Job 12:9
Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?
Timothy 3:16
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Genesis 8:22
While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
John 1:3
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Proverbs 13:11
Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.
Showing posts with label Verse of the day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Verse of the day. Show all posts
Today's Verse
Rom 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
THE CROWNS IN HEAVEN
Crowns are symbols of authority. As we struggle here on earth in our Christian lives and our services to God,He will give us crowns as a way of granting us authority in the period when we reign with our Lord Jesus for a thousand years.
God is setting up His
Eternal Kingdom, and He uses Suffering, Trials and tests to eternally reward
true believers at the
Judgment Seat of Christ (2
Cor 5:10, 1 Cor 3:10-15,
Rom 14:10-12). Those who
did what Jesus told them to do through obedience to God's Word will receive eternal rewards.
The Crown of Righteousness is for Christians who have lived a righteous and holy life while longing for the coming of Christ(2 Timothy 4:8). It behoves on every Christian to be clean as God expects from us(1 John 3:2-3).
The Incorruptible Crown or Victor's Crown is
for those who Discipline
their Bodies, and bring
their Bodies unto
Subjection( Self-
Control). Some Christians
have given up every pleasure of life for the sake of God's Kingdom. Sellers of alcohol no more sell,gamblers have stopped gambling,robbers have stopped robbery,state heads have stopped corruption,all because of the Kingdom of God. Such people are victorious, and they will receive this crown(1Corithians 9:25-27).
Some Christians too have suffered so much,almost everything goes wrong in their lives. Some suffer in marriage,childbirth,sickne
The Christians who have dedicated their lives to win lost souls for Christ Jesus will be rewarded with the Crown of Rejoicing or Soul winner's Crown(1 Thessalonians 2:19 and Dan 12:3). This crown is the result of the Great Commission that Jesus gave us(Matthew 28:18-20).
Lastly,the Crown of Glory or the Shepherd's Crown is for pastors,Elders and all church leaders who are willing to teach and explain the word of God. Leaders who are serving not because of money but are eager to work for God(1 Peter 5:1-4).
But let us know that the crowns can be lost through the pleasures of canality and temptations which may turn some Christians away from serving God. We need to guard the crowns(2 John 1:7-8 and Rev 3:11).
When athletes run races,they hope for medals,so must we who are still longing for the appearance of our Lord, run a good race and hope for these imperishable crowns which will be given to us in the last days.
I encourage you to fight a good fight,be strong in your faith,be committed to the work of God,don't be a half Christian,pass all trials and temptations because they are the tests of your faith(James 1:2-4). If we are able to do all these,God will never fail His promise to give us the crowns.
May God help us all to stand firm as we wait for His promise, through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
A PROMISED HOPE
For to us a Child is born,to us a Son is given,and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called a Wonderful Counsellor,Mighty God,Everlasting Father,Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end(Isaiah 9:6-7).
Jesus came down from Heaven to take our burdens(problem,sin,death.
He brought us hope and happiness,and this we can boast of that we find joy and peace like living streams in our souls.
As we celebrate this season to mark the birth of Christ who brought joy to the whole world,may He take away all our problems onto Himself and give total freedom to all who have been taken captive both spiritual and physical.
May He bring light to those in darkness.
May He rain peace onto earth.
Make merries and let joy flow through your heart because if you allow that joy to pass through your heart and mark this season with love,your burdens will be no more.
Share gifts as many as you can and God will replenish whatever you give out in many folds.
Let your cry be laughter and you will cry no more.
To end it,I wish you all merry Christmas and many happy returns.
God bless you and keep you safe. Amen.
SEEKING GOD
I would like to tell you this brethren, that years are still passing and the ages are expiring.
It is never the wish of God that anyone perishes in hell. That's why He keeps on knocking the doors of our hearts that we will give Him way to come and make your heart His place of abode(Revelation 3:20).
The Lord seeks for the heart that is ready and yeaning to serve him. No matter how evil that heart is,the Lord comes to heal it and makes it His dwelling place because that heart knows its weakness,and has seen the need to call for help.
Such hearts are God seeking hearts,and the Lord hears their cry and comes to their rescue.
Blessed are the poor in spirit,for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven(Matthew 5:3).
God seeks those who think that their way of life is not perfect before Him but are willing to serve Him.
Such people wish not to do evil against God,but they keep on doing.
I want to tell you that the Lord knows all your weaknesses. It only behoves on you to tell Him that you are ready for Him and that you give Him all yourself.
Do not be condemned by your thoughts because you are very weak,but rather hold firmly to the cloth of Jesus and call Him to help you. When you surrender your life to Him,He will give you the holy spirit so that you will always overcome your weaknesses.
