Month: December 2018

THE BATTLE BEFORE THE BATTLE – – Conclusion


Spiritual Blog - Faith

Luke 21:26 – “men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”  NKJV  [Please refer to the entire chapter]

 Let’s pick up where we left off yesterday and talk about tools to overcome fear.  The glaring question, if fear is such a problem, is “How do we overcome it?”  Let me give you one word that says it all and then expand on that – – T R U T H.  You overcome fear with truth!  Sounds simple, right?  Well, yes and no but here we go.

First, I believe that we MUST know “Who God Is”.  Also, we MUST know “What Jesus Has Done”.  The 1st Adam had dominion but lost it and the Last Adam (Jesus) won it back and brought to us redemption.  Let’s look at some Bible passages that hopefully will help us understand better.

Paul begins in Galatians 3 by talking about Witchcraft and its deceptive powers over the hearts and minds of people, even believers.  In [vv.6-9] we find that we become sons and daughters through “faith”.  In [vv. 13-14] we find that the Abrahamic Covenant is ours as believers through faith and our position as sons and daughters.  In [vv. 19-21] we learn that it is not set aside by The Law – [Sinatic Covenant].  And, in [vv. 25-29] we find that we are Heirs by faith through the Work of Christ Jesus our Lord!  I don’t know about you, but that makes my heart sing for joy!

 We are told in Galatians 5:1 – “It was for freedom that Christ set us free….”  Additionally, Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:18-23 has to be considered.  “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the Glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”  WOW!

I hope you will take time to read Ephesians 2:11-16 and see that we are One Body through the Cross.  Then, in [vv. 19-22] that we are being “fitted and framed together” as a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit.  The Body of Christ, individually, are being melded together to make up the true Body of Christ!  Tragically, we resist that “fitting” and “framing” because it is sometimes painful and the rough edges have to be knocked off for us to “fit perfectly” in the place He wants us to be.  Self must take a back seat to the Kingdom!  Paul informs us in Ephesians 3:6 that, “…the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers in Christ through the gospel.”  God’s Covenant Promises are ours and that alone should help us to battle All Fear!

Colossians 1:9-14 – “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins…. 19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” NKJV

We find in Colossians 2:9-10 that we are made “complete” in Him.  My question is “How Complete Is Complete?”  Verses 13-15 give us some powerful points that we cannot afford not to identify:

  1. We are alive together with Christ.
  2. He has canceled out our debt.
  3. He took it completely out of the way.
  4. And, He has disarmed the devil making a public display of him triumphing over him.

 Now, with that in mind where does “fear” have any place in our hearts or minds?  Colossians 2:19 is the key to understanding.  It is through our holding fast to the Head (Jesus) that the Body is nourished and knit together and grows and increases!  Please think about who you are In Christ!

Acts 3:19-21 – “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,   21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” NKJV

Couple that with the truth given us in Hebrews 8:6 that, through Jesus, we have a Better Covenant established on Better Promises.  If you really read the Abrahamic Covenant you will see some incredibly spectacular promises and the writer of Hebrews tells us that the New Covenant is even better than the Old!

HEAR ME CAREFULLY:

  1. Satan no longer has any legal claim on us or this Earth.
  2. Jesus totally stripped him of his authority.
  3. We do not have to “take it back”; Jesus already has so we need to learn to “Live in it.”
  4. Restoration is not you and I taking something back from the devil. No!  It is receiving what Jesus has already taken.  In fact, the Tabernacle is a picture of the Christian walk.  It identifies the process that first there is “birth” then “growth”. 

NOW, I want you to wrap your thinking around this truth that you cannot live in something that you do not know is Available!  Therefore, our task and responsibility are to Live In God’s Covenant and thereby do the work of God.  In that state, we can Take Back what has been lost and live in the fullness of God’s Covenant because Jesus already has won it for us!  Hallelujah!  Faith is seeing what God says, what God is, what God has done and saying, “Thank you” then, walking in the provision without fear or doubt!

I have said for years that as believers, our purpose is to manifest Jesus not just represent Him.  Too many in the Church are doing the latter when they should be doing the former.  I can hire an attorney to represent me, but he can never manifest me because he is not “of me”.  My children, to a degree, can manifest me because they are “of me” but they can also “represent me”.  We are “of Him” because we are “in Him” and we need to allow Him to Live His Life Through Us!  When we truly grasp that picture Fear will find no place to lodge in our hearts or minds!

May the Lord bless you richly is my prayer and enable you to walk in the fullness of His Promises and to do so WITH NO FEAR! 

