Thursday, May 28, 2009

My Redeemer Liveth

Job 19:25 “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:”
It is sad to say, but in the world we live in now, it is really easy to forget who God really is. Life takes over, and before we know it our Christian lifestyle doesn’t look so Christ like. With the internet, DVR and all of the new technology that comes out daily, we have to be on guard to not forget. I have said it before, but I still struggle with it; our focus needs to be on Jesus.
Proverbs 3: 5 tells us that we need to “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart;” and verse 6 goes on to say “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.” These two verses give us two commandments. First we need to trust God with our whole being, every fiber that makes us human. Secondly we need to always acknowledge God in everything that we do. If we do both of those commandments, then God will direct our path.
The one thing that people tend to forget is that “all means all”. There is no mediocrity here; it is 100% or none at all. This is something that all Christians need to strive for. Take a second, sit back, and contemplate how much control God has on your life. I made a commitment to God last night. I have given everything to Him, and will follow His path. Are you willing to let go? I will pray for everyone to be able to give God the control of their lives. Psalm 78:35 says, “And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.” Lets all remember who God is today, tomorrow and everyday.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

TRUTH

John 16:13 "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come."
John 16:14 "He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you."
John 16:15 "All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you."

Spirit : (Strong's G4151 - pneuma ) the third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal, coeternal with the Father and the Son

While an estimated 74 percent of Americans strongly agree that "there is only one true God, who is holy and perfect, and who created the world and rules it today," an estimated 65 percent either strongly agree or somewhat agree with the assertion that "there is no such thing as absolute truth." (Christianity Today, September 16, 1991, p. 48, from George Barna, The Barna Report: What Americans Believe, 1991.)

A) The Holy Spirit will guide us to the truth, not from itself, but what He hears will He tell us (13).
B) The Holy Spirit will receive from Jesus, and then show us (14).
C) Everything that God the Father has, Jesus has also. Therefore, the Holy Spirit can show us all truth. (15)

1) What is truth?
a) God is truth!!! Deut. 32:4; Psalm 31:5; Psalm 33:4; John 14:6
2) Where is truth?
a) Truth is in the Word of God John 1:1,14; John 17:1,17; Col 1:4-6; Eph 1:13
A) Word: (Strong's G3056 – logos) In John, denotes the essential Word of God, Jesus
Christ, the personal wisdom and power in union with God
3) What do we do with the truth?
a) Learn the truth Psalm 25:5; John 8:31-32; 2 Tim 2:15
b) Walk in truth Psalm 25:10; Psalm 86:11
c) Serve God in truth 1 Samuel 12:24; Joshua 24:14
d) Speak the truth Matthew 28:19-20; Proverbs 22:17-21; Acts 26:22-25

The Holy Spirit will teach us what the Bible says. We simply need to have the faith to listen. When you say, “I can’t understand that.” Then you are saying, “God cannot fulfill his scriptures”. Since when are we more intelligent than God? 1 Cor 1:25 tells us that the “foolishness of God is wiser than men”. Why are some limiting God’s power? God has all the answers, we simply need to seek them and allow the Holy Spirit to teach us.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Tough Times

We all will go through tough times. Some people may go through more, longer trials, but we all will be faced with some type of trial or tribulation. Getting saved and having a personal relationship with God does gurantee an easy life. These tribulations are used to strengethen us, help us to lean on God when we are in need of help (Psalms 37:24; Nahum 1:7). Through all the hard times, we need to keep God in the forefront of our lives.
It is easy to allow circumstances to control you, but we need to let God control our circumstances. Make the decisions His way. Proverbs 3:5,6 tells us that we need to trust the Lord, acknowledge him in all our ways and He shall direct our paths. There is no but or a contingency statement. If we do those things every day, then God will direct us in all aspects of our lives. John 16:33 says, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Nothing we go through is beyond God's power. Stay in God and "thou shalt forget [thy] misery, [and] remember [it] as waters [that] pass away:" (Job 11:16).

Monday, May 11, 2009

Always

Matthew 28:20 "...I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world."

This really touched my soul this morning. To think that God will be with me until the end, no if, and or buts about it. I am not worthy of such dedication. If only I could show such dedication to Him. But in turn it is also a lesson. We call ourselves Christians (which means "Christ like"), so we need to act like them. I learned a very valuable lesson when I was a kid. Things learned must first be external, than internal, than external. Essentially what this is saying is, we learn from the Bible externally (i.e. Church, Bible Study). We then need to allow those principles to enter our heart and take root. Once they have taken root, then they will be shown externally in changes in our lifestyle. Until this cycle has been completed, you will never truly be Christ like. Take a moment today, examine yourself. How much dedication have you been giving to God?

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

CAST ALL YOUR CARES

1Peter 5:7 "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."

Worrying, how many of us worry? I think that all people worry at least once in their life, some of us have made it an art form. But God does not want that for us. He says in the key passage that He cares for us. God wants to take all of our burdens. Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.” Twice Jesus tells us that we will get rest if we merely cast our cares to Him, and focus our life on God. The burdens of the world can be too much for us to carry, but the burdens of God will never be more than we can handle. Philippians 4:13 tells us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Therefore, giving God all our cares and burdens; and taking on His yoke will allow us to focus on God and not on the things of this world which will pass away.

Friday, May 1, 2009

RISETH UP AGAIN

Proverbs 24:16 "For a just [man] falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief."

When we get knocked down we need to get back up. We do not have to do this on our own. We are told in Psalms 37:24 that, “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth [him with] his hand.” The devil can do his best to push, trip or throw us down. God is already there to keep us from hitting the ground. He also will be there to strengthen us and support us. We need to lean on Him and not ourselves (Proverbs 3:5-6). God is not going to let us drown. It is only when we take our focus off of Him we began to sink. If you fall, allow God to help pick you up, you are not alone in this.