But of God

John 1:1-5 ESV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The Word is Jesus Christ, God the Son, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He, the Son of God, was with God in the beginning, and he is God. He is also the message of God, i.e. God’s living words to us. For, when Jesus spoke, they were the very words of God. And, when he speaks today within our hearts by his Spirit, and via his written word, the Holy Scriptures, he is still speaking the words of God to us.

Jesus Christ is also our creator God. He made us, and he made the heavens and the earth and all living things on the earth and in the sea and in the heavens. And, he is the author of and the giver of life, too, both of human life and of spiritual life which is by his grace through God-given faith in him.

Jesus is also the light which shines in the darkness, i.e. he is the way, the truth and the life, and he is righteousness and holiness. And the darkness, which is spiritual blindness, wickedness, and rebellion against God, cannot overtake the light. Satan can twist the truth, and he can steal the truth from people’s hearts and minds, but he cannot destroy it. The truth will prevail.

John 1:9-13 ESV

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Jesus Christ, God the Son, left his throne in heaven, came to earth, was born as a human baby, and grew up to be a man. While he walked this earth he was fully God and fully human (man). He suffered like we suffer, and he was tempted in like manner as we are also tempted, yet without sin. So, he can sympathize with us in our weaknesses. But, “sympathize” does not mean to pacify or to coddle us in our sins. It just means that he can feel what we feel, that he has compassion on us, and he is there to help us.

During his last 3 to 3 ½ years on the earth, he healed the sick and afflicted, raised the dead, gave the blind sight and the deaf were made to hear. He fed the hungry, comforted the sorrowful, and he performed miracle after miracle. He also preached repentance and obedience to him for forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God, confronted sin in sinful humans, warned of divine judgment, and promised eternal life to the repentant and obedient.

The crowds followed him for a while, while he was performing miracles and feeding their stomachs, but when he started telling them the cost of following him, the vast majority deserted him, never to return. And, the religious rulers within the temple largely were against him, and harassed him and tried to trip him up with his words continually. And, eventually they put him to death on a cross, although he had done no wrong.

The Cost

And, many people today are responding to Jesus in like manner as the crowds of Jesus’ day who just wanted to see his miracles and to have their bellies filled, but who rejected Jesus once they learned what following him would cost them. And, many such as these today are those who profess to believe in Jesus, too, because receiving or rejecting Jesus is not something we do with our lips, but it is what we believe in our hearts, which is then evident by our actions, i.e. by what we do.

For, Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and self), and follow (obey) Jesus. He said that if we hold on to our old lives of living for sin and self that we will lose our lives for eternity. But, if we lose our lives (die with him to sin) for his sake, then we will gain eternal life with him (Lu. 9:23-25; cf. Rom. 8:1-17).

What’s Handed to Us

But, this is not what is being taught by the majority of those professing to be teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ these days, at least here in America. What is being handed to us, as the gospel, is a gospel of men. It is half true, but it is half false, so that makes it false.

For, they preach the half that tells of Jesus’ death on a cross for our sins, and which tells of his resurrection, and of his ascension to heaven, and which tells of his coming again one day to receive his bride to himself for eternity. And, they tell of his forgiveness of sins, too.

But, they leave out the other half, which is the cost of following Jesus with our lives, but for which he died on that cruel cross, that we might die with him to sin and live with him to righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24; Rom. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Gal. 5:19-21; Jn. 6:35-66; 2 Co. 5:15, 21).

Thus, what they are presenting to us as the gospel of Jesus Christ is pointless and worthless, because it does not deliver anyone out of slavery to sin, but it leaves them still bound in their sins, and still destined to hell, but while promising them heaven when they die. So, it is a false hope.

So, it leaves its adherents still holding on to and maintaining their sinful hearts and their sinful lifestyles. They are still continuing in lives given over to the flesh, i.e. to hatred, rage, bitterness, immorality, unfaithfulness, dishonesty, corruptness, gossip, slander, adultery, disobedience and the like. For, they are convinced that they can believe in Jesus, have the promise of heaven when they die, but that it doesn’t really have to alter their lifestyles all that much.

God’s Protections

So, they have forsaken and rejected God’s protections for us, i.e. his boundaries he has set for us for our good which tell us to not steal, to not bear false witness, to not commit adultery, to not lie to one another, to not murder or hate one another, and to not have other gods above the one true God. They feel these are antiquated or optional, but not required, even though most of the New Testament says they are required for our salvation.

Nonetheless, this is not a demand for absolute perfection, for if we could be perfect, Jesus would not have had to die on that cross to take away our sins. But, his grace to us was to give us the God-given ability by faith in Jesus Christ to be delivered out of our slavery (bondage, addiction) to sin and to be conformed to his likeness, and to walk (in lifestyle) now no longer according to our flesh, but now, by the Spirit, according to the Spirit of God.

So, to receive Jesus Christ, and to believe on his name, is to receive not only his forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life with God in heaven, but it is to accept into our lives this dying with him to sin and this living with him to righteousness, empowered by the Spirit of God.

Then, we are delivered out of our addiction to sin so that we can now become slaves of his righteousness. For, his gospel is the only true gospel, and it is the only gospel which has power to heal our diseases and to lift our burdens and to give us true freedom in Christ Jesus, our Lord, from our sins.

So, the encouragement here is for us to leave our old lives of living for sin and self behind us and to follow (obey) Jesus Christ with our lives, to walk in obedience to his commands, for they are for our good, for our protection from evil. Then, we will have truly received Jesus Christ into our lives, and we will be saved from our sins, and we will no longer be under the control of Satan and sin, but we can now live in victory over sin and for the glory and praise of God who saved us by his blood shed on a cross for our sins.

God is with Us

An Original Work / June 11, 2019

Based off Psalm 46

God’s our refuge. He is our strength,

A present help to us when in pain.

