Show the World What Our God is Really Like

As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy (1 Peter 1:14-16)
 
Now is the time for believers to show the world what our God is really like. He is Holy. The Israelites introduced the surrounding sex -crazed pagan cultures to their Holy God by keeping themselves pure as they outwardly obeyed the Ten Commandments. We have the law of God written on our hearts. This enables us to be living epistles known and read of all men. And in this day of looseness, we have a tremendous opportunity to shine!
 
It’s time to pursue holiness! Notice 2 Corinthians 7:1: Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Not only will your fellowship with your Holy Father deepen, but you’ll begin to be noticed by those around you as different, and that’s a good thing!
 
Sensuality is on the rise everywhere. It’s the spirit of the age. Watch your TV and movie viewing and don’t compromise! The internet is full of filth. Magazines and newspapers are filled with risqué pictures and articles that just don’t need to be written! Be wise!

If you don’t make an on purpose decision to be Holy or separated from the perversion that abounds today, you’re likely to yield to it and be hardened by it. Notice what Peter says to us from the Amplified Bible: So, since Christ suffered in the flesh for us, for you, arm yourselves with the same thought and purpose [patiently to suffer rather than fail to please God]. For whoever has suffered in the flesh [having the mind of Christ] is done with [intentional] sin [has stopped pleasing himself and the world, and pleases God], So that he can no longer spend the rest of his natural life living by [his] human appetites and desires, but [he lives] for what God wills (1Peter 4:1-2 – Amplified).

Paul says it so well in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8: God’s plan is to make you holy, and that means a clean cut with sexual immorality. Every one of you should learn to control his body, keeping it pure and treating it with respect, and never allowing it to fall victim to lust, as do pagans with no knowledge of God. You cannot break this rule without cheating and exploiting your fellow men. Indeed God will punish all who offend do offend in this matter, as we have plainly told you and warned you. The calling of God is not to impurity but to the most thorough purity, and anyone who makes light of the matter is not making light of man’s ruling but of God’s command. It is not for nothing that the Spirit God gives us is called the Holy Spirit.
 
Stand before the Father today and pledge to Him your devotion and love by committing to a life of holiness and purity. Refuse to compromise God’s standards by yielding to the low standards of the world. Our nation’s future depends on our morals. If they fail, our nation will fail. History begs us not to repeat it!

Your Most Private Room

But when you pray, go into your most private room, and, closing the door, pray to your Father, Who is in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open (Matthew 6:6 –Amplified).
 
In the Greek language, this word for most private room could be translated bedchamber. It’s a place of intimacy and privacy. It’s the place where a husband and wife share their most private moments. A place where the world is locked out, and a place where life is created.
 
The Father wants you to go regularly to you bedchamber with Him. He longs to share private moments with you where the world and others are locked out. It’s just you and Him talking together, sharing together. It’s the one place where your life can really be transformed.
 
Most people misunderstand the Father. He has such compassion and love. He so wants you to excel in life’s fight. He longs to be invited into your private life for conversation. His great desire is that you open your inner self to Him, sharing secrets that you would share with no other. He wants you to invite Him into your most private room.

The major stumbling block to this intimacy with the Father is condemnation and inferiority. But He has made provision for forgiveness of wrong and the cleansing of the conscience. He has made you righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). Righteousness is the ability to stand before the Father without sin, condemnation, or inferiority, just as though you had never sinned! He forgives your sin (1John 1:9), forgets all you’ve ever done wrong (Hebrews 10:17), and promises never to remember or bring up to you sins you confess (Isaiah 43:25). He casts your sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19). Don’t go fishing for them! He removes your misdeeds from you as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).
 
The Father wants you to go into your private room with Him with this knowledge. That way, inferiority and condemnation don’t get in the way of you pouring your heart out to Him. Talk to Him about everything in your life. Talk to him about the pressures that seem overwhelming. Talk to Him about your dreams and your disappointments. Talk to Him about your inadequacies and failures. Discuss with Him your hidden agendas, your motives, your attitudes. Lay before Him your secret desires that you would reveal to no one.
 