I want to tell you again that the weakness of the flesh does not vanish when one becomes born again because those weaknesses are part of the body. But when the weaknesses react,the Spirit of God subdues them and takes control of your actions. That is why i urge you not to condemn yourself but rather seek God for help.
Let Him come into your heart and be the Lord of your soul,I tell you,your soul shall find a resting place when it departs from this world.
I pray for the Spirit of God upon you so that you will seek Him and make Him the Master of your life.
May you be drawn closer to Him by His Spirit through Jesus Christ,Amen.
NO MORE SINNING
May peace and grace from God our Father be with us all,Amen.
I give onto you what the Father has given onto me.
And I speak also to myself as I speak to you,so that I myself will not be disqualified but rather would be saved together with you all in the last days:
We all were separated from God because of the sin of one man(Adam). The sin of Adam made every human being a sinner.
Sin entered our hearts and overcame our souls, so sin was something normal to us.
We absolutely went astray,but God Himself had mercy on us and became like a man and was crucified so that His death would draw all men back to Him.
We were dead in our sins but we attest to this truth that,now God has made us alive with Christ and called us His people(there is no doubt).
Therefore in Christ,we have put off the sinful nature when we were buried with Him in baptism. The old nature lives no more with us because we have put Christ on us,wearing Him as our new cloth.
Sin has nothing to do with us again because we have put to death whatever belongs to our earthly nature.
We now live in holiness-we must get rid of lesbianism,homosexuality
adultery,unforgiveness, and all kinds of impurities(Colossians 3:1-5).
If we put on the old self and do the old things again,then we are guilty of Christ's suffering and death on the cross because we have put the Son of God under feet,and have treated His blood unholy thing,and again we have insulted the spirit of grace(Hebrews 10:28-29).
So brothers and sisters,mothers and fathers,uncles and aunties,sons and daughters, let us maintain the new cloth which Christ has put on us and flee from sin so that the wrath of God will not come upon us.
Will we lose our salvation because of sin? No way!! Don't give that chance!! God has done it all through His son. He has provided every possible means for us to be holy,so let us stay away from sin and put on Christ-like nature without thinking about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature(Romans 13:14), so that we will become God's own chosen generation who will reign with Christ. This is the desire of God for mankind.
If it's not so,Jesus Christ wouldn't have come to suffer death on the cross.
PRAYER:
oh heavenly Father,glory be toYou in the Highest. You always look through our hearts and minds and heal us with Your word so that we will be worthy to stand before Your Throne.
May Your holy name be praised.
I pray and commit Your chosen generation into Your hands that glue us all to Yourself and let Your presence be with us always.
We cry out for Your grace to live for You alone.
Help us to get rid of our old nature and put on Chrst-like nature so that we will not be guilty His blood.
Thank You so much for transforming us into Your image again through Jesus Christ our Saviour and Lord,Amen
THE LORD OUR GOD IS MIGHTY TO DO ALL THINGS
When God created the world, there was
darkness,
And God said, Let there be light: and there was
light(Genesis 1:3).
When there was no way, He
paved a way through the sea (Exodus 14). The walls of Jericho were broken and God delivered
the city into the hands of Joshua and the
Israelites (Joshua 6).
When the storm rose up on
the sea, Jesus Christ spoke and the storm was calmed (Mark 4: 35-41).
Lazarus died and was buried for four days, but the might of our God brought life back to him (John 11: 1 - 44).
Peter was arrested, chained and put in prison (Acts 12 : 1 - 19), Paul and Silas were flogged severely and thrown into prison (Acts 16 : 16 -40) but God miraculously rescued them all.
All these reveal the Infinite power of our God, and also make us aware of what He is capable of doing.
I constantly draw your attention to this unimaginable nature of the Most High God, Who doubles as our eternal Father and God so that your trust in Him may be perfect,and I deeply feel it in my spirit that whatever I speak of will encourage, straightening and change the lives of many people because I do not speak of what I know but I speak only of what has been given to me from above, so that in all we do, the relationship between us and the Farher will be intensified.
I do not speak to you alone, but I speak also to myself while speaking to you so that we all may have one and perfect faith in our eternal Father.
Though there are unpleasant things and so many uncertainties bothering us in our Christian lives, and but our greatest hope and comfort is that, Christ Jesus, who is our source of life resides inside of us, and this is our first encouragement and strength.
The enemy may stand up against us in everything good coming on our ways.
He may also sometimes set up confusion among us and cause us against God, even to a state of not believing in what GOD can do, but in all these, I beseech you to hold on to your faith and trust that our God is MIGHTY to save and do all things which are far beyond human abilities and understandings.
