That is a sobering reminder of the seriousness of this lifestyle that we who are Christians have been called to. A reminder to not get so engulfed in the things of this life that we forget the pressing needs of the spiritual life.
- The need to communicate daily with God through prayer offered with a thankful heart (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18).
. - The need to feed upon the spiritual food in the word of God (Luke 4:4).
. - The need to walk in love with others… even when they are being hurtful and hateful towards us. We must forgive, in order to receive God’s forgiveness (Matthew 6:15).
In fact, it is impossible for us to live the Christian life in and of our own strength. We must rely upon Jesus to live it out by the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. To quote Phil Keaggy:
Yield to the Spirit. He has the right of way.This week’s blog features the writings of Pastor Jake, Judypie, Brotha DC and Jolan. May these words be comfort and inspiration as you walk out your paths in this coming week:
Consider This
by Pastor James C. Sanford
Cain was the first born son of Adam; Able was the second. It was Able, the second born, who by grace through faith became the heir of righteousness.
And then there was Ishmael, the first born son of Abraham; born of the works of the flesh. But it was Isaac, the second born son of Abraham, born according to the word of God who became the heir of the promises of God.
Consider also Esau, the first born of Isaac who God hated while yet in his mother's womb. It was Jacob, the second born son of Isaac who was chosen of God to become the heir of the promises.
Consider also the sons of Jacob's son Judah, Perez and Zerah born of their mother Tamar; although Zerah who was the first born, it was Perez who became the heir.
And then there is Jesus, the second Adam born of God, who by grace through faith became the heir of God's kingdom.
What is our Creator trying to tell us in these things?
Consider this; it is not the first born, the sons of Adam, who become heirs of God's kingdom, but the second born, he that is by grace chosen of God and through faith born of Jesus, the Living Word, and the Spirit of God; these are His sons and are joint heirs with Jesus their Lord.
Flesh and blood does not inherit the kingdom of God, his inheritance is death; it is the child of the spirit that is the son of God, his inheritance is eternal life.
Whitewashed Sepulcures?
by JesusLover Judy
I have, I know them well. I would not be surprised if you also have these kind of people in your life. I know people who say “if that is a Christian, than I don’t want to be one.” This is because of the things these people do outside of church.
Don’t you wonder how this can be? It is because their eye is bad.
Yes, if one part of you is bad than you are filled with darkness. Now this does not mean that we are free from sin. We all sin, but a true Christian repents of those sins and does everything he or she can to not do that thing again.
Those who have darkness instead of light within them continue to do the same sin over and over again. Often they become so caught up in their sin that they don’t even know they are doing it.
For example: Telling a lie is a sin. Now, everyone has lied at one time or another. We are imperfect people. However, a person who has darkness inside them lie to the point that they believe their own lies. If a Christian is caught up in this as a lifestyle they should desperately seek GOD for deliverance!
Who is the father of all lies?
Satan.
Therefore, we must try our hardest to be truth tellers.
Who is the Author of Truth?
GOD!
Open your heart today and ask GOD to make your eye good so that you may be filled with His light!
33No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or crypt or under a bushel measure, but on a lampstand, that those who are coming in may see the light.
34Your eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye (your conscience) is sound and fulfilling its office, your whole body is full of light; but when it is not sound and is not fulfilling its office, your body is full of darkness.
35Be careful, therefore, that the light that is in you is not darkness.
36If then your entire body is illuminated, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright [with light], as when a lamp with its bright rays gives you light.
Luke 11:33-36
Amen.
Sin Lurking for its Prey
by Jolan
Isn’t that how it is?
We look for reasons to do the wrong thing. I didn’t get smashed but I did feel guilty afterwards. Where was the guilt coming from?
I read this passage today in church:
19 Or don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
I believe that drinking caused me to have jealous feelings, and covet my neighbor. You see my family never gets together for anything (my grandparents are getting on in age and it is hard for them to drive. My aunts and uncles forget about it lol, and of course my loving family in Puerto Rico, they would love nothing more than coming to visit us but money doesn’t grow on trees) and here was my friends family together again. They get together all the time. Now I do not lack in love with my family, in fact I felt so ashamed because I wasn’t truly looking at the blessed life God has given me. I have never felt more love come from my immediate family and they would bend over backwards to make me smile.
I think that the devil looks for opportunities such as these, he looks for our weak moments to help us along in our sinful nature.
Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour.
1 Peter 5:8
For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness.
Ephesians 6:12
I immediately felt ashamed of my behavior and repented.
Psalm 38:18
But I confess my sins;
I am deeply sorry for what I have done.
1 John 1:9
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.
It doesn’t matter if we ask others for forgiveness if we haven’t asked our Father. He is the only one who can forgive and erase our sins.
I--yes, I alone--am the one who blots out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.
Isaiah 43:25
Let the people turn from their wicked deeds. Let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Isaiah 55:7
In fact, we can say that according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified by sprinkling with blood. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.
Hebrews 9:22
God has purchased our freedom with his blood* and has forgiven all our sins.
Colossians 1:14
Thank the Lord he knows we are not perfect. He knows we will be tempted and he also knows that as a Christian we will learn from our mistakes. Sometimes we have to learn the hard way.
Remember, Jesus said, Matthew 5:30 And if your hand—even if it is your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
But if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin.
1 John 1:7
To many drinking may not seem like a big deal but anything that causes you to do wrong in Gods eyes is a sin. Drinking the champagne, led me to sin in my mind which is just as bad as doing it in front of someone. I also thought how I may have appeared to some of the people at the baby shower. Many people didn’t know me, but some did and are we or are we not supposed to be shining examples of the Holy Spirit. Yes, I failed my Father that day and it made me sad. It made me very sad. But He has forgiven me. He always will because I died to my sins and became one with God.
For the Lord loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever, but the children of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 37:28
From then on, Jesus began to preach, “Turn from your sins and turn to God, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near.*”
Matthew 4:17
Don’t be fooled. GOD hates sin.
And when we do not confess our sins to Him it separates us from him and damages our relationship with our Father.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
Therefore this is what the Lord says, “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve Me.”
Jeremiah 15:19
If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.
1 John 1:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to sinners, and they will return to you.
Psalm 51:10-13
Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from your sins and turned to God (Matthew 3:8).
Once God has forgiven us, we can then forgive ourselves:
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14
This is an example of how sin can fool you.
It may fool you and those around you but it will not nor will it EVER fool God.
Remember he knows your heart:
Psalm 44:21
God would surely have known it,
for he knows the secrets of every heart.
Don’t be fooled by the lies of this world. Drunkenness (losing control of your body -- God’s body), Adultery (lusting after anyone with your eyes, your heart or even in actions), Murder (hating someone -- the same as killing someone), lying (that means any lie used to deceive someone), using God’s name in vain (bringing his name down to a level of disgust and in turn using it as a cuss word), idolatry (loving anything more than God -- money, possessions etc., making your own image of God).
The list goes on and on my brothers and sisters. How often do we try to justify our sins?
There is no justification for sinning against our Creator, our Father in heaven.
How we must break his heart again and again.
But we redeem ourselves when we admit our weakness, when we suffer for the bad decisions we have made and ask him to forgive us.
1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.
2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:1-12
God has given me all I need.
I have love.I have happiness.
I have health.
I have GOD.
And in reality without God I would have nothing and with Him I have everything. I know where my treasures lay and they are with Him in Heaven. The only treasure I care about is my Father, the rest are just perks.
19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where they can be eaten by moths and get rusty, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where they will never become moth-eaten or rusty and where they will be safe from thieves. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.
Matthew 6:19-21
Can They See The Light of Jesus in You?
By Brotha DC
Can they see the Light of Jesus in you?
Can they see the Light of Jesus in you?
Can they see Him in your life
Or, do they witness sin and strife?
Can they see the Light of Jesus in you?
Can they see the Light of Jesus in you?
Can they see the Light of Jesus in you?
in His glory, in His love
in His power enthroned above
Can they see the Light of Jesus in you?
Can they see the Light of Jesus in you?
Can they see the Light of Jesus in you?
Can they witness that He lives
That He saves, and heals, forgives
Can they see the Light of Jesus in you?
Can they see the Holy Spirit in you?
Can they see the Holy Spirit in you?
Not by signs you may display
but how you live from day to day
Can they see the Holy Spirit
In your words... do they hear it?
Can they see the Light of Jesus in you?
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Romans 13:12
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
2 Corinthians 4:6-7
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1 John 1:5-7
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb [is] the light thereof.
Revelation 21:23
No comments:
Post a Comment