Therefore, we will not be afraid,

Although the earth beneath us gives way.

Though the mountains be moved to the sea,

Roaring waters abound so free,

And the mountains now tremble so,

We will not fear, God is near, we know.

God is with us and He makes glad

The hearts of all who to Christ have fled.

Christ is in us, so we’ll not fall

When on our Savior our hearts do call.

God will help us, as mornings arise,

To be faithful to His design.

Nations raging, and tempers flare.

Our God is with us. We know He cares.

Come and see the works of the Lord.

He’s armed for battle with His great sword.

He’s the Word, and He is the Life.

He gives us strength in all of our strife.

Be still and know that He is our God.

He’s exalted where’er He trods.

The Lord Almighty, with us still;

The God of Jacob, our citadel.

https://vimeo.com/341717561

Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Cut it Off!

Matthew 5:14-16 ESV

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Those who humble themselves before God in humility of spirit, who grieve over their sins, who repent of them, and who hunger and thirst for righteousness and walk (live) according to the Spirit of God, are the children of God (See: Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

We are the light of the world, and that light is the Light of Christ, and it is the light of truth and of righteousness and holiness. It is a light of mercy, grace and love, too. And, too, it is the gospel of our salvation from sin, not only verbalized with our lips, but lived out in our lives by example, too.

We are not to hide our light, our testimonies for Jesus Christ, or the teaching of the true and full gospel message of our salvation. We are also not to conceal the light of Christ being lived out through our lives, either. Thus, we are not to compromise with the world of sin and thus snuff out the light.

But, we are to walk in righteousness and holiness, by God’s grace and in his power and strength, so that others can see the reality of Christ within us, and so that they will glorify God and come to faith in Jesus Christ, too.

Matthew 5:17-20 ESV

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

When the New Testament scriptures speak of “the law” they may be speaking purely of God’s moral laws, i.e. the ten commandments, or they may be speaking of the ceremonial laws that the Jews were required to keep. The context of the passage will help us discern the difference.

For, when Jesus died and rose again, he did away with the Old Covenant ceremonial laws of circumcision, certain celebrations, and purification. But, he summarized the ten commandments into two commandments – to love God with all our hearts, minds and souls, and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matt. 22:37-40). And, love does no harm to its neighbors.

As well, the New Covenant repeats all of the ten commandments but one. For, we are no longer required to follow the Old Covenant law with regard to the keeping of the Jewish Sabbath. For, our Sabbath rest is now our salvation from sin and the promise of eternity with God (Heb. 4:1-13). And, we are to keep that by daily dying to sin and self and by following Jesus in surrender and obedience to his will and to his ways. And, too, the early church met daily in the temple courts and from house to house.

Whoever Relaxes One

The New Covenant, though, does speak much against a relaxing of Christ’s commandments to us (under the New Covenant), i.e. against soothing them, tampering them down, and diluting them to make them more appealing to human flesh. And, this is a serious issue, at least here in the church in America, overall.

Many are teaching here in America that salvation from sin and eternal life with God are guaranteed on a profession of faith in Jesus Christ regardless of how one conducts his life from that moment forward. Some even take it so far as to proclaim that God requires no repentance, no obedience, and no submission to his Lordship. In fact, these are often looked down upon and are tagged as “works-based” salvation, and thus something to be avoided.

Thus, many professions of faith in Jesus Christ are false professions of faith, for they are based on a lie and not on the truth, and thus they are also surface level only, with no real depth of faith involved. So, many who profess faith in Jesus Christ go right on living in sin without even a burp to show that genuine heart transformation actually ever took place.

So, they believe that they can “believe” in Jesus but that behavioral change is either optional or that it is recommended but not demanded. They feel that they have been forgiven their sins, that heaven is guaranteed, and that they now can sin without guilt, for they believe God’s grace covers it all. And, thus they make excuses for their sinful practices and call them something other than what they really are, to ease their consciences.

Minimizing and Justifying

So, they also minimize their sinful practices, and they don’t see them for what they are, and so they justify and rationalize their sins by blaming others, by not taking responsibility for their own actions, and by attributing their sins to God’s gift of grace, feeling as though God’s grace gives them free license to continue in sin. And, they refuse to see that they are letting Satan have a foothold in their lives.

And, many of them will not budge in this stance, either, but they remain settled that their sins are forgiven and thus they can live how they want and heaven is still guaranteed them. Or else they pretend to be dumfounded as to how they got to a particular sin as though they didn’t know what they were doing, claiming some type of ignorance as to what they are really doing in secret behind closed doors.

So, what was the righteousness of the Pharisees? It was pretense only, and it was following a set of man-made rules, mostly, or a show of keeping the law, while they were filled with wickedness within their hearts. So, what this is saying is that surface level faith or righteousness is not faith at all. True faith is God-given, and thus it submits to the Lordship of Christ, and it walks in obedience to his commands, day by day dying to sin and self and following our Lord in obedience.

Matthew 5:27-30 ESV

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.”

Many professers of faith in Jesus Christ, thus, feel that they can ignore this teaching, because they feel that they have the freedom to sin now without fear of punishment. They claim God’s grace over their lives, and this gives comfort to them in their sin that their sins will not be held against them.

This has partial truth to it, though, but it is half false, and thus it makes it false. For, it is true that the repentant and the obedient, who are walking according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh, are guaranteed forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God. But, it is not true that a mere profession of faith in Jesus Christ absent of repentance and walks of obedience guarantees people forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God.

So, by taking this stance that says that one can “believe” in Jesus and claim all the promises of God which accompany true faith, yet remain dead in their sins, they have, in essence, halted the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives and from entering into their lives, too. They have not bonded with Almighty God through God-given faith in Christ, for they have not adhered to his commandments, nor do they abide in Him and His Words abide in them. They are just looking for an easy out.