For He Has put words in my mouth, and so I speak by His authority and in the power of His name that every darkness, being death, spiritual blindness or any form of evil should be suppressed by the light of God.
Has anyone cursed you and spoken evil against you?
Are you so nervous because of their devious actions?
Then hear this : Lamentations 3:37, Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
Haha, cheer up and do not be afraid ok, for if the Lord Has not decreed it, nothing that shall be said to you will come to pass, both good and bad.
Do not be troubled about their curses and evil threat against you because they will all not hold, unless God makes them happen.
More blessing to you, and may the Spirit of the Lord be with you.
PRAYER :
Almighty God and our only Eternal Father, may glory and honour be onto Your Holy name. Your goodness is enough for us and your love is sufficient for all creation.
We acknowledge everything You do because all Your thoughts are without evil.
I know that whatever You speak shall surely come to pass.
May all that You spoke concerning us, even before You laid the foundation of the earth be fulfilled through Thy power.
Make straight the path for us to walk on it smoothly.
Thank You for Your unfailing power and ability.
May the Heavens and the earth worship Your Majesty now and forever, Amen.
MATHEW 6:19-21
DO NOT STORE UP FOR YOURSELVES TREASURES ON EARTH,WHERE MOTH AND RUST DESTROY,AND WHERE THIEVES BREAK IN AND STEAL.BUT STORE UP FOR YOURSELF TREASURES IN HEAVEN,WHERE NO MOTH AND RUST DO NOT DESTROY,AND WHERE THIEVES DO NOT BREAK IN AND STEAL.FOR WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS,THERE YOUR HEART WILL BE ALSO.
JESUS HIMSELF SAID IN LUKE 13:3"
But except ye repent ,ye shall likewise perish."
These are serious sober words from the Master of our souls !! He did not say 'unless you invite me into your little heart and do yourself a favor.'Jesus said 'Repent or Perish.'
Jesus even tells lukewarm believers in Rev.3:19'As many as I love ,I rebuke and chasten:be zealous therefore and repent.'
Dare we modify the gospel and just tell people come to Jesus for 'love ,peace and joy' and 'please accept Him' and forget about the fact that man is a vile sinner who needs to beg for mercy and repent and get right with God and if not he will go into eternal damnation.
WE SEE LITTLE CONVICTION OF SIN THESE DAYS AS MANY PREACH A SUGAR COATED FALSE GOSPEL OF HAPPINESS THAT DOES NOT PRODUCES REAL CONVERTS WHO ARE HUNGRY FOR HOLINESS !
Acts 17:30 Says God 'commands all men every where to repent." Paul preached in Acts 20:21 'Repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.' Dare we leave out of the gospel the command to repent and flee from the wrath of God and turn from sin in order to turn to Christ in saving faith?
Repentance is not just a change of mind, it also includes a change of heart.It is a spiritual turning,a total about face in response to a deep conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit ! It is turning from sin to the Savoir who redeems from sin.We repent and He redeems !!A person will not turn to Christ unless he turns from his old sinful life.Repentance is an inward response ,but its fruit will be evident in the true believers conduct.
1.Acts 26:20"That they should repent and turn to God,and do works met for repentance."
Notice that there will be real works and evidence after a person repents ! The book of Acts makes it so clear that the gospel message includes a call to repent.It is a straightforward command.It is confronting sin and calling sinners to a radical break from the love of sin and a seeking of the Lord's mercy.
2.Acts 11:18 tells us that 'repentance leads to a new life in Christ.'
The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament in defining repentance calls it , 'a radical conversion , a transformation of nature, a definitive turning from evil, a resolute turning to God in total obedience.It affects the whole man ,first and basically the center of his personal life, then logically his conduct.The whole proclamation of Jesus is a proclamation of unconditional turning to God ,of unconditional turning from all that is against God.'
Matthew 4:17'From that time Jesus began to preach and to say,Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
Luke 15:7' Likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repents.'
Mark 6:12 says the disciples,'went out ,and preached that men should repent'.
3.REPENTANCE ! Isaiah 55 :7'Let the wicked forsake his way,and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord,and He will have mercy upon him,and to our God,for He will abundantly pardon.'Who does God have mercy on ? Who does the Lord pardon and forgive?
4.Acts 3:19 'Repent ye therefore, and be converted , that your sins may be blotted out ,when times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.' Peter is very clear here.He was calling for a radical ,180 -degree turning from sin.That is repentance.When are our sins blotted out according to this scripture ?
A minister in the 1600's defines repentance as a:
1.Sight of Sin.
2.Sorrow of Sin.
3.Confession of Sin.
4.Shame for Sin.
5.Hatred for Sin.
6.Turning from Sin .
