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Posts Tagged ‘Word of God’

Independence Day In Christ

04 Jul

(Galatians 5:1Galatians 5:1
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
5 1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.  

WP-Bible plugin)  “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”

Today we celebrate Independence Day in the United States.  It is a day we rejoice in the political and personal liberties granted to us as Americans.  For over 200 years the United States has been the beacon and champion of freedom around the world.  We have been graced with the freedom to worship the Lord.  We are free to preach and possess His Word.  We are free to pray in our homes and in public.  I am not bragging about our country, I am merely stating the facts.  While we take our liberties for granted, others in this world live under oppression and must worship in secret.  Some preach in hiding.  Some hide the Word of God.  But in Christ, every brother and sister today stands in freedom.

Regardless of where you live today, rejoice in the loosed chains of sin that sit at your feet.  Live in the true identity you have in Christ regardless of what other around you say about who you are.  The reality of sin is not able to stand against the reality of God.  The reality of Satan cannot overcome the reality of God’s presence in your life.  Today is your day of liberty in Christ.  Whether you are in the church or in the closet, celebrate the victory and freedom you have in Christ Jesus.  Yes, in this great country we celebrate our Independence from tyranny and injustice.  But in Christ, every day is independence day from the power of sin, death and Satan.  We gain the constant victory through our dependence on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Renewed Thought – Our Declaration of Independence from sin, death, and Satan was signed with the blood of Jesus Christ.

 
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Word of God Speak

19 Apr

A prayer offered up for today:

(Psa 119:105Psa 119:105
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
NUN. 105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. lamp: or, candle  

WP-Bible plugin)  “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

Lord, I may be surrounded by darkness and temptation today, but Your Word shows me the path of righteousness.  My body may be consumed by the pain of sickness and disease today, but Your Word promises peace in knowing and experiencing Your presence.  I may be lonely and grief-stricken today because death snatched the one I loved from this life, but Your Word soothes the sting with the certain hope that we will sing together one day before Your throne.  I may be oppressed by the viciousness of Satan and his followers today, but Your Word strengthens my soul to stand in the midst of the battle.  I may be hurt by those who claim to follow You today, but Your Word is the cool balm that soothes the bitterness in my soul.  I may feel lost and empty not knowing where I should turn today, but Your Word points me back to You as the source and sense of all direction for my life.  I may doubt because I can’t see You working in my life today, but Your Word establishes that You will live Your life through my yielded life.  Lord, thank You for speaking to me today.

Renewed Thought – God is speaking to you today.  Are you listening?

 
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The Real Litmus Test – Romans 8:6

09 Feb

(Romans 8:6Romans 8:6
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. to be carnally...: Gr. the minding of the flesh to be spiritually...: Gr. the minding of the Spirit  

WP-Bible plugin)  “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

There are litmus tests in the Body of Christ today to determine whether we are considered “good” Christians or “bad” Christians.  If I am in one political party, I am considered “good” and if I am in another party I am not considered to be in line with God’s people and plan.  If I am an independent then I must be an agnostic!  The same goes with churches.  If I am affiliated with one group, I must be “good” and if I am with another I must not be as godly.  But all of this is focused on man’s view of the way things are.  The definition of “godly” and who is a “good” Christian has been co-opted by the political and the religious.  I’ve even been told I’m not a “Bible-believer” because I don’t happen to agree with one of several doctrinal stances.

The real litmus test of my life for Christ is whether my mind is aligned with the flesh or the Spirit.  Political parties cannot define the values of Christ.  Religious and church organizations are not the ultimate definition of the “good” in the Body of Christ.  It is Christ Who determines values and is the true definition of good.  In Mark 10:18Mark 10:18
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.  

WP-Bible plugin, Jesus makes the statement that “…there is none good but one, that is, God.”  Christ, Who is God, is the ultimate goodness.  If my definition of a “good” Christian is co-opted by anyone or anything outside of Christ, I have been spiritually compromised.

Any way you slice it, the flesh can only produce death.  As my mind pursues self and only thinks of self, my actions only reflect self.  How this appears to the world around me is irrelevant.  It only matters to God.  I may have all the appearances expected of a “good” Christian but at the end of the day, the fruit is rotten or dead.  What smells good to the church these days is the stink of self-serving sacrifice to the Lord.  I have to be careful that all my justifications for doing what everyone considers “right” aren’t really excuses to put myself at the center of attention.  When my mind is captivated and captured by the Spirit, I truly pass the litmus test – I am who I am called to be in Christ.

Renewed Thought – Lord, help me to remember today that life and peace are independent of my circumstances when I keep my mind stayed on Thee.

 
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How I Think Is How I Act – Romans 8:5

08 Feb

(Rom 8:5Rom 8:5
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  

WP-Bible plugin)  “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.”