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THE BATTLE BEFORE THE BATTLE – – Part III


Spiritual Blog - Fear

Luke 21:26 – “men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” NASU

Picking up where we left off yesterday, let’s take the next step in defeating the “Spirit of Fear” and take another step toward walking in “Fearlessness.”   I want you to consider the “Seeds of Fear” with me for just a moment.  One of the first places I like to go when I discuss this is in Judges 7 and the story of Gideon.  Consider the account in a nutshell.  In Gideon’s situation we find the following:

Those with Gideon – 32,000.  Those with the Enemy – 135,000  (4 to 1) God said sorry Gideon you have too many with you let the fearful go home and 22,000 hit the road making it 10,000 to 135,000 making it (13.5 to 1).  How Lovely, Thanks, Lord!   Then God said, sorry still too many and when He was through Gideon had an army of 300 men.  Let’s see, that makes it 300 to 135,000 or (450 to 1).  How would you like those odds?  You wouldn’t “unless” your focus and confidence is in God!

This is where “Covenant Understanding” comes into play.  Gideon had “no fear” because he had “right focus”.  Remember the words of Joshua 23:10 – “One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the LORD your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you.” NKJV Then we read in Leviticus 26:8 – “five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword.” NASU  Still further we find God’s promise in Deuteronomy 28:7 – “The LORD shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways.” NASU  And, in Deuteronomy 32:30 – “How could one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had sold them, And the LORD had given them up?” NASU  You see with God all things are possible!  If the Lord is for us then what does it matter who is against us?

We see things in the natural world that generate “fear” in the hearts of men.  The common theme of many movies is “fear” and “paranoia”.  We see “mass shootings” and “acts of terror”.  There is military and political unrest throughout the world and it intensifies almost daily.  The political propaganda is FEAR – – “Social Security, Medicare, Economy, etc.”  Also, we are seeing “natural disasters” throughout the world and frequently in unusual and unexpected places and regions of the country and world.  Yet in the midst of all this, we have a promise from Jesus.

Luke 12:32 – “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” NKJV

And we dare not forget the message to the Church at Smyrna and to us today.

Revelation 2:10 – “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” NKJV

The enemy is hard at work planting seeds of fear so we must be aware of his schemes and turn our hearts, minds, and focus upon and unto the Lord.  Let’s determine in our hearts to allow Him to be Lord of All in our lives.

We will stop there today and pick up tomorrow with a look at “How to overcome fear.”  May God be with you and keep you in “perfect peace” because your mind is stayed on Him.  Blessings!

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THE BATTLE BEFORE THE BATTLE – – Part II…


Spiritual Blog -

Luke 21:26 – “men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”  NKJV

[Please read the entire chapter]

 Let’s pick up where we left off regarding FEAR because that is the problem.  But, how do we get in control to face something that we cannot control?  We participated in Adam’s sin!  It was a “cosmic rebellion” of the first order.  It was The Sin that doomed the race, in Adam.  The Cosmic Rebellion involved “disobedience” but it was even worse because it represented man becoming the center of His universe rather than God being the center.  Remember the words of the serpent to Adam & Eve – “… you shall be as God…”  In essence, they and we (in them) fired God as God and installed “self” on the throne of our lives in an attempt to be God.  It was The Ultimate Rebellion!

Romans 6:16 – “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves, slaves, to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?”  NKJV

By disobeying God, man obeyed the devil and through that act, he became the servants of Satan.  Man “lost” dominion!  He “lost” authority!  He “lost” power!  He “lost” relationship!  He “lost” covenant!  L O S T ! ! !  In a sense, we were born-again” backward.

We have to remember that the devil is a supernatural being and we are natural beings.  Therefore, when he (as with Job) brings things into our path, in our selves we are no match for them and FEAR rushes in like a flood!  I suggest that as long as we deem ourselves as the supreme potentate sitting on the throne of our lives we are a prime target for fear!  However, if our focus is truly God – We Do Not Fear!

Luke 12:32 – “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”  NKJV

Hebrews 13:6 – “so that we confidently say, “THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?” NASU 

1 John 4:18 – “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” NKJV

Psalms 27:1-3 – “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?  2 When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell. 3 Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident.”  NKJV

Psalms 31:13-14 – “For I have heard the slander of many, Terror is on every side; While they took counsel together against me, They schemed to take away my life. 14 But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD, I say, “You are my God.” NASU

Psalms 31:20 – “You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man; You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.” NASU

Proverbs 1:33 – “But he who listens to me shall live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.” NASU

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” NKJV 

Proverbs 10:24 – [Key – – You must get this straight in your minds] – “What the wicked fears will come upon him, But the desire of the righteous will be granted.” NASU [Please understand we are not talking about a momentary bout with fear but becoming fearful and being wicked.  It is a spirit of fear!]