Sin must first be seen before it can be wept for! David cried in Psalm 51:4"Against Thee and Thee only ,have I sinned ,and done this evil in Thy sight."
The whole idea of sin has virtually disappeared from our culture.We cannot delete and edit our Bibles and take out the word 'Repent' or the word 'Sin.'We have watered down the gospel so much that we no longer preach against sin and show how wicked and ugly it is in the eyes of a holy God.We do not want to offend people so we soften the message and in the process we offend God .The Cross shows us the ugliness of sin and reveals the holiness and the love of God !!
Jesus said in Luke 24:47 ' And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations.'Are we obeying this great commission?{Share post as the Lords leads you}
These are serious sober words from the Master of our souls !! He did not say 'unless you invite me into your little heart and do yourself a favor.'Jesus said 'Repent or Perish.'
Jesus even tells lukewarm believers in Rev.3:19'As many as I love ,I rebuke and chasten:be zealous therefore and repent.'
Dare we modify the gospel and just tell people come to Jesus for 'love ,peace and joy' and 'please accept Him' and forget about the fact that man is a vile sinner who needs to beg for mercy and repent and get right with God and if not he will go into eternal damnation.
WE SEE LITTLE CONVICTION OF SIN THESE DAYS AS MANY PREACH A SUGAR COATED FALSE GOSPEL OF HAPPINESS THAT DOES NOT PRODUCES REAL CONVERTS WHO ARE HUNGRY FOR HOLINESS !
Acts 17:30 Says God 'commands all men every where to repent." Paul preached in Acts 20:21 'Repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.' Dare we leave out of the gospel the command to repent and flee from the wrath of God and turn from sin in order to turn to Christ in saving faith?
Repentance is not just a change of mind, it also includes a change of heart.It is a spiritual turning,a total about face in response to a deep conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit ! It is turning from sin to the Savoir who redeems from sin.We repent and He redeems !!A person will not turn to Christ unless he turns from his old sinful life.Repentance is an inward response ,but its fruit will be evident in the true believers conduct.
1.Acts 26:20"That they should repent and turn to God,and do works met for repentance."
Notice that there will be real works and evidence after a person repents ! The book of Acts makes it so clear that the gospel message includes a call to repent.It is a straightforward command.It is confronting sin and calling sinners to a radical break from the love of sin and a seeking of the Lord's mercy.
2.Acts 11:18 tells us that 'repentance leads to a new life in Christ.'
The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament in defining repentance calls it , 'a radical conversion , a transformation of nature, a definitive turning from evil, a resolute turning to God in total obedience.It affects the whole man ,first and basically the center of his personal life, then logically his conduct.The whole proclamation of Jesus is a proclamation of unconditional turning to God ,of unconditional turning from all that is against God.'
Matthew 4:17'From that time Jesus began to preach and to say,Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
Luke 15:7' Likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repents.'
Mark 6:12 says the disciples,'went out ,and preached that men should repent'.
3.REPENTANCE ! Isaiah 55 :7'Let the wicked forsake his way,and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord,and He will have mercy upon him,and to our God,for He will abundantly pardon.'Who does God have mercy on ? Who does the Lord pardon and forgive?
4.Acts 3:19 'Repent ye therefore, and be converted , that your sins may be blotted out ,when times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.' Peter is very clear here.He was calling for a radical ,180 -degree turning from sin.That is repentance.When are our sins blotted out according to this scripture ?
A minister in the 1600's defines repentance as a:
1.Sight of Sin.
2.Sorrow of Sin.
3.Confession of Sin.
4.Shame for Sin.
5.Hatred for Sin.
6.Turning from Sin .
Sin must first be seen before it can be wept for! David cried in Psalm 51:4"Against Thee and Thee only ,have I sinned ,and done this evil in Thy sight."
The whole idea of sin has virtually disappeared from our culture.We cannot delete and edit our Bibles and take out the word 'Repent' or the word 'Sin.'We have watered down the gospel so much that we no longer preach against sin and show how wicked and ugly it is in the eyes of a holy God.We do not want to offend people so we soften the message and in the process we offend God .The Cross shows us the ugliness of sin and reveals the holiness and the love of God !!
Jesus said in Luke 24:47 ' And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations.'Are we obeying this great commission?{Share post as the Lords leads you}
THE GODLY FEMININE DISCREET WOMAN IS A RARE RUBY !!
Proverbs 11:22"As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout,so is a fair woman which is without discretion."There are many beautiful women with no discretion.
DISCRETION -'TO BE VERY WISE AND CAREFUL IN WHAT WE SAY AND DO.'
