Great Aspirations

Experience is the greatest teacher. we live in a world where everything is fast and digital. People are convinced that they know why we exist, what is the meaning of life, and where humanity will go from here. But this is all informational knowledge. These are things that we were taught when we were children. 

Humanity has great aspirations, but we are not truly prepared to complete them. When the Lord created the earth, humans, and all the living things that exist here, He had a plan. He knew what He wanted for this world, and He knew that He would accomplish His goals. Yes, He knew that there was a risk creating mankind, but the rewards to Him were worth the risk.

He placed adam and eve in the garden of eden, and He blessed them, loved them, and nourished them. He held nothing back from them,  He was completely open with them and had a relationship with them. You see, He was their father, and they were His children, and He  loved His children. There was only one thing that He told them they must not do, and that was to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He knew that they were not prepared to  deal with that type of knowledge without His help. He knew that would destroy them. They say knowledge is power, but some knowledge leads to a destructive dead end.

His children rebelled and listened to the dark silky voice of the devil through the serpent. He was disappointed, but He was not surprised. He knew before the foundation of the earth that this would occur. He laid the foundation of their hearts from His own heart, and He gave them the blessings of life and free will, to choose as they wished, to live for Him or to live for themselves, and they failed the test.

You see, adam and eve had informational knowledge of the concept of good and evil, but they did not really understand what evil was. All the time they spent in the garden was beautiful and perfect. They had a great relationship with God, with all the animals and plants. They had a great relationship with each other. Everything was given to them by God and every need was met. They didn't have to labor in the hot sun for food or water. All they knew was paradise. It never really occurred to them that it would all go away in the blink of an eye.....

Once you know a thing, it is very difficult to forget a thing. The first time someone breaks your heart. The first time you are hurt and humiliated. The first time you feel worthless or unloved. The first time you attempt to do something and you fail. These events get stamped marked into the recesses of your mind, and you feel the results of them in your heart. God never meant for humans to suffer so much or to lose their place in the heavenly realm when adam and eve fell, but He would not stop it from happening because He knew, that he had made a powerful being that could shape the environment of His world to the point of destruction, and the only way to redeem what He had created was to take the burden of sin from  off their backs.

Love so profound that it is difficult, if not impossible, to believe.

 My savior, Jesus Christ, came to earth to set the captives free.

He died on the cross for you and me. 

He settled a long time ago to place His blood on The Lord's altar 

to atone for our sins. What a great, mighty,

and magnificent person He is, my Jesus.

 

....Thank you so much 

sweet Jesus....

Everything that we go through in life, love, pain, heartbreaks, growing, dying, hurting, giving, caring and sharing; every tear that we shed, every laugh that we share, every hurtful barb or injustice, it is all being used to create a human being that knows what life is truly all about, and so that we understand why we need a savior in our life, the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ.

We have the informational knowledge, but informational knowledge is useless without experiential knowledge. We can remember long days in school as a child being taught different things that made no sense at the time and we did not appreciate its significance until we grew up and needed that knowledge to get a job, to correctly interact with others, and to live our lives. My brothers and sisters, God wants us to live full lives in His kingdom forevermore, but He knows that we need informational and experiential knowledge to enjoy everything that He has waiting for us...

Have you prayed to God about a certain issue and didn't receive an answer right away? How does God answer prayers? There are only three answers to our prayers - yes, no, or not yet.  We can receive the answer instantly, or the answer comes slowly through time, or we are made aware that we cannot have what we asked for. It does not matter what we ask for (money, a job, healing, a breakthrough....)  His answer will always be yes, no, or not yet. If we are filled with His Holy Spirit, we will know what the answer is, and we should be prepared to accept His will in that situation because His will is perfect and it will be the best for us and our circumstances.

The Origin of Doubt

James chapter 1 vs 5-8

 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.  

But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 

 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  

 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

Why do we doubt?

Everyone has a choice, whether they choose to believe in God's word, or in His promises. Life gets tough sometimes, and the answer to your problem may not be an easy one. You may suffer because of someone else's choices. That is why Jesus lives with you and guides you through the storms of life.

When life gets to be too much of a burden, that is when you must lean closer into Him and into His Word, and declare victory when everyone else has already given up or given in. It takes courage to believe when you don't see a solution to your problem, and that is why The Holy Spirit lives inside our hearts, to give us the strength to survive and to thrive in the tough times.

Doubt can come from:

An Unanswered Prayer 

Our situation becoming worse as we live righteously for God

Criticism and rejection from others who are not believers in Jesus, also unwarranted criticism, rejection, or bad behavior from other believers

Doubts inhibit our walk with Jesus Christ by:

Hindering our fellowship with Him, which causes wavering faith and insecurity - we lose our confidence in ourselves and in God

Hindering our prayer life - we begin to wonder if our prayers will be answered and we lose our trust in Jesus

Hindering our kingdom service  - we will not obey the Holy Spirit or do the tasks that the Lord has commanded us to do. We won't believe that we have the ability to do them or that God will work through us to accomplish them.