Shout it Out!

So, God is calling out to those who are holding on to his commandments, who are bonding with their Lord, who are embracing his truths, and whose deeds testify to the fact that their faith is genuine. He is calling them to cry out and to exclaim the truths of his gospel message, that he died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, not just so we can escape hell and go to heaven when we die.

We are to shout out to those who are still walking in darkness while proclaiming faith in Jesus Christ, who are separate from God, living independent of the Lord and His Word, who are corrupt, immoral, and twisted, and who are misrepresenting the truths of the gospel of our salvation. And, we are to say to them, “When are you going to come to a place of obedience and faithfulness to the Lord?”

For, the reality here is that, if you walk according to the flesh, you are going to die in your sins, not have eternal life with God. If you don’t, by the Spirit, cut out of your life what is leading you to continue to walk in the darkness, then scripture says that you will spend eternity in hell, not in heaven. So, this needs to be taken seriously, for your eternity depends on it.

For, God has called us to be a holy people, separate from the world of sin, and set apart unto God to do his will and to obey his commandments. This is not saying we will never sin, but that sin should no longer have mastery over our lives, but that Jesus Christ should now be our Lord and master, and that our desire should be for him, to do his will.

[Matt. 5:27-30; Matt. 15:16-20; Rom. 13:9-14; 1 Co. 5:1-2; 1 Co. 6:9-20; Heb. 13:4; 2 Pet. 2:13-19; 1 Co. 10:8; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3; Col. 3:5-10]

Refiner’s Fire  

By Brian Doerksen

Refiner's fire,

my heart's one desire

is to be holy;

set apart for You, Lord.

I choose to be holy;

set apart for You, my Master,

ready to do Your will.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSIazjrA0Ls

Our Hope Secure

Psalm 119:81-87 ESV

My soul longs for your salvation;

    I hope in your word.

My eyes long for your promise;

    I ask, “When will you comfort me?”

For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,

    yet I have not forgotten your statutes.

How long must your servant endure?

    When will you judge those who persecute me?

The insolent have dug pitfalls for me;

    they do not live according to your law.

All your commandments are sure;

    they persecute me with falsehood; help me!

They have almost made an end of me on earth,

    but I have not forsaken your precepts.

In your steadfast love give me life,

    that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth.

All of us go through times in our lives when we must face difficult trials and tribulations which try our faith. Some people appear to have little of these, while others seem to get more than their fair share.

For some of us, these trials may be ongoing over a very long period of time, maybe even a lifetime. We long for deliverance from them, for a reprieve, for our circumstances to change, and for the burden to be lifted from our shoulders. But, the trials continue. They are ongoing. We are sorrowful over our circumstances and we hope and pray for a miracle of God to rescue us.

We wonder how much longer we must endure such persecution or hardship or difficulty. How much longer must this go on? Will we ever see the light of day regarding these afflictions?

Lust and Lewdness

For, those whose lives are given over to lust and lewdness, to contemptuous conduct, to fulfilling the lusts of their flesh without regard for who gets hurt in the process, are plentiful in numbers. They take advantage of others for their own selfish gain. They think only or mainly of themselves and what their flesh dictates, and so they will stomp on other’s fundamental rights and freedoms to get what they want, and few have even a conscience about it.

One of the ways in which this persecution takes place is through physical abuse, mistreatment and even murder. Some of it is out in the open, so it is obvious, apparent to all. But, much of it is hidden behind closed doors, secretive, and concealed. And, a lot of that is persecution which leaves no physical marks, so no real evidence that abuse is taking place. For much of this persecution is emotional, mental and spiritual in nature.

In today’s world, much of this comes in the form of manipulation, trickery, deception, intimidation, and persuasion in the form of trying to shame people into compliance. The purpose of it all is to try to deceive people to leave the truth and to follow after the lies. Or, it is to bring confusion to their minds, or to keep them unbalanced, never knowing what is going to hit them next. Or, it is to try to make them fearful so they will doubt God.

Powers That Be

World powers are at force here creating much of this conflict, confusion and intimidation. They fake uprisings, incite discord, promote violence, and fuel hatred and prejudice, and all for the purpose so that they can come in as “saviors” with a preconceived plan for world dominance and subjugation.

I have seen them do this in country after country after country over a span of maybe 20 years, though I am certain this has been going on much longer than that. They follow the same modus operandi in nation after nation, and we are now seeing the mirror image of that taking place in the USA, too. And, it is all scripted in a plan which they call “Agenda 21.”

If we are discerning at all, we can read between the lines in these news stories, and we can see how these things are being stirred up at high levels of government. And, it is manipulative, and this is trickery, and it is deception, for their intention is to bring all of us under the rule of the New World Order “beast.”

Not Forsaken

But, we are to hold on to God through it all. We are to hold on to the truths of his Word and to all of his promises, even if our eyes have not yet seen the fulfillment of all of those promises take place. We must surrender our lives to the Lord, and follow his lead, and believe what he says even when all hell seems to be breaking loose all around us.

For, he didn’t promise us an easy life, did he? No! He promised us that we would be hated and persecuted without cause. He promised us that they would persecute us, and say all manner of evil against us, and that we would be falsely accused of wrongdoing when we have done no wrong. He foretold the times in which we are now living, many, many years ago, so we knew that this was coming. So, it should not take us by surprise when it unfolds before our eyes. Yet, we must be so guarded in our hearts and minds so we don’t fall for the deception.

We must remain steadfast in faith, holding on to the truth of the scriptures, and we must not falter out of fear of the “what ifs” which may become a reality. For, fear is the opposite of faith. And, fear never changes anything, does it? Worry only makes matters worse. It never makes our circumstances improve. So, instead of worrying about what may come our way, we just need to pray, bathe our minds with the Word of God, and keep trusting in the Lord, for he is faithful in all that he does, and his word is trustworthy.