1st Peter 3:1-6 speaks of the godly woman whose conduct is chaste and pure and has a reverence for the Lord.Her inner self is beautiful with the ageless beauty of a gentle and meek and quiet spirit.This kind of women is of great value to the Lord and they are a rare jewel in today's culture that tells women that they are sexual objects and that being brash and immodest and the center of attention is important.That is a big lie of the devil and this unclean culture !! Resist these lies !!
Discretion in a woman is a very precious much needed character trait .The discreet woman is pure and loves the Lord and has a proper respect for men.A fancy pig is still an ugly pig.A very odd site to see a pig decked out in jewels.The grossness of a filthy pig outweighs the beauty of the jewels.
Read Proverbs 11:22 again -it is so true isn't it ?
Godliness starts in the heart and is revealed in the way you dress, your speech,your daily conduct etc.Godliness affects every area of a woman's life.
A WOMAN MAY LOOK BEAUTIFUL AND SPEND A LOT 'TIME AND MONEY' ON HER OUTWARD APPEARANCE IN ORDER TO LOOK PRETTY BUT THEIR INNER CHARACTER IS AS UGLY AS A MUDDY PIG IF SHE LACKS DISCRETION!!
Some invest all their time on looking pretty on the outside and ignore the growth of godly character on the inside.Outward attractiveness will fade but not godly attractiveness ! What do you value the most?
A DISCREET WOMEN WILL BE:
1.A woman of self-control.
2.A woman that is modest and does not draw attention to herself.
(1st Tim.2:9-10)
3.She will be humble and not brash and stubborn !
4.She will not do anything to embarrass herself or others!
5.She is sexually pure.She pursues godliness !
6.She does not feel that she has to be the center of attention !The beautiful woman who does not fear God is aggressive and arrogant.
7.Her greatest passion in life is loving and serving the Lord.
Titus 2:4-5"That they may teach the young women to be sober,to love their husbands,to love their children.To be DISCREET,CHASTE,keepers at home,good,obedient to their own husbands,that the Word of God be not blasphemed."
WOMEN WHO ARE NOT DISCREET AND NOT PURE BRING GREAT SHAME TO THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST ! WOMEN MUST NOT BE CARELESS IN THE WAY THEY DRESS AND IN THE WAY THEY TALK.To be discreet means to be serious about your walk with God and to be self-controlled.Chaste means to have a pure heart, a pure mind and a pure life ! Chaste means you avoid looking sensual and sexy and you reject sexual impurity in all areas of life!This relates to married and single women in the Church.
HOW WE LIVE CAN BRING GREAT SHAME TO THE HOLY WORD OF GOD.CHARACTER COUNTS AND IT MUST BE GODLY.THE GREAT NEED IN OUR CULTURE ARE GODLY DADS AND MOMS AND GODLY YOUNG PEOPLE. WE MUST SET A GODLY EXAMPLE !
A woman who lacks discretion:
1.She will flaunt her outward appearance.Prov.7:10 "....a women with the attire of an harlot ,and subtle of heart."No godly woman wants to look like a prostitute !
2.She will be loud and proud and lacking in humility.Prov.7:11 'She is loud and stubborn, her feet abide not in her house.'
3.She will be immodest and draw attention to her body !She wants to be noticed for all the wrong reasons.
Proverbs 31:10,30 "Who can find a virtuous woman?For her price is far above rubies.Favor [charm] is deceitful ,and beauty is vain but a woman that fears the Lord ,she shall be praised."
A discreet women has a 'meek and quiet spirit' which is of great price in the eyes of God!She reveals her godly spirit by her good works.
(1st Tim.2:10) "But which becomes women professing godliness with good works."
She loves the Lord above all things.She is not over familiar with the opposite sex !She does not cross godly boundaries with the opposite sex by being a flirt.She guards her heart and her body which belongs to the Lord.Her true lasting beauty is revealed in her godly character and conduct.
PS-Not promoting looking ugly! Promoting godliness ,purity,modesty and discretion to those who claim Christ as their Lord !
{SHARE AS THE LORD LEADS}
PRAISE BE UNTO THE LIVING GOD !!
I am a born again follower of the Lord Jesus Christ !
We are 'distinct and different' from the world because we are not of the world and we are set free from this corrupt culture by the death of Christ.[Gal.1:4,Rom 12:2]
[Titus 2:14] "Who gave Himself for us ,that He might redeem us from all iniquity,and purify unto Himself a peculiar people zealous for good works." Now that is a powerful scripture that speaks of the normal Christian life !!
WE ARE A PURIFIED ZEALOUS PEOPLE REDEEMED BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB!