You see, He already knows you better than you know yourself. None of these things will be news to the Father. He knew about them before you did! But when you pour out your life before Him, and then ask Him to help you where you  struggle, it empowers Him and gives Him permission to help you with His supernatural ability.

After you spend time speaking to Him, listen. Be open to hear what He says to you through His word by the Holy Spirit. He is usually direct, but so loving. He’s firm, but so compassionate. I’ve gone from these places of speaking to my Father so broken that I wanted no human contact; so loved by Him that I was overwhelmed. He loved me so much. He took the time to listen and care. He didn’t condemn me. His love drew me away. His care compelled me to change. His power changed my inner desires.
 
Take some time with the Father in your most private room today. If you’ve never done this, it’s a bit scary at first. But then you’ll experience the Father in a new way, and you’ll change. That’s the power of being with Him in your most private room.

Full!

And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).
 
The Message paraphrase of this verse reads, Don't drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him.  And Weymouth’s translation declares, Do not over-indulge in wine--a thing in which excess is so easy- but drink deeply of God's Spirit.
 
The Greek verb in this verse is in the continuous present tense. It should read: be being filled with the Spirit, indicating progressive continuous action. When a person is born again, the Holy Spirit enters his or her body and changes their spirit from spiritual death to spiritual life; from darkness to light; from the power of Satan to the power of God.

When a believer receives the baptism with the Holy Spirit, that person enters into a closer relationship with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit immerses the person into Himself!

There is only one experience of the indwelling of the Spirit that we receive in the new birth. There is only one instance in a person’s life of receiving the baptism with the Holy Spirit. But there should be many instances of a believer being filled with the Spirit!
 
We leak. As we go through life we use up our spiritual energy reserves. They must be replenished. Being filled with the Spirit needs to be a daily experience for all of us!

Here’s how. Get alone; go into your “closet” where you privately fellowship with the Lord (a long, walk, a secluded room, just a real private place). Begin to worship, singing songs in English and singing in tongues! Tell the Lord of how wonderful He is and how thankful you are that He has and is transforming your life. Sing some more. Pick up your Bible and read a passage out loud. Lift your hands and praise some more. Sing some more in tongues. And just keep this regimen going for a while. Then pray, pouring your heart out to the Father, mentioning the things that trouble you to Him. Go into great detail, and ask Him to help you! Talk to Him about your personal weaknesses, and ask Him to help you overcome them! Then, lift your hands and sing and praise some more. Sing songs that you know, and sing in tongues. You may not “feel” it, but you’re being refreshed and filled with the Spirit as you to this!
 
Make the previous paragraph a daily thing! Be being filled every day! Speak to yourself in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord! Stay close to Him. Mediate the Word. You’ll stay filled with the Spirit, and the devil will run and hide when you show up!  He will sense the power of the Greater One that has risen within you!

Once Saved, Always Saved, No Matter What?

I was taught all my life in my denominational church that once you’re a believer, your eternity is secured, and you never have to be concerned about it again. The idea of eternal security and then the other extreme of falling from grace and being eternally lost has been a bone of theological contention in religious circles for hundreds of years.
  
It really got its start in the 16th century with two men. Jacobus Arminius and John Calvin graduated from the same institution of learning but each held opposing views. Jacobus Arminius believed that if you commit the smallest sin you are lost, and need to be saved all over again. John Calvin – father of “Old School Calvinism” believed that you were predestined to be saved – “what is to be will be.” They believed that you could only be saved if God gave you a repenting heart. Today, we have “new school Calvinism,” which basically believes the doctrine of eternal security, or what we call “once saved, always saved.”

So, who is right? The answer lies somewhere in the middle. The philosophers say that truth is the mean between two extremes. And that is a wise way to progress on this subject. We must balance the sovereignty of God with the free will of man. There are as many scriptures for eternal security as there are against it in the New Testament. On the other hand, we certainly don’t want to walk in eternal insecurity, where we’re constantly afraid of losing our salvation.