That is a lot of scripture but germane to our discussion and needful.  As we look to the Cross we find the great truth embedded in Hebrews 2:14-15 – “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless [unemploy] him who had [past tense]  the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.” NASU

Basically, I see “two groups” of people on Earth, those who live in Slavery to the “Fear of Death” and those who “have been delivered.”  In fact we read in Isaiah 8:12 – “…you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it.” NASU  In simplistic terms, there are two categories of people, those who have been born again (Saved) and those who have not (Lost).

FEAR is a crippling problem for every person saved or lost and for those of us who are part of the Kingdom of God it is a problem that we MUST overcome and can only overcome through a “change of focus”.  We must allow God to be the “Center of our Universe” and the “Lord of our lives.”  If we do that, we can walk in the victory that comes with a FEARLESS LIFE!

I will pause here and pick this up again tomorrow and discuss “The Seeds of Fear”.  May the Lord be with you as you walk into the joy of fearlessness in Jesus!

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THE BATTLE BEFORE THE BATTLE…


Spiritual Blog - Battle

Luke 21 – – I ask that you read it.

Those of you that know me know that “Covenant” is a driving truth and message in my heart and I find it difficult to discuss anything spiritual without getting around to Covenant and its importance and role.  In this Chapter, Jesus is talking about the “End Times” and identifying things that will transpire.  The key verse in what I want to focus on is verse 26: “men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” NASU

If we were going to embark on a thorough study of Covenant it would take a minimum of six to eighteen months meeting at least once a week for a minimum of an hour to study.  In that study, we would examine, in some detail, the various Covenants of God and how they relate to us today.  It is far too large a subject for me to attempt to bring any depth of understanding in our morning devotionals.  But, knowing that Covenant is the “Heart of God” for His people and the KEY to our BECOMING what He is coming back for, I must at least bring a few thoughts to the table for discussion.

What I truly want to focus on in the next few mornings is a matter that is critical for the Believer in our preparing for the Last Days Battles that we are and are going to face.  It is important that we come to an understanding of what “has” happened, what “is” happening, “who” we are, and the “time” in which we live.  We are in what I could call The Battle Before the Battle!  It is a most critical time for the world and the Body of Christ.  We must learn to “redeem” the time and “know” the time of our visitation.

Having said that, I contend that it doesn’t matter where you are in your spiritual development, this is important to and for you.  If you are a “babe” in Christ, a “seasoned” theologian, or a “fully matured” man or woman, spiritually it is important because you Cannot walk in the fullness of God’s Covenant if you do not understand the Covenant and its Foundation.

Therefore, you will find that a lot of what I am going to write is elementary.  It is Basic Christianity.  It is fundamental, foundational principles which must be understood if we are to “be” all we can be, to borrow the Army’s slogan.

Matthew 10:26-28    Jesus, instructing His disciples with regard to their mission gave them authority, power and warned them of the dangers and problems they would encounter.  He also told them “where” those dangers and problems would come and how to respond.

In our text we find in verse 36 – “… a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.”  That is important because when you examine the Greek text for the word “household” you find the root [oy-kos] or family (kin).  It has a far-reaching possible meaning which could include the spiritual family as well as the natural family.  So, the attack may come from the local church, the Denomination, the particular persuasion, sect, tradition, or group.  There will be no loyalty, no covenant.  It will be an example of life with Self as the Center rather than Christ as the center!

Most of us have been taught that the devil’s greatest weapon is creating doubt, but I want to suggest that doubt is simply a By-Product of the problem, not the problem.  I believe that the devil’s greatest weapon is FEAR! 

Why would I say that?  It is because “fearful people” frequently make irrational decisions.  They can only see the problem (perceived or real).  They can only see the danger or the potential danger, not the solution.  Fear causes a state of mind that is filled with “hopelessness” and “creates doubt.”  It is Impossible to walk in Faith and Fear at the same time!

            Faith has Hope                                             Fear is Hopeless

            Faith has Vision                                           Fear is Blind

            Faith Trusts                                                   Fear Doubts

            Faith has Joy                                                Fear has Depression

            Faith has Patience                                       Fear has Impatience

            Faith produces Life                                      Fear produces Death

 Therefore, it is my contention that the opposite of Faith is not Doubt but Fear!  Doubt is simply the “by-product” of fear and fear is the result of Wrong Focus!   Fear comes when we view something that we perceive to be bigger than we are and out of our control!  It boils down to a matter of where our confidence lies.  Is it in Us or in God?  Fear is rooted in “self” whereas Faith is rooted in GOD.