We do not surrender to the Lord a part of our lives.We do not just add Jesus to a carnal way of living and be a 'cultural Christian' with no passion for God.What value is Christianity if it does not transform our lives and still leaves us in the bondage of sin. To fully surrender means to completely depend on the Lord for true salvation and our conduct will bear the fruit of obedience. There are no regrets when a person forsakes his sin and places faith in Jesus Christ and is born of God.[1st John 2:3-6]
The soft ,low demands of a 'cultural Christianity' will never change a life. This is a counterfeit brand of Christianity!
A true Christian is in the world but not of the world and we must not be contaminated by it .[James 1:27]
If people see no difference in our values,habits and conduct and speech and that the pleasures of this fallen world are eagerly sought after by us as by them:that we are dependent upon earthly things for satisfaction as they are,then they won't think very much of our Christianity ,for we shall be falling very short of the New Testament Standard![Titus 1:15-16,2nd Tim.3:1-5]
True conversion leads to growth in being more like Christ and the fruit of the Spirit.[Rom.8:29,Gal.5:22-
TRUE GRACE THAT TRULY SAVES US FROM SIN LEADS TO A LIFE OF GODLINESS.
[Titus 2:11-12] "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly ,righteously and godly, in this present world."
Now read [Romans 6:22] and meditate on what it is saying to you and to me today.Is says ,"But now being made free from sin ,and become servants to God ,ye have your fruit unto holiness ,and the end everlasting life." Friends you cannot hide fruit ! Fruit is the outward evidence of whats in the tree and reveals what kind of tree it is ! There can be no fruitless born again Christians according to this scripture.
As true followers of Christ we follow and pursue holiness in the details of life.We hunger for more holiness ![Heb.12:14]
We will by the Spirit of God and our own free will in Christ commit to living a holy and godly life ! [2nd Cor.7:1]"Having therefore these promises ,dearly beloved ,let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit ,perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
[Eph.4:24]"And that ye put on the new man ,which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."
We are commanded to wear the clean fresh clothes of the new life in Christ.Read [Eph.4:25-32,Eph.5:1-17] that will show you the conduct of the new man in Christ !
Finally we will have a desire to share the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ ! [Mark16:15]
A changed life is a powerful testimony ! But we must share what the Word of God says concerning repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.[Acts 20:21] We must let our light shine and be the salt of the earth. [Matt.5:13-16]
Pray for boldness and may the Lord open doors of ministry to you as you reach out to the lost.In your own personal world and daily activities seek out opportunities to tell others about the Lamb of God !{Share as the Lord leads}
STORE UP TREASURES IN HEAVEN ( Matthew 6:19-21)
Treasures are
Valuable or precious
possessions of any kind.
They are things which seem to be the most important to you,and you cherish them so much.
You would never like to lose them because you hold them with your whole heart,and you would do anything to keep them safe from being stolen or destroyed.
Everyone knows what he treasures up,and where his heart is.
There are things here on earth that we value,work for,and sometimes ready to die for-It could be gold,diamond( precious metals-jewels),money,wealt
Though these earthly treasures are good,they appear so nice and attractive in the eyes of men,but they will soon be gone!!!
After we die,they will be no more(we do not still have them after death),and after the earth passes away,they will appear no more.
But still there is hope because there are other treasures which are far better than the earthly treasures!! They are things beyond this earth that we ought to value
and desire for. These treasures will exist even after we die and after this earth is gone. They are called treasures in heaven-God Himself, the heavenly crowns and magnificent mansions, and all the beauties in heaven are treasures in Heaven. They are imperishable.
So beloved people of God, this is the message to you all,that treasure up The Lord God Almighty,because He is The First and Most Valuable Treasure that we can ever think of. He is Imperishable!
We ought to cherish and hold Him with all our hearts.
The earthly treasures are kept here on earth. It is obvious that they are not safe because they can be stolen,destroyed or even fade out. Besides their store(the earth) will be destroyed,so where then will the earthly treasures be? But the heavenly treasures are kept with the Almighty God in Heaven,Hallelujah!!
No one can break into heaven to steal God and also steal the other treasures or destroy Him and destroy the treasures too!!
This is what we must treasure up(the kingdom of heaven and the glories of God) with all our souls. As we treasure up God and His glories in Heaven,we store up for ourselves riches in Heaven.
That is what Jesus told us to do,that we must store
up for ourselves treasures in Heaven.
When we store up treasures in Heaven,our hearts will be there and our whole focus too will be on the things above.
Treasure up God and His Kingdom,for He is the Most Valuable Jewel.
PRAYER:
Our Father in heaven,thank You for Your glory that fills the Heavens and the earth. This glory is what you want us to see in it fulness,that is why You told us to store up treasures for ourselves in Heaven. But Father,the pleasures of this world sometimes make us forget Your command and promise to us. Forgive us our mistakes and draw us close to the things of heaven.
