Believe In The Promises

Deut. 1:21--"Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee;Go up and posses it, as the Lord God of the fathers hath said unto thee, fear not, neither be discouraged".

   The mission was complete, the twelve men had returned from their undercover surveillance of enemy territory. They now stood before their fellow country men. The report came in ; the land is good! But ten said it's impossible to possess, the people are too strong, its cities to well defended, and it's a land which eateth up the inhabitants. The people were swayed, they abandoned their invasion plans, and elected to return to the enslavement from which they had been delivered.They failed to believe in the promise.

We live in a 24/7 media world; it consist of television, radio, internet,phones newspapers, books, magizines and the trusted word of mouth.It's a media which even when factual, it can be misleading, prejudicial and often very one sided.Its truth are generally based on the opinons of the ones telling the story.We have televison programs swaying people to believe certain lifestyles are acceptable;some of our music degrades ,defiles and encourages ungodly living. The secular media tells us "it's your life , life it your way to the fullest", while some religious media tells us"Jesus died for your sins so you can live any kind of life,and God understands".Thus many are swayed to abandon Gods perfect plan for our lives,and return to the enslavement of sin to which we have been made free.

 The word of God says "I can do ALL things through Christ who Strenghtens me",  who are we going to believe ?, The report of the world, or the word of God?We walk by faith in the promises of God's word,not by the sight of the lies the world shows us. The challengers might be strong but my God is stronger, the problems might seem like giants but our God is Bigger.We're are at the door step of our breakthrough, let us walk on by faith into the promised rest, in the promised land that God has prepared for those who trust and believe him.Believe In the promises of God 

Highway To Heaven

Matthew 7:14 "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,which leadeth unto life,and few there be that find it".

People hold varying ideals about what constitutes Christianity.Few who profess Christ actually know what he taught and even fewer practice what he preached.As a result most people believe Jesus' way of life is impractical and unworkable in the real world.But this is not based on what the bible actually teaches.Many think as long as they believe in Jesus,attend church occasionally and are basically good people,that they are living a life pleasing to God.Religion to many,is more or less whatever they want it to be,and this message is sometimes taught in many congregations today in an effort to fill pews rather than saving souls.Some think that any personal religious preference or practice, as long as it is motivated by good intentions is acceptable to God. They see modern christianity as being a mile wide and a inch deep, but mile wide Christianity is not the path to God's kingdom,rather according to Jesus it is the highway to destruction.

Many teach all you need to do is believe in Jesus and you go to heaven,there is no need for change just  believe.We must be careful not to be decieved that it is acceptable to to worship God the way we want,refashioning Him in our own image,shaping his word to fit our life style,and thinking this is a godly way of life?Is this traveling on the narrow road?Is simply believing on Jesus as Lord and savior enough to enter eternal Life? Jesus said not all who cry Lord, Lord will enter into the kingdom of Heaven.So is simply believing enough?The bible say the devil believes and trembles,so our believing should bring about an action also. What does it mean to believe? Remember God said "your ways are not my ways";Man believes with his mind,but God's word says to believe in thine heart.See our belief in Jesus must be in the heart so that it can change our heart.It is when we believe in our hearts that we can truly deny ourselves,and follow Christ on the narrow road.It is when we believe in our heart that we can honestly and boldly confess with our  mouth that Jesus is Lord.Then we can live by a faith that will keep us when the cares of this world try to lead us down the broad road.

The way leading to eternal life is the way of living within the boundaries defined in God's law.It is not the broad popular way that approves of any behavioral preference and practice.As it was in Jesus day,many put their faith in the words and opinions of the religious teachers they like the most and whose teaching agrees with their lifestyles.Few look to God's word  in the scripture as the primary source of their belief.If you really want to follow God according to His instructions,let us honestly take a look at where our current worship habits and the way we live our lives come from.We need to ask ourselves whether they come from scripture or not,are the teachers we follow,faithful to God's word or are they teaching ideals and opinions to fill the pews and collection plates.The answer to these question will help you determine if you are on the highway to heaven.

Deceiving One's Self

Romans 8:7-8 " Because the carnal mind is enmity against God:for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God".