Psalm 119:89-96 ESV

Forever, O Lord, your word

    is firmly fixed in the heavens.

Your faithfulness endures to all generations;

    you have established the earth, and it stands fast.

By your appointment they stand this day,

    for all things are your servants.

If your law had not been my delight,

    I would have perished in my affliction.

I will never forget your precepts,

    for by them you have given me life.

I am yours; save me,

    for I have sought your precepts.

The wicked lie in wait to destroy me,

    but I consider your testimonies.

I have seen a limit to all perfection,

    but your commandment is exceedingly broad.

When the world is coming apart at the seams due to the trickery of men in their deceitful scheming, our hearts must not fail. We must stay fixed on God’s Words. But, we must also know that humankind will twist the scriptures to their advantage and to our disadvantage, so we must know what the scriptures teach so that we can stand strong on the Word of God and not be lead astray by the trickery of humans.

And, I say a hearty “Amen” to this verse: “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.” For, I know that it was God who sustained me through it all, and who continues to carry me through every difficulty, and every hardship that comes my way. His Word truly is my delight, and I rest in its promises and its instructions, too. The Word of God continues to comfort and encourage me and to fill my heart with hope.

It is no stretch to say that this is a reality in our day and time, i.e. that the wicked truly are out to destroy the righteous in God’s sight. And, they will do it in many different ways, too, for they are the devil’s workmen (and women) who do his bidding. If they can’t get us to compromise the truth of God’s Word and to follow their lies, then they will use all kinds of tricks and schemes to try to get us to give up and to bail ship.

They Serve a Purpose

Yet, though humans will fail us, and we will even fail ourselves, at times, God will not fail, and his Word will not fail, but they will be true and they will be steadfast to the end and beyond. So, although there is not much we can count on in this world of ours, we can always depend on God and on His Word to remain steadfast, faithful and true at all times, and in all ways.

We may look to God to rescue us from our distress, from our trials and tribulations, and we may get discouraged or feel disheartened when it seems there is no end in sight to what we are having to endure. But, the Lord uses these difficulties and these trying times in our lives to mature us in our walks of faith, to draw us closer to him, and to bring about in our lives steadfastness of spirit. Through our trials the Lord is making us holy, and he is conforming us to his likeness, when we submit our lives to him.

But, the Lord will always rescue us spiritually and emotionally from our difficulties, though not necessarily from harm or persecution, but from the effects of such persecution on our lives. In other words, he will uphold us, and strengthen us, give us courage and determination, put hope in our hearts, and bring light to our eyes, and joy in our spirits despite all that is going on all around us. He will give us a peace which surpasses all human comprehension, because it is everlasting peace. Praise Jesus! Amen!

He Reached Down  

An Original Work / February 3, 2014

Based off Psalm 18

How I love You, Lord, my Rock and my strength.

My God is my fortress; I hide in Him.

He is my shield and the horn of

My salvation, whom I praise.

I have found my refuge in Him.

He reached down from heaven and rescued me;

Drew me out of waters so deep, I’d sink.

He delivered me from Satan

And my slavery to sin;

Gave me hope of heaven with Him.

My God turned my darkness into His light;

Opened up my blinded eyes; gave me sight.

As for God, his way is perfect.

He gives strength to stand secure.

I have found my vict’ry in Him.

My Lord lives! Praise be to my Savior God,

Jesus Christ, who died on a cruel cross.

He is my Rock and the source

Of my salvation, whom I trust.

I will give praise always to Him.

https://vimeo.com/86346545

Monday, July 29, 2019

Our One and Only

Philippians 3:2-4a ESV

Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also.

A dog is symbolic for someone who is despicable, lowdown, and dirty, i.e. who is spiritually unclean, wicked, dishonest, unfair and morally filthy. This is a person who practices (in lifestyle) what is evil, i.e. what is sinful, criminal, and perverse. And a dog, too, is often symbolic of false teachers, i.e. of false shepherds of the people who willfully lead God’s people astray.

These are people who glory in their flesh rather than glory in the Spirit of God and in the holiness and righteousness of God. And, so they will lead you to follow after your flesh rather than teach you to walk in the fear of God by the Spirit of God. For, they do not make it their practice to put the flesh to death, but they coddle it and entertain it, instead.

They are the ones today who are teaching you that faith in Jesus Christ requires no repentance, no obedience to Christ and to his Word, and no submission to Christ Jesus as Lord of our lives. Their idea of faith in Jesus Christ is that God forgives us our sins and promises us heaven when we die, but that faith doesn’t really have to alter our lifestyles all that much.

But, the true gospel of our salvation puts the flesh to death. We die with Christ to sin, and we are raised with Christ to newness of life in him when we believe in Jesus Christ. Sin no longer has mastery over our lives, but now we are becoming slaves of Christ’s righteousness by the Spirit of God. And, now we walk (in lifestyle) according to the Spirit of God and no longer according to the flesh. And, now we have eternal life with God.

Philippians 3:7-11 ESV

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Faith in Jesus Christ leaves our old lives of living for sin and self behind us, and it follows Jesus Christ in walks of obedience to his commands. It submits to Christ as Lord of our lives and humbly surrenders our lives over to God to do what is pleasing to him, in his strength and power at work within us.

We willingly forsake what is sinful and is of the flesh out of love for our Lord, who gave his life up for us that we might die with him to sin and live with him to his righteousness. We see our lives as no longer our own, no longer to be lived how we want, but we see now that we are God’s possession and that we are to honor him with our lives.