May Your Spirit help us each time to focus on You,and also store for ourselves things in Heaven.
When Your people hear this,let them be strengthen.
Answer their prayers,and grant them their wishes.
May Your Holy name be glorified,Amen.
OUR CULTURE IS VERY DEPRAVED AND EVIL AND WE MUST RESIST ITS INFLUENCE IN OUR LIVES !
1.John 17:16 ' They are not of this world ,even as I am not of this world.'
2.Galatians 1:4' Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world , according to the will of God and our Father.'
3.Romans 12:2'And be not conformed to this world:but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,that ye may prove what is that good,and acceptable and perfect will of God.'
4.James 1:27'Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction ,and to keep himself unspotted from the world.'
5.1st John 2:15 "Love not the world ,neither the things that are in the world.If any man love the world,the love of the Father is not in him.'
COMMENTARY-'The god and prince of this world is Satan.All unconverted people are his subjects.He seeks to attract and hold people through the lust of the eyes the lust of the flesh and the pride of life.This sinful world has its own politics ,art ,music, religion,amusements ,thought -patterns,and lifestyles and it seeks to get everyone to conform to its culture and customs.It hates those who live holy and follow Christ.Christ died to set us free from this wicked world.It would be absolute disloyalty to Christ to set your affections on that which is worldly.This fallen world system ruled by the devil is the enemy of God.' (James 4:4)
We are surrounded by an ungodly culture, that is hostile to the holy things of God.The spirit of this age is selfishness . The culture has been captured by Satan and is in called 'evil'.When we absorb the ungodly values of a sinful culture then worldliness has become a friend instead of a foe .We cannot separate our spiritual lives from our practical lives.We must be sober-minded and alert and resist the evil influences of our culture.We cannot live a life of undefiled devotion unless we live holy unto Him.Has our Christianity had a profound impact on the way we live our lives ?
MENTAL HOUSE CLEANING !! Romans 12:2 'Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.'This is your responsibility ! Many are so very diligent to keep a clean house. They hate 'dirt and dust.' They wash,they dust,they mop the floor and vacuum daily.Their house is 'in order.' Nice and clean.To keep it that way takes time and daily effort ! For me I love a clean tidy house ,but it won't clean itself.
Now have you been in a house that is one big filthy mess ? It is very 'dusty and dirty' and the sink is full of dirty dishes with roaches crawling over the plates ! Piles of newspapers ,trash cans overflowing with garbage.The place stinks and it's not a good place for fellowship .
Some are 'hoarders' and their house is full of junk !
SO WHAT ABOUT YOUR MIND ?IS IT CLEAN ?ARE YOU RENEWING YOUR MIND ? Are you diligent in cleaning your 'mental house' or is it one big mess full of the junk of this world ? Does your thought life stink ? Is it holy or ungodly ?
Psalm 19:8-9 says 'The commandment of the Lord is pure,enlightening the eyes.The fear of the Lord is clean ,enduring forever.'As we fill our minds with the Word and as we fear the Lord we will do radical mental housecleaning in our minds and get the dirt out and keep it out.'
Ephesians 5:26'The He might sanctify it and cleanse with the washing of the water by the Word.' Get the 'bleach and detergent' of the Word of God and clean your mind up.Get those filthy stains of ungodly music ,ungodly movies and ungodly T.V.out of your mind!No one washes their dirty clothes and then takes these clean clothes and throws them in the mud.
DO YOU THROW YOUR MIND IN THE MUD OF UNGODLINESS WHEN YOU KNOW JESUS SAID,'Love the Lord thy God with all your mind.'(Matt.22:37)
God forbid that you may be 'hoarding' mental garbage in your mind.You decide what you expose your mind to ! The defiled culture invades many minds through the media and we call it entertainment when the content is vile and vulgar ! LIKE A HOARDER OUR MINDS ARE FILLED WITH USELESS UNCLEAN GARBAGE ! This is never the place for sweet fellowship with a holy God.The mind is not a trash can overflowing with the trash of this world.No ! God wants us to worship Him with a renewed mind !No one would go to work with a shirt covered with stains because people will see it. But we have no problem going about our daily lives with a mind full of worldly stains that God can see !
Psalm 119:9'Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way ? By taking heed thereto according to Thy Word.'
Psalm 119:11'Thy Word have I hid in mine heart ,that I might not sin against Thee.'
Psalm 101:3'I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes.' LET US BE SERIOUS ABOUT RENEWING AND WASHING OUR MINDS WITH THE HOLY WORD OF GOD.TIME FOR MENTAL HOUSE CLEANING.
JOHN THE BAPTIST !! WE NEED MORE LIKE HIM TODAY !HOPE YOU WILL READ ALL OF THIS POST !