I will stop there and pick up tomorrow with dealing with this problem.  As I depart I pray that the Lord walks with you and reveal any and all pitfalls that you will face on this day and guide you into His perfect victory for your life at this moment.

I speak Blessing and Peace to you!

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WHAT I HAVE WRITTEN I HAVE WRITTEN…


Spiritual Blog - Story of our Lives

John 19:22 – “Pilate answered, ” What I have written I have written.”  NASU

Most everyone knows the account of Jesus facing the judgment of Pilate and the Jewish Sanhedrin.  When Pilate caved to the demands of the Jewish leaders to crucify Jesus, he made a feeble attempt to wash his hands of the matter but took a parting shot at the Jews in the inscription over Jesus’ Cross.  He wrote or had written, “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”  That infuriated the Jewish leaders and they demanded that Pilate place an inscription of their liking in its place.  They offered, “He said, I am King of the Jews.”  Pilate responded with words that rip through my heart, “What I have written I have written?”

Those are piercing words.  I want to use them as a catalyst to address each of us personally and individually.  I ask, “What have you written?”  What is the story of your life by your own hand?  What have and what are you writing that is being and will be read of others regarding who and what you are?  The only time to correct the story is in the present while we are still alive on planet earth.  There will be no erasing the words or writing a new story once breath has left our bodies and we are ushered to the other side, the eternal.

Paul reminded the Corinthian Christians of a truth that we should all embrace and allow to motivate us and make us aware of our influence on others.  He said in 2 Corinthians 3:2, “You are our letter, written in our hearts, know and read of all men;  3 being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”   What you have written you have written.  Are you pleased with your story?  Would you like to modify, edit, change, or alter it?

If the answer is yes, there is a way and there is hope.  If no, then your story will be the story when you stand before the Lord in that final day.  Remembering that we cannot earn our way into heaven I do not suggest that you try to change your story to win brownie points with God.  That won’t work.  However, there is the declaration of our LORD in Matthew 16:27 to contend with and recognize, “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”  There is also Paul’s contention in 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 that needs to be recognized, “Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” 

You do not work to get into heaven, but you work because you are going to heaven.  You do not work to be saved, you work because you are saved.  God’s Grace is Amazing and His Longsuffering almost unbelievable, but it is real.  There are chapters in my life that I have attempted to rewrite and hopefully, the latter chapters erase the former bringing them under the blood of Jesus.  I was told in my early days of preaching, “Son, you are the only Bible some people will ever read, so what is the Gospel according to you?”  That was expanded upon as I was taught the importance of Always Being Aware!  Just as with children, they are watching, listening and learning even when we are unaware.

My prayer is “LORD, help me to not just represent you but to manifest you to the world.”  I can hire an attorney to represent me, but he cannot manifest me.  However, my children can both represent and manifest me, because that are of me.  If we are “In Christ” we are in a very real sense Christ to this world.  They do not see Him or know Him, but they see us and how we present him to the world is writing our story.  So again, I ask you to remember the words of Pilate, “WHAT I HAVE WRITTEN I HAVE WRITTEN.”  What are you writing?

I ask the LORD to watch over you, keep you and bless you this day.  May He guide your footsteps and blend your heart with His.  Have a fantastic day!

 

 

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I WONDER HOW MANY OF US, THIS SCRIPTURE, MAKES A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE…


Spiritual Blog - Uncomfortable

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 – “As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut! Don’t be a fool who doesn’t realize that mindless offerings to God are evil. 2 And don’t make rash promises to God, for he is in heaven, and you are only here on earth. So let your words be few.

3 Just as being too busy gives you nightmares, being a fool makes you a blabbermouth.  

4 So when you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. 5 It is better to say nothing than to promise something that you don’t follow through on. 6 In such cases, your mouth is making you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved. 

7 Dreaming all the time instead of working is foolishness. And there is ruin in a flood of empty words. Fear God instead.” NLT

Most of us have either been guilty or heard long pretentious prayers uttered in Church and other settings and afterward felt a little unclean and sometimes a little put off what had happened.  If we were to find that we had an audience with the Greatest Person on Earth and the Wisest Person on Earth I dare say we would be very careful in what we said and how much we said.  It would probably be both intimidation and respect that elicited that kind of response.  Yet, amazingly, when we enter the presence of THE GOD OF ALL CREATION we are frequently not careful in the number of words we declare or the content of those words.