But, this is not us, in our flesh, trying to earn or to deserve our own salvation. This is us, having crucified the flesh with its deceitful desires, by the Spirit of God, now walking in the ways of the Lord, empowered by the Spirit of God now at work and living within us in transforming our hearts away from sin to walking in purity of devotion to our Lord.

Philippians 3:12-16 ESV

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

But, when we believe in Jesus Christ, we don’t become instantly perfect and then we never have to fight off temptation to sin ever again. We still live in flesh bodies. We still have the propensity to sin against God, and we still will be tempted to sin. And, we may even sin against God sometimes, but this is not to be our norm, i.e. what we practice. For, sin is no longer our master, but now we’re putting sin to death as a matter of course in our lives, by the Spirit of God, and we are putting on Christ and his righteousness.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are all in process, which is a process of sanctification, of Christ making us holy and of conforming us to his likeness. And, this process involves daily putting sin to death in our lives and daily walking in the fear of the Lord by the Spirit of God. And, no matter how long we have been on this journey, we are still growing, still changing, still progressing in our faith, and we are still putting our flesh to death, for it is still at war with our spirits and with the Holy Spirit.

But, the fact that we have not yet arrived, and that we are not yet perfect people, and that we are still in process, is never to be used as an excuse for continued and willful sinning against God, which seems many people do. But, we are not to be people who are continually going backward, then forward, then backward, etc. We are to hold on to what we have already attained by the Spirit of God, and we are to be moving forward.

Philippians 3:17-21 ESV

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

So, it is very important that we are following the right kind of leadership, and the right kind of teaching, so that we don’t remain living for sin and self and then sacrifice the eternal life with God that could be ours through God-given faith in Christ Jesus, dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

For, there are many teachers of the scriptures, and many pastors and lay leaders within our congregations who walk as enemies of the cross of Christ, because they are teaching what is in opposition to the cross of Christ, because they are living what is opposed to the cross of Christ. For, they are not teaching death to sin and living to righteousness, but they are teaching a cheap grace which delivers no one from hell or from sin.

Many of them are busy building their earthly kingdoms rather than being on board with God in working for his heavenly kingdom. For, they are more concerned with pleasing the masses and with not offending the people of this world than they are with pleasing God and not offending him.

So, we need to be discerning people, and we need to check out everything we hear against the Word of God, but in context, for many false doctrines are formed out of scriptures taken out of context to make them say what tickles itching ears. We need to be students of the Word of God, too, and not rely solely on the teachings of others. And, then we need to obey the truth of God’s Word, and honor God with our lives, for He’s to be our only Lord.

His Tender Mercies

An Original Work / January 26, 2014

Fear not! I’m with you.

Be not dismayed!

God watches o’er you.

Trust Him today.

He’ll lead and guide you;

Give you His aid.

He’ll love and keep you

With Him always.

Walk in His footsteps.

He’ll lead the way.

Trust in His love;

Believe that He cares.

He will not leave you.

Faithful He’ll be.

His tender mercies

Now you will see.

Fellowship with Him

Throughout the day.

Tell Him your heartaches.

He’ll heal always.

Rest in His comfort.

He is your friend.

Your faith He’ll strengthen,

True to the end.

https://vimeo.com/85267672

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Struggle Against Sin

Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus Christ is both the founder (originator) and the perfecter (finisher) of our faith. Understanding this foundational truth is essential to truly comprehending and applying to our lives the faith that it takes to be saved from our sins and to have the hope of eternal life with God in heaven.

What this means is that the faith we must have for salvation from our sin comes not from ourselves, but from God. And, since it comes from God, and he is the one who created this faith, then when we believe in Jesus with this God-given faith, we will submit our lives to the Lordship of Christ, we will die with him to sin, and we will live with him, by his grace, to his righteousness.

Also, he is the one who perfects our faith. But again, this faith has to submit to him as Lord, and it has to surrender to his will for our lives and to walk in the ways of the Lord, but not in our flesh, but as empowered by the Holy Spirit now living and working within us. So, this faith cooperates with God’s work of grace in our lives in transforming our hearts and lives away from sin and to walking (in lifestyle) according to the Spirit of God.

So, when we have this faith, which is from God, and we exercise that faith, by the Spirit of God, we will want to lay aside every sin and every hindrance to our walks of faith, and we will want to run with endurance the race God has marked out for us to run, which is to walk with him in obedience, in holiness, purity, faithfulness, truth and in righteousness, by his Spirit.

Thus, when anyone says, “I believe in Jesus Christ,” but they feel that this faith in Jesus merely forgives them their sins and promises them heaven when they die, but that this faith requires no repentance, obedience or submission to Christ as Lord, then this is a false faith of the flesh, and it is not of God, for it does not submit to God/Jesus as Lord (master).

For this false faith in Jesus resists and immobilizes the Spirit of God. Thus, there is a Holy Spirit vacuum in the lives of those who adhere to this false faith. So, those who believe with this false faith are still dead in their sins, and they are still bound for hell, while they are being guaranteed heaven as their eternal destiny by false teachers. Thus, they continue in their sinful lifestyles and they continue to regularly and consistently live by their flesh nature, to do what is pure evil and immoral in God’s sight.

Hebrews 12:3-6 ESV

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,    nor be weary when reproved by him.For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,    and chastises every son whom he receives.”

Some people innocently enter into this false faith in Jesus Christ because they were deceived by clever enchanters into believing a lie and into rejecting the truth. But, others knowingly reject the truth of the gospel to follow after the big lie because they want to believe that heaven can be guaranteed them when they die even though they continue in their sinful practices while they still live on this earth.

Those who willfully choose the lie and reject the truth will often then fake their walks of faith, play-acting righteousness, while they secretly engage in all manner of evil behind closed doors or in a corner in a room where no one can see what they are doing.