1.He was filled with the Holy Spirit in his mothers womb !
(Luke 1:15)'And he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.'Those in ministry must be filled with the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of Truth! It is very important to have the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon our ministries.
2.He was called by God and not by man ! He did not drink wine or strong drink !(Luke 1:15)'For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord , and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink.'Many want to be great in the sight of men these days but they are not great in the sight of God ! God resists the proud.
3.God would use him to turn many people back to the Lord! (Luke 1:16-17)
4.John grew strong in spirit ! We need leaders who are godly and strong in spirit !(Luke 1:80) 'And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit ,and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel.'
5.He boldly called on people to repent ,confess their sins and flee from the wrath of a holy God ! (Matthew 3:1-2) We need godly ministers who preach the doctrine of repentance and the doctrine of the holy wrath of God.Men who will preach that there is a real hell and a real heaven !
6.He expected to see real evidence of real repentance ! He demanded fruit.
(Matthew 3:8)'Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance.' Because we have perverted the gospel that ignores repentance and true faith we have seen churches filled with fruitless 'believers.' John preached judgment to those who bore no fruit! (Matthew 3:10)'And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the tree:therefore every tree which brings not forth good fruit is cut down ,and cast into the fire.'
7.He did not fear well known religious leaders who were living in sin !He called the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew 3:7)' O generation of vipers ,who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?' He did not seek approval from those in high places !!He sought to please God alone and not man.
8.John did not compromise his message and was a man of godly character.
(Matthew 11:7) 'And as they departed,Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John,What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaking with the wind?' John preached the holy Word of God without fear of others,never yielding to popular opinion.He stood with God against sin ! He was never shaken but fulfilled his calling !
9.John pointed people to Jesus the Lamb of God and not to himself.
(John 1:29)'The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and said,Behold the Lamb of God,that takes away the sin of the world.'
He had no plans for a big time ministry.Jesus was 1st and foremost and central in John's ministry ! Good lesson for us ! Ministry is about serving and not being served.And the focus is to be on Jesus !
10.John was a humble godly man ! We need the virtue of humility back in the ministry !(John 1:27)'He it is ,who coming after me is preferred before me,whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. (John 3:30)'He must increase ,but I must decrease.' Few are like John today.They want the spotlight on them and not on Jesus !Rarely hear that word 'decrease'. Doesn't get many Amen's.
11.John was not a lover of Titles ! He could care less about being called a Prophet or Apostle or Doctor !He did not seek the applause of men.He was no 'attention hog'.(John 1:23)'I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness,Make straight the way of the Lord.'
John was a servant of the Most High and few today want to be called a servant or simply 'a voice.'Titles do not equal a true calling or anointing from above.
12.John did not try to impress people with eloquence or designer clothes ! He was not flashy or an entertainer !(Matthew 3:4)'And the same John had his raiment of camels hair,and a leather girdle about his loins,and his meat was locust and wild honey.
(Luke 7:25)'But what went ye out to see?A man clothed in soft raiment?Behold ,they which are gorgeously clothed ,and live delicately,are in king's courts.The word delicate means 'to live in luxury !' The clothing here speaks of 'expensive clothes'.
John would not fit in today's 'ministry crowd' of luxury , lavish expensive clothes and huge mansions.He did not wallow in ease and comfort and enjoy the pleasures of the prosperous palace crowd in order to gratify his wants and cravings.He did not dress to impress ! He did not 'wine and dine' in the very best hotels and restaurants like so many big shot preachers of today !
13..John never boasted or bragged about his ministry or anointing ! Nothing slick about John. He did not try to sell 'anointed camels hair clothes' or 'so-called holy water' from the river Jordan and use gimmicks to appeal to itching ears in order to get money.John never scratched an itching ear but he sure did offend many with his straight forward 'tell it like it is' preaching !
14.Jesus said John the Baptist was the greatest of prophets and he never performed any miracles.(Luke 11:28,John 10:41) Friend miracles are never the proof that a person is called of God.Miracles can be counterfeited and fake or can be produced by evil spirits.Of course they also can be real and from the Lord ! These days many claim to have special power with God and are self-proclaimed prophets but they are deceivers !
JOHN WAS A REAL MAN OF GOD FULL OF A HOLY ZEAL TO PLEASE THE LORD.WE NEED MORE LIKE HIM.BOLD-FEARLESS-ZEALOUS-
God says
>Miss to Mrs
>Master to Mr
>Job seeker to job giver
>Tenant to Landlord
>Barren woman to mother of twins in Jesus Name!
Satan is a liar,he is telling you to ignore this prayer.
Proof him wrong by choosing a new name you want and type "Amen"
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