I have always found that Amazing because of the awesomeness of being in the presence of GOD!  My unworthiness hits me smack in the face when I enter His presence.  My limited knowledge is ever before me as I come before the Throne of God.  My finiteness is fully in my mind as I come in the presence of Infiniteness.  My weakness is so painfully clear when I stand in the presence of Omnipotence.  He “knows” my going in and my coming out.  He “knows” my thoughts afar off.  He “knows” the thoughts and intent of my heart.  Nothing hidden is that will not be revealed in His presence, so I wonder why we sometimes seem careless in our utterances before Him and our spontaneous promises we make to Him that we have not thought through and are not capable of carrying out?

The wisdom of this passage is so powerful that I have it written down and am working to have it inscribed on a plaque that I can keep in my office and before my eyes daily.  I want to “fulfill” the purposes of God in my generation and then I’m ready to go home but not one second before that accomplishment.  I want to hear “Well done, my good and faithful servant, enter into the joys of your Lord.”  I want to see His face beaming with pride as I stand before Him, not see a broken heart when I look into His eyes over my wasted years and empty promises.

I have a passion and desire to see Everyone come to the knowledge of the Lord and enjoy the Liberty and Freedom that comes from being in the Family of God.  I want everyone to understand the Covenantal Promises of the Lord and learn to allow the Holy Spirit to guide their footsteps in all things.  I want GOD!  I know that you do too and that’s why I write this devotional daily and especially today.  Let’s make it our daily goal and objective to give Him the honor that is due Him and the reverence that He deserves.  Let’s make our lives an expression of Worship unto the Lord!

 I pray that the LORD will guard each of our hearts, footsteps, and provide us with everything that we need in this life in all areas materially, physically, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually.

God Bless you and as we enter the Christmas Season I pray that you will have a Merry & Joyous Christmas and a Glorious New Year!

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THE IMPORTANCE OF GOD’S WORD…


Spiritual Blog - Word of God

2 Timothy 3:16-4:1- “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”  NASU

1 Thessalonians 2:13 – “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it  not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”  NASU

1 Peter 2:2-3 – “…like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.”  NASU

Before I accepted Christ as my Savior I knew that I knew nothing about the Bible or what it really taught.  Once, I accepted Jesus as my Savior, I still knew I knew nothing, but had an insatiable hunger for the Word of God.  After, I’d been a Christian for a few years I, like many, developed the idea that I had “THE TRUTH” and became quite a Pharisee.  Then, the Holy Spirit took me through a metamorphosis where I once again realized that knew that I Knew Nothing or Knew so Little that it was almost shameful and that realized that no man had a corner on truth and we should always be learning and growing in our knowledge of God and an understanding of Truth.  That’s one of the reasons that the Church is called a “body” because the body needs every member or part to function as a complete whole.

Each of us lives at a different level of understanding of “light” in the revelation of the things of God, so if we link together we have a composite of knowledge that is powerful.  Sadly, too often we attempt to either live isolated lives or attend churches that are so sectarian and such isolationists that we do not draw from other members of the body of Christ from various doctrinal reasons.  To me, that is a shame!  Hardly a day goes by that I do not learn something new in God or expand something that I already knew to a more full revelation of that truth.  That makes living exciting and makes the Word of God as desirable as the most delectable plate of your favorite food, pleasurable activity, or vacation spot.

The Word of God is our final authority on all matters, but not one portion of it is of private interpretation.  That’s what Peter was addressing in 2 Peter 1:20-21- “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” NASU 

We need to remember that we are not Omniscient, Omnipresent, or Omnipotent.  We are human and totally dependent upon God, His Word, and the Power of the Holy Spirit to live this thing called life.  We also need each other because we are The Body of Christ!   Therefore, I refuse to be exclusive and strive to be inclusive in my association and relationships with others who name the name of Christ.  We may not agree on all things, and that’s perfectly okay.  However, if we can agree on the very basic foundational principles that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God, who died as a substitute for our sins and is not interceding for us before the throne of God we, can work around almost anything else.  If we accept the Word of God as just that THE WORD OF GOD then we have a basis for working through all other differences.  There are some things I consider heresy as do you, but what if I’m wrong?  Should I not reach out to those who acknowledge Jesus as their personal savior and truly find out what they believe and share with them what I believe and maybe, just maybe together we can develop a more, clear picture of The Truth of God!

Something to think about as you stand before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords on this Lord’s Day and Worship!  Thanks for your continued prayers for my wife as she battles Stage Four Breast Cancer.  We treasure your love, prayers, and friendship.

Blessings from the Lord on this beautiful day!

 

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