Hindering our blessings - doubt leads to unbelief and God cannot move miraculously for our benefit in our lives without faith. It also hinders our relationship with Him.  It brings distance into our relationship but not from the Lord. We tend to drift away from the Lord when we have doubts. When we believe in Him and allow ourselves to be moved by Him, we are very close to Him and joy and peace reigns in our hearts.

How to combat doubt in our hearts:

1.  Identify what is causing us to mistrust God.

2. Let go of stubborn pride or any feeling or attitude that prevents us from seeing our errors and weaknesses.

3. Confess all of our sins, weaknesses, pains and sufferings to Him.

4. Keep reading the word of God on a daily basis, which will change our hearts and minds, and will clear up any misunderstandings about God and His word.

5. Recall a time when God answered our prayers and when He sustained us in a trial (remembering should bring joy and relief into our hearts as we realize again that God is real and that He will not leave us nor forsake us!)

6. Identify a promise or attribute of God and hold onto that promise or character attribute so that we can renew our faith in Him...

If you are having doubts about the world and what the meaning of life really is, consider the word of God, and His Son Jesus Christ. Please give Jesus a chance, to change your life and to give you hope for a everlasting life with Him forevermore  ---  Say this prayer right now:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior.

 AMEN

Never Fear: God Is In Control

Joshua 1:9 

 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

God is in control and His ways are higher than our ways. We cannot see the whole picture no matter how much we wish to see it. Our human condition is limiting, and we don't always understand why God allows certain trails and tribulations to occur in our lives.  But we know that He is with us during all of these sad times of suffering.

He will take us through them and hopefully our character is refined and that spiritual growth takes place. We learn how to trust in God's providence. We strife to live for His will and glory. We chose to go through the learning process to become better people and to become righteous Christians. We are not righteous because our deeds make us so, we are righteous when we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord & Savior. We are righteous because we choose to live for God and to live according to His standards.

We are His children, so He will not allow anything in our lives that we cannot handle. Once we go through the trial, we will turn back and see everything we have gone through and everything that we have accomplished despite all of our problems, and then we will praise the Lord of Heaven, for His grace, His Wisdom, and His Providence.

PRAISE BE TO THE LORD OF HOSTS FOR HIS WISDOM IN SENDING HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST INTO THE WORLD, TO LIVE FOR US AND TO DIE FOR US, FOR THE REMISSION OF OUR SINS, AND FOR THE PEACE AND JOY OF LIVING IN HIS PRESENCE FOREVER AND EVER MORE!

What Prayer Should Be Like

Matthew Chapter 6 vs 9-13 

 “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.
 And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
 And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from the evil one...."

The Anatomy of a prayer to God:

1. Invocation - honoring the Lord and His Kingdom expressing your appreciation for Him and who He is in your heart.

2. Petitions - next are your petitions  and the reason for the prayer and to express your gratitude for His answer

3. Doxology - praise to God and your official thanks for the answer to your prayer

Prayer should be:

Sincere- from the heart

Secret- personal time with the Lord

Simple- not complicated or ritualistic

Serenity- peaceful and full of faith

Sincere - prayer comes from the heart and not from the mind. The mind interprets what you are feeling from your heart. You can tell the state of a person's character and personality from what they believe from their heart. If you pray just with your mind or from an intellectual exercise, your prayer is not sincere and the Lord will not hear it or respond to it. The Lord has nothing to prove to the world, however we as human beings must demonstrate that we are willing to believe in Him and that we are willing to follow Him and His Word.

Secret - we must take time to pray in His presence alone. Corporate public prayer is good and necessary, but our private time with Him is essential if we are to develop spiritually. Quiet times with the Lord strengthens our faith and our resolve to live for Him and to never give up or give in regardless of our circumstances.

Simple - We are talking to the Lord, not lecturing to Him. We don't need big words or ritualistic phrases to get Him to listen to us. We don't have to repeat the same words over and over again. We just need to be honest and open our hearts to Him. He already knows what we need. He is waiting for us to come to Him and to tell Him our petitions while we believe in our hearts that He is listening to us and that He is willing to answer our prayers. He can do anything, so when we ask for anything, we must know that He will give us what we need according to His will.

Serenity - When we pray, let us pray with faith in our hearts. We can ask Him to help us to see Him as He truly is, the one who loves us and who is willing to answer our prayers. When we are suffering and filled with deep emotion, we can come in His presence and pour out all our pain, and He will bring comfort, peace and joy into our hearts. 

There is no one like Jesus, there is no one like our Lord. He reaches from heaven to pour out His love into our hearts. He is waiting to hear from you so that He can be close to you and to give you everything that you need to survive and thrive in this world, so let me encourage you to pray, because if you do not pray, you will never know Who He is until you receive the answer to your prayers!

