don't's, but about
the Holy Spirit Who comes to live in us. If we have the Holy Spirit and are led
by Him, then all the rest will fall into place.
Acts 2:38
"38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one
of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and
you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
The Do's and Don't's may show us we are off track, needing
to confess to bring us back into line with the will of God, but they do not
save us or make us more holy.
1 Corinthians 6:19
"19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of
the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your
own?"
When the Holy Spirit is present then the elements of our
life should look like this;
Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law."
Romans 5:5
"5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of
God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to
us."
Romans 8:9
"9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if
indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit
of Christ, he is not His."
When we need to learn a principle, the Holy Spirit will
teach us.
John 14:26
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance
all things that I said to you."
The Holy Spirit prays on our behalf when we don't know what
to pray and even when we think we pray the right things, we need Him to
interpret to God for us.
Romans 8:26
"26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.
For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself
makes intercession for us[a] with groanings which cannot be uttered."
John 16:12-15
"12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you
cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He
will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but
whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He
will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All
things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine
and declare it to you."
If we claim that the Holy Spirit is leading us to do or say
something, then it better not be contrary to the Scriptures. When the Holy
Spirit speaks it will always line up with the principles in God's Word.
Romans 15:13
"13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and
peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy
Spirit."
Here is the impact on the world when we are born again by
the Holy Spirit of God:
John 16:7-15
"7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your
advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to
you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin,
and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see
Me no more;
11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot
bear them now.
13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will
guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but
whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and
declare it to you.
15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said
that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."
The Holy Spirit can make us bold for Christ:
Acts 4:31
"31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were
assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit,
and they spoke the word of God with boldness."
All our fleshly efforts to follow rules, even principles of
God, in our own power by our own pride, will have no effect in us or others.
God may use them in spite of us, but they do not please Him.
God's desire is that all we do and say would be through the
power of the Holy Spirit. May our prayer be that we get behind the Holy Spirit
as He emerges to motivate us, teach us, direct our path and speak through us as
He sees fit.
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT FOLKS!!!!
Be Careful of What You Adopt
Be careful to know what things mean before you adopt them as your style. I know there are other hand signs too that are indicators of occult practices, this one seems to be the most popular now. I have seen famous preachers and political figures using this and wondered where it came from. Thankfully another friend on facebook posted this in another thread. Thank you Tara, for your diligence in researching this matter of hand signs.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNVJSRkt9yg&feature=youtu.be
Choose You This Day!
Revelation 3:20
"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
Every person has been given enough knowledge and prompting from God to turn to Him. No one will have an excuse for rejecting Christ.
I heard recently a story about the artist of a painting most of us are familiar with, the picture of a man depicting Christ knocking at a door waiting for someone to open the door. Anyone that knows me understands that I hate depictions of Christ because of it's implications of idolatry, however the story is interesting.
A man viewing the painting while in the presence of the artist who did it, told the artist that he made a mistake in the painting, he forgot the door knob on the outside. The artists told the inquirer that it was not a mistake, the scripture says that Christ is knocking he has no need of a knob, the knob is on the inside for the person to open to Christ.
God will not force anyone to love Him, nor will He force anyone to obey Him. We have a choice to trust and obey, as the song says, or to reject and refuse to open the door.
Revelation 3:19
"Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent."
Christ died for the entire world, He loves His creation and desires that all would come to a saving knowledge, but not all will come. Those who refuse His love will be rejected and cast into a lake of fire at the end of the earth.
Revelation 20:15
"And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."
Psalm 26:5
"I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked."
Those who believe that everyone is saved no matter their belief system, do not know the Scriptures. When we go to funerals and people are saying "he/she is in a better place, even though they never trusted Christ are speaking things they do not know.
1 John 2:2
"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
Christ became sin for us that we might be saved, but we have to choose Him. When we choose Him, He changes us into a new creation.
Christ extends the forgiveness, but we must receive it by responding in repentance and brokenness over our sinfulness. When we do this, then Christ comes to dwell in us and begins His process of cleansing that continues until the end of our lives. We are born again and on our way to heaven, spiritually, but we are still trapped in this body of sinful flesh.
Romans 8:3
"For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,"
He cleanses us throughout our life after He changes our spirit. Our flesh is still a problem, He gives us challenges to help us see the dross that is within us, when we confess as He opens our eyes, we become more holy and useful for the kingdom.
2 Corinthians 5:17
"17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
1 John 3:6-10
"6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.
8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother"
Galatians 5:19-21
"6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.
8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God."
10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother"
Hebrews 12:6
"FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES."
1 John 2:1 Written to born again believers.
"My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:"
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."
When God discipline, prunes and shapes us, He does it as we would a rose bush, in order for the bush to come back stronger than ever with more beautiful flowers, it must be cut way back to stubs to begin again afresh.
Joshua 24:15
"15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
Every person has been given enough knowledge and prompting from God to turn to Him. No one will have an excuse for rejecting Christ.
I heard recently a story about the artist of a painting most of us are familiar with, the picture of a man depicting Christ knocking at a door waiting for someone to open the door. Anyone that knows me understands that I hate depictions of Christ because of it's implications of idolatry, however the story is interesting.
A man viewing the painting while in the presence of the artist who did it, told the artist that he made a mistake in the painting, he forgot the door knob on the outside. The artists told the inquirer that it was not a mistake, the scripture says that Christ is knocking he has no need of a knob, the knob is on the inside for the person to open to Christ.
God will not force anyone to love Him, nor will He force anyone to obey Him. We have a choice to trust and obey, as the song says, or to reject and refuse to open the door.
Revelation 3:19
"Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent."
Christ died for the entire world, He loves His creation and desires that all would come to a saving knowledge, but not all will come. Those who refuse His love will be rejected and cast into a lake of fire at the end of the earth.
Revelation 20:15
"And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."
Psalm 26:5
"I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked."
Those who believe that everyone is saved no matter their belief system, do not know the Scriptures. When we go to funerals and people are saying "he/she is in a better place, even though they never trusted Christ are speaking things they do not know.
1 John 2:2
"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
Christ became sin for us that we might be saved, but we have to choose Him. When we choose Him, He changes us into a new creation.
Christ extends the forgiveness, but we must receive it by responding in repentance and brokenness over our sinfulness. When we do this, then Christ comes to dwell in us and begins His process of cleansing that continues until the end of our lives. We are born again and on our way to heaven, spiritually, but we are still trapped in this body of sinful flesh.
Romans 8:3
"For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,"
He cleanses us throughout our life after He changes our spirit. Our flesh is still a problem, He gives us challenges to help us see the dross that is within us, when we confess as He opens our eyes, we become more holy and useful for the kingdom.
2 Corinthians 5:17
"17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
1 John 3:6-10
"6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.
8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother"
Galatians 5:19-21
"6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.
8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God."
10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother"
Hebrews 12:6
"FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES."
1 John 2:1 Written to born again believers.
"My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:"
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."
When God discipline, prunes and shapes us, He does it as we would a rose bush, in order for the bush to come back stronger than ever with more beautiful flowers, it must be cut way back to stubs to begin again afresh.
Joshua 24:15
"15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
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