Or, they may claim that they can’t stop their sinful practices or that they don’t know how to stop, when in reality they willfully, with full determination and motivation, are choosing their sinful lifestyles over obedience to Christ, and while they refuse to put in place the necessary constraints to help them to stop living in sin.

And, then they will often say that they are “struggling” with sin, but not in the sense of actually proactively and actively doing what is necessary to resist the devil, to flee temptation and to throw off those weights and those sins which so easily entangle. What is often meant by “struggling” is “regularly and consistently giving in to the sin.” But, they call it “struggling” so that it sounds like they are really trying to stop, when they aren’t.

And, so many of these people who have believed in Jesus with a false faith, which then enables them to continue in their sinful practices guilt-free, seem to also be free from the discipline of the Lord in their lives. So, they do continue on in their sins, oftentimes with pride in their hearts thinking that, because God hasn’t judged them yet, they won’t be judged.

Hebrews 12:7-11 ESV

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

So, what does this discipline look like, and what does it produce in us? It can come in many different forms. It could be a physical ailment, persecution, a difficult trial, or a hardship of some kind. And, it is painful. But, if we are true children of God by God-given faith in Jesus Christ, then this discipline will produce change in our hearts and lives. For, through discipline our Lord is conforming us to his likeness, he is pruning us, and he is making us holy.

If our faith in Jesus Christ is genuine faith, then this discipline should train us in godliness, holiness, purity, honesty, integrity and the like. The discipline should move us to the throne of grace to find help in our time of need. It should cause us to examine our hearts and lives and to seek God’s face, to repent of sins, and to walk closer to our Lord in faithful obedience.

Through divine discipline we should be maturing and growing in our walks of faith in Jesus Christ. Daily we should be dying to sin and self, by the Spirit, and daily we should be putting on the armor of God with which to fight off the evil schemes of the devil which are coming against us. Our walks of faith should not be stagnant or declining, but they should be growing in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Thus, we should be bearing spiritual fruit for God’s eternal kingdom in keeping with repentance, which then impacts other people’s lives also for God’s eternal kingdom, and draws them to genuine faith in Jesus Christ, too. And, they should then be growing in their faith, putting off the deeds of the flesh, and walking daily, in lifestyle, according to the Spirit in faithful obedience to their Lord.

Hebrews 12:12-13 ESV

Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.

So, if you have bought into the cheap grace gospel, and your “faith” in Jesus Christ is not the kind that submits to Christ as Lord, that walks in obedience to his commands, and that surrenders to his will for your life, then it is not genuine faith. It is not God-given and divinely persuaded faith in Jesus.

So, the encouragement here is that you forsake the weakness of your sinful flesh, by God-given faith in Jesus Christ, and that you make straight (upright) paths for your feet, instead, so that you can be healed spiritually, be delivered from your bondage to sin, and truly have the promise and the hope of eternal life with God beginning now and forevermore.

I Do Not Seal My Lips  

An Original Work / January 13, 2014

Based off Psalms 37, 40

Do not fear when evil man

Has success in all their plans,

For like grass they’ll wither soon.

They’ll be cut off from the land.

Trust in the Lord and He’ll give you peace.

Find your delight in Him through all stress.

All of your ways commit unto Him.

All your desires from Him He’ll fulfill.

Wait for the Lord; keep His way.

Delight in His Word always.

He’ll be with you to the end;

Life eternal found in Him.

I waited patiently for my Lord.

He turned to me, and He heard my cry.

He set my feet on the Solid Rock.

He gave to me a firm place to stand.

Blessed are we, who trust the Lord,

Who do not turn to false gods.

Our desire’s to do God’s will.

His word is within our hearts.

I will proclaim salvation to man.

You put a new song now in my mouth.

I’ll not withhold your love and your grace.

I’ll speak forevermore of your truth.

https://vimeo.com/112330108

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Shut the Doors!

Malachi 1:6-11 ESV

“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the Lord's table may be despised. When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts.
 “And now entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favor to any of you? says the Lord of hosts. Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand. For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.”

God’s Temple

We who have trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives are his temple. We are his body, his church. And, the purpose of the church is first and foremost for the glory and praise of God. Then, it is for the purpose of gathering the saints of God together for worship of God, for Bible study and the preaching of the Word, for prayer, and for fellowship in the Spirit of God. And, it is for the mutual encouragement of one another in Christ and for the building up of the body of Christ to maturity in Christ, our Lord.

When we, the body of Christ, gather together, each of us is to have a part. For, we have all been given gifts of the Spirit for the mutual encouragement and strengthening of one another in our walks of faith in the Spirit of God. Here we are to be equipped for service for God, as well, so that we can encourage one another, and so we can then go out into the world and share the gospel of our salvation so that many others may also believe in Jesus Christ and become one with us, the body of Christ, His church, His temple.

The growth of the church, thus, happens only as people are added who have truly given their hearts and lives to Jesus Christ, who have died with Christ to sin, so that they might live to Christ and to his righteousness. And, it also grows together in maturity in Christ as we are taught the truth of the scriptures regarding our spiritual walks, and as the people of God follow him in obedience to his commands to walk in his ways and in his truth.

Thus, we become church members via faith in Jesus Christ because we, the body of Christ, are the church, and we are all members of it automatically through faith in Christ.

But, this faith in Jesus Christ is not a mere profession of faith, but it is a walk of faith. It is a change of lifestyle away from living for sin and self to now walking by faith according to the Spirit of God, in his righteousness and holiness, as empowered by the Spirit of God. And, this walk of faith is along the narrow road which leads to eternal life with God. It is not along the broad path that many follow which leads to destruction.

Something Changed

But, then something changed. God didn’t change. His Word did not change, nor did his purpose for his church, his body, his temple. But, his church was taken over and made to be something it is not. And, his gospel of salvation was altered, as well, to fit in with the “new plan” for how to “do church.”