Opposites: Love and Hate and which is stronger?

1 Corinthians Chapter 13  vs 8-13

 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part,  but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.  When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.  For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Love and Hate, forever opposites of each other, forever warring against each other in the struggle for dominance in this world. We choose to be hateful or loving, and our choices in life make it harder or easier to be hateful or loving.  What does God say about love? He is Love, and there is no greater force in the universe.

Why does hate seem to be a more powerful force in the world? Because a choice was made a long time ago that changed the course of history in this world. Adam and eve chose to believe in themselves and not in God.  They believed the lies that were whispered into their ears by our enemy, the devil,  and that is when hate and discord became woven into the very fabric of their souls and their lives. This legacy of wrong choices has been repeated in every generation until today. We cannot forget what was done in the past because our own weak human nature compels us to do things that go against the Will and the Word of the Lord.

But God loved us so much that He provided a solution to our sin problem in the form of His Son, Jesus. He was willing to die a shameful death on a cross to redeem us from the destructive force of hate and sin. We can come to Him and ask for forgiveness and He will give us the free gift of salvation. Now, as children of God, sin no longer has a destructive hold on us if we allow the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts and to transform our hearts and minds.

Right now it might seem that hate has a stronger influence in the world, but that is because the world doesn't know how much God loves them, and they don't realize that Jesus' gift of love and salvation is the cure for the problems of the world.  The Lord has a plan to show the world just who He is and the power and authority of His Son, Jesus Christ.

So, if you are a believer, what should be your outlook on love and hate? Why are they opposites and how can you tell when a person is full of hate or full of love? You need to know the attributes of both conditions:

Opposite of Loving Acts & Feelings:

Impatience

Proud Boasts

Jealous Feelings

Self Serving & Selfish Desires

Negative Speech & Actions

Consistent Anger

Overly Critical

Bitterness

Acts of Revenge

UnForgiveness

Not Willing To Trust Others

Hopelessness & Despair

Deceptive Actions & Lying

Enjoyment of Evil Acts & Encouraging Others To Do The Same

Not Willing to Sacrifice or Commit to Others

Drawing Attention to One's Deeds & Accomplishments To Receive Their Approval and Praise

Shameless

Gossiping

A Spirit of Rejection

Being Dominated by Fear and Weaknesses

Hateful Thoughts & Gestures

A Spirit of Evil

Unfaithful & Unbelief in God

Hate will be a temporary state in this world and it is destructive

Now, let us see what loving gestures produce in the heart and in the world:

Opposite of Hateful Acts & Feelings:

Loving Others

Having Patience with Others

Kindness

Humility

Being Considerate of Others Needs

Thoughtful & Caring

Giving & Sharing

Encouraging Others

A Spirit of Acceptance

Positive Speech & Thoughts

Forgiving

Cooperative in Action & Speech

Trusting

Hopeful

Peaceful

Joyful With a Sense of Happiness

A Spirit of Love

A Spirit of Repentance

Courageous and Strong in the Lord

Thinking Before Acting

Drawing Attention to Other People's Deeds & Accomplishments

Enjoys Doing Good & Avoids Doing Evil Acts

Truth in Speech & Actions

Willing to Commit to Others and to The Will of God

Sacrificial Actions of Love

Faith & Belief in God

Love is never temporary, it is eternal and  will one day rule absolutely on our world by the will, power and authority of its master, Jesus Christ

We all must learn how live our lives in opposition of hate. We won't always win that war in our hearts, because we are not perfect, but with the help of the Lord and His word, with the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we can accomplish more that we ever hoped for, and  we will definitely see less of the effects of hate in our world if we continue to live for Jesus Christ and never give up the struggle to show the world what real love is..........

Who are the Real People of God?

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 

 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men, nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.  And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

It is often very difficult to know for sure who are the believers in Christ and who are not. It can be very confusing because of christian doctrines and beliefs. There are many who work and live within church congregations who have never surrendered their hearts to Jesus Christ, and they know how to play the game of 'church' very well.

They know the scriptures, they remember the pastor's sermons, they serve on the board of trustees, they are deacons and deaconesses, they are volunteers at many of the churches events and functions, they go to bible study and worship in the sanctuary every Sunday,  but they have never loved and carried the Lord Jesus in their hearts.

How do we know the real Christians from the fake Christians? The real answer is that we will not know for sure if everyone in our lives believes the word of God, because we cannot see into their hearts; we are not God. 

The Lord knows that we do not have the capacity to live perfect lives, but He does expect us to live through His Son, Jesus Christ, and with the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we should be able to live according to God's standards. We may not be able to say for certain who is and who is not a citizen of the Kingdom of God, but there are signs that should let us know that someone is on the path to righteousness.