Here’s the bottom line. As long as I want to be saved from sin, I am! As long as I have a repentant heart that is full of faith in the redemptive work of Christ, I’m secure. But there is no scripture that promises that if I am born again, and then choose to live a rebellious, sinful lifestyle  void of repentance and confession of sin, that I will inherit heaven as my eternal destiny.

Every believer will at some point commit an act of sin. That’s different than choosing a lifestyle of unrepentant sin. If I as a believer commit a sin, thank God that I have the blood of Jesus that cleanses me when I confess my sins (1 John 1:9). Thank God that we have a lawyer that has never lost a case (1 John 2:1)! Thank God, that when the Father forgives sin, He forgets that we every committed it, and chooses to never remember it again (Isaiah 43:25; Hebrews 10:17)! The Father removes our sin from us as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12)! Jesus is our eternal lawyer with the Father when we miss the mark!

But there is no scripture in the New Testament that promises that God will keep a person in His care eternally that chooses sin as a lifestyle. Not one promise offers this. Not one. In this hour of looseness and liberty, let us be careful to walk closely with the Lord, and not allow sin to harden our hearts to the point that one day we could say, I just don’t care anymore. Believer in Christ, never play with sin. It will harden your heart, and in the end, its wage is death.

I’ll leave you with these quotes:

He that is merciful to sin is cruel to his own soul (Ralph Venning).
He that loves a tree hates the worm that consumes it; he that loves a garment hates the moth that eats it; he that loves life, abhors death; and he that loves the Lord hates everything that offends Him (William Cowper).

I would rather have a moderately small meeting of earnest Christians than to have it packed with thousands of careless people (D.L. Moody).

Jesus Christ came to make the great laws of God incarnate in human life; that is the miracle of God’s grace. We are to be written epistles known and read of all men. There is no allowance whatever in the New Testament for the man who says he is saved by grace but who does not produce the graceful goods. Jesus Christ, by His redemption, can make our actual life in keeping with our religious profession (Oswald Chambers).

“If God were not my friend, Satan would not be so much my enemy (Thomas Brooks).

Give me one hundred men who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I will shake the world (John Wesley).



              

                                           
     

Keep Yourself

We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him (1 John 5:18).

IF you’re going to walk closely with the Lord, you must guard or “keep” yourself. We must be vigilant to continue to do the things necessary to keep our walk with the Father strong and robust.
  
The writer of Hebrews said it well: Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away (Hebrews 2:1). Lest we drift away could be translated run out as leaking vessels. We have a leaking problem! It’s so easy to become slack and not be diligent in the things of God.

To be a strong believer today, I must continue to do the things I’ve done in the past to allow God to be strong in me. Too many believers become slack and let down their defenses and drift from the place of safety in God. Therefore let anyone who thinks he stands [who feels sure that he has a steadfast mind and is standing firm], take heed lest he fall [into sin]( 1 Corinthians 10:12 - Amplified).

Keep guard over yourselves, so that you may not lose the results of your good deeds, but may receive back a full reward (2 John 8 – Weymouth)
 
During their wilderness wanderings, God graciously gave the Israelites daily food called manna to sustain them physically. The manna would appear on the ground at night and they were to pick it up the next morning before the dew dried. And they could only get a one day supply with the exception of the day before Sabbath, where they could pick up an extra day’s supply for the Sabbath rest.

Some lazy Israelites tried to pick up an extra day’s supply on a week day, and the manna bread worms and begin to stink! You see, we can’t live on yesterday’s time with God, and we can’t depend on what has happened in our past to sustain us today in God. The blessings of yesterday won’t sustain you in the challenges of today! We must maintain a real time fellowship with the Father in the Word and in prayer every day. Smith Wigglesworth said: Pay attention to life’s inflow. Outward service will dwindle if inward energies are not renewed.

I’ve seen so many believers over the years become satisfied and slack! And I’ve watched as the spiritual fire and zeal slowly left their lives. Don’t let that happen to you. Don’t become complacent and think that you’re safe. Take heed!

Within myself I keep this thought: just because I was spiritually strong yesterday, and just because I have a record of God using me in the past, is no indication that I will be strong today. I could fall away unless I keep doing the things necessary to stay close to my Father. Honest assessment guards against slackness.