There are many religions and religious groups today. In fact religion is the fastest growing organized group in the world today.But all religion is not holy,and all is not of Christ.There are many beliefs falsely labeled"Christian" and are taught under the name of Jesus Christ.His name is used as a mask for religious philosophies and doctrines that didn't originate with Him or any of His apostles.There are many teachings and followings of gospels full of lawlessness and counterfiet righteousness and is just a natural expression of what we call human nature.

Paul wrote the mind is hostle to God, it does not submit to God's law nor can it do so.Those who are controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.Our natural choice isn't to obey God,but to resist Him and His way of life.As a result, alternatives to the true message of Christ have been devised to accommodate the natural human unwillingness to live by God's commandmants.A message to apease the wants needs and desires of the flesh.Most people who accept these lawless precepts are no doubt sincere.They have accepted and truly believe a fake message which has been taugh and preached for centuries."The delusion is very powerful,the coming of the lawless one is according to the working of satan,with all power, signs, and lying wonders,and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish,because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved.And for this reason God will send them a strong delusion,that they should believe the lie." (2 Thessalonians 2:9-11).

Under the influence of Satan,"the god of this age", mankind has been thoroughly blinded.The devil's unseen power so dominates humanity that "the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.  Many people have accepted a counterfeit gospel,a message full of fluff,and stuff, with no conviction. There must be conviction in the heart if there is going to be a true conversion of the soul.You cannot be pardon of a crime, unless you have been convicted of a crime.Don't be deceived , seek the truth of God's message.

Bringing Satan To Worship!

Job1:6 "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord,and Satan came also among them".

Every time we come together to present ourselves before the Lord, Satan has a tendency to be among us. But clearly this cannot be acceptable worship,for nothing that satan does can be accepted.We must come to God by faith,or our worship is dead and unprofitable.We must learn to walk in the spirit putting to death the flesh and the lust thereof so that when we come to present ourselves to the Lord Satan is not among us.He come but to still the word, kill the spirit and destroy the soul of all he comes in contact with.He brings mischief to the sons of God by accusing them before the Lord night and day; by causing them to take their thoughts off the heavenly and they begin to worry about earthly concerns Jesus has already overcome.He causes division in the body by sowing dissensions and the people criticize one another, instead of hearing the gospel message.He causes preachers,teachers, choir singers and even a good praying deacon to become filled with pride and seek glory that belongs to God alone.He tries to quinch the spirit , silence the prayer and even chill the praise of the worship service.

He distracts the unsaved from hearing the message that might lead them to Christ,by raising doubts, putting the man before the master.He may cause them to delay giving there life to Christ,showing them all that is wrong so the enjoyment felt is now hindered, as he takes away the word sown to the heart like a bird eating up newly planted seed.You cannot destroy a hornets nest without being attacked in return. Since we know satan will enter our assemblies,we must make sure we are not the one he is riding with, and we don't give him a place to sit when he enters the congregation.

We must continue to present ourselves to the Lord, even though we know many who confess a false profession will be in attendance.But let us do a great soul searching and ask ourselves daily "Lord is it I",so that we are not the ones with the false profession. We must be more watchful as we pray, for the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak,that we give not into the temptations of the flesh.Our preachers and teachers must be more faithful to the gospel truth,that the devil will not find comfort in the congregation, but will be annoyed by the truth which he hates.We must allow the truth of God's word to convict  the heart,then it will convert the soul and bring about true confessions from the mouth.(You cannot confess to something you are not guilty of.).Let us strive for the perfect assembly above where there be no mixture, but a sinless congregation.

Have You Been Changed?

Romans 6:4 "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father,even so we also should walk in newness of life".

Genuine repentance leads us to the unconditional surrender of our will to God.When we come to that point  Peter said the next step is to be baptized for the remission of sins(acts 2:38). Baptism is a true reminder of several deep spiritual truths. It represents the death, burial, and resurrection, of both Jesus and ourselves. Baptism shows that we accept the shed blood of Christ for our sins and pictures the death of the old man in the baptismal grave. As Jesus was resurrected a spiritual being,our comming out of the grave,rising out of the baptismal water, symbolizes our new spirit led life.Understanding  the true meaning of repentence and conversion lifts baptism to much more than just a symbol; it becomes a life changing event.It was so important that Jesus himself was baptized by John at the Jordan.