How people live their lives is an indicator of what they believe. God's word is the standard for living righteously, but if a believer of Jesus Christ neglects to read the word, or to obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit, then their lives will not be any different from unbelievers. These are the characteristics that best support the claims of any person who professes to believer in Jesus Christ:

Joy-Happiness or Contentment-Love-Peace-Patience-Kindness-Goodness-Faith-Gentleness-Self Control-Obedience-Spiritual Maturity-Humility-Peacemakers & Encouragers-Giving & Caring-Purity-Lovers of God

Once you see qualities of these in yourself and in others that are around you, you can be certain that these people are on the right path and are living through the power and authority of Jesus Christ.

However, if you see other qualities in yourself or in the people around you, you may be surrounded by believers with arrested spiritual development or they may be fake Christians:

Prideful-Hateful-Full of Anger & Argumentative-Unchecked Jealousy-Self Righteous-Lustful & Greedy-Selfish-Full of Strife & Willfully Causing Divisions Within the Church-Highly Religious & Critical of Others-Worshiping Religion and not God or His Son, Jesus Christ-No Purity in Thoughts & Actions-No Spiritual Growth & Ignorance of God's Standards for Every Day Living

You generally will not see the fakers acting this way on Sunday in the church service, but you could find them doing many different things outside the church when they believe no one else can see them. They do not realize that everything that they do is recorded in Heaven, and that  the Lord has His eyes on everyone.

What the church needs to do today is to focus on what  the Lord wants us to do not just in the public or in the church, but also what He expects us to do at home, with our family and friends, and when no one else can see what we are doing. The true state of a person's hearts begins when they realize that God is interested in everything that we do, and that we are willing to do the right thing regardless of the circumstances that we find ourselves in.

We can't say for certain who is a believer because we cannot see into the private lives of other people. We don't know what is in their hearts, but if we see behavior that is not consistent with the fruit of the Spirit, we need to pray for that person and show kindness and consideration to them. If they are willing to open up to us, we can offer to help them in any way that we can, and to show them the way to salvation and restoration. We are not here to judge other people's problems, we are here to show them how we have overcome and what the Lord will be able to do for them once they are willing to allow the Holy Spirit to change their hearts.

The next series of posts I will be doing will address the characteristics of believers in God and unbelievers, so that it will become more apparent to everyone who is living in the light of God, and who is masking themselves with righteousness but is really living in the dark.

The Promises of Abraham

Genesis 22:17

indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.

Romans 4:13

For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.

Relying upon the law deadens spiritual growth - we cannot see Jesus if our focus is on the rules and regulations of religion - we have Jesus not through the law but through our faith and God's gracious gift of salvation.

Traditional religious practices cannot cleanse the heart from guilt, lustful desires, or sinful tendencies - only the Blood of Jesus washes away that sinful state of mind and awakens the spirit of man. His Spirit joins with our spirit and that is what makes us whole. His love brings peace, joy, understanding of who God is, spiritual growth and real change into our lives.

Relying on religious practices and traditions guarantees spiritual blindness and stagnation. People who make their religion their god do religious tasks that help to justify their feelings of righteousness, because they believe their own efforts qualifies them as a good person, and that being a good person will assure them a place in heaven.

Until you can see yourself as God sees you, unless you can see the  hopeless sinful condition of your heart, you will never see a need for a savior and you will never accept God's gift of salvation through the healing and saving power of the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ.

Religious practices blocks people from having a relationship with God. People who are religious in their belief actually lack the faith to see the revelation knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Religious traditions puts the focus on religious works and very little if any focus upon the Lord. These works pleases the person doing the works, but it will never please God.

Unless there is a true relationship between you and the Lord, it is not possible for you to repent and to accept Jesus into your heart. Relationship begins when we are humble, when we recognize who God is, that He has a right to expect a relationship with us, and when we are willing to open our hearts to Him.

Beware of people who are highly religious. They will say many things that sound right, but the proof of their faith  comes when you can see through their actions that they really have a  relationship with Jesus Christ. Their concept of God comes from what they expect from Him. It is their concept of God that they worship. When the true word of God is spoken to them, they will accept that word on the surface of their character, but the truth is that they do not really desire a relationship with the Lord.

God made a promise a long time ago to Abraham that His descendant would bring untold blessings and healing to the children of God through the death and resurrection power of Jesus Christ. We are the children of God - whoever accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior has been accepted into the family of God.

His promise to Abraham was long before the law was given to Moses, and we know that the promise has been fulfilled. We are saved because of our belief in Jesus Christ. We know that He is the only way to salvation and to a real relationship with God. We could not do enough to save ourselves, and Jesus' sacrifice on the cross has paid our sin debt in full.

The promises of God can never be rescinded. If you are looking for a real relationship with God, just accept His Son, Jesus Christ, as your personal Lord and Savior - you will never regret it.