There is a verse in the book of Proverbs that starts out, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:…” (Pro 23:7Pro 23:7
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.  

WP-Bible plugin).  This takes away any excuse of randomness in my actions.  In other words, the things that I do are the direct result of a process that begins in my mind.  The word “are” in Romans 8:5Romans 8:5
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  

WP-Bible plugin refers to my walk, my lifestyle, my ways.  It is in the Present tense so it points to the life I am living right now.  I am living the way I am living as a result of the way I am thinking.  If I pursue the “things of the flesh” (Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: – Gal 5:20-21Gal 5:20-21
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.  

WP-Bible plugin) it is because my mind is absorbed with thoughts that are centered in the flesh.  If I pursue the “things of the Spirit” (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: – Gal 5:22-23Gal 5:22-23
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.  

WP-Bible plugin) it is because my mind is centered on Christ and He is my source.

I have to constantly re-evaluate what I value.  I have to continually check my priorities.  I have to live in the awareness of what I am pursuing.  The world tries to lull us to sleep so that we live a life in a semi-conscious state only to wake up one day in realization that we wasted time and disregarded the opportunities of the Spirit.  This spiritual battle of a conscious pursuit of God is the struggle between flesh and spirit.  The stakes are life and death:  will my Christian life resemble spiritual life or death?

I have to constantly be aware of the environment and those who I pursue in fellowship.  If my environment is characterized by the works of the flesh or those surrounding me are living according to the flesh, I have to re-prioritize and evaluate whether I need to change my environment.  Many churches believe they are only centered in Christ and only preach the Word of God, but when you get inside the door, there is only strife, wrath and division.  This is not healthy.  This is not the mind of the Spirit.  Where there is no peace, longsuffering, gentleness, or meekness, there is not a true work of the Spirit.  Again, the stakes are life and death:  will I live a resurrection-powered life or will I live a life that mirrors who I was before I came to Christ?

Renewed Thought – Lord, give me the strength and focus to re-evaluate my values and priorities today.  Root out those things that are not centered on You.  Root out those relationships that draw my mind away from You.  Be the Source of my strength and every thought.

 
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In Due Season We Shall Reap – Galatians 6:9

03 Aug

(Galatians 6:9Galatians 6:9
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.  

WP-Bible plugin)  “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

God loved the Galatians – everyone of them.  It was His will to bring them all back to grace.  How did He plan to accomplish this?  They already had the doctrine.  They had a real living Apostle ministering to them.  The key was to apply the Word of God and the teaching of Paul to the details of their lives.  This meant allowing the love of Christ to flow between them day by day.  This meant the stronger would shoulder a heavier burden than the weaker.  It would require quiet patience, enduring compassion, and a peaceful spirit.  Sometimes the journey would seem impossible.  Sometimes it wouldn’t seem worth it.  Endurance would come as they look beyond the present and even beyond tomorrow.  They would need to look forward to eternity as the goal.  Then, the true worth of all their labors would be manifested to the entire universe.

I wake up every morning knowing I have to cram 26 hours of work into 24 hours – and sometimes fit sleep in somewhere!  I read the news in short bursts, only occasionally stopping for substance and depth.  I am impacted everyday by the changing landscape of a society formed by technological advances.  I live in an impatient world.  The world’s “due season” is right now.  All of this shapes me into an impatient person. As I am conditioned to demand life in a hurry, I wonder how this conditions me to treat people – especially other Christians.  Am I patient enough?  Do I make the same demands of my brothers and sisters in Christ the world makes of me?  I may be planting good seed.  I may have good ground (my heart).  But God requires one other thing as I invest myself in the lives of those around me:  Time.  When I invest time in their spiritual growth, I need to allow time for them to grow up.

(1 Corinthians 15:581 Corinthians 15:58
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.  

WP-Bible plugin)  “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

Planting and watering the spiritual lives of others can be exhausting.  But I have the promise of harvest.  The Lord promises a season for reaping.  The fruit will be gathered.  This promise is what keeps me laboring even when the conditions in the field are unfavorable.  This promise keeps me laboring even when others look at my field and ridicule me because it doesn’t look like their field.  This promise keeps me laboring even when there isn’t a hint of growth in those around me.  This promise keeps me laboring even when I am criticized for my choice of fields.  I endure this life and these labors by looking outside of time, outside of myself and toward the Sovereignty and timing of the Lord.  While the world and even my brothers and sisters may not value what I do unto the Lord, the worth of all I do is worth it to Him.  That is all that matters.  That is the knowledge that keeps me in the field.

Renewed Thought – I cannot create life from a seed.  I cannot cause infertile ground to produce fruit.  I am only charged to plant the seed and labor in the field.  The supernatural power and life of God brings life to the lifeless and strength to the weary.

 
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