And, “the church” is no longer associated with true followers of Christ, but it is associated with buildings and organizations, with denominations and with theologies. It is affiliated with social and civic clubs, with entertainment, with having fun and a good time, and with meeting the felt needs of the people of this world, etc. For, it is now a place for the world to go to in order to get good clean family entertainment and programs and activities for their kids.

And, now so much of the church has become so much like the world that it is barely distinguishable between the church and the world anymore. And, so God is saying to his church, “If I am your Father, then where is my honor? And, if I am your Master (Lord), then where is my fear?”

For, you see, Jesus Christ didn’t die on that cross merely to forgive us our sins and to promise us heaven when we die. When he died on that cross he became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God. He died that we might be crucified with him in death to sin, and that we might be resurrected with him to new life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. And, he died that we might no longer live for ourselves, but that we might live for him who gave his life up for us.

For, when Jesus died on that cross he redeemed us with his blood, i.e. he bought us back for God so that our lives are no longer to be our own, to be lived however we want. But, he bought us back for God with his blood that we might be God’s possession, and that he might be our Lord (owner-master), and that we might serve him with our lives, and give him the honor, the respect and the obedience that he so deserves.

The “New Way”

Yet, in this new way that so much of today’s church has gone is away from this narrow road that leads to eternal life with God, but it is to travel on this broad road that the majority are traveling which leads to destruction. For, the narrow road offends people. The true gospel offends people. And, in order to build their churches, i.e. their earthly kingdoms, they want to avoid what offends people and they want to provide what draws in large crowds of people so that they will want to come back to their gatherings.

Thus, many in today’s modern market-driven churches have diluted the gospel of Jesus Christ, they have removed honor and respect for Almighty God, and they have entirely deleted the necessity of walking in the fear of the Lord, although all of these are taught in the New Testament, too. And, they have reduced the gospel of our salvation to a mere acknowledgement of Christ and of his offering of his blood on the cross to forgive us our sins.

And, instead of following the teachings of scripture, and focusing on loving the Word of God and on doing what it teaches us, they are largely following humanistic philosophy and business marketing schemes for how to grow (in numbers) their “churches” (businesses). So, many of them are teaching that we don’t have to repent of our sins, we don’t have to follow our Lord in obedience and that we don’t have to submit to the Lordship of Christ.

Instead, they have turned their gatherings into places of entertainment and revelry, of worldliness and even mockery of God and his Word, in some places. They laugh, they joke, they tease and they perform well for their audiences so that people want to come back, but they have excluded God and the truth of His Word so that they are not honoring him nor are they truly leading people to eternal life with God, but they are promising them heaven while leading them to still continue in their sinful addictions.

Shut the Doors!

Thus, the Lord is saying to the vast majority of his church today, at least here in America, “Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain!”

God is not pleased with most of what calls itself his church these days, again, at least in America, and so he wants to close the doors of these gatherings called “church” which are not his church, but which are businesses of man, because they are turning people away from God, but in the name of God, and they are leading many people to a false faith, and a false hope of salvation, while leaving them still bound in their sins.

And, many of these organizations called “church” are also leading the way to a one-world religion, for they have reduced Christianity and our salvation to something that most anyone can accept, for it requires nothing of them other than to acknowledge Christ and to “believe” their sins are forgiven and that heaven is guaranteed them no matter how they live from this moment on.

Thus, they have turned the gospel into a social gospel that offends no one and that transforms no one away from sin and to God, and so it easily blends in with the world and it paves the way to this one-world religion, too. And, God is not pleased because his name is being profaned. But, he will see to it that his name will be great among the nations. We can count on that!

Only in Him  

An Original Work / February 19, 2014

Based off Isaiah 30

Woe to those who look to man’s help;

Who turn away from Jesus Christ;

Forming an alliance not in step with God;

Making their own plans, and praying not.

Willing not to listen to truth,

They close their ears to what is right.

Pleasing words are all that they’ll hear;

Feel good messages that bring cheer.

Trust in your Lord; turn from your sin.

Put your faith now ONLY IN HIM.

Do not turn to idols. They’ll not satisfy.

Jesus will save you. That’s why He died.

Your Lord will be gracious to you.

He cares all about you, ‘tis true.

He forgives you all of your sin

When you give your life up to Him.

Oh, how truly gracious He’ll be

When you bow to Him on your knees;

Turning now from your sin; walking in his ways.

He’ll lead and guide you all of your days.

Now you will sing praises to Him.

He delivered you from your sin.

You’ll tell others now of His grace,

So they may see Christ face-to-face.

https://vimeo.com/87181019

Friday, July 26, 2019

Teach Me Your Word

Psalm 119:49-56 ESV

Remember your word to your servant,

    in which you have made me hope.

This is my comfort in my affliction,

    that your promise gives me life.

The insolent utterly deride me,

    but I do not turn away from your law.

When I think of your rules from of old,

    I take comfort, O Lord.

Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked,

    who forsake your law.

Your statutes have been my songs

    in the house of my sojourning.

I remember your name in the night, O Lord,

    and keep your law.

This blessing has fallen to me,

    that I have kept your precepts.

The promises of God, which are recorded for us in scripture, are dependable. We can count on them to be fulfilled. For, our God does not lie, and he is completely faithful in all that he does, and in all that he has said that he will do. His word can be trusted.

And, that is so reassuring to us, especially in an era where it seems not many people’s words can be trusted, for there is so much deception in the world right now. There is so much twisting and manipulation of truth even within the gatherings of the church. And, sometimes I feel like, “Does anyone tell the truth anymore?” I am sure some do.

But, especially since we live in an age of mass deception, it is so comforting to know that God’s words to us, his promises to us, can be trusted. And, we can find comfort in God’s promises, too, when the lies of Satan abound all around us, and via these lies many are turned against God and against us, his servants, and we are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.