Baptism is not the conclusion of the conversion process,it marks the beginning for us.Paul tells us in our scripture, that going down into the water the old man is dead , along with his ways and his will, and since dead we are no longer servant to sin and the lust there of.Being raised out of the water we should come up a new creature in Christ,walking in the spirit as to no longer fulfil the lust of the flesh. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward change of heart and mind.We are no longer like the old man, rebellious, disobedient to the will ,word and way of God.We have taken off the old self with its practices and have  put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its creator.

Hebrews 9:14 tells us that Jesus sacrifice,which we formally accept at baptism,cleanses our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.Through Christ's sacrifice, the waters of baptism wash away the sin in our lives(acts 22:16) we can go forward with a clear conscience. Until our baptism the bible describes us as enslaved to our self serving human nature.But, once we are baptized and our sins are forgiven,God regards us as servants of righteousness.We are redeemed,bought back from a life of slavery to sin to become servants of the living God...............

Tools In His Garden

Matthew 9:37 "Then saith he unto his disciples,The harvest truly is plenteous,but the labourers are few";

In this time of the self named, self famed, and the self proclaimed religions, God is calling humbled servants to be tools to work in His garden of garden of salvation.But many have become so self absorbed, that we have lost track of the purpose of our salvation.It seems that we now spend more time trying to convience the world of our salvation, that we have neglected our duty of proclaiming that there is a Savior.God has chosen us to bear much fruit ,and fruit that will last.

Jesus said "the harvest is truly plentiful,but the labourers are few".The world is full of  lost souls, but there dosn't seem to be enough workers in the field to lead them to Christ.God saved us,that we might be labourers of the harvest.God saved us that we might be witnesses to the lost that he is the savior, that he will provide, that he is the way to peace and rest, he is the truth that makes one free, and he is the life everlasting.But the focus has been lost.The reason Jesus said go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, is because there are wolves in sheep clothing among us, and since we don't know who is who, he said preach it to every creature.God is seeking labourers, servants who are willing to deny self and submitt to the will of the Father,for the good of the Kingdom. Labourers who will walk out in blind faith and trust his word to do what it was designed to do,to totally depend on him, as we work the field of harvest.Someone who will share not only his words but his truths in love, not to hurt feelings, but to convict hearts and convert souls.

We must take his message,His word, to His people, that He shed His blood for, that they may receive His salvation, and enjoy eternal life His kingdom. Now we are not to just proclaim the message with our lips, but we must spread the gospel with our life, by becoming a living example of the message we proclaim.Standing solely on the truth of his word, trusting in the power of his spirit,and submitt totally to his will.Let us become labourers of the harvest, that all in darkness might be drawn to the light and ask "what must I do to be saved".This calling truly isn't about us or the many names we give ourselves to impress others, it is about how Jesus died on a cross, to pay for the sins of the world,and us believers taking this good news to a dying world that all who hears might believe, and believing they might have everlasting life.

 

Shining Light-Quiet Voice

John 12:10-11 "But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death;Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away,and believed on Jesus".

The Lord said "let your light so shine before man that they see your good works and glorify your Father which art in heaven".Light is seen,and not heard.Jesus wants us to live a life that shows who He is. But many are busy telling  the world they are saved,telling the world what God can do ,but the life they live tells a different story all together.Our life should tell a dying world that the Savior lives.

Here we have one who lived such a life.Lazarus doesn't say a word in the entire bible, there is no record or reference of him saying anything.Yet the life he lived was one that caused others to believe in Jesus. Lazarus was dead and Jesus called him to life.His new life with Christ was such a powerful witness, that not only did it lead others to believe,but the religious leaders wanted to put him to death along with Jesus.We were once dead in sin, once wrapped up in the guilt of sin, and held captive in darkness,but Jesus called us into a new life with Him.We should let the light of our new life so shine that a lost world will believe on the only begotten of the Father.

Jesus said "If I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me". It is when we lift Him with the living of our life which draws lost souls to Him.My grandmother once told me a gentleman never says he is one, his actions do.So a real Christian doesn't have to say he/she is one, the life they live will tell the story.Let your light so shine,and lead a lost soul to Christ.