Ask yourself the following questions. Do I take time each day to “feed” on the Word? Do I maintain a daily private life of prayer and communion with the Father? Do I judge sin in my life immediately? Or do I just let it go and think that the Father understands me and my “weakness?” Am I as close to the Lord now as I was a year ago? Are my personal habits pure? Do I guard my thoughts and refuse to think on unseemly things? Do I readily forgive all offenses? Am I selfish? Do I spend my time wisely?

A wise believer keeps careful guard over himself. Keep yourself. Give yourself a regular spiritual checkup.




 

Life

You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day. Your thoughts — how rare, how beautiful! God, I'll never comprehend them! (Psalm 139:15-17).1

I was born on Tuesday, October 7, 1958. At 8:20 AM, I breathed my first breath of life. I was born a basic barbarian with a nature of sin in my spirit and with a mind empty and clueless about life.
 
As a child I absorbed my surroundings. The influences of my father and mother set patterns in my life. Some were good, others were hurtful, and in later years had to be broken. My young mind gained concepts of self, of how to relate to others, and thankfully I was taught that there is an unseen God that reveals Himself through His word, and that we should worship Him and honor Him with all we do.

My mother taught me to read the Bible, to pray, and to respect others and their property. My father taught me the value of honesty, integrity, and of being truthful always. He taught me to work hard, to spend my money wisely, and to tithe. Mom and Dad taught me by example the golden rule: do unto others what you would have them do to you.

As I aged I learned that I am responsible for all my actions and the choices they produce. In a large measure, God gives us what we draw to ourselves as a result of our choices. Some influences I had no control over when I was young, but I learned that I must choose to resist and change the ones that produce hurtful effects in me and towards others through me.

Near age 18, I fully committed my life to Jesus, being restored to fellowship with Him, and then receiving the baptism with the Holy Spirit. The principle purpose of my life changed from self-centeredness to seeking to live to please the One who redeemed my life from hell now and later.

At age 18, the Father called me to preach His Word. Since then the passion of my life has been to obey Him. Though I fail Him often, I ask Him for His grace to help my weaknesses, and His power to enable me to fulfill His will.

He created me as an eternal human spirit. One day, He will call me to Himself to live with Him in heaven, either in the rapture of the church or through the doorway of physical death. My goal in life is to be pleasing to Him, follow His plan for my life, and to one day hear Him speak over me the words, well done, good and faithful servant.

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1.  (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

Can People See Your Love for Them by Your Actions?

We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren. He who does not love His brother abides in death (1 John 3:14).

The last two days, I have talked about the life of God, (Greek Zoe, which is deposited in the believer when born again. This life has the ability to change a person’s character!

The first manifestation of the life of God is love. Not the natural human love that everybody has (phileo is the Greek word), but (Greek) agape, which is unconditional, self-sacrificial love. This agape is a direct manifestation of Zoe. Only believers have access to this love. It is supposed to be the trademark of Christianity. It is sad that so few allow it to govern their behavior.
 
Jesus said that all would know that we’re His disciples by this agape. You’ll find that as you grow spiritually, this love will dominate you more and more. You see, there is no spiritual growth without growth in love. God is love, and the closer and more intimate you get to Him, the more this love nature will manifest in your life.
 
Walking in the Spirit is really letting this love nature rule daily life. From the time you get up in the morning, until the time you go to bed, your success with God today will be determined by how much you allow this love nature to rule your being. IF you allow it, agape will mellow out the harshness that has crept into life. It will enable you to love the unlovely and selfish. It will enable you to overlook the petty faults of others.
 
This agape love will cure friction in the home, and will enable you to walk in peace with all people. It is the ultimate social grace.

Above all you do today, make it a goal to be love led, love dominated. You’ll stand out in the crowd if you do. People will be drawn to this love in you. They will ask questions. And the Father will bless them through you.

I’m going to end with a quote from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, which gives a fine description of the love nature of the Father. Take a moment to refresh your mind as to the attributes of this God nature. Let it loose today!
     
Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.
It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end] (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).