But, God doesn’t promise us that life will be easy or without difficulty. He doesn’t promise us that we won’t have to suffer for his sake, and for the sake of his gospel. He doesn’t promise us a life of ease and comfort in this world. Instead, he promises us that following him means that we die daily to sin and self and that we take up our cross daily and follow (obey) him.

He promises us that we will be treated as he was treated, and that we will be hated and persecuted, just as he was, and by the religious, too, including by those who also profess to believe in the same God that we do. For, Jesus’ persecutors were not those who professed no faith in God. They were those who claimed to believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And, they were rulers, leaders and teachers of the scriptures in the temple, too.

So, how is that for our comfort? It is for our comfort when we understand the divine purpose in it all, and what God is doing in and through our lives because of our suffering for the sake of his name. For, he is making us holy as he is holy. He is pruning us. He is taking us in his hands, and like clay in the Potter’s hands, he is molding us and he is conforming us to his likeness. He is breaking away our pride and selfishness, and he is making us loving, compassionate and caring people whom he can use for his glory.

Also, he promises us that he will not leave us or forsake us. He will strengthen and he will help us through every trial he allows to come our way. He will teach us to walk in his ways and in his truth, and he will put within us a desire for him and for his word. And, we will want to walk in obedience to his commands because we love him.

Also, through the things which we suffer for the sake of his name, we are getting to know God’s heart, and to feel what he feels. And, we are learning to love what he loves and to hate what he hates. What he feels passionate about, now we do, too, because of what we have experienced, and because that gives us insight into how God feels. Therefore, for those of us who are writers, we can more clearly express the heart of God because through our suffering we become personally acquainted with his heart and his passion.

Thus, this drives us to do what we do, too. Knowing God’s heart from personal experiences, through our suffering, helps motivate and inspire us, too, to speak his truth, and to share his heart with others. We want to get the truth out, because we know it is the truth which sets people free, not the lies which promise them freedom while they keep them still trapped in hell. For, we know that God’s truth is the only hope any of us have in this world.

Psalm 119:57-64 ESV

The Lord is my portion;

    I promise to keep your words.

I entreat your favor with all my heart;

    be gracious to me according to your promise.

When I think on my ways,

    I turn my feet to your testimonies;

I hasten and do not delay

    to keep your commandments.

Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me,

    I do not forget your law.

At midnight I rise to praise you,

    because of your righteous rules.

I am a companion of all who fear you,

    of those who keep your precepts.

The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love;

    teach me your statutes!

A decision to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior of our lives is a decision to die with Christ to our old lives of living for sin and self, and it is a choice to now follow our Lord Jesus in obedience to his commands, and in surrender to his will for our lives. So, it is a lifelong commitment to walk with Jesus day in and day out, in his strength within us, and under his guidance and direction.

Jesus described his relationship with his followers to the relationship between a husband and a wife. When we marry our spouses, we make lifelong commitments to them, too, to be faithful to them in purity, forsaking all others, and to love, honor and cherish them through thick and through thin, i.e. through good times and bad times.

So, we need to view our decisions to believe in Jesus like a marriage, like marrying the man or the woman of our dreams, and to see our faith in Jesus Christ much like the marriage vows we made to our spouses. For, this is no light matter. This is not an easy in, easy out. This is serious business. We have left our former lives behind us to now join with our Lord, to cleave to him, and to become one with him.

Even though we may be tempted to stray from his commands, as a husband or a wife might be tempted to stray from his or her vows of fidelity, we must resist Satan, and we must flee temptation, and we must draw near to our God in full assurance of faith. Even though wicked men (or women) might try to ensnare us, and to trip us up in our faith, we must remain faithful to our Lord by his power and in his strength at work within us.

We must also be those who praise our Lord in good times and in bad times. We must praise him and thank him for his goodness to us, for his mercy and grace, for his forgiveness, and for his watch and care over our lives. We need to even praise him for our trials, knowing that God is working all things for good for those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

We also need to surround ourselves with other believers in Jesus Christ who are walking in the fear of the Lord. For, many who profess faith in Jesus Christ are not much different in character, in heart, and in practice from those who make no profession of faith in Christ. So, we need to be companions (close friends) with those who are walking by the Spirit of God and who are not living to fulfill the sinful desires of the flesh.

And, it is imperative that we are daily in God’s Word, studying it in context, seeking God’s face, and asking him to direct us in his ways and in his truth. We should not be those who are looking for loopholes so that we don’t have to obey the Word of God, but we should know the truth which sets us free, and then we should follow the truth and do what it says. For, we need to not be hearers only of the Word, but we need to be doers of the Word.

I Pray for Them

An Original Work / June 4, 2013

Based off John 17

“Glorify Your Son, that Your Son

May glorify our God in heav’n.

Father, You granted Him all power

And all authority over men,

That He might give eternal life

To all those whom now

You have given Him.”

“This now then is eternal life:

That they may know You,

Father, and Your Son;

That they may know the only true God,

And Jesus Christ whom the Father sent.

I have brought You the glory by

Finishing the work that You’ve given Me.”

“I have shown You to those whom

You gave to Me out of the world;

They were Yours. You gave them to Me

And they have obeyed Your words

And they accepted them. They knew

That I came from You, and they believed

With certainty, I was sent.”

“Holy Father, I pray for them by the

Power of Your name: Protect them,

So that they may be one as we are,

For they are still living in this world.

I have given them Your word;

Because of Your word, the world

Has hated them.”

“I pray they may have the full measure of

My joy now living within them.

Father, I pray You sanctify them

By Your word; truly Your word is truth.

As You sent Me into the world,

I send them to tell the world to repent.”

https://vimeo.com/116141024

Thursday